<p>Recipes for air dry clay often include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Materials to absorb water from ingredients that get blended with high water content.</li>
<li>Materials that swell when wet to add temporary bulk during modelling, and shrink when the water dries to leave a lightweight, porous structure.</li>
<li>Materials to add elasticity to make the clay workable while wet and less brittle when it dries.</li>
</ul>
<p>Psyllium husk powder is a water-soluble fiber (it's the primary ingredient of many dietary fiber supplements).  It absorbs a tremendous amount of water.  At low concentration in water, you can make a stretchy &quot;slime&quot;.  At slightly higher concentration, it turns into a rubbery mass.  It seems like a small amount might be a useful additive in air dry clay for all the bulletted reasons.</p>
<p>On the other hand, materials that absorb a huge amount of water and shrink again when they dry tend to cause cracking if the other ingredients don't form a strong, non-brittle structure.  So success is likely very dependent on the other ingredients it's mixed with.</p>
<p>I did a search to see if anyone had tried it, and had posted either a discussion or a clay recipe, but couldn't find a thing.  It could be that nobody thought to try it, or people tried it, it failed, and they didn't write about it.</p>
<p>I'm thinking of experimenting with it, myself.  But these kinds of experiments can burn through a lot of time and ingredients.  Rather than reinvent the wheel, or rediscover all the ways in which it might be useless, it makes sense to build on what other people have tried.</p>
<p>If any readers have tried using psyllium powder in air dry clay, does it provide any benefits such as the bullets at the top, or does it fail miserably and is a waste of materials? (And what was the nature of the clay that produced that experience?)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-31T06:10:07.710Z
I am not a specialist but, isn't slow drying better than quick drying? Quality wise, I mean. If you have a deadline, on the other hand... :)
virolino
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-31T06:13:37.067Z
Also, what will happen during the life time of the "thingy" after it is dry? The psyllium will continue to work - absorb and release water. That could spell the recipe for mold inside the material, I guess.
virolino
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-31T06:22:10.843Z
@virolino, I'm not connecting with your 1st comment. I don't think any of this relates to drying speed (although slow drying can reduce cracking). If you're referring to the 1st bullet, a lot of paper clay recipes start with wet pulp and use something else that absorbs the water to make it a clay consistency. re: 2nd comment, I haven't worked with psyllium, yet. I know it soaks up water if you get it wet, but I don't know whether it's hygroscopic. If it is, then you're right about having to address mold.
fixer1234
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-31T10:35:16.750Z
*"although slow drying can reduce cracking"* that is an obvious one. On the opposite side, I know that there are situations when the object is actively humidified during drying / setting, to extend the drying time, for quality purposes. Again, my knowledge is not from my personal experience - just what I saw or heard about.
virolino
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-31T10:37:07.540Z
To be 100% correct about personal experiences - I have some little experience "drinking" psyllium. I did not dry very fast. I did not notice getting additional cracks either :))
virolino
<material-selection><clay><material-making>
Does psyllium powder improve air dry clay?
fixer1234
# Does psyllium powder improve air dry clay?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-10-30)

Recipes for air dry clay often include:

* Materials to absorb water from ingredients that get blended with high water content.
* Materials that swell when wet to add temporary bulk during modelling, and shrink when the water dries to leave a lightweight, porous structure.
* Materials to add elasticity to make the clay workable while wet and less brittle when it dries.

Psyllium husk powder is a water-soluble fiber (it's the primary ingredient of many dietary fiber supplements). It absorbs a tremendous amount of water. At low concentration in water, you can make a stretchy "slime". At slightly higher concentration, it turns into a rubbery mass. It seems like a small amount might be a useful additive in air dry clay for all the bulletted reasons.

On the other hand, materials that absorb a huge amount of water and shrink again when they dry tend to cause cracking if the other ingredients don't form a strong, non-brittle structure. So success is likely very dependent on the other ingredients it's mixed with.

I did a search to see if anyone had tried it, and had posted either a discussion or a clay recipe, but couldn't find a thing. It could be that nobody thought to try it, or people tried it, it failed, and they didn't write about it.

I'm thinking of experimenting with it, myself. But these kinds of experiments can burn through a lot of time and ingredients. Rather than reinvent the wheel, or rediscover all the ways in which it might be useless, it makes sense to build on what other people have tried.

If any readers have tried using psyllium powder in air dry clay, does it provide any benefits such as the bullets at the top, or does it fail miserably and is a waste of materials? (And what was the nature of the clay that produced that experience?)

**Tags:** material-selection, clay, material-making

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I am not a specialist but, isn't slow drying better than quick drying? Quality wise, I mean. If you have a deadline, on the other hand... :)  
> **username_1**: Also, what will happen during the life time of the "thingy" after it is dry? The psyllium will continue to work - absorb and release water. That could spell the recipe for mold inside the material, I guess.  
> **username_0**: @username_1, I'm not connecting with your 1st comment. I don't think any of this relates to drying speed (although slow drying can reduce cracking). If you're referring to the 1st bullet, a lot of paper clay recipes start with wet pulp and use something else that absorbs the water to make it a clay consistency. re: 2nd comment, I haven't worked with psyllium, yet. I know it soaks up water if you get it wet, but I don't know whether it's hygroscopic. If it is, then you're right about having to address mold.  
> **username_1**: *"although slow drying can reduce cracking"* that is an obvious one. On the opposite side, I know that there are situations when the object is actively humidified during drying / setting, to extend the drying time, for quality purposes. Again, my knowledge is not from my personal experience - just what I saw or heard about.  
> **username_1**: To be 100% correct about personal experiences - I have some little experience "drinking" psyllium. I did not dry very fast. I did not notice getting additional cracks either :))  

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## 0 answers

