Cernit Glue is a bakeable glue for polymer clay, and it is the tool for one job in particular: bonding clay to something that is not clay. Metal findings, glass, stone, wood, paper, fabric, plastic — porous or not — are where a glue earns its place, because there the two materials cure differently and need something between them.

It grips with light pressure alone, so parts stay put while you position them, and it is baked to set: 230–266°F (110–130°C) for up to 30 minutes, the same schedule as the clay itself. That means the bond cures at the same time as the piece rather than in a separate step afterwards.

It works on any combination of raw and baked clay, so it also handles the awkward repair — adding a raw piece onto something already fired, or rejoining a baked part that has snapped.

For clay-to-clay joins, consider Cernit Gel instead. Liquid clay is chemically the same material as the clay either side of the join, and in Ginger Davis Allman’s bakeable-bond testing liquid clays consistently outperformed paste-type bonding products on clay-to-clay work. Glue is the better answer when one side of the join is not polymer clay; Gel is the better answer when both sides are.

Using it: thin is stronger than thick. A heavy bead of glue stays soft in the middle and shears; a thin film across the whole contact area does not. Rough up a glossy non-porous surface first so the glue has something to key into.

• Cernit reference: CE3070080000C
• Set by: Baking, 230–266°F
• Use for: Clay to non-clay materials