Cernit makes two products for clay that will not behave, and they are not interchangeable. Which one you need depends on how far gone the clay is.

• Stiff, but you can still work it — Soft Mix. It loosens clay to the consistency you prefer.
• Hardened to the point you cannot work it at all (but never baked) — Magic Mix. It restores clay that would otherwise be thrown away.

The kind of clay matters too. Magic Mix is pure plasticizer, which makes it the better choice for translucent clay where clarity is the whole point. Soft Mix is at its best in the opaque lines.

Magic Mix is the plasticizer used in manufacturing polymer clay — the ingredient that makes clay pliable in the first place, sold on its own. Adding it back replaces what has been lost, so it recovers clay that has gone hard with age. Break the clay into small pieces, put them in a container with a little Magic Mix, and add more bit by bit until it works the way you want.

It does three other things worth knowing about:

• Clay mixed with it comes out of the oven more flexible and more break-resistant.
• It thins liquid clay that has become too thick to pour or brush.
• Brushed on raw clay it erases fingerprints and small surface irregularities before baking.

It will not alter the color of the clay. Being pure plasticizer, it is also the one to reach for with translucents — it thins and softens them without taking the edge off their clarity.

It is not Cernit-only. Magic Mix works on other polymer clay brands as well, Fimo included, so it is worth having on the bench whatever you mostly use.

Do not add either one to fresh clay. These correct a problem rather than improve clay that is behaving normally — adding softener to a bar that is merely unconditioned gives you a sticky, unworkable mess. If new clay feels stiff out of the wrapper it almost always wants conditioning, not additive.

• Cernit reference: CE3100080000C
• Use for: Clay hardened past working
• Size: 80ml (2.82 fl oz)