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.

Soft Mix is the gentler of the two, for clay that is simply firmer than you like rather than clay that has failed. A small amount kneaded in brings it to a softer working consistency. It works with any Cernit clay and is at its best in the opaque lines — Number One, Opaline, Doll and the rest.

For translucents, reach for Cernit Magic Mix instead. It is pure plasticizer, so it softens without costing you any of the clarity you chose a translucent for.

Reach for it when the clay is usable but tiring to condition. If the clay has hardened past the point of being workable, Cernit Magic Mix is the product that will bring it back.

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: CE1050056005C
• Use for: Clay stiffer than you like
• Size: 56g