Pardo is a patented polymer clay that has come to the US from Germany. It has been on the market there for about two years and is very popular. It has no phthalates and is made with beeswax and other natural ingredients.
Pardo bakes at the same temperature (266°) as many other polymer clays. It has no smell before or during baking. Note about baking. I have baked many Pardo items at 275° without any problems but I find the color shift is greater at the higher temperature and I have been told it is better to bake at 266° for strength reasons. The jar does say to bake at 266°.
Pardo comes in 70 amazing colors, many with mica in them. You can mix it with other polymer clays. I am told it isn't affected by sunlight in the same way that other polymer clays are so there shouldn't be a problem with it curing before you have even opened the package.
Pardo is a little more expensive for one jar than other clay single packages but you get more clay in the jar than in other brands. Pardo comes in a plastic container with a screw top lid making it so easy to store. You get 2.7 oz. formed in little balls.
Pardo needs little or no conditioning. You can run it through the pasta machine on the #9 setting, the thinnest setting, and after it is baked that thin it is still strong enough that you can tie it in a bow like a shoelace.
Pardo canes very nicely. Canes have been made that were small enough to need a magnifying glass to see and the design was still there after reducing it that small. Also, when slicing, the design didn't smear. Lisa Pavelka loves it and you will see her signature advertising it.
I opted to take the low end ($4.95) of the suggested retail price of $5.95. Everyone has the opportunity to receive a special discount on products on my site by joining the Poly Clay Play Club and this includes Pardo Clay.
EARTH FRIENDLY
Pardo clay is made with pure beeswax which enables it to be moldable. There are no phthalates in Pardo Clay.
There has been mention that the packaging is not "earth friendly". The clay is packaged in plastic jars that have the recycling symbol on the bottom... the recycling triangle with 01 inside... and PET written just below.
The following was taken from a report about PET plastics:
"From its beginning, the PET plastic packaging industry has demonstrated its commitment to environmental responsibility through recycling. Prior to the introduction of the PET soft drink bottle on grocery shelves, PET bottle manufacturers and consumer product companies worked with private recycling companies to demonstrate that this new packaging material could be recycled, a major concern for new packaging, given the popularity of recycling with the American public."
You can find the complete report here:
http://www.napcor.com/pdf/Master.pdf
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