Mica Shift Technique Tested: Sanding After Curing

Mica shift is one of those polymer clay techniques that feels like sorcery the first time it works. You texture a piece of clay, shave off the raised bits, and somehow the design stays put like a ghost trapped just beneath the surface. It’s shiny, it’s smooth, and it makes people say, “Wait, how did you do that?”

The mica shift technique typically involves removing the raised areas before baking. But I heard whispers of another method, one that involves sanding off the texture after curing the clay. No blades, no shaving-off-just-enough-stress, and (allegedly) the same magical results. So, I thought I’d find out if this version of the mica shift technique actually works.

If you’re new to mica shift, head over to this post where I explain the whole thing from the beginning.

Spoiler: It kinda does. But also… no.

Why I Wanted to Try this Mica Shift Technique

Shaving textured clay takes practice and a steady hand. If you go too deep, you can ruin the design and your will to carry on. That’s why mica shift is such a great technique to start with before tackling mokume gane—mess it up, and you can just mush the clay and try again. Not so easy once you’ve built a multicoloured mokume stack.

I wondered if this post-cure sanding trick might be the perfect workaround for shallow textures that are hard to shave cleanly. So I ran a little experiment using three different texture sheets:

• One deep (2mm) texture sheet meant for mokume gane
• One average depth (1mm) texture sheet
• One fine-line, shallow texture sheet

Would the results be different? Would my thumb survive? Let’s find out.

The Process: Clay, Textures, and (So Much) Sanding

Clay Choice: I used Cernit Metallics, my go-to for mica shift. Specifically, a blend of Antique Gold and Rich Gold, because that’s what was open and neither one had enough left for the whole experiment.

Textures: I used three different texture sheets to compare results across a range of depths. For the traditional mica shift, I used a sharp, flexible blade to shave off the raised areas before curing.

Baking: Standard stuff—followed Cernit’s recommendations for temp and baked for an hour.

Sanding (aka the part where I lost part of my fingerprint):

• For the pieces I didn’t shave, I started with 220 grit wet/dry sandpaper to remove the raised areas post-cure.
• After that, I worked my way through 400, 600, 800, 1000, and 1200 grits for all the pieces to get them to a smooth finish.
• After finishing with the finest grit of sandpaper, I smeared on a little Renaissance Wax on each piece and let it dry for an hour. I then buffed the pieces to a shine using a cotton buffing wheel on my Dremel.

The deepest texture took almost 10 full minutes of sanding to remove all the texture. All told, I spent nearly an hour sanding. And despite promising myself I’d be careful, I still managed to remove a decent chunk of thumb skin. So, friend: wear gloves or finger cots when you sand. Don’t be like me.

The Results: What Worked and What Didn’t

All of the pieces turned out well, and honestly, there’s very little difference in the final look between the two methods.

That said, here’s what surprised me:

• Sanding took longer than expected. I knew it would take some time, but I underestimated just how much.
• The shallow texture worked better than expected. I’d previously tried using this one for mokume gane and failed miserably, so I assumed it would flop here too. Nope!
• The edges didn’t hold up as well. On the deeper textures, the design along edges lost a bit of crispness, likely because I was applying more pressure there while sanding. Oops.

Side-by-Side: Shaving vs. Sanding

FEATURE	SHAVING TEXTURE OFF	SANDING TEXTURE OFF
Control	Can be tricky, but fast	Easier, but time consuming
Tools Needed	Sharp blade	Sandpaper + patience
Stress	Medium anxiety	Thumb trauma risk: high
Best For	Deeper textures	Shallow, hard to shave ones

My Verdict

Would I do it again? Nope. I’m sticking with my tried-and-true shaving method.

That said, if you’re working with a texture that’s super shallow and hard to shave without gouging it, then sure—give the post-cure sanding method a shot. Otherwise, save yourself the time and fingerprints.

If you struggle with shaving clay and find yourself going too deep, don’t panic. Practice helps. A sharp blade is non-negotiable. I swear by a flexible blade, but if that doesn’t work for you, try a stiff one instead. Also, if the clay sticks to your blade, wipe it with a wet wipe between each pass. It’ll help the blade glide through the clay.

Have You Tried This Mica Shift Technique?

I want to hear from you! Have you experimented with sanding the texture off mica shift after baking? Did you curse the sanding gods or fall in love with the results?

Come share your thoughts and your creations in the Facebook group or drop a comment down below. And if you want more tutorials, tips, and clay fun, make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter.

More Mica Shift to Try:

• How to Make Mica Shift Polymer Clay Technique
• How to Make a Polymer Clay Mica Shift Pendant
• Polymer Clay Trinket Dish Tutorial: Sunburst