How to Make Volleyballs Out of Clay
- 1). Cover your working surface with wax paper to prevent the clay from sticking to anything as you work. Open your container of clay and place it on the paper.
- 2). Work the clay with your hands until it is pliable and easy to shape. Flatten it with your palms, roll it into a tube shape and knead it with your fingers for several minutes.
- 3). Line the inside of your semi-spherical molds with a two even layers of clay. The size of the volleyball you produce will be relative to the size of your semi-spherical molds. Allow the clay to firm inside the molds for one to two hours.
- 4). Turn the molds upside down and give them a firm smack with the palm of your hand. Two hollow half-spheres should fall out of the molds.
- 5). Coat the edges of the half-spheres with a light glaze of vinegar, which will help bind the clay together. Hold the half-spheres sideways so that their edges face each other; firmly press them together for several minutes. Smooth the meeting line of the two half-spheres with your fingertips until it is no longer visible.
- 6). Add the appearance of stitching to the outside of your sphere using the blade of a plastic knife. For accuracy, have an actual volleyball nearby to use as a reference. Write any brand lettering, logos or symbols with the tip of a ballpoint pen.
- 7). Allow the clay to harden for the time suggested on its packaging. If your sculpting clay can be heated, place it on a cookie sheet in a conventional oven at the temperature suggested on the container.