This Escape the Classroom key was made from polymer clay and can easily be sculpted at home. It features a dragon in the top part of the key, and the key is a good prop for photo shoots or a ridiculously large pendant. However, it is quite fragile so I do not recommend wearing it as an actual pendant. Craft with caution.
What you need:
- A large amount of polymer clay
- Tinfoil
- Knife
- Parchment paper
- Patience
- Sharpie
- Boxcutter
Step 1: Trace and Make the Tin Foil Base of the Giant Key
Start by tracing a picture of the key as big as you would like it to be on a piece of wax paper. This will be the template and is safe to bake. The sharpie also will not bleed through the wax paper. So make the core pieces out of tin foil for stability. Simply crush tinfoil up in the shape of the pieces but slightly smaller so the clay wraps securely around it.
Step 2: Polymer Clay Part
Once the foil parts are done, sculpt the clay around all the pieces, make the flat pieces in the middle and attach. For the base pieces, wrap the pieces in tin foil and use clay where needed to make the shapes. Make the unlocky part of the key by rolling some polymer clay about a quarter of an inch directly on the sharpie outline of it on the parchment. When you flip it over, it will have the outline that you can cut around with a boxcutter. Smooth any edges. Make sure the top part of the key will have a place to securely glue onto the top of the key base.
Sculpting the Top of the Giant Key
For the dragon in the middle of the key, I used the same method. Sculpt the dragon and then the rest of the giant key, attaching the dragon by the head, tail, and front paw to the rest of the key, all which must be sculpted directly on the wax paper. After the top of the key is sculpted, put the pieces all together in the oven at 275 F for about 15 minutes. Attach the cooled pieces with glue. Spray paint the key silver with spray paint for a lovely finish.