O.K. I tried to make modeling choc.....using chocolate and corn syrup. The texture was horrible. I kneaded and kneaded but it just crumbled in my hands amd turned completely oily. Is this normal? Eventually I added some water, continued to knead, and it got better....Please help. It couldnt be this difficult?

here's a barage of questions, lol:

what kind of chocolate (semi-sweet, white, etc) did you use?
what were your amounts of chocolate and syrup?
did you wrap and age for 24 hours before using?

your problem may be in the above (let me know and i will post back), but it sounds for sure that you over-kneaded. just knead until glossy and stop!
but it sounds like you were trying to compensate for the crumbly problem which may be related to the questions above.

diane

Could you have over-heated or scorched the chocolate? I find that the clay turns out best when the chocolate is gently and slowly melted.
If there was water in with the chocolate, that would contribute to the problem. Water causes melted chocolate to seize up. I don't know how adding water could have helped.

Sounds like the chocolate was heated too long. When you melt it next time, only partially melt it, then take it out. Start stirring to let the existing heat in the bowl continue to melt the chocolate. It's extra stirring, but guarantees to don't cook your chocolate too long, so it's worth it!

Also know that water and chocolate NEVER mix. If you have to add something, use vegetable oil or shortening, never water.