Fimo questions

[Beelzebrush]

I have an urge to have a bash at sculpting with Fimo...

Presuambly, this stuff needs heating to set?

If so, what sort of temperature? I ask because I was thinking of using plastic parts in the sculpt, which would no doubt melt if it needs a high temperature to cure Fimo.

Me being clueless would be grateful for clues to minimise this affliction

Cheers!

 

[Einion]

Basic setting temp is about 130°C for 30 minutes. Turning off the oven and letting the piece cool slowly inside it helps prevent cracking I think. If you plan on doing multiple bakes on a single piece it\'s a good idea to bake at lower temps for longer, since you can apparently set some polymer clays in boiling water 100°C should work but you might need to experiment to find ideal temps/times.

You can blend Fimo with other putties to give a blend of characteristics if you find you don\'t like working with straight Fimo, I think this would be a gentle way of introducing yourself to some of its little idiosyncrasies. Blends take a lot less baking at lower temps (if you use a low proportion of a polymer clay with an epoxy you can actually get away with no baking at all).

There are a bunch of threads here that mention Fimo if you want to get more info and there\'s a ton of info online about various polymer clays.

Einion

 

[Legacy Account]

I stick it in the bottom of the oven on a really low heat and it sets ok. Never tried any plastic bits, but I reckon you could get away with them if you were careful. I\'m sure I\'ve seen Seth Nash put plastic in his Fimo \'greens\'....

 

[Shawn R. L.]

I have cured fimo using a blow dryer or boiling it in water. One nice thing about doing it in boiling water is that you wont end up burning it. One thing about fimo. It\'s great to sculpt with un cured. Once it\'s cured it\'s difficult to work with.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by Shawn R. L.
I have cured fimo using a blow dryer...

You can set it with a hairdryer, really?

I think I remember reading that setting in boiling water makes it a bit transluscent, did you find this? Any other differences? If this works as well as baking I\'ll definitely be trying it.

Einion

 

[Shawn R. L.]

I have set the stuff with a hair dryer and boiling. I dont remember there being any problems with the stuff getting translucent. I was using it to make a master for a mold and the piece was possibly going to be destroyed in the process so I wasnt too concerned with getting the \'bake\' perfect. I think it MIGHT have been a tad too cool. Much of the stuff I did that way survived the casting process quite well (which can be a fairly rough process). I didnt know the proper baking temperature and didnt have an oven with good enough controls anyway so the two ways I mentioned were safe ways of getting the piece hard enough to pull a mold. You might see if there is a fimo web site and see what the actual spec\'s are for baking.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by Shawn R. L.
...didnt have an oven with good enough controls anyway so the two ways I mentioned were safe ways of getting the piece hard enough to pull a mold.

Yeah, that\'s my problem also which is why I hope to rely on boiling instead.

Einion