½ Scale Doll Molds: Ellen in the UK wanted to know who sells and ships molds there - and wants 1/2 scale - I'm sure House of Caron has some molds in that scale - their web site is: http://www.houseofcaron.com

Paulette

Xacto Knives: Cover your x-acto blade handles and other tools with Polymer clay. Make them slightly oval. They won't roll off the table and they are pretty as well. Also never any doubt who they belong to at meetings, classes etc.

Flo

Making hollow items: I suggested she make a form from a water soluble packing peanut and then boil it to cook. I've done this before and it worked pretty well. . anyone else boil their polymer clay? Or use dissolvable molding stuff inside? A small bag of salt or sugar also works for a mold, it too will dissolve in hot water... leaving the finished product looking very good with thin walls.

Judie - Daytona Beach, FL

Fimo How to's: I have just purchased "Making Doll's House Miniatures with Polymer Clay" by Sue Heaser & spent the whole weekend drooling over it.  It covers items for the entire house & some food, as well as bowls & dishes. Good instructions on sizing and colours too.  Definitely for newbies like us.

Sharon - S. Africa

Rosewood Fimo - I don't remember who wanted the rosewood fimo - or if you found any - but here is the "recipe" -- 2 parts ochre, 1 part magenta, 1/2 part champagne and 1/4 part grey.   The makers of Fimo put out a "blending table" that gives you recipes for their discontinued colors (along with recipes for other colors) - you should be able to get one from a retailer who sells fimo - if not, there is polymerclayexpress.com - when you order from her if you ask, she will send you a free chart.  There may be other places online that have the whole color chart, probably a search might yield results.

Sue in NC

Fimo and Model magic - whoever was asking about the hot dogs and buns (I think that's what it was anyway) -- make your hot dogs first, cook them and then glue them to your model magic rolls.  

Sue in NC

England - Cold Porcelain: I have never had much luck with home recipes for cold porcelain - but here is the URL for a place in York that you can purchase some already made - doesn't seem to be too badly priced and they're fantastic people to work with - I've ordered lots of stuff from them - they have great tools and all sorts of stuff for working with cold porcelain (and sugar paste) http://www.celcrafts.co.uk/cgi-bin/miva?cel/merchant.mv+Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=1&Category_Code=CP

Sue in NC

Kemper cutters: you can find some kemper cutters at: http://www.craft-club.com/

Joanne., Norfolk, England

Casting Plaster: You could not use a rubber mold if you planned to cast it with plaster because rubber is not porous enough to absorb the moisture of the plaster. . . and the plaster would take FOREVER to dry and would probably crack or lump up. I think though that you could use a plaster mold. Just be certain that you have thoroughly coated it with a mold release before you pour the plaster into the mold. You can use a commercial mold release, or liquid dishwashing detergent or spray it with PAM or. . . . . etc.

Or. . . try this (I've never done it but don't know why it wouldn't work if you didn't need to keep the mold after one casting). Build a frame the size & shape of the outside of your model (the piece you want to copy) and press it into a smooth flat piece of regular modeling clay. You now have a frame pushed into the clay with the clay flat and smooth inside the frame. Then coat your model with oil or other mold release and carefully press it into the clay, making sure that it is in the same depth from all sides. Then carefully remove it and let the clay dry slightly (but not completely or it could shrink) and pour the plaster into that frame, over the clay. It might be best to make up a small "sample" first to see if it works.

Viola

Making molds: There is a product called Mold Builder. There are other brands also. It is a liquid latex rubber compound. You simply brush it on in layers letting each layer dry first then adding another layer. When it is dry peel it off and pour in the plaster. Let dry and remove the item. Works great. You can find this at model railroad stores and I am pretty sure Micro Mark carries it. You can also use it to cast resin and candle wax. Hmmm I am thinking maybe you could make a pond shape with air drying clay and then make a mold of it and pour in the resin and have a pond you could hold in your hand. http://www.micromark. com

Barbara D

Foam Boards: I've been using the foam insulation boards for quite a while (instead of foam core) and just love the stuff! You'll find its easier to cut and shape, and sheds less than foam core. To the question of how to get PaperClay to stick......try Modge Podge. Just brush on a thin layer of modge podge, then apply the PaperClay and mold/sculpt away! I've used it several time for various projects, and it works well. Hope this helps!

Sloan

Faux marble floor: [ I want to marble a floor in a white color and possible have those little black diamonds in the middle... but may just do a white color alone. but anyway is there a technique i can use to create the look or better yet is there a place I can buy it already done and then cut it to size??]

You can make faux's of almost any natural substance from polymer clay and a grey/white marble would be one of the easier ones.

I think you'd need translucent clay, a touch of white, some black and some white pearl PearlEx powder to mimic the crystalline look in a slab of marble. The tools would be super simple for a floor - waxed paper, roller, tissue blade, grid paper, and automotive sandpaper in the fine grits – 400 to 1000.

You could make sheets, cut them after curing, sanding and buffing them, then lay them with white glue on a support such as paper or fabric.

Or you could make the floor all of a piece by laying out raw clay squares on paper, then rolling over them with an acrylic roller to meld the seams, then baking.

I think I'd recommend the latter, because the tiles will be difficult to make a perfectly even surface from, though you could mount the floor on a solid backing and use a power sander to grind off all the high spots in just a few seconds.

Elizabeth

Paper Clay: I will give you the definitive answer on substructures for Paperclay! It depends entirely on what I'm building :-). I use a number or substructures in my work, I primarily use 1 or 2 inch rigid foam insulation board when I'm building large structures like castles and ½ inch foam core or gator foam for smaller houses. I generally use plywood when I do room boxes because of the heat generated from the lighting. In a nut shell just about any material you use for doll houses can be used as a base for Paperclay.

Rik Pierce

Reflector Ovens: the directions for reflector ovens are still in both the Boy and Girl Scout Handbooks. Look in the library or contact a scout.

Peggy in Madison

Solar Ovens: You can find a lot of information about solar ovens on the Internet. For directions on making a simple solar oven out of a pizza box, go to: http://www.solarnow.org/pizzabx.htm

Rusty in KY

Sealing PaperClay: I felt compelled to write concerning the sealing of PaperClay. I have used this clay for many years. The first dolls I sculpted were created from PaperClay. They were dried in the oven (on warm) and then painted with acrylic paint. After a time a noticed a softness to the smaller pieces of the doll. The fingers were absorbing moisture from the air right through the paint. I live in Florida and the humidity here is legendary. I would be afraid not to seal this clay thoroughly in addition to painting it. I have since changed my sculpting medium to Sculpey

Jcastoral

Color for baked Fimo foods: I have had that dilemma for quite a while until I hit on the right colors of oil based chalks from the art supply dept. I have a medium brown and a golden spiced mustard color. Then use a paint brush that has been swiped across the chalk, first the mustard then the brown (lightly). Especially to the high spots, i.e.: pies, waffles, scones, cookies. The idea is to look like your food just came out of the oven, so brush on until you get the combination that gives you the "right look". I found my oil based sticks of chalk to be about 75 cents a piece and will last a lifetime considering how much one needs for miniatures.

Barbara

Color for baked Fimo foods:: I never use paint for shading my Fimo food. I learned my food-making from Sue Heaser's book, Making Doll's House Miniatures with Polymer Clay, Published by Ward Lock (ISBN 0 7063 7590 4). She uses soft artist pastels (not oil pastels) to brush onto the surface of the clay, before it is baked. You just rub the pastel on some scrap paper to release the powder, and then use a soft brush to apply it to the unbaked clay. I get my supply from an art teacher, who saves all the little bits and pieces for me. To get a warmer shade for your waffles, mix white, yellow and ochre clay in equal amounts, then brush it with brown pastel. It looks good enough to eat!

Betsie

Vince Stapleton Porcelain: I got some of his wonderful porcelain in Chicago. He is not on the net. Vince Stapleton, 120 West 7th St., Leadville, Co 80461

Mary, Clearwater, Fl

Polyform Modeling Compound is made by the Sculpey people and is a very soft white polymer clay that only comes in 2 lb. block. It is not readily found in craft shops but the regular 2 lb. Sculpey works just as well for whipped cream on ice cream sundaes, sodas, pie topping, etc. For example, glue a small piece of white Sculpey to the top of your ice cream sundae, then texture it into whipped cream with the tip of an X-acto knife. What do you do with a 2 lb. block? Use it instead of white fimo for all your pastels....it softens the fimo as you knead it into it into the color.

Mary (Eccher)