Fimo & Arthritis; I saw a few digests ago that someone said they can't work the Fimo because of arthritis in their hands. I have very bad arthritis in mine and it is working the clay that helps keep the stiffness and pain at bay. I use the palms of my hands to work the clay and my fingers to shape it after it is workable. Now that I have my wonderful pasta machine, that is no longer a problem. I roll, roll, roll until the clay is smooth and blended and workable.

If you have hands that are too warm for the clay, you can chill it in the fridge to firm it up, but another way I used before the arthritis was to keep a bowl of ice water near at hand and a towel to dry on. If my hands got too warm, I dipped them in the water and dried them off and went right on with the clay.

Norieta

Sunflower centers: I saw this somewhere; for the centers, use brown Fimo, and then use a piece of nylon stocking to make the seeds.

Kaye in L.A.

Bowls: I was playing with my Sculpey and discovered that my circle template can be put to good use. It is one of those with holes in it from an eighth of an inch, to two inches. If you take a marble, or any globe shaped object, and put it in a circle...kind of like an egg in an egg cup...then there is a round part that sticks through the other side over which you can mold the clay to make a bowl.

No need to keep it even all around the lip of the bowl, the template keeps it even. You can even make a wide lip on the bowl by mashing the clay against the template, and trimming it evenly all around. Pry the marble shape out, and take the clay off the template, put it face down on the tile, and you can use any round cookie cutter kind of tool to center over the bowl, and cut off as much of the lip as you want. You can even choose a different size hole in the template, and use that to mark where you want to cut off the lip.

The bigger the globe shape you put in a hole, the more shallow the bowl will be. A variety of marble sizes, and the variety of circles in a template, should give you just about any shape from a soup plate, to a deep mixing bowl. It is also pretty easy to determine if the little bowl is level to mash it down a little to make a flat bottom. It is easy to eyeball the template and tell if it is level or not.

Terry

Painting Fimo: A *tip* for fimo-sculpting wannabes who use ovens and not the boiling method of curing-- Paint raw fimo with acrylic paint first before you cure. You will find that the paint job goes on so much smoother, and all subsequent coatings of paint will have a nice surface to glom onto.

Kim in Canada

Making moulds, have you ever heard of Gelflex? I have used this for crafts (not minis yet) it is a rubber type of material in a block, you cut off what you need and melt it, pour it over the item and it sets. But as it is a rubber like substance it is flexible enough to remove the master, and again to remove the made item at the end. I hope this helps as it is a great product.

Noni

Clay Gun: I have really gotten a lot of use out of my clay gun for Fimo, it is sometimes called an extruder. It's wonderful for so many things. The clay should be quite soft, I sometimes even put it on the ground and use a foot on either handle and push the Fimo out, this works really well and doesn't hurt your hands. The circle and square shape is good for making jars- extrude, bake then slice. The flower shape you can extrude, slice and shape into petals. The screens are good for hair and the thin rectangles can be formed into bows or woven into baskets. I've extruded the small mesh screen circles and made wreaths by twisting the lengths. The ribbon one I have used for siding and shingles on mini bird houses and for the handle on a watering can. Hope this helps you with your decision.

Jean Day

Clay Gun: it just depends on what you're making. I've used it a couple of times making shapes for leaves, or for cacti. It's great if you want to create multiples of a specific shape, if that shape is available for the tube, such as cylinders, stars, leaves, etc. You can also make several shapes and combine them in interesting ways. But it has no use for free-form sculpting of things like faces, animals, etc.

Dave Pierce

Clay Gun: In order to use the clay gun, your clay has to be extremely soft or it will just bend the clay gun inserts. It is also hard to extrude the clay and you need a bit of leverage. The gun is very useful though. I use it in my book for making an assortment of things, my favorite being drain pipes and bathroom pipes. It also makes great pasta strands.

Mary Kaliski

Clay Gun: If you have never visited Maureen Carlson's web site - it is great.  She has all sorts of supplies, tips and classes for the clay artist: http://www.weefolk.com/ In her miscellaneous tool selection she has a great tool for the Clay extruders. Klay Gun Pusher-a home built device to help you push the clay through the clay gun. (the clays are sometimes very hard, especially Fimo) We also sell the design for the pusher, in case you want to make your own.  This costs very little, but is well worth it. if you ever have a chance to take one of her classes - she is a great teacher.  In one of her classes that I took she said that she did not like to buy Fimo clay to have shipped to her during hot months of the year.  They tended to bake in the shipping.

Her fingernail tools and toenail tools are great. Be sure you visit her collectible pages on her web site.  She makes adorable characters.  These are also found in many stores through out the country. Maureen is also the originator of the push molds that you see in the stores.

Mary Ann F., Frankenmuth

Making Hollow Vessels or Beads: As a part of preserving the ecology of our planet,  science has come up with a packing material that looks like the standard  pop corn packing, but this one melts.   Most of the "Pack and Ship" type companies carry it.  To check if you have the right type... just lick your finger tip and touch it to the puff.  It will instantly start to melt a little. To make beads, pots, or vases etc.:

1.     Take one of the packing puffs, and using an X-Acto knife, just carve the basic shape you want.

2.     Then prepare your polymer clay and roll out a thin sheet, using either a dowel or a pasta maker.

3.     Form a piece of this around the packing puff.  Be sure to leave an opening at least 1/8" across. This hole can be the mouth of a jar, or vase or the opening of each end of the bead.

4.      Bake the polymer item with puff inside at around 250=BA for 5 - 10 minutes.  You don't want to over bake these, or you could melt the puff. Check it after 5 minutes... if it feels firm enough to support its weight without the puff in it.. take it out.

5.      Let it cool off then place it in a container of warm water.

6.     The puff will begin melt out, leaving you with a hollow item.  You can help this process along by carefully inserting a thin needle or a small tooth pick, then turning it around.  This will help the water to touch all of the puff material inside.

7.      If you feel the polymer could use a bit more time in the oven, go ahead and bake a little longer.

Garnette in Lewisburg,  PA

Shrinking Sculpey: You asked about how to bake Sculpey and keep it from shrinking. The only thing I can figure out is that you may be over baking it. I've only had shrinkage when it was left in too long. Remember that the time listed on the package is for larger pieces. Most mini's only need to go for 3-5 minutes. When I'm doing my critters, I make a wire frame, cover it with some Sculpey, and make the general body shapes. I bake that for about 2-3 minutes, even on the "larger" pieces, then add the details like ears, noses, etc. afterward, and re-bake. Haven't had any problems with shrinkage.

Dave Pierce

Polymer Clay Uses: I know there's been a lot of discussion lately about the various clays, and for what it's worth, I will put my 2 cents in! I love all the Sculpey clays! The (original) white one makes good molds, most of the things I make are made from Super Sculpey (the beige one) or Sculpey Three (the colors). I also want to address the person who said that small things tend to break, there is a bendable Sculpey ( called Super Flex)as well. I use it for things like my dogs tails and delicate ears. It attaches well to the other kinds, especially if you use a dot of tacky glue between the parts before you bake them.

Alice Zinn

Polymer Clay Uses: As I've said before, first and foremost, I am a doll artist, and have used polymer clays for several years now.  There are a multitude of clays and techniques that can work for you.  I've also developed arthritis in my hands and have a very difficult time, but it is also a good 'hand workout'. Sculpey is a standard clay, but it's not very hard, is mushy, and not as durable as Fimo.  It does have wonderful colors, but did you know you can mix Sculpey w/Fimo to get a stronger consistency.

 Fimo has a smoother finish, bakes into a more porcelain-like product, but is heck to get started. However, there is also a Soft Fimo, which is much easier to handle, and has the same results.  My ultimate favorite, though is Super Sculpey - mainly because it's awesome for sculpting dolls - has a nice translucent porcelain finish.  It's super easy to handle (kneads nicely), and can be blended w/Fimo or Sculpey for a variety of colors.  If you're planning to start w/cakes & foods, I'd try the Sculpey/Super Sculpey blend, because if it gets too soft, it won't hold together, and may collapse in your oven.  It's all trial and error.  Some people work w/Sculpey exclusively, and have no problem.

 I think Sculpey is more for 'molding', and Fimo/Soft Fimo/Super Sculpey are better for actually sculpting/carving.  Sculpey also makes a polymer clay called Premo, which is much like Fimo, but WORSE to soften, and the colors aren't so nice.  Some people use a Food Processor to help soften/mix their clays, it's easier on the hands - if you don't want to do the 'bra' thing, just sit on it for a half an hour; it'll soften!

Also, Fimo makes patterned (mosaic & floral) bricks and cylinders for bead makers - slice them thin, and you'll have some beautiful plates and tiles already "painted".  Sorry this was so long, but that's my experience with clay.

Doll Ladie

Fimo vs. Sculpey: You are right, all the clays have different properties. Fimo has the best 'memory' which means it is the least soft all the clays. This is preferable when making a figure and you do not want the clay to flatten under the pressure of your fingers.  Sculpey is very workable and should be great for cakes. There is a Fimo soft and Cernit which are fine also. Both Cernit and Sculpey have a very good 'chocolate' color if that is the flavor cake you have in mind. Remember when mixing colors into white or transparent for a pastel frosting, using a lot of pale to a drop of color.

Mary Kaliski

Fimo vs. Sculpey: You can find a comprehensive overview on polymer clays (and resin) at my web site.  Go to the second screen and "click" on MARY'S MENUS PROJECTS. Whichever clay you feel comfortable using is the right one for you. http://www.pannikins.com/

Mary Eccher

Cups: A good way of making coffee mugs is to wrap a thin, pre cut piece of clay around a powdered dowel of the right width.  Make handle out of rolled clay and cut bottom to fit. Be certain no powder gets on the bottom or it will not stick to the 'cup' part  In my book Making Miniatures in Polymer Clay the directions are more specific for making cups and saucers, but this is the easiest method.

Mary Kaliski

Arthritis & Fimo: Kathy asked about "playing" with Fimo/Sculpey since she has arthritis. I have fibromyalgia and for whatever reason it affects my hands most of all. I've used Sculpey and the new soft Fimo and as long as it is fresh and I use a small amount at a time, I don't have any problems.  I must have warm hands though, because I've never had to sit on it or heat it up in my bra - VBG. Oh, and it does tend to get mushy if you overwork it, so you probably won't always get the detail you'd like . . . but it's fun anyway . . . go for it!

Jude in ND

Paper Clay: I've been making paper clay bricks and stonework from an article by Ric Pierce in the May, 2000 Miniature Collector.  I have not been applying the paper clay directly onto the wood for a fireplace or house, as his directions say to do...I have been making small squares of flat paper clay to start with.  And, have come up with a tip for working with paper clay in this way...since you have to score the front for bricks, stone, etc...score the back too.  Otherwise the paper clay will warp when drying. 

      His instructions are clear, and this has been a fun project...not to mention a extremely useful way to make lightweight brick and stone.

Kaye in L.A.

Paper Clay: Someone asked about paper clay, a few digests ago, and as I use it a lot, thought I should reply.

Paper clay is a very smooth, fine, moist block of paper mache...it comes in 8 oz packages, and once you open the package, you'd better put it into a sandwich bag and keep it airtight, because it does air dry.

Doll makers use it because of it's very fine grain. Miniaturists can certainly use it for just about anything...as long as you are careful not to make things too thick, because it does tend to crack.

I have just used it as the base for topiary animals that I wanted outside of a store window I am making for my daughter for Christmas...(Noah's Ark.) I made a giraffe on either side of the window, with heads as high as the window itself...also, assorted other animals as the hedge at the base of the window. I made the animals over a armature of foil, so they wouldn't be too thick, let them dry, painted a black/green, spread with white glue, and then covered with model railroad foliage.

I think it's about $5-6 where I get it...(Michael's), so it is cheaper to use in these big projects than Fimo would be. Plus not having to bake it - you can tell that I really like it...right?

Here is the URL:

http://www.paperclay.com/product.htm

Kaye in L.A.

Paper clay; Making your own (for us pennypinchers). Items needed; A blender; old newspaper (hand towels are better; no ink) a strainer; some Elmers white glue and some water (clear) and a bowl to keep the stuff in while you work. Put some water in the blender. Hand tear the paper, do not use a scissors, shredded paper adheres to things better. Shred the paper and put it and the water into the blender. Turn on the blender and emulsify the paper. Pour into the strainer and squeeze out the excess water. Take the amount you will need and blend it with some of the clear water and Elmers glue. You should try to make it appear like "cream cheese" and have the same consistency as cream cheese or perhaps a little thicker and then do your thing with it and let it dry and harden. Real slick stuff. Every one has an extra blender. Right? I have to have an extra everything. If my wife sees me looking at any of her kitchen goodies I am a dead man.

Dr. Bob