We make our own air hardening clay from wood glue (we use Ponal brand), cornflour (cornstarch) and baby oil. Here is the recipe if anyone would like it. It is clean to use, non-toxic and does not require either working to make soft or baking.

Wood glue paste
1 cup wood glue
1 cup cornflour/cornstarch
60ml baby oil (12 teaspoons)

Mix glue, oil and half of the cornflour and heat in microwave or in a double boiler until hot but not boiling (about 30 seconds), mix well and add remainder of cornflour. Heat a further 20 seconds and knead well. Store in fridge in a plastic bag. Keeps well. Colour with powdered food colouring, poster paints etc. As required or paint when completed. Air dry - do not bake. Can be rolled paper thin and cut out or moulded. Ideal for "icing" cakes and making flowers, even for making dolls etc.

Roberta

Candle holder/Dust: I've been experimenting with polymer clay and made a candle holder with translucent and glow in the dark clay. For those of you who use clay (I'm a newbie!) I made a cane of translucent and glow clay, cut it very thin, and put it on a clear glass candle globe. It said to sand thin after baking, so I did.

I put paper down when I'm sanding to help in clean-up. Well, the very fine dust from the glow clay lit up when I shut off the light. I thought that it would make a nice dust for a haunted house, etc. Also, if you had a spider web, you could spray it with adhesive/hairspray, whatever, and then gently blow some of the glow dust onto it. The clay stays lit up for quite a while, not sure of the dust yet. I'll let you know. Maybe you could use gray, brown, etc, clay and sand it after baking to get dust that isn't going to attract critters, like flour might.

Cindy from MA

Poly Clay Guild: I did a search and came up with this site. It has members' work, about the guild and e-mail. Put all your questions about Fimo to them.

http://www.heaser.demon.co.uk/polyclay/guild/britpol.htm

Hazel Dowd

Fimo: I use a product called "silicone glove," a hand cream, to protect my hands before playing with clay. I think the only harm is if you overcook clay. You could check with the polymer clay guild for more info.

Sue Thwaite

There's information on the hazards of using the polyclays at http://www.mimidolls.com/techbook/p_hazard.htm#Hazards It hasn't been updated since 1997, so there may be newer info out there somewhere.

Lee Menconi

There are several polymer clay groups at the egroups site, my personal favorites:

MSATClayArt-subscribe@egroups.com

ClayinAround-subscribe@egroups.com

Polymerclayinterest-subscribe@egroups.com

Laura Redman

Release from pans:   To make any polymer clay item easier to remove from a mold, first coat  the mold with a dusting of baby powder or corn starch.  A light dusting  is enough -- I usually put it on with a paintbrush.

Diana in Canada

Sculpey Elasticlay: I have used the Sculpey ELASTICLAY and it is so much fun. When baked it has the texture of a "Gumby" toy (funny little green eraser man). I have made molds of them and used them in several classes to make leaf-shaped stepping stones out of air dry clay.

Sue

Release from pans:  coat your pans with a dusting of baby powder before you put clay in, it  works just like flour does on "real" cakes (or maybe you don't bake? ;) ) and your clay cakes should come out easily!

Alice Zinn

Release from pans:  To get clay out of a baking pan, I always coat the inside with Vaseline.

Mary Kaliski

Clay techniques: If you are looking for instructions on working with clay, Lisa Vollrath's web site http://miniatures.about.com has techniques and instructions for making cakes, etc.

Elizabeth Cooper

Angie Scarr videos http://www.compclub.demon.co.uk/asmini.htm

Angie Scarr Miniatures and her videos are in VHS format and can be purchased from: America (VHS-NTSC): Order Direct from: Dina Ellen Flockhart, 61 Gilson rd, Littleton, MA. (zip) o14601300

Cheques or Major credit card payments ($30 each video, including shipping) in the name of 'Cloak and Dagger Creations'. email cloak@ziplink.net Telephone 978 486 4414

      They are soooo good!  Well invested money.  I'm glad I got all three.  I watched the first one earlier and just today have been watching the meat and fish one with the vegetable one left to finish.  Her wonderful techniques are made easy by her demonstration.   I see she is putting a book together too!

Judy K

Clay for Dolls: I was mixing a new batch of clay and thought maybe some tips on polymer clay for dolls might be helpful I use a clay (old name Promat, no longer made) and now Premo. I mix half the skin tone color that I want with half translucent or transparent. The transparent clay gives a more glowing natural skin and adds tremendous strength. Mix really well. I use a pasta machine and really condition it. Then form the doll's parts. Place them on a glass dish that is covered with paper. (Only use this dish for your clay - a batch of brownies in an old clay baking dish would be REALLY BAD news.) I bake the clay parts in a slower oven, about 225 degrees F, and I bake them for about an hour. Turn off the oven and let all sit overnight or until cool. I paint the doll with acrylic paint, then I bake them all again to set the paint and strengthen the clay. Bake again about 1/2 hour at 225. Turn off oven and let parts cool again before handling. I've never had any clay burn even at long baking times, and my clay parts are very strong. I once forgot I had parts baking (if you knew me you'd not be surprised) and they baked for EIGHT HOURS and the clay didn't burn! But the parts did have a very unusual color. Kind'a neat actually, but I wouldn't recommend it for continued practice.

Lyn Trenary

Crumbling Fimo:  Fimo now makes a product called "kneading medium" that helps stop the crumbles.

Kaye in L.A.

 Crumbling Clay:  Besides a pasta machine, another way to help soften Fimo and other clays, is  to use a food processor. The clay should be cut into small chunks first,  because it will put a strain on the motor. Add some Mix Quick, and just pulse  on and off. The clay will still come out in crumbs, but is slightly warm and Sticky.  Of course, you have to invest in one just for this, or decide whether the one you have is really very useful in the kitchen! LOL

Cheri Stewart

 Fimo Oranges;  Perhaps you are baking your oranges in a too hot oven? (When I make them, I preheat the oven to 250-275 degrees, bake them for about 10 minutes, turn off the oven and let them sit for about 5 minutes more, and then take them out.)

 Also, I think my favorite part of Angie Scarr's video, was watching her patiently knead crumbly Fimo until it came together with the warmth of her hands...I realized that I had been too impatient with the stuff. 

The pasta maker would be a big help, especially, as she says, for people who have bad arthritis in their hands...for mild arthritis, it might help to exercise them by kneading.

Also, not mentioned in the directions, I dripped a very tiny amount of high gloss furniture finish...(Jo Sonja's) mixed with a little orange acrylic paint, on the 'peeled' part, and then dripped a little bit on the knife and plate...Hope this helps.

Kaye in L.A.

Fimo: Translucent Fimo is actually more white than translucent.  So don't be so hard on yourself....I think you got those oranges right!

WHOEVER was looking for the metal pans...pie, cake, loaf, wedding, etc., I have them under SUPPLIES at my website.http://www.pannikins.com/

And YES, so the modeling compound doesn't stick in them, you may coat them with baby powder or cornstarch or  Vaseline.  Or put them in the freezer after baking, and the molding will  shrink back from the pan and pop out.  (Also remember not to fill your pan so full that the compound extends over the rim.)

Pasta Makers for kneading Fimo are great aren't they.  So glad you were persistent even with your crumbly stuff.  If anyone else out there has crumbly Fimo, it is best to add a Fimo product called Mix Quick (comes in bar form just like Fimo), and then put it through the pasta maker.

Mary Eccher

Translucency: I don't remember seeing a post about an ice water dunk  as soon as the bake time is done, don't let it cool in the oven, but dunk at once. Clay Guru Nora-Jean, on MSATClay has told us this will make the translucent clay more translucent. I have not done this yet, but have seen the results.

Lenora

Books on Fimo Foods:  Barbara Meyers wrote several books quite a while ago using bread dough to  make fruits & veggies, foods etc.   If you follow the project directions and substitute fimo or other modeling compounds for the bread dough you will have lasting results. 

Then there is Petite Eats and Mini Treats by Sydnie Wagner - great projects,  good results.  And of course, a most popular book by Mary Kaliski - Making Miniatures in Polymer Clay. 

Most of these books are available at miniature shops, or go the Earth & Tree website, I am sure you will find plenty.

Check out food articles in back issues of the dollhouse miniature magazines, or take a class on food making.

Mary Eccher

Liquid polymer clay: Transparent Liquid Sculpey, known as TLS, wouldn't work for water as it is only translucent not truly transparent. It cures milky even when very, very thin. You could probably use it for non-clear liquids, as long as the container you put it in could withstand the heat required to cure the polymer clay.

Tere Perry in Texas