Fimo and Sculpey Polymer Clay Information, Inspiration and Technical Data

You can get lots of useful information on Fimo Polymer Clay on the Staedtler Fimo web site (click on it)

Polymer clay is a type of clay based on the synthetic polymer polyvinyl chloride. It is different from earthen clay used for pottery, which must be fired in a kiln, and from air-dry clay such as paper clay, which dries at room temperature, and from modelling clay used by children and animators and does not dry

Polymer clay hardens by curing at temperatures created in a typical home oven (generally at 265 to 275 °F (129 to 135 °C), for 15 minutes per 1/4" (6 mm) of thickness), and does not shrink or change texture during the process. When properly cured, most clays are weather resistant and strong. Premo is both strong and shatter resistant.  Sculpey 111 clay is more brittle.  It also comes in liquid form for example, Translucent Liquid Sculpey and in permanently flexible solid form.

Polymer modelling clay is sold in craft, hobby, and art stores, and is used by artists, hobbyists, and children. Leading brands include Sculpey Premo Polymer Clay, Sculpey 111 Polymer Clay,  Fimo Soft polymer clay,   Super Sculpey and many other brands. Premo Sculpey modelling clay is the premier brand used by professionals due to its strength and non breakability.

Few tools are essential for use with polymer clay, and these can often be found around the house. A polymer clay pasta machine is often used to create evenly flat sheets, to mix colours, to condition the clay, and to create patterned sheets.  Polymer clay cutters and polymer clay push moulds are readily available in great variety

Fimo Polymer clay is available in many colours. Special-effect colours such as translucent, glow in the dark, mica-containing "metallics," and "stone" colours are also available. Clays can be mixed together to create new colours, gradient blends, or other effects.

Polymer clay can be coloured with other media. Paint, ink, coloured pencil, chalk, metallic (mica-containing) powder, metallic leaf and foil, glitter, and embossing powder can be applied to the surface. The same materials also can be mixed in as inclusions; this is often done with translucent clay.

After it has cured, the clay surface can be left as it is, it can be sanded and buffed, it can be painted and  it can be finished with a varnish.

Uses and Techniques

Polymer clay can be used in many ways, a number of which have been generalized from other art or craft techniques. Some of the things which can be done with polymer clay include:

• Sculpting. Hand-shaped items can be any size from "miniatures" to quite large. Bas relief can also be created; clay clothing and accessories can be made for sculpted figures.
• Creating beads and jewelry of all kinds, such as pendants, earrings, barrettes, and buttons.
• Forming "canes," which are logs of clay with patterns running through their entire length, from which identical slices can be cut and used in various ways. The patterns created in canes can be simple, complex, or anything in between; they may be pictorial or simply geometric. Canes (and therefore their images) can be "reduced" so that they become quite small, and then combined to make multiple images.
• "Cover"ing items made from materials such as glass, metal, cardboard, terra cotta, and some plastics. Some popular items for covering are pens, eggshells, votive candle-holders, and switch-plates. Larger items, such as tables, can also be veneered.
• Creating vessels large and small. Jars, boxes, bowls, and container pendants can be created freestanding, over armatures, or over removable armatures.
• Impressing textures, lines or images into raw clay with rubber stamps, texture sheets, sandpaper, needle tools, or other items.
• Making molds with hardened clay, then pressing raw clay into the molds to create casts and to duplicate textures, shapes, whole faces. Moulds made from metal, glass, and silicone can be used with clay as well.
• Using polyclay to accept "transfers" of black-and-white or colour images from photographs, drawings, computer-created images or text. Images can be transferred onto freestanding liquid clay films or decals.
• Creating simulations or fauxs of many natural materials such as ivory, jade, turquoise, wood, granite, metal, leather, stained glass, or cloisonne.
• Carving or drilling polyclay after it has been cured (and backfilled, if desired).
• Inlaying tiles or chips to create mosaic.
• Onlaying clay or other materials to create collages. A polymer clay extruder gun can be used to extrude uniform rope shapes. Clay guns are usually supplied with a quantity of alternative extrusion shapes like star, square, round, triangle etc.
• Creating paintings with polymer pastes, and bas reliefs techs.
• Creating practical utility items, such as frames, games and game pieces, dioramas, toys, mini-books, notebook covers, greeting cards, and postcards.
• "Mokume-gane": shaving off thin slices from layered but distorted stacks of clays, powders, and inks.
• Using clay together with other media, such as wire, paper, beads, charms, stamps, and fabric

You can buy Fimo Polymer Modelling Clay and Modelling Clay with confidence  at our CRAFTMILL store

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