FIMO - Does anyone have any techniques they could share?

I have recently taken an interest in making jewelry out of fimo and have run into a few,err annoyances with the stuff.I cannot make anything without there being finger prints all over it,wich drives me crazy!

I would also appreciate any tips on how to work with it and to make cute,quality pieces.
(Im trying to avoid it looking cheap and as though a 5 year old made it,Tongue)

merci!x!

Edit Delete
Moderate: Hide this post Mark as Spam
11 replies since 2nd January 2009 • Last reply 2nd January 2009

Reply #1:

I am no expert, but I did see on someone else's website, that they used this special stone to rub their clay down afterwards.
SO I tried this myself. I used the smoothest stone I had, those little jade/onyx stones. I slowly rubbed it on it and it worked somewhat, I couldn't really manage front and back haha So the front was smooth and the back was fingerprinty Happy

Hope that helps a little.

Personally, I find it hard not to get mine all covered in fluff and cat hair!! grr

Edit Delete
Moderate: Hide this post Mark as Spam
Reply #2:

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7W0GPa4DPg
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy2iygFMNVo
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-enKq9wLD5A
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qco1jXWR_jw

^ There are a few

Edit Delete
Moderate: Hide this post Mark as Spam
Reply #3:

Thanks The Nihlist, I wanted to know as well!
I hope you dont mind me raiding your board, Schwartzy, but I have a question about Fimo.. does it come in black? I've been to around 5 or 6 shops selling Fimo, but they never have black..

Edit Delete
Moderate: Hide this post Mark as Spam
Reply #4:

merci beaucoup!

oh

and yes black does exist!

Edit Delete
Moderate: Hide this post Mark as Spam
Reply #5:

Okay, then I guess it's always sold out.. ;-;

A cool tip is to use clear nail polish after baking so your stuff will look extra shiny! But you probably knew that.

Edit Delete
Moderate: Hide this post Mark as Spam
Reply #6:

Max you can get pretty much every colour of fimo you want haha. If they don't have a colour you can always mix your own.

And I've heard wearing rubber gloves can stop fingerprints on fimo (the thin kind that doctors wear, not Marigolds for washing up haha. You can get thin gloves in chemists, usually near the first aid stuff).

I've never actually used fimo though, that's just what I've heard. I've got a bunch of dolls house magazines in a cupboard somewhere, so after my exams are done (at the end of the month) I'll scan all the fimo techniques pages and upload them. They have loads of really good tips Happy

Edit Delete
Moderate: Hide this post Mark as Spam
Reply #7:

oh yeh that glove idea sounds like it would be work!

Max, I have black, but it isn't "fimo", it's "sculpey". The only size my shop sells black fimo in is HUGE SIZE haha I don't need a brick of it yet.

Edit Delete
Moderate: Hide this post Mark as Spam
Reply #8:

Haha okay thanks, a huge brick would be a little too much yeah. I'll try to find Sculpey!

I have another question, when adding pieces of fimo to eachother, do you have to do anything else? Put something between the pieces? Let's say I want to put on a white eye on a blue ball.. would I have to do anything? If I press hard the white eye would be squashed. Any tips on that?
Thanks in advance! ♥

Edit Delete
Moderate: Hide this post Mark as Spam
Reply #9:

Im still figuring how to contruct with fimo... You can definatly just stick it together,but this doesnt always come out the way you want it :S

For the fimo cupcakes I made,I had to bake parts of it little bit first to make it a bit firmer,then add the rest...
you could use wire as well to keep difficult or bigger pieces together,or make details seperately then glue them together...

Happy

Edit Delete
Moderate: Hide this post Mark as Spam
Reply #10:

I will try that, thank you! ;D

Edit Delete
Moderate: Hide this post Mark as Spam
Reply #11:

K guys, I have been using sculpey for a for a while now and I just use my fingers to lightly rub out the prints or even a round object like the sides of my x-acto or small cut dowell, especially around curves and also for shaping. If you are using a cutter of some type to cut out shapes, rolling out the clay first instead of pressing it flat with your hands eliminates fingerprints as well as making sure that the piece has an even thickness. Basically I just work very lightly with it, not using much pressure when handling it. Also, if you don't want to use any type of protective coating or you just don't have any, you can sand the piece with fine sand paper after its been baked. Sometimes I use both, depending on if I want the piece to have a shine or not. I use a protective coating that comes in high shine or matte finish specially for fimo/sculpey clay.
As far as connecting pieces, you just bake the first piece per mfr instructions, add the second piece and bake again and so on until you've added all your layers or pieces. The only way you can over bake it is if you bake it too long at one time or at too high a temperature, which then it burns.
If you want to mix colors to get a marble look, choose the colors you want to use and prime them first separately (kneed the clay until it's soft) then use a cutting tool to cut up the pieces together into smaller chunks then kneed together until you get your desired marbled look.
I have some of my pieces posted as how-to's if you care to check it out. I will be happy to help you with anything else you have questions about.

Edit Delete
Moderate: Hide this post Mark as Spam


Reply