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Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: Rivera on 10 December 2013, 08:51:59 AM

Title: Curing Fimo.
Post by: Rivera on 10 December 2013, 08:51:59 AM

Am I going mad (quite possible) but did someone post an item about curing Fimo without baking it?  Possibly it involved using hot/boiling water?

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: Barbarian on 10 December 2013, 09:30:00 AM

If this involves boiling water, this is baking.
Why wouldn't you just bake it ?

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: Rivera on 10 December 2013, 10:05:24 AM

A very good question and I have a good answer - my cooker is missing its oven knob (rented accommodation ::)) and so I'm looking for an alternate method as I can't gauge the temperature correctly.

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: Ninja on 10 December 2013, 04:51:19 PM

You can use a heat gun. It works very well (a heat gun is like a HIGH powered hair dryer..)

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: bbtoys333 on 10 December 2013, 04:54:34 PM

I have not tried this myself but someone made a curing box out of a large biscuit tin and a light bulb. This seems easy to do and I think there is no reason why it shouldn't work.

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: Cubs on 10 December 2013, 06:20:16 PM

Quote from: Barbarian on 10 December 2013, 09:30:00 AM

If this involves boiling water, this is baking.
Why wouldn't you just bake it ?

Urm ... more like boiling.

Baking means putting it in the oven.

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: Silent Invader on 10 December 2013, 06:22:30 PM

I've used a light bulb and biscuit tin to fast cure greenstuff but haven't tried it on FIMO

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: snitcythedog on 11 December 2013, 04:53:01 AM

Quote from: Silent Invader on 10 December 2013, 06:22:30 PM

I've used a light bulb and biscuit tin to fast cure greenstuff but haven't tried it on FIMO

Good advise but it has to bake a long time.  Probably eight to ten hours. 
Snitchy sends.

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: Barbarian on 11 December 2013, 09:05:57 AM

I'd suggest to buy an electric oven...

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: Rivera on 12 December 2013, 09:14:33 AM

Thanks for all the useful information chaps - I'll probably borrow a heat gun and give it a try, with the biscuit tin light bulb combo as back up :)

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: Barbarian on 12 December 2013, 09:36:11 AM

Heat gun are too hot.
Fimo cures at 120-130° C.

I usually gives 3 or 4 pass in the oven at 90-100° for my 28mm sculpts.

I'd advice you to make some tests.

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: Ninja on 12 December 2013, 05:42:58 PM

The sculptors at Privateer Press use heat guns, control your temp with power, distance and swipes over the mini.

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: Andrew May on 12 December 2013, 10:55:17 PM

I hope I'm not too late on this but I use a little halogen oven for all of my polymer clay baking (FIMO type clays), I picked mine up for about £26 and it does the job perfectly.

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: mikedemana on 13 December 2013, 03:55:06 AM

So what is a halogen oven? And can some give details on using a light bulb to bake clay? I'd like to try that with sculpey - if you think it would work...

Mike Demana

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: Andrew May on 13 December 2013, 10:45:45 AM

Using a lightbulb in a can might work but is pretty madmax style considering a halogen oven is so cheap.
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/11/03/article-1224816-06FC5E40000005DC-247_468x429.jpg)

That's a halogen oven, it works on the same principle as the above mentioned ghetto solution but is an actual working, safe and reliable product! lol

For my work I put the sculpt in cold, set the dial to 120c and leave it in there for just 10 mins, unless you're sculpting a really massive figure you'll not need longer, even the dragons I did for OW only needed 10min.

I only bought mine as a stopgap as my main oven's element failed but I'd not go back now. £30 isn't too bad an investment for me to earn a living! 8)

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: Silent Invader on 13 December 2013, 10:52:57 AM

Andrew that is brilliant  8)

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: Grimmnar on 14 December 2013, 03:25:50 AM

So what i am hearing is that people need to buy themselves an Easy Bake Oven then?  :-)

Grimm

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: bbtoys333 on 15 December 2013, 08:31:51 PM

Thanks Andrew... I didn't know such a thing exists.  I have just now put a Breville one (about the same price as yours) onto my Amazon cart. Glad to know that I wouldn't have to be so ghetto in my setup!   lol

Title: Re: Curing Fimo.
Post by: Andrew May on 17 December 2013, 07:13:57 PM

I can't take too much credit, I've seen it recommended on the Minisculpture forum as well as around craft sites. If my oven hadn't packed up suddenly I'd've probably not tried it myself! lol