Fimo is not poisonous (Polymer clay)

One of the most pervasive myths about polymer clay, is that it is poisonous.  I am telling you now that it is not.

How this myth got started 

I have heard that it was spread around by the first generation of polymer clay artists, because they saw that the clay was so perfect that the market could very easily get flooded with competition.

There is no actual proof of this that I have seen and even if it is true,  they where not successful. There are tones of excellent artists selling their creations.

I think it is more likely that it was a combination of the fact that it is a plastic and the fact that responsible sellers say  ( like I do in my literature) that their clay products are not to be in contact with food or drink.  When you put clay on the outside of glass or ceramic,  it's OK. Here is why we say this;

If you put baked clay under a microscope,  you will find it has a pitted surface.  This means that it is hard to get the surface germ free.  See porous, not poisonous.

But what about the fumes when you bake it? 
While it does omit a slight chemical smell while baking, fumes is really far too dramatic a word.

If you chose to spend the whole day huffing them,  you would have no effect other than waisted time. If you don't like the smell in your oven,  simply cover the tray with foil.

Certified safe for children 

 Above is a pack of Fimo.  If you look in the bottom left corner,  you will see the symbol below.

The AP (Approved Product) Seal 

This identifies art materials that are safe and that are certified in a toxicological evaluation by a medical expert to contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans, including children, or to cause acute or chronic health problems. Such products are certified by ACMI to be labeled in accordance with the chronic hazard labeling standard, ASTM D 4236, and the U. S. Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act (LHAMA).



And finally....
The last bit that should convince you.  I  have eaten Fimo myself and I am fine. 

I do my clay work from my bed and I also have a snack supply (some healthy and some naughty). I have lost count of the amount of times that I dropped a bit of chocolate and found brown clay. I  know my mistake only by the fact that it basically is tasteless. 

So let your kids loose on some Fimo.  You will then get to treasure their creativity forever. 

Why I work free hand instead of using moulds

Polymer clay work is basically divided into two. Things made free hand and those who use silicone moulds. These clay models are made by pushing the clay into a mould. You can knock them out in seconds,  so you can charge pennys for them.

Some people make a model freehand and then create their own moulds,  so that they can then easily reproduce the original.

I am not saying that using moulds is not skillful,  legitimate clay work,  but I felt that I needed to make a hard line decision on this.

I decided that I would not use any moulds,  even if they are just to get the base shape and you then decorate it with the details freehand.  I  felt it would confuse people if I kind of used them.  Transparency on this is really important to me.

I do break this on 2 occasions;

1) Sutton slice

This is when you take a rubber stamp (that people usually use with ink) and fill the indented part with clay.  You use a blade to make sure that the raised bits are not covered by any clay.  You then stamp it where you want.

Both the white of the flowers on the first picture and the gold of the celtic design on the second picture where done using this.

My mum had a big collection of rubber stamps that she used for card making,  they where put in storage when she died a few years ago.  My father has promised to get them to me at some point  (hopefully in the next few years).

2) Moulded letters
I have a mould of each letter of the alphabet in capitals and I plan to get more in a few different fonts.  They are just far sharper and uniform than I can make freehand.

I will never use them on any model or on things that the models are on,  if it's made from Fimo. I do say if any of the elements of a piece are not made by me, these include ceramic teapots,  glass vases,  glass bud vases, glass jars, glass bottles and glass carafes so far.

If I am using a non Fimo element,  I  will try to make sure that they are very plain.  I  want them to add an element of practicality to my artwork, as I want everything to be of more use than them being pretty. The clay will always be the star of the show.  I  see the other materials like a painter would a canvas.  It facilitates the art.

I do also make purely decorative bits like my Christmas decorations and status,  but I wanted to be able to offer both.

I accept that it will take many years before I have the perfection that a mould offers. You can guarantee before you pick up your clay,  what the measurements will be exactly.  You can guarantee a exact reproduction every time.  But you don't develop.  It really narrows your creativity.

I have grown to love the imperfections of freehand work.  I  think it makes each piece far more valuable,  each piece has a bit of my heart and sole that I would never feel about moulded creations.  

Using other materials with Fimo /Polymer clay

As you know,  my primary material is Fimo professional  (polymer clay,  but I do mount them on other materials and use other things to decorate.

I think I should split them into 2 categories;

1) Bits I bake

If it can survive 110oc without catching fire or melting,  then you can use it with your raw clay and bake it all together. 

This includes obvious things like metal, glass, crystal, ceramic and stone. But there are things that you would not expect like polystyrene,  wood, some cloths and even some plastics.

I would first Google the meting temperature and ignition temperature of the item.  Failing that, it's time to experiment.

I  try a bit of the thing I want to add  (or the whole thing) in the oven at 110oc and keep an eye on it and a old wet cloth to put any fire out.  If it survives 40 minutes,  you can use it.

You would not believe the things that I have heard used. Sweet wrappers as armature space fillers,  even some bloke who made monster models,  who used his toenail clippings as teeth!  I  don't think he told his customers. Gross.

2) Attach afterwards

I will keep this brief as it's pretty obvious, but if it's not going to survive the oven then stick it on afterwards. So, let's talk glue.

Polymer clay is in the plastic family and anything acetone will simply melt the surface of the clay and fall off.  This is what happens when you use superglue,  don't use superglue.

My glue of choice is 2 part epoxy.  You have to make sure that the 2 liquids are mixed until it goes cloudy,  then you have around 20 seconds before it sets.  Only mix a small amount and make sure you have planned where the glue is going and exactly how you are attaching the 2 bits.  You do not have time to make any decisions once you get mixing.

If I want something that has a thicker consistency,  I  use No more nails.  It dries white,  but I bet you could add a colour in. 

I will let you know if I discover any new ones.