Fantastic FIMO........ (Fimo Modelling Clay)

Member Name: lel1969

Product:	Fimo Modelling Clay
Date:	17/12/07 (176 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Can Produce Many Creations

Disadvantages: None

Being a family who are extremely interested in arts and crafts my kids and I are always looking for new products and techniques to experiment with. We are never happy sticking to the one type of craft and much prefer to have a go at everything and anything.

Our latest find and, to date our favourite, is FIMO modelling clay. FIMO is so simple and easy to use with an array of possibilities.

FIMO has a look and texture similar to plasticine, but once it has been moulded into your desired shape you bake it in the oven at a temperature of 130°C for approximately 30 minutes, after which time it turns hard. Simple and very, very effective!

FIMO can by bought in the classic version or the soft version. I personally prefer the FIMO soft as it is much easier to work with being much more pliable. The FIMO classic can be a bit hard and crumbly at times often making it very difficult to shape into anything at all. The most common size of block is the 56g block. FIMO can also be bought in half blocks of 28g or larger blocks of 350g. Prices start at around £1.29 for the 56g block. There are many, many different colours to choose from with many different shades of each colour. You can also buy FIMO with different effects, there is a metallic effect, giving the finished product a bit of a shine, a glitter effect, which I love for the festive season, a translucent effect, which when hard has a see through look to it and there is also even a nightglow fluorescent effect to choose from so you can glow in the dark! You can also buy FIMO in a stone effect, which has an effect a bit similar to granite.

If you do happen to come across some FIMO that has gone a bit hard or has lost its modelling appeal then you can add some FIMO Mix Quick, which can be added to hard FIMO to help restore its flexibility.

To help with the modelling process you can choose from a range of modelling tools, which include cutting tools, shape cutters and push moulds.

FIMO is great for letting your imagination run wild. To date we have produced earrings, beads, buttons, which always receive many positive comments, bright, colourful, original buttons made to compliment any outfit. We have moulded sculptures to attach to corks to produce bottle stoppers. Coasters, wall hangings, little figures, card embellishments, the list is endless. My latest project and the one I am most proud of is my glasses and vases. I make canes from FIMO, a bit similar to the way in which rock or candy canes are made, I then cut the canes into slices and cover wine glasses, champagne flutes, tealight holders and vases with the slices. When making my canes I have made flowers, faces, suns, checked designs, zig zag designs and spiral designs. It takes a long time to produce these beautiful glasses but I truly love doing this and am always very proud of the end product.

When you have baked your FIMO creation I have found it best to give it a quick coat of varnish, this just helps to give it a bit of protection and a finishing touch. You can buy varnish specifically for FIMO or I tend to buy a pot of varnish from my local DIY, the FIMO varnish only comes in small bottles and doesn't last long enough for me.

FIMO is simple and easy to use for all ages. All that is needed is a bit of time, perhaps a rainy day, a little patience and a little imagination. For those of you with a lack of imagination and perhaps for the younger ones a great way of starting out with FIMO is to purchase one of their starter kits. These kits come ready with everything you need to make a specific item. For example you can buy a jewellery set, which comes complete with FIMO, push moulds, rings, brooch pins, cord and full instructions on how to make yourself some stunning jewellery. You can also choose from many "Kits for Kids" which include simple to follow instructions on how to take the FIMO supplied and create the stunning sculptures photographed brightly on the packet, these sculptures include teddy bears, bees, ladybirds, giraffes, dragons and many more creatures loved by children.

FIMO is produced in Germany by a company called Eberhard Faber.

www.eberhardfaber.com

Summary: A wonderful product, which can produce many satisfying creations