Has anyone burned out FIMO or sculpey?

I have tried to make decent impressions for intaglios, Tassies,
which are 18th and early 19th Century glass intagios. I have tried
everything including hot glue, parafin, injection wax, etc. I have
tried icing the seals… If I want to mold my impression I want a
decent impression, and it is not easily done. Sculpey has made the
only decent impressions, but I have yet to try and burn that out to
cast.

Anybody tried that yet?
Jay

Jay,

I’d forget the Sculpey even though it’s giving you good impression
results. I think you’re going to be disappointed with trying to deal
with the ash left over from a Sculpey burnout. And… the fumes as it
burns are probably not too great for your lungs if you’re in the
vicinity. I think Sculpeys formula might be in the styrene family of
plastics.

I’d try getting hold of some sculptors wax (like good’ole Victory
brown) and blend it with your injection wax. Victory Brown by itself
is very soft and sticky. Injection wax by itself is usually hard and
has a a fairly high viscosity unless super heated. Together the 2
waxes combined can make almost any consistency you want depending on
the proportions you use.

If your original can stand a little heat, you can warm it with a
hair dryer before applying the wax so the wax picks up the detail
before chilling. A very light coat of a silicone spray will help to
release the wax when cool.

Try to use a themometer for the wax mix temperature so you can
repeat the results.

I’ve used this technique before and used an inexpensive eye dropper
as the applicator mechanism.

Good pressings…

Frank

Hi,

I have never tried to burn out sculpey or fimo. I would worry about
the possible toxic fumes this would produce as both of these
substances are some sort of plastic. Even when they are curing at the
proper temperatures, the packages warn that adequate ventilation
needs
to be in place. In temperature ranges outside of the normal curing
ones, I would think the fumes would be quite over-powering. Be
careful
and protect yourself. Let us know how it goes, as I am curious
myself.

A. Derenthal

I haven’t tried the burnout on sculpy, but I have “overbaked” it a
time or two and it smelled pretty nasty. I am guessing to actually
burn it out would possibly be toxic. Have you tried using cork clay
for your impressions? I think it would burnout fine.

Do NOT burn out FIMO or sculpey!

Polymer clay is PVC (polyvinyl chloride) with phthalate plasticizers
added to make the PVC soft and workable.

Burning polymer clay, just as burning PVC, releases hydrochloride
gas.

When that hydrochloride gas comes in contact with (the water in)
your body tissues, corrosive hydrochloric acid is formed.

You really don’t want hydrochloric acid forming on and in your body
like that – it has the potential to do some serious permanent
damage – think about your eyes, lungs, etc.

Constance

Jay, I’m not sure what the item is you are trying to make an
impression from, but you could try a mold release spray and then
using RTV compound. This works if the item has a flat back. You stick
it down on a flat surface and brush RTV on, check for bubbles, then
pour the RTV into the mold. If it is a flat-backed item, this will
work. Let me know if you need more info.

V.

Jay,

you might want to try Protoplast, it is a plastic that softens in
hot water and will take a beautiful impression, fingerprint detail.
It burns out clean ( I have cast a lot of pieces with it and use the
same burnout cycle as for wax.) when you make the impression make
sure the intaglio is wet so the Protoplast does not stick. You can
cast direct from the impression Available at

WFS Aquaplast Corp.
30 Lawlias Park
Wyekoff NJ 481-1443
800-526-5247

Unless you want to shorten your lifespan, do not burn out polymer
clay. When polymer clay burns it creates fumes that are extremely
hazardous to all living things. Don’t go there.

Linda Kaye-Moses

Hello,

Please place protoplast/aquaplast in the same category as polymer
clay Re: burning out the material. Burning any polymer/plastic will
produce extremely toxic fumes that you don’t want to expose
yourself, the atmosphere, or any other living being to (bad grammar,
but you get my drift). Even a small exposure can be detrimental,
particularly if you continue to burn plastic on a regular basis. The
effects are cumulative.

Burning out wax is not good for you either, but if you ventilate
adequately, it does not pose the kind of serious health risk as
plastics, I believe.

Check out Charles Lewton-Brain’s book on health hazards for jewelers
for on what ‘works’ and what doesn’t Re: staying healthy
while making your work.

Linda Kaye-moses

Hi there,

For all over 28 years I have taught an adult education class in
casting in Castro Valley,CA. Several years ago- maybe over 12- we
did actually cast femo & sculpey. I did not realize the issue
toxicity and I can tell you the experiment did not work anyway. The
material did not completely burn away and the quality of the casting
was poor. We did this maybe twice in order to see if we did not
allow enough time & temp. and decided to abandon this idea. My
student used the sculpey as a way to build quick models that she
used for examples to work from. Then she built her pieces in the
proper wax material. I am now glad to hear about the proprety of
this when heated and will not ever attempt this again. That’s what
is GREAT about Orchid–the exchange of knowledge & facts!!!
Tante grazie to all who participate in this forum. My donation,
which I have long thought of doing, is past due. And next week, the
check will be in the mail, so to speak.

Have a great spring weekend!!!

Cheers from Jo-Ann Maggiora Donivan in blooming San Francisco, CA (-:

I’ve never burned Polymer clay but just baking it according to the
manufactuer’s instructions gives off terrible fumes which you have to
vent. Absolutely, do not go there.

Grace

A useful feature of Sculpey is that it readily withstands
vulcanization, so although burnout is out of the question, the day
is not lost. Make a rubber mould with the Sculpey model, and away
you go.

Danny