Anyone know how to make FIMO or any of the other polymer clays?

DocHarry,

I saw your post on http://www.thriftyfun.com/default.ldml about a recipe for Polymer Clay.

The clay they are making there is usually called Cold Porcelain Clay. The recipe is however a very poor one! Most require multiple ingredients and cooking. The best recipes use formalin which is hard to get your hands on, but it makes the clay more like a true polymer which shrinks less. Cold Porcelain Clay is used by many floral sculptors because it can be rolled very thin and looks very delicate almost exactly like porcelain. Do a google image search on Cold Porcelain Clay and you will be sup prized a what skilled people do with it. It does not hold the fine detail however that FIMO or other polymer clays do.

You were right that FIMO and other Thermoplastic Polymer clays are based on polyvinyl chloride. It the pvc is suspended in phthalate plasticizer. Common phthalates in clays are

1. Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, which is also often an ingredient in hydraulic fluid
2. Di(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate
3. Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) see http://www.bbp-facts.com/
4. Di-n-octylphthalate

There are many platicizers that could probably be used. Some of the phthalates have health risks.

I don't know if this helps but if you have success please let me know!

Paul
E mail Rithopaulo (At) Gmail (dot) com