Fimo

You can find the suppliers information here.  And instructions here.

  • Mould a face out of clay/plastercene on your plaster face mould. Use a hard type of clay or let it harden for a few hours.
  • Cover the new face completely with plastic wrap. Make sure the wrap fits the clay everywhere, especially nose, eyes and wrinkles.
  • Take your time with the modeling of the FIMO, it dries in 24 to 48 hours.
  • With a rolling pin, roll out a handful of FIMO to a thickness of 6 to 8 mm on a flat surface. A stone rolling pin works better than a wooden one.
  • Don’t use water!
  • Patch flat pieces of FIMO together on the clay face cut to the proper sizes from the rolled out piece. Roll out more FIMO as needed.
  • Connect the pieces by pressing edges together and rubbing out the cracks with your finger.
  • You can use the FIMO like clay, apply more to model details.
  • Always rub gaps/cracks to close them! For that you can use a bit of water if necessary.
  • The FIMO should not be thinner then 6 to 8 mm.
  • For thick parts or to change/add facial features, underly with aluminium foil or plastic wrap and cover that with FIMO. This way, you can save material. Later you can remove the foil/wrap by removing the FIMO from the inside of the mask.
  • It helps to cut the nose and eyeholes while the FIMO is partly soft.
  • When you’re finished, let the FIMO dry. Don’t put it on the heater!
  • FIMO shrinks by 8% when drying. It is helpful to remove the mask after 8 to ten hours including the plastic wrap, otherwise the mask could break on the edges (repair with latex cement in this case).
  • The mask should be hard on the outside now but handle it with care, it’s still soft on the inside.
  • Put the mask face down and let it dry (you can support it from the sides if it widens itself).
  • While drying you can always make corrections with FIMO.
  • If the edges arch to the inside while drying, mould it back out.
  • You can strengthen the mask with latex cement from the inside.
  • After drying you can use sand paper to smooth it as you want.

Excess FIMO can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge. It is even possible to re-hydrate hardened FIMO.

It is also possible to use a negative mould and press in FIMO from the inside. (see gallery photo)