July 28, 2008
Slicing Fimo Nail Art Canes | Sculpey Polymer Clay Cake Toppers
1) How to cut super thin fimo cane slices for fingernail art designs, from polymer clay canes that are already baked.
2) Need some advice on making a cute cake topper decoration out of sculpey clay (also know as sculpy and sculpty)?
The first of today's two questions comes from Lani King. And the second one was sent in by Ingard Mendoza.
Q-1: Fimo nail art. I don't understand how you slice baked canes. Wouldn't they just crack and break to pieces? ~Lani King
A-1: If you try and slice a baked cane when it is cold it will crack and break! But if you warm it up by placing in a cup of boiling water or back in the oven for 5 minutes, it will slice quite nicely with a sharp razor or polymer clay tissue blade! Don't forget to keep the partial slices too… they look wonderful incorporated into your nail art designs!
Q-2: Hi Cindy, I just wanted to know if it would be possible to make a giraffe out of sculpey? I have made Christmas ornaments before but now I need a giraffe for a baby shower cake top. It won't be huge but I'm afraid it will explode in my oven. Any ideas? Thanks. ~Ingard Mendoza
A-2: You can definitely make a polymer clay cake topper out of Sculpey and it won't explode in the oven! Of course you need to bake it at the right temp for the clay brand you use.
If you are going to use Sculpey use the Original Sculpey (the white kind), or Pro-Sculpt Sculpey (flesh colored)… not Sculpey III since it is too weak for these types of things and will break.
However, I would recommend you use Premo Sculpey instead so you can use colored clay and you don't have to paint it. Premo is strong, smooth and will look great as a cute little giraffe cake topper for the baby shower.
If you don't want the whole thing made with clay, you can fill the inside with tin foil. You can read more about this technique here: Making Large Polymer Clay Beads (and Sculptures) without Using a Lot of Clay
To bake your cake topper, you can lay it on a thick bed of cornstarch in a pan to support it. Make sure to 'tent' your piece properly so it does not get scorched. See these articles for more info:
Baking in steps is something to consider as well. For example you could bake the body; Sand it; Add the head; Bake it again; Sand and add ears etc. This post about baking and re-baking polymer clay should help!
So to Lani and Ingard and anyone else that cares to join into the conversation: If you need more clarification about Slicing Fimo Nail Art Canes and/or making Sculpey Polymer Cake Toppers, please use the comments section below.
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Filed under 04: Handling, 07: Cane Work by Cindy Lietz
Comments on Slicing Fimo Nail Art Canes | Sculpey Polymer Clay Cake Toppers »
If you have a question you would like answered in an upcoming Q+A article like the one above, contact me here: Ask The Polymer Clay Tutor
Hey, I didn't know I could slice cured canes so easily! Thanks for that tip.
Re: the giraffe cake topper, I don't think polymer clay + food is such a great idea. How would she get the giraffe to stay on top of the cake? I wouldn't push its legs into the cake.
Unless the new formula clays are food safe now? I don't know!
Thanks, Cindy!
You're right Deirdre, it's not a good idea to put polymer clay figurines directly on the cake! I forgot to mention when you make cake toppers out of polymer clay you can glue them to one of the plastic cake disk thingys and set that on the top.
Even classier, the wedding cake companies often use a wooden base to attach their polymer clay cake toppers to, which also makes it nice to display afterwords.
Alternatively you could insert popsicle sticks in the legs to push into the cake. Though I think it would be nice to save the giraffe for decorating the baby's room and the sticks would be a problem there.
Cindy Lietz's last blog post..Rainbow Jewelry Pillow Beads Made From Extruded Polymer Clay Canes
Cindy, I've been experimenting with an easy way to keep the canes warm for slicing. Cat
Thanks Cat for the great tip!
For those of you that want to know, Cat has come up with a way to keep Fimo Nail Art Canes warm without burning them.
She takes a coffee cup warmer and places a Terracotta flower pot saucer on it. Then lines the saucer with paper towels, four layers deep.
This keeps the canes warm without getting too hot and scorching. She also suggests keeping a pile of the slices on this warmer so they mold to the nails easier.
How helpful… Thanks Cat!
Cindy Lietz's last blog post..Tube Beads for Jewelry Making using Gold Leaf and Fimo Polymer Clay
Cindy, if the canes are baked well (around 290 degrees for 20 minutes, you can slice them very good with a razorblade. Store the unsliced canes in a plasicbag. So you can slice them without any problems even after month.
Thank you for the information Sonja! It is great to have a nail art professional like you here! Do you make canes yourself or do you have them made for your store?
Cindy Lietz's last blog post..Premo Clay Flower Pendant Necklace Project with Vintage Glass Beads