FIMO

Fimo is a name for a brand of polymer clay made by German company Staedtler (STAEDTLER Mars GmbH & Co. KG). Fimo is sold worldwide. Its main U.S. competitor is the American brand Sculpey. The material comes in many different colors; there are many finishes to choose from, and even a softener to use with it because it can be hard to work. It is used for making many things, including jewelry, accessories, and small trinkets. Once shaped, Fimo is baked in a standard or toaster oven for about 30 minutes at 130 °C (265 °F) to harden it. Once baked, it can be cut, drilled, painted, sanded, and sliced thinly. According to information from Staedtler, Fimo contains polyvinyl chloride (PVC), but has not contained any phthalates since 2006.

FIMO was first a plastic modeling compound brought to the attention of German dollmaker Käthe Kruse in the late 1930s as a possible replacement for plastic compounds that were scarce from war privation. It was not suitable for her doll factory use, and she turned it over to her daughter Sophie Rehbinder-Kruse, who was known in the family as "Fifi" (hence FIMO, from Fifi's Modeling Compound). The brand was later sold to Eberhard Faber and is marketed under the name "FIMO".

Fimo and other polymer clay products can be worked in a variety of techniques.

Sculptures can have glass beads and wire added before curing to provide additional detailing. Artists may also use armature wire to support their sculptures. Aluminum foil can be used to support large areas, where the foil is scrunched into a shape and then layered with Fimo. It is also possible to use glass objects as a base structure point to build up from.

If multiple colors are mixed thoroughly enough, the marble effect will fade and the colors will blend to make a new color.

Since the original product, Staedtler has introduced new forms of Fimo, causing the Fimo of the early 1990s to be sometimes called "classic" Fimo. Fimo Soft is easier to condition but not as strong as the original classic Fimo.

Fimo conforms to the European Standard EN 71 part 5 and bears the ACMI-Seal AP "non toxic" since.

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