Sculpty Stuff

[EmilyStrange]

I have made dollhouse sized foods out of expandable sponges (from Tiny Treasures) I can't wait to see your pics!

[Janabanana]

After reading about some of you who 've made food with Sculpty or FIMO, I decided I wsa going to buy it and try it today! I am really pleased with the results and had a good time with my DD making things. We have a large fruit bowl now that holds 2 apples (I delicious & 1 jonathan), a lemon, 2 oranges, 2 pears,(what started out to be a banana...ARGGG)and a bunch of green grapes! Then we used some little cookie cutters and made 8 cookies, I layered rolled out brown and white and rolled them into a long log and sliced them up for fancy cookies. Then we made 14 petite fours! They were the most fun! I'll get some shots and get them into a site and up soon. We are pleased with the results. I want to make some little finger sandwiches so the girls can have a nutricious luncheon! My 2 1/2 yo GD wanted one of the fancy cookies really bad even though we kept telling her she couldn't eat them and that they tasted bad. After about 5 minutes of her badgering me, I said "Look, they're YUCKY!" She looks at me and said" Like soap?!" LOL My DD explained that Noelle tasted her good smelling Pear soap! [img]eek.gif[/img] The "food" is up in the doll rooms now and she won't be able to reach them for awhile! I HOPE!!! Has anybody else made food?

[annkirstin]

The only food I have made is dollhouse sized. I'm anxious to see pics of what you have done!!

[moderator]

That's wonderful! It's amazing what types of things you can make with this stuff...they look store-bought and it's so amazing to be able to dry a clay quickly (instead of like salt dough, where you have to leave it for days and it usually loses its shape in the meantime!).

Just a quick warning for people though. Some schools were outlawing Sculpy and Fimo because they do let of toxic fumes when baked and children were getting sick. You should have all your windows open and fans running when baking the clay.

[PadmeAmidala]

That's great! [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img] I've made food out of Sculpey before, but it was dollhouse sized! It's neat that you could make some bigger-sized food for them! [img]graemlins/rainbow.gif[/img]

[Kathy Henning]

Another thing about using Polymer clay of any brand is that the fumes are really bad for pets like birds. I have a toaster oven that it only used for clay and a pasta maker for clay only. I put the toaster oven near the stove in the kitchen and run the exhaust fan while the clay is baking. You should never used clay equiptment for making real food.

[annkirstin]

The book I have says to make sure you are baking the polymer clay at just the right temperature to avoid the fumes. If your oven is not quite right, you could unwittingly be producing the fumes. Polymer clay that is baking does have a little bit of a smell, but it I don't think it's supposed to be a problem if you are baking it at the right temperature, and not too hot.

[moderator]

There is a lot of information available online about Fimo and Sulpey dangers (on news sites). My dad is a scientist who also has concerns about this type of product. Plastic (polymer)-type products can let off toxic fumes when heated.

http://www.timesonline.com/site/news...d=478569&rfi=8

I don't want to cause alarm, I just wanted to point out what has been proven to be a valid concern with this product. I do use this, but I run three fans and open the doors when baking.

These products can be especially dangerous for children. The following site has some helpful information on its use, including safety precautions to take aside from the baking process:
http://www.pigsnstuff.com/faq/safety.html

Stay safe! It does have really nice results! [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ July 31, 2004 08:05 PM: Message edited by: Melissa ]</font>

[OSusannah]

So if I get ambitious and decide to try Sculpey I can't bake it in my regular toaster oven on a piece of foil? Or if I bake it in my regular oven do I have to use a separate pan from my regular cooking ones?

[Kathy Henning]

Tracey,
I bake a lot of Polymer for jewelry and I use a toaster oven that was bought just for clay. I would never use my real oven or any baking equiptment that food will be cooked on it. My pasta machine is also just used for clay. I would rather be safe than sorry. I have watched many videos and craft shows on Polymer and they all say not to use food cooking items for baking clay. I also use parchment paper for baking clay. I put a piece of it on the tray that came with the toaster oven. If the item that you want to bake is too tall to stand up without getting too close to the heating element, you can lay it down on a bed of polyester fiber fill and it will bake just right. You do not want the clay to touch the metal or it will get shiney spots on it. I have a web page that my friend in Montana set up for me. If you take a look, you can see the bears that I made for gifts for our Bunko group and some of the jewelry that I have made with clay. This site also has some of my cards and other crafts on it.
If you have time, take a look at my other fiends's artwork.

http://www.glyndataylor.com/kathy/kathy.htm