How do you prevent thin Fimo from braking?
by
34464874
+5
All the time when i cook little Fimo charms if by mistake i drop on (once cooked) if it falls on a thin part it will brake, and a lot of the time my best charms get destroyed, i always stick them back on with super-glue but they are always wobbly after that, the picture below is the first ever one i broke.
You can try building the clay around a wire to help strengthen it, but polymer clay is breakable once cooked.
Could you coat it with a sealer that will add strength?
There seems to be a difference in strength when a piece such a your charm shown has thick and thin pieces. I would bake the thick cube, the dark green shown above separately. When that has cooled, then model and attach your red ribbon or other thin pieces. If the charm is meant to hang from the fimo loop, then I'd build the clay around a wire as suggested or push a wire loop into the clay (a thick part, like the green cube in the above piece)) before baking. Thin pieces of fimo type clay sometimes do better if baked at a slightly lower temperature for a tiny bit more time. Experiment with different brands of plastic clay-some get more brittle over time than others. Sculpey clay has different formulas for different uses, fimo and sculpey can be blended, but test first.
Titatium is added to crystal for durable, break resistant wine glasses. Fiber is added to cement to create stronger concrete.
Could you blend or layer some kind of fiber into the fimo? Perhaps a few fibers from a cotton ball incapsulated in the fimo? Or a transulent paper fiber glued or glazed over the surface?
Good luck. It's the sad part of creating a fragile product... no matter how careful you are, there is always that awful and disappointing "oops" moment.