does anyone use polymer clay as inlays

[darloray]

been looking around and seen some in hobbycraft
my daughters wanting me to make some jewellery on the scroll saw and came across things like this in the link

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/5771213 ... =related-5

seen some vids but not show if it has to be baked in the oven etc, and is that after it in the wood
does anyone else use it or any other things to get a mix of colours like in these pics

thx
ray

 

[JimiJimi]

Never used it but I do know it has to be baked. There is a minimum temperature it has to reach to bond with other materials ( I think 212 - 265 degrees F), but maybe you can bake for longer and lower the temperature? Maybe some hardwoods would only get hot but not char? Having said that, some of the other designs on the Etsy site look like pine. Am curious why you can't get it wet though - it says the whole thing is coated in several layers of varnish.

 

[JimiJimi]

Epoxy resin might be a better alternative. It can be coloured and doesn't need baking.

 

[MikeG.]

Don't be so sure about the baking thing. My daughter dabbled with this stuff for a year or two, and it air-dried.

 

[Brandlin]

I've not used polymerclay for this purpose for wood, but have extensive experience in using them to model with (toy soldiers).

There are a number of brands with different properties so specific advice would be based on the brands you choose. Popular ones are Sculpy Fimo and Das/ They come not only in different colours, but also textures, open times and curing methods - some require baking some don't. The term "polymer clay" is often used to cover a range of different cays with different chemical compositions.

My best guess would be that you should look for air dry variety or a low temperature baked cure. You can also find clays which are food safe and others with low oil/solvent content - that might help them not stain the wood. I've not used them with wood, but might guess that you should finish the wood before you add the clay to prevent staining.

As others have said a two part epoxy putty might be another option as they do not require baking and they tend to dry harder and are less brittle when cured.

PS - also you might not realise that clays have a range of densities and the denser ones might mean that decorative items like jewelry might turn out too heavy - you can also buy fillers that can be mixed into clays and putties to reduce the density.

 

[ScaredyCat]

Have you looked at Milliput?

 

[nev]

FIMO takes 30 minutes to harden in the oven at 110° C.

https://www.staedtler.co.uk/en/inspirat ... e-it-real/

Chuck a rough cut test piece in the oven for 30m @ 110 and see what the result is.

 

[darloray]

im gonna get some fimo this weekend and try that and see how we go.
ill post some results

thx

 

[sunnybob]

Because of my arthritic hands, I have used Fimo to pad out the stock on my shotgun.
Knead it well, and push it onto the wood as hard as you can.
I was not prepared to put the whole figured walnut shotgun stock in the oven for a half hour, so I covered all the surrounding wood with kitchen foil and then a heavy towel over that, and used an electric hot air gun (paint stripper) on the fimo untill it was too hot to touch. A good hair dryer on max heat might also do the job.
let it cool, and its as solid as it needs to be. I've even shaved pieces off to give my palm a good fit.
The surrounding oiled walnut was not marked in any way.

 

[toysandboats]

Hobbycraft sell both types of polymer clay. Das is a popular air-drying one. They have shops around the country or do mail order.
Hobbycraft

 

[darloray]

saw the fimo in hobbycraft at £2.80 a colour but just been on ebay and found a good seller of it and sells them for £1.85 for same size packs and has an offer on of buy 5 get one free. came in at £9.25 free postage. hobbycraft would be £16.80 and takes 30 mins to get there, so I ordered ebay.

ill have to look into it but like the image on the pic I linked to in first post, before the clay is pushed into place, would I need to put some pva or something in place to keep it fixed to the wood,let glue go dry then put in oven.
was just thinking after it hardens in oven, would it stay in place or drop out without any glue .

thx hope ive explained it .lol

 

[Brandlin]

You wont need a glue.
I would expect the clay to bond with the wood mechanically. So if you provide some key, notches, holes in the wood then I expect you'll make a lasting connection. Clays do chemically bond with other items but its not always certain. For example using an oil lubricant on brass rod can be used to create channels in the clay and the rod pulled out when its dry- so i guess its possible that oily woods may have a similar effect.
All clays shrink as they cure/dry. Some a lot more than others. Professional figure sculptors I know talk about as much as 5%. Depending on the size of the object you are making and the volume of clay, you MAY find that the wood restricts the shrinking and the clay cracks or distorts the wood. For small jewelry items I suspect you will be fine.
As i mentioned before, i've used various clays a lot, but not in the specific ways you seek. I think some trial and error will help.