Shaping by hand
Shaping warm Plastimake with your bare hands is the best way to get started. We recommend using Plastimake Sculpting Formula when sculpting an item by hand. When heated to 60°C it remains quite firm so it won't slump as you sculpt. However if you only have Plastimake Moulding Formula available you can still sculpt it with your hands.
Plastimake is non-toxic and does not leave a residue. You don’t need gloves or special safety equipment to handle Plastimake, just follow the instructions and use your common sense!
Plastimake softens at 60°C (140°F). Although 60°C water is hot enough to scald your skin, you can quite comfortably handle Plastimake at this temperature. Plastimake has very low Thermal Conductivity, so warm Plastimake will feel cooler in your hands compared to other materials.
Tips for shaping Plastimake with your hands:
- Start by rolling your warm Plastimake into a ball. This allows a cooler "skin" to form around the edges of the ball and makes it easier to handle.
- Keep your hands slightly moist to stop Plastimake sticking to your fingers.
- You will have around 3 minutes to shape your Plastimake item before it starts to cool. Don't worry though, if you run out of time you can always soften it again by putting it back in hot water.
- Plastimake is transparent when it's warm and soft. It becomes white and opaque as its temperature drops below 60°C. Watch your Plastimake item closely and you’ll be able to see which parts are solid, and which parts are still warm and soft.
- Place your Plastimake item into a bowl of cold water to lock its shape. You can briefly dip your item into cold water to create a cooler “skin” around the object.
- If you're working on a big project, consider making the individual parts separately and joining them once they have cooled. This means you’ll have more time to work on each individual part before it cools.
- Plastimake will stick to some nail polishes and artificial nails. If this happens to you, apply a small amount of nail polish remover to get it off
