making your own knobs

[Theo]

I tried the Fimo stuff. To be short it sucks.
Fimo is soft PVC with a plastisizer, just like all plastic "clay" btw.
The idea is that heating it in an oven (about 30 minutes @ 130C/265F)
evaporates the plastisizer and the material hardens.

I tried translucent yellow.
- For starters, Fimo is a soft type PVC. You can't mold it after hardening,
but it still bends.
- Second, the stuff is not color proof. The cool color is gone after it
hardens.
- Third, small air bubbles enclosed in the material become visible after
heating.
- And at number four.It does become translucent. Not like a IMAC, but when
you put a 400W bulb behind a 2mm thick piece of flimo you will see some
light shining through.
- And finally. The shape distorts during the hardening process.

Now I used a gas oven, maybe a electric oven will work better (better
controlled temperature).
Also the enclosed air problem may not be visible with the non translucent
colors.
However I feel that the distortion during the heating process and the fact
that fimo does NOT become rock solid limits its use.

Just my 2 cents worth.
Cheers, Theo


----- Original Message -----
From: <WeAreAs1 at aol.com>
To: <synth-diy at node12b53.a2000.nl>
Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2000 2:20 AM
Subject: Re: making your own knobs


> Y'ello,
>
> Another possibility for making your own "plastic" pieces is the stuff
called
> "Fimo Clay".  You can work it sort of like modeling clay, but you can bake
it
> in an ordinary kitchen oven afterwards to harden it.  I'm not sure about
> whether it could be used in small knob molds, though.  It is available in
an
> incredible rainbow of cool colors.  It can be found at art supply stores
and
> at jewelry-making supply stores.
>
> Michael Bacich
>