Creating mineral bases using Fimo Clay - Part 2

This is a follow-on from my previous article (click to read) about how to create custom mineral bases using Fimo polymer clay. You'll need to read that article as well for more technical details about how to handle and cook the clay.

This time, I wanted to solve a problem in my mineral cabinet.

This specimen (Gypsum from Brazil) has suffered a bit of an accident. Luckily the tack gave way slowly over time so it wasn't damaged.



So, it's time to create a custom Fimo base. This time I'll make a mould out of Lego - by far the easiest way to make moulds for this kind of thing, and you can make them to whatever size you need but also you can continue to make consistently sized bases.



I placed the specimen inside to judge whether I thought the base was the right size. I figured in this case it was.



Then, after kneading a lump of Fimo clay, I pushed it into the mould, making sure to press it hard into each corner.



I even fashioned a little device for flattening the clay out of lego. If I had a 4x4 flat piece it would have been even better, but I only had a 2x2 piece.



Now our clay base is ready for the mineral to be placed.



I pushed the mineral as far into the clay base as it would go. I hired a couple of guys to help with this difficult procedure



The specimen is removed, and the impression is there. As you can see, without a custom base that corner would be a nightmare to attach to a normal plastic base. I had to compromise before with the angle I displayed the specimen at. No compromise any more!



Now, simply dismantle the lego to leave the base on the tile.



The base is cooked (see previous article for details) and cooled. The sides only need some very fine cleaning.



This time I decide to sand down the top surface to make it neater. As the original surface was fairly flat this is not too hard.



Finally, fit the specimen into our base - of course it's a perfect fit!



Now, the specimen seems quite stable on this base without additional support, but of course you could glue the specimen to the base if you prefer. An epoxy glue is probably the best to use.

Hope you enjoyed this!