How to warm Fimo Nail Art canes for slicing

[Cat_Therien]

I've come up with a way to warm the Fimo Nail Art canes that will make it easier to keep them at an even temperature for slicing, takes up very little space, and uses very little electricity.

C.A.Therien Polymer Clay Arts » Blog Archive » How To Warm Baked Canes For Slicing

Cat

 

[xAnnaBannAx]

ive got some fruit canes and have found them difficult to slice thin and even...it never even occured to me to warm them up!

 

[Cat_Therien]

ive got some fruit canes and have found them difficult to slice thin and even...it never even occured to me to warm them up!

Warming them up makes a really big difference. Then it's more like slicing through cold butter. It takes some pressure from your hand to slice through it, but it is so much easier than slicing through a cool cane.
More advantages:

• Less chipping off of the edges of the cane
• Slices tend to break less when they are cut while warm
• It's easier on the hands, too

When you do your slicing, it's best to grasp the cane as close to the edge as you can. Using your nails as a guide for the slicing blade helps quite a bit, too. You will get more uniform slices that way.

When you are looking at the cane as you slice, it works best if you place your head so that you can see the whole front (image) of the cane as you slice through it. If you are looking down on the cane from the top, then you don't get to see exactly what is happening as you are making your slice. So rather than watching the blade go through, watch the slice.

Perfect slices will curl slightly, like a potato chip.

Good luck! Let me know if you need any other help with it.

Cat

 

[xAnnaBannAx]

Warming them up makes a really big difference. Then it's more like slicing through cold butter. It takes some pressure from your hand to slice through it, but it is so much easier than slicing through a cool cane.

More advantages:

• Less chipping off of the edges of the cane
• Slices tend to break less when they are cut while warm
• It's easier on the hands, too

When you do your slicing, it's best to grasp the cane as close to the edge as you can. Using your nails as a guide for the slicing blade helps quite a bit, too. You will get more uniform slices that way.

When you are looking at the cane as you slice, it works best if you place your head so that you can see the whole front (image) of the cane as you slice through it. If you are looking down on the cane from the top, then you don't get to see exactly what is happening as you are making your slice. So rather than watching the blade go through, watch the slice.

Perfect slices will curl slightly, like a potato chip.

Good luck! Let me know if you need any other help with it.

Cat

Thanx ill bear that in mind, so do you think its a good idea to warm the canes up..and totally slice all of it there and then so you dont have to warm up and slice everytime you want to use them...or best to do it as and when?

 

[Cat_Therien]

Thanx ill bear that in mind, so do you think its a good idea to warm the canes up..and totally slice all of it there and then so you dont have to warm up and slice everytime you want to use them...or best to do it as and when?

Well, if you are looking for the best time-vs-money answer, then slicing it all up at once makes the most sense. The slices last indefinitely, and you can store them in a nail tip container, or a zipper baggie, or whatever. Just something that will hold them all in one place and keep them clean.

It takes a couple of warmings to slice a whole cane. As you get familiar with slicing warm canes, you will notice it gets more difficult to slice them as the cane cools.

So what I do is to have two pieces of the same cane sitting on my warmer. That way, as I am slicing one cane, the other is waiting for me, all warmed up. When the first cane cools, I place it back on the warmer and pick up the other one and continue slicing. I don't have to wait even a few minutes for the first cane to warm up again.

If you warm your slices before putting them on your customer's nails, they will conform to the nail much better, too. Just make sure the slices aren't hot when you glue them on.

Cat

 

[nailsofart]

seems very interesting but i hav no idea what a beverage heater is. never seen it before :Scared:

 

[Ellies Nails]

Your flower canes are so pretty I think I'm going to have to get me some of them before the summer time disappears I seen a beautiful dragonfly in the gallery do you sell them as well as I couldn't see them.

many thanks xx


ps could I zap them in the microwave to head them up?

 

[Cat_Therien]

seems very interesting but i hav no idea what a beverage heater is. never seen it before :Scared:

A beverage warmer is just a small electric hot plate, with about a 4-inch heating surface just right for keeping a cup of tea nice and hot.

Cat

 

[Cat_Therien]

Your flower canes are so pretty I think I'm going to have to get me some of them before the summer time disappears I seen a beautiful dragonfly in the gallery do you sell them as well as I couldn't see them.

many thanks xx


ps could I zap them in the microwave to head them up?

Hi Ellie,
Thank you, I'm so glad you like the flowers and dragonfly. I do make dragonfly canes for sale and I will be making a dragonfly again. I have a list of about 40 canes I want to regularly carry in stock, and the dragonfly is most certainly one of them.

Actually, it's not a good idea to microwave the canes. They aren't made from a food container kind of clay and it could potentially ruin the cane if you microwaved it. Gentle heat is all that's required, approximately 110 degrees or so.

Cat

 

[mdskora]

Ok... I have no idea what the hell you guys are talking about.... i feel stupid but
What are CANE's..

sorry for being so blonde.. lol

 

[Kerry's Nails]

I love the canes, I have about 20 different types. I warm them in my hands by rolling them back and forth for a minute or so. Some times I slice a heap at the one time - to save time, when I have a client. HTH :hug:

 

[Cat_Therien]

Ok... I have no idea what the hell you guys are talking about.... i feel stupid but
What are CANE's..

sorry for being so blonde.. lol

LOL, that's okay. I had never even heard of one back in 2001 either.

Here are a few links. I've written some explanations on my website so you get a better idea of what we're talking about in this thread:

What is millefiore? (that's the name of the technique to make canes)

What is Fimo Nail Art?

That's a basic overview of what we're talking about. If this sparks more questions, ask away. If I don't know the answer, I'll try to find someone who does.

Cat

 

[Cat_Therien]

I love the canes, I have about 20 different types. I warm them in my hands by rolling them back and forth for a minute or so. Some times I slice a heap at the one time - to save time, when I have a client. HTH :hug:

That works great, too. Just a little friction and heat to make the baked cane a little bit flexible. Makes slicing so much easier, don't you think?

Cat

 

[Cat_Therien]

I just put some pictures in an album on my profile. I didn't realize we had that feature, how cool!

Cat

 

[Bebeautiful]

I just put some pictures in an album on my profile. I didn't realize we had that feature, how cool!

Cat

HI Cat, looked at your album it is fantastic. I will bear your information in mind when I place an order :lol:.

 

[nailspirit]

What about warming them in hot water? Good or bad idea?

 

[Cat_Therien]

BeBeautiful -- thanks! I was thinking today about plaid and gingham hearts. Wouldn't that be cute on a french mani? Little plaid hearts in pink and baby blue? I'm thinking about it, trying to figure out the construction problems with that, keeping the plaid or gingham squares straight while at the same time forming the whole thing into a heart. Fun fun. :lol:


Nailspirit -- sure, you can warm them in hot water, not a problem. You'll probably want to put them in a zipper baggie in the water tho, since long-term soaking could cause the translucent to get milky, I understand. Although.... I've forgotten pieces in water overnight with no negative results, either.

Cat

 

[nailspirit]

OK, i will try, thanks!:hug: Those canes are just so amazing:lol:

 

[Cat_Therien]

Good luck! And thank you!

Cat

 

[fairiegirl]

Great now i know how to warm them, had been putting them on the deep fat fryer window in a bag to warm them through to slice. But as luck has it a mate of mine bought me a beverage warmer as a prank gift that plugs into my pc. Used it once and put it in a drawer and forgot about it till now, so now its coming out the drawer and put into the nail stuff box where i know it has a use. Thanks for that.