Fimo Air Light Modelling Clay Review

A review of the Fimo Air Light modelling clay from Staedtler.

My mother and I have been having a lot of fun lately making 3d things with silicone molds and paper clay.  We had a small quantity of two sorts of paperclay, but wanted more.

One of the ladies in our local craft shop said they didn’t have paper clay, but that Fimo Air Light was “just as good, if not better” and so we bought a 500gr block.

Fimo Air Light Modelling Clay

When we first got home and read the packet we were a bit dismayed.  You have to microwave it!   There was a bit of English tutting. (We later noticed you can actually air dry it, it takes 24 hours to harden on its own).

And then we tried it.

Fimo Air Light Clay 500gr size
Holding the 500gr pack of Fimo Air Light, to show you the size

Working the clay

The clay is very soft and easy to manipulate.  It does not stick to your fingers, which some paperclays do.  I am pleased to say that it only needs a very little bit of kneading before use, if any.  I am impatient and like to get to work quickly rather than have to knead for ages.

It is very light, like paperclay, but has a slightly denser sort of texture – it is a bit less airy looking, if that makes sense.

Fimo Air Light Modelling Clay in Use
Adding Fimo Air Light to silicone molds

We were using the clay with silicone molds.  It is easy to press into the molds.  I squish it a bit, flatten one side then press this into the mold.  Then I push with my finger tips to force the clay into all the extremities of the mold.  I then rub over the top to remove any excess clay.  I have found this technique gives consistently good results.

Fimo Air Light modelling clay - back of package
The back of the Fimo Air Light pack

“Cooking” the clay

The instructions for “cooking” the clay is clearly on the front of pack.  We were using an 800w microwave.

We found that it was better to leave most of the items in their molds for cooking.  There is no apparant damage to the silicone mold doing this.  Taking the pieces out of the mold whilst they are still wet is a bit tricky – it is easy to bend it a little, or get a finger print or nail mark on it.  Leaving the clay in the mold during cooking also meant we were able to get ridiculously delicate and fragile molds (designed for sugarpaste) to work fine with this clay.

We placed the filled molds around the microwave plate, added a glass of water (important) and then cooked for 4 minutes on 70% (800 watt oven).

I strongly recommend experimenting with the cooking time to suit your microwave and mold size.

Fimo Air Light cooking instructions

It turns out that cooking it is much better than waiting for paperclay to dry.  You can create a molding and have it ready to paint or gild in just a few minutes this way!

Below is the beautiful Unicorn mold from Katy Sue Designs.  You can see that the Fimo takes the detail very well and gives a great finish.

The end result is looks more like plaster than paperclay usually does.  It is very smooth, very pure white and crisp.  The dried clay is also very light.  It seems to be just as light as paperclay, at least it feels that way.

The finished moldings are quite strong.  They are not flexible like many paperclays are, so “pokey out bits” like the unicorns horn could be broken off if not used with care.

Katy Sue Unicorn Head in Fimo Air Light clay
Fimo Air Light clay, using the Katy Sue Unicorn silicone mold

Finishing the clay

I have been painting the cooked Fimo Air Light with acrylic paints.  Just as with paperclay it is best not to get the finished molding too wet as the Fimo Air Light is water soluable.

You can precolour the clay with acrylic paint, pigment sticks or any other waterbased colourant.

We have had a lot of success with painting the moldings with slightly diluted black or dark brown acrylic paints, then, when they are dry, rubbing gilding polish or gilding wax over the raised surfaces with a finger tip.  This gives a great result that looks like an expensive metal molding.

Pegasus with gilding wax
Fimo Air Light pegasus with black acrylic paint and Cosmic Shimmer Gold Treasure Gilding Polish

Summary

We have now bought more of this clay.  It gives such fantastic results, allows for quick turnaround of moldings and is so clean and pleasant to work with.

Fimo Air Light is available in a variety of size blocks, we buy the 500gr because this is the biggest we have seen.  It does seem a bit more expensive than some of the paperclays available, but it goes a long way and gives such good results.  Some paperclays are excellent, but others can be messy to work with and very slow to dry.

I highly recommend Fimo Air Light modelling clay, especially for use with silicone molds.

Fimo Air Light Modelling Clay and Accessories on Amazon

Here are links to the Fimo Air Light clay. If you buy from these links I will get a small commission from Amazon for sending customers to them.  This is at no extra cost to yourself.  Thank you.

Fimo Air Light Modelling Clay on Amazon.com

Fimo Air Light Modelling Clay on Amazon.co.uk

If you like using polymer clay, you may want to see my reviews of fun polymer clay craft books.

If you fancy modelling some animals from scratch rather than using a mold, I recommend Creating Life-Life Animals in Polymer Clay by Katherine Dewey.  Although aimed at polymer clay, many of the modelling techqnies could be used with other clays too.  There is a review at the link.

Fimo Air Light – Review of this extra light Modelling Clay
Fimo Air Light - Review of this extra light Modelling Clay

3 thoughts on “Fimo Air Light – Review of this extra light Modelling Clay

  • 21 April, 2020 at 6:56 am
    Permalink

    This is the first time I have used FIM Air Light modelling clay. I am so impressed with this clay. I purchased the white. The white stays white and clean. Easy to use in moulds and then just microwave. Its great to have the product ready for use in less then 10 minutes. I have a 1000 watt microwave so I only cook for 4 minutes and its done. I leave the clay in the moulds whilst cooking as it makes it easier to extract the finished mould. The great thing also is the finished moulds are so light in weight, so when I use them on canvas the light weight is so much better, especially if the item has to be posted. Great all round clay. Very happy with product.

    Reply
  • 22 June, 2024 at 6:57 pm
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    I was just wondering, is there any smell coming from the clay when microwaving it? Can you use the same microwave for cooking and clay and is it harmful?
    sharon@sharonkuester.com

    Reply
    • 29 June, 2024 at 12:40 pm
      Permalink

      I couldn’t smell anything at all, and used my regular microwave. I doubt many people own a dedicated microwave for crafting, so I assume it is safe to use your everyday cooking one for this clay.
      I just had a look at the packaging and there are no warnings or anything. So I am pretty confident it is safe to use in your regular microwave.
      I have made loads of things with it, and I am still fine, hehe.

      Reply

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