Friday 4 October 2013

ThermoMorph–Mouldable Plastic–A Review And A Set Of Tags

I haven’t done a review for ages but when I got an e-mail from David at ThermoMorph I have to admit to being very curious …. and so agreed to his offer to send me a tub for an “honest” appraisal.
Thermomorph SnowmanThermomorph
Before I started to work with ThermoMorph I deliberately did not look at any other reviews or projects beforehand …. as I wanted to work with it as an absolute novice and not be influenced by others ideasPicture8
ThermoMorph comes in the form of polymorph granules, rather like small pellets which when put in hot water becomes mouldable in 5 minutes and then sets rock hard solid at room temperature within 10 minutes!  Who wouldn’t be curious?
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I had intended on working in my craft room, but this didn’t quite work out as I am not the fastest of workers and as this was my first time using ThermoMorph it was all very much an experiment, and I found that it was hardening while I was still just playing and thinking what to do, so I relocated to the kitchen where I was able to have a pan of boiling water at hand to soften the ThermoMorph when needed.
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When ready to use, the ThermoMorph becomes transparent and pliable, a bit like chewing gum, you have about 2 minutes to use/mould it before it begins to harden and as I have said at this experimental stage this wasn’t really long enough for me ….. but practice makes perfect!
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I was also a little unprepared,  and so tried to keep things very simple using a couple of moulds I already had …. the silicone face moulds worked fine ….
…. but I far preferred  the rigidity of the snowman and Christmas tree ice cube trays I also tried, but the finished results were a little deep to use on cards for example,  so I think for future projects I need to research more specialist silicone moulds on, for example etsy …. as I particularly like the idea of making my own cabochons and embellishments, especially with my embellished mirrors in mind.
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etsy http://www.etsy.com/uk/search?q=%20silicone%20moulds&order=most_relevant&view_type=gallery&ship_to=GB.
I also understand that there are colour additive's available that can be used when using mouldable plastics and again for making cabochons etc. this would be a good idea, although ThermoMorph can be painted.
And so….  what did I make with my VERY rudimentary experiments?
Thermomorph Snowman.1
Three very basic and naive tags! I just added colour to the snowmen and Christmas tree with permanent Sharpie pens ….. et voila.
I think there is still a lot of playing to do, I will certainly be taking the rest of the ThermoMorph to “play with” when I stay with Marc at the end of the month, And, now I have done something with it  I have looked at what others have done …… far more adventurous and creative than me, for  example:-
http://diningroomdrawers.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/thermomorph-product-review.html – where Helen has embossed and cut hers in her BigShot with very impressive results.
I am a paper crafter at heart but have appreciated the opportunity to try a new medium with which I could create embellishments for card making, and being able to compare ThermoMorph with Fimo clay, paper clay, air drying clay and a melt pot …… for me, at the moment,  for ease of use Fimo has the edge. However as ThermoMorph comes in a big tub I intend to continue experimenting, having already ordered a couple of small snowflake silicone moulds from e-bay and buying a skull and cross bones ice cube tray from Poundland.   I also intend to continue looking for more craft ideas on the internet.  I have already found some interesting ideas on YouTube that could be of interest to DIY’ers, including how to make new handles for knives and tools,
ThermoMorph is available from Amazon in 500gram tubs and costs £19.95

Googles and gloves are not required when working with ThermoMorph.