Model Magic Ishtar Gate

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone had made the gate f ishtar out of model magic? I just spent $20.00 on this stuff and it is almost unmoldable. This is the strangest stuff I have ever used. I really wanted to make this project. Any suggestions?

Brenda

[Pat]

Not the gate, but we've used it make the Greek drama masks later on.

It is very strange stuff. We've used Fimo and sculpey for a while and it performs very differently.

It maybe you have a bad batch; I can't tell from your description.

For the gate, I would make sections at a time. I would do the two side pieces and then the smaller arch in the middle. I'd divide the dough up and roughly shape a bar or snake in my hands.

Then I'd start to make that big lump into a flatter object to make the rectangle of each part. I'd begin with my hands. I use both hands at once and pinch it between thumb and and hand. I start from the middle and work out until it is much thinner.

Once I've gotten it as thin as I can with my hands, we switch to a roller to get it thinner and out to the size it needs to be. You can use a regular rolling pin (we have a small hand sized roller from our Fimo activities). I would roll it on a sheet of aluminum foil or plastic wrap as it likes to stick to stuff.

If you've ever rolled out a pastry crust or pizza, this whole process works pretty much the same except you'll be going for rectangles instead of circles.

Once it is about the right size, you'll need to trim the excess. We've done that with a plastic knife that we use with Fimo, but a ruler's edge would work well.

Further you'll want your rectangles to be even so if you use plastic wrap under them you can stack them up and cut them at the same time (or at least imprint them both at the same time).

You'll need to be careful as you cut and remove the excess as the clay wants to tear and pull the edge out of shape. What I've found helpful is to press my cutter down and then pull on the excess in that section, and then move to the next section.

Finally lay each section next to each other to join them up. This clay joins together very easily so this should not be a problem.

Then you'd make the decorative figures in much the same way. Be careful when you go to apply them to the gate. This stuff sticks on contact with itself, so you must get it right the first time.