Faux Bone™ plate by Robert Dancik

Faux Bone™ plate by Robert Dancik

Faux Bone is a high quality, completely non-toxic, rigid PVC that does not release vapors (fumes) when properly heated. Because it becomes malleable at temperatures of nearly 121°C, it can be molded into almost any shape. It was created by artist Robert Dancik of Crackerdog Designs. Faux Bone's ability to accept a variety of finishes, as well as its incredible strength, light weight, extraordinary impact resistance, and low cost make it ideal for artists and craftspeople in all fields.

It is truly a blank canvas waiting for your creative expression to shape it. It can have the flexibility of thread, the functionality of metal, and display beautiful colors like beads… the best of all worlds in one material. When heated, it can be twisted, braided, tied, and even crocheted. When solid, it has properties similar to metal, being nearly impossible to break and being able to be drilled, cut, and easily connected with nuts and bolts, rivets, and screws.

All Faux Bone products are made from the same material, but come in different sizes and shapes. 1/16 inch Faux Bone can be cut with a good pair of scissors and comes in a wide variety of strip widths and lengths, making it particularly easy to use. Although the 1/8”, ¼”, and ½” shapes and sheets require a jeweler's saw, they can be easily cut using special Faux Bone saw blades, which are nearly impossible to break.

Faux Bone supports an infinite variety of coloring agents and surface treatments that can add color. Some of the coloring agents that can be used include: acrylic paint, oil-based paint, ink, shoe polish, oil sticks, pastels, Prismacolor® pencils (other brands do not work well), wax pigmented with spices (turmeric, henna, paprika work well) and graphite.

Except for preventing the material from exceeding 290 °C, there are few other concerns. Burning Faux Bone must be avoided as the fumes (ONLY IF BURNED) are toxic. Faux Bone should not be heated with an open flame. As with all artist supplies, safety precautions must be followed. Although even Faux Bone dust is completely non-toxic, it's a good idea to wear a face mask when sanding any material. Light cotton gloves are sufficient when handling heated Faux Bone. Although Faux Bone is not flammable in a microwave oven, Gilder's Paste, undried sealants and similar materials can be flammable, so caution should be exercised when used with Faux Bone.

Made in the USA

Product Tips

Heating Faux Bone in an oven is a quick and safe method of making the material malleable and flexible. The shapes can be cut, finished and heated to 118°C for a few minutes (time depends on thickness), after which the Faux Bone becomes similar to thick sheets of cooked lasagna. With gloved hands, the heated material can be shaped by hand, around other objects, pressed into a cut die, or even formed in hydraulic presses or vices. If the result is not what you want, the Faux Bone object can be reheated and it will return to its flat shape. It can be reheated and reshaped many times without material degradation.

In addition to heating in an oven, Faux Bone can be "heated" locally using a manual heat gun. Heat guns intended for use with embossing powders work well.

When Faux Bone is hot, it can also be embossed by pressing textured materials into the warm material. Pieces of netting, fabric, string, paper, etc. they can all be pressed into Faux Bone by clamping in a vise, in a press, or even under heavy weight.