Bulk sculpting materials?

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Undave

Flockwit
I\'m planning quite a large project that\'s going to require a fair bit of sculpting. Up til now I\'ve used greenstuff but it comes in such small quantities that if I used it for this it would take at least 20 or so packs to get anywhere near the amount I\'m going to need.

For my last large project I bought a block of Das clay which was all Hobbycraft had to offer. I made the basic shape out of it but it wouldn\'t take any detail and I ended up covering it all in a layer of GS anyway.

Can anyone recommend something I can use? I was thinking about Super Sculpey but it seems to be quite hard to get hold of in the UK so I\'ve not had any experience with it.
 
mickc22

mickc22

Granddad!
The Polymer Clay Pit they do both Super Sculpey and SS firm(grey), the latter seems to be the FX industry preferred for maquettes and the like

I\'m planning on getting some of the Firm at a later stage
 
Einion

Einion

New member
I certainly wouldn\'t recommend Super Sculpey or similar if you\'re not already familiar with them - quite different feel when you\'re working them for a start. And the baking requirement could make this kind of thing unsuitable anyway.

GS isn\'t the cheapest putty and if you need truly large quantities then it does work out pretty pricey, even if you buy it in the large pack with the two rolls (CMON link).

MagicSculp is available in 5lb packs. If you can order from the US even with shipping it might work out to be pretty reasonable, what with the weak dollar. I bought mine online in this package size, combining it with a few other bits and pieces to spread the shipping across a few items; was so worth it IMO.

Einion
 
mickc22

mickc22

Granddad!
if you want epoxy putties Sylmasta do a variety
I\'ve used their A+B, and really like it, it sets rock hard, if mixed with GS it\'s good for doing clothing and fabrics

just noticed they are doing it in a 2.5kg pack now:cool:
 
DarkStar

DarkStar

New member
If you\'re used to working a two part epoxy there are good choices available for larger figures at (way) lower prices than kneadatite.

Magic Sculpt, Aves Apoxie are a couple of good choices. Both mix up as two part putties and work similarly to green stuff, except they start out softer in consistency and cure harder with less flexibility. They also smooth out with water or their proprietary smoothing solvent, in a different fashion than green stuff, more \"clay like\" in that regard, but you can use vaseline while sculpting to keep your tools gliding across the surface.

Around 30 dollars (US) for 5 lbs of the stuff. I\'ve done larger sculptures with both products and have the 5 lb kits of both sitting around here. I\'m allergic to this stuff though (rare allergy) so I no longer use it in large amounts or touch it with my hands, sand it or otherwise handle. Great for bases and conversions on minis though.

I now sculpt in wax for larger pieces but that\'s a whole \'nother subject entirely.

If you choose sculpey, you might want to try and get a hold of the extra-firm grey variety as it\'s good stuff. Has a learning curve associated with it, but is a used by many professionals of today to great effect. Smooth out with alcohol (90% or stronger) or even turpenoid for very strong smoothing, then baked in an oven. When done you can carve drill, sand etc...But not as strong of a finished product as your epoxies.
 
Einion

Einion

New member
Sylmasta are worth looking at for those in the UK looking to buy the repackaged (or made under license?) sculpting materials they sell, esp. Kneadatite and MagicSculp, but the prices aren\'t exactly great for the larger quantities

Kneadatite (rolls)
€15.13, v. $12.99 on CMON.

MagicSculp
€22.17 for 500g of MS, v. $29-$35 for 5lb!

Their A+B, which I think is the same as the stuff I used to use from them, is €68.02 inc. VAT for 2.5 kilos, which is pretty steep for something that\'s not as good as MS.

Einion
 
freakinacage

freakinacage

Well-known member
you can get fimo in big packs for sculpting dolls stuff (at hobbycraft). works out cheap ish.

unless it\'s gonna be moulded, i would make an armature with the das and wire and then sculpt detail work with whatever normal putty you want
 
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Undave

Flockwit
Cheers guys. Basically what I\'m intending to do could be likened to a kind of igloo type thing where each \"block\" is an individually sculpted little figure. I was slightly dubious about Sculpey as it needs to be baked to set and I\'d either run the risk of squidging some of the bricks as I add more or I\'d have to have the oven on pretty much constantly to harden each layer as I went. The igloo will be hollow so I was going to make a form out of the Das I have left over from the other thing.
 
Shawn R. L.

Shawn R. L.

New member
Magic Sculpt - 5 POUNDS for $35. When doing a big piece I use wood blocks to \'bulk up\' the large areas and then put putty over that. Paint the wood with something shiny first - makes the putty stick.
 
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Undave

Flockwit
Thanks Shawn, I was actually just about to PM you about this, I may still do so as I have a few other questions.
 
Shawn R. L.

Shawn R. L.

New member
One thing to add about using wood as a \'bulk filler\' for large areas is that I\'ve experienced some very faint crack\'s weeks after the putty had set up. I\'m talking hairline and very few but say this just so you don\'t get surprised. It really wasn\'t enough to get worked up about.
I try to use hard wood as I assume it dosn\'t shrink/expand as much as softer wood.
Used MS for a very long time now and other than some of the peculiar demands with of pewter casting it works just fine for everything.
 
A

antonio ramirez

New member
give you a link where you can buy a 7 € epoxy putty 500gramos, pound
http://www.feroca.com/productos_detalle_02.asp?co_producto=89

Greetings
 
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