Couple Sculpting Questions

[MPJ]

Seems sculpting is the rage here the past couple weeks and I\'m trying to get my feet wet, but have a few questions.

1) Is there any reason to use GS, Fimo and/or Sculpey on the same sculpture?
2) Assuming you do use GS and one of the bake to harden thingies, is it OK to bake the GS with it?
3) What\'s the difference between Sculpey III and Sculpey Primo?
4) When just getting started should I pick up a bit of something else like this Pro-Create stuff or whatever it is?

I\'m sure I\'ll think of more questions but that is a good start. As you may have guessed by my questions I have some GS (small ribbon from GW) and while at a craft store the other day I purchesed a pack of Sculpey III and Fimo (I\'m sure the colors didn\'t matter so I bought different ones to help remember what I sculpted different parts with).

Thanks in advance for some help/advice.

I\'ve also been looking into casting with resin, once I get stuff for that the fun will really begin.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by MPJ
1) Is there any reason to use GS, Fimo and/or Sculpey on the same sculpture?

Yes. Fimo, Sculpey/SS and similar polymer clays are relatively brittle in thin sections and it can be a good idea to make cloaks, trailing hair etc. from GS because it\'s naturally quite flexible and can take being knocked about a fair bit without chipping or breaking off. GS is also very adhesive so it sticks well in small sections.

Originally posted by MPJ
2) Assuming you do use GS and one of the bake to harden thingies, is it OK to bake the GS with it?

Yes. Any temp that won\'t harm polymer clays generally doesn\'t pose a risk to GS (although you will get drooping on projections, so they may need to be supported). Also watch out for is trapped air bubbles.

Originally posted by MPJ
4) When just getting started should I pick up a bit of something else like this Pro-Create stuff or whatever it is?

MagicSculp, Apoxie Sculpt and Pro-Create are all worth trying. Personally I really like MS and prefer it to AS for most things but they\'re interchangeable for many people; AS is stickier when first mixed and then dries harder, which can be useful attributes. Don\'t know about Pro-Create.

Originally posted by MPJ
I\'m sure I\'ll think of more questions but that is a good start. As you may have guessed by my questions I have some GS (small ribbon from GW) and while at a craft store the other day I purchesed a pack of Sculpey III and Fimo (I\'m sure the colors didn\'t matter so I bought different ones to help remember what I sculpted different parts with).

Yep, the different colours don\'t make much difference, although some can tend to handle slightly differently.

Originally posted by MPJ
I\'ve also been looking into casting with resin, once I get stuff for that the fun will really begin.

Don\'t forget that the main cost in casting is actually the moulds themselves; silicon rubber is expensive and usually has a definite shelf life once opened. Resins can be bulked out with lots of powdered ingredients (one even with water) and the more you add the lower the cost of the cast.

Einion

 

[Dragonsreach]

Ah ha the guru returns. Welcome back Einion.
Great advise as always.

 

[MPJ]

Yes indeed Einion, top quality responses there.

I must also say, I took a browse through your gallery and was completely impressed.

 

[lahatiel]

Great to see you back, Einion -- your vast knowledge is always greatly appreciated! One question about something you wrote above:

Originally posted by Einion
Don\'t forget that the main cost in casting is actually the moulds themselves; silicon rubber is expensive and usually has a definite shelf life once opened. Resins can be bulked out with lots of powdered ingredients (one even with water) and the more you add the lower the cost of the cast.

I\'ve heard about the shelf life on the materials before, and thought that what I\'d heard was about a year or so, but here\'s my question: you said \"once opened\" up there. I bought Micro-Mark\'s resin casting starter kit a while back, maybe 2 to 2.5 years ago, and through a combination of laziness, absent-mindedness and real-lifeness encroaching on hobby time, I\'ve never once touched any of the components. I know that\'s a long time for those bottles to sit untouched but, given that I\'ve never once opened the bottles or broke their seal, do you think they\'d still be usable at all?

 

[Ritual]

Einion\'s back!! :flip:

About time!

 

[angus147258]

I\'ve seen him lurking about planetfigure. It\'s about time he got back to cmon.
Jake