Anyone use scullpy Modeling clay??

Curtw_944 · Post by **Curtw_944** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:51 pm

I just got some so that I can make some parts to cast for my starships. My question is who has used this before and have you had any problems using it before? also if you have used it how much dose it shrink if at all. Let me know,

Curt

animek · Post by **animek** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 6:46 pm

I'm not sure what kind of problems you are referring too, your question is vague. There could be some problems depending of your use of it, mostly during curing (cooking). For RTV mold creation, Iâ€™ve never tried it

Hereâ€™s a good link for all kind of questions.

http://www.sculpey.com/sculpey101.htm

Sculpey only shrinks about 2%

On my part the only problem I've seen; is burning on the extremities, meaning the parts that are thinner than the rest of the model. I envelope those parts with foil to reduce burning.

Hope it helps

Animek

Curtw_944 · Post by **Curtw_944** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 9:02 am

Thanks for the link!! It does help. I guess I am asking if anyone here has used sculpy to create new parts in modeling/ kitbashing/scratch building, much like you would use bondo or carve a block of styrene then make a mold and cast in resin. Or for that matter just epoxy the piece then putty sand and fill as normal. I chose sculpy because it was readly avaliable And should provide a smooth finish to produce a mold from.

Curt

mech · Post by **mech** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 9:13 am

I don't know about using it as a mold media, but I am using it as a large part of a kitbash I'm doin. The sculpy will constitute that majority of the upper seconday hull shape. It sands great and using my dremel on slow speeds with an itty bitty...eh....bit, I will put in some other details. My only problem is that now a 5 or 6 oz. model weighs around 10lbs.

j

d_jedi1 · Post by **d_jedi1** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 4:13 am

I use sculpey some and I am planning on making some little 1/350th figures from it in the next few days (working on a Titanic model at that scale for my wife) I have even used it to fill (some) gaps on models.. though I dont do it often.

Valdore · Post by **Valdore** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:43 pm

Hi yall,

Well, you've bought the Sculpey. And depending on what its used for, it has its upsides, and down sides. This here site has a lot of useful tips on it, if you tend to be the figure sculptor type and scratchbuilder.

http://www.theclubhouse1.net/museum/index.htm

I'm afraid that if you want to sign up for the forum there, you might wait awhile. I think when I first signed up, I waited forever for a reply. So I forgot about it, and wondered who signed me up for it in the first place

If your in to doing scratchbuilt ships and parts, then yeah, it'll work. Just don't be expecting to get it right first off. I've worked with Sculpey 3, Super Sculpey, Fimo, and an Australian brand called Modelene for 5 years. And still haven't got the knack of totally square parts

I still tend to do any scratchbuilding in plastic.

I'm no expert. But the Clubhouse and its forum should be able to answer any questions about Sculpey you might have.

Valdore

Jagdson · Post by **Jagdson** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:58 pm

I've used Sculpey before, with both good and bad results. The stuff retains fingerprints quite well if you're not careful. It's also a little tricky to get it to bake perfectly; it wasn't uncommon for a few minutes' too much heat to shrink and blacken the material, while a few minutes of early removal resulted in slightly soft product.

Since I found air-hardening polymer clay (I forget the brand name), I've dispensed with Sculpey.

Valdore · Post by **Valdore** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:55 am

Hi Jagdson,

Try Tamiya thinner or Gunze 110 thinner, and it'll get rid of those finger prints. I just use a new clear flat brush. It stinks to high heaven, but it works. You can also use Isopropnol alcohol, but I didn't like the way it balled up. Lastly, when the thinners are dried, spray it with a little windex and polish it with a finger. It brings the surface up smooth.

As for the baking and blackening, I get that too. I think its par for the course. If I can go by the works in progress shots the guys and girl over at the clubhouse show in the sculpters forum.

Cheers, Valdore

Bar · Post by **Bar** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:00 pm

I use Sculpey.
Primarily for figures, but starships can be done too...

ignatz · Post by **ignatz** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 9:44 pm

After baking, leave the sculpt in the oven to cool down really slowly.
Otherwise, the polymer clay has a tendancy to crack. Sculpey sets really well at about 250 degrees or higher. Half an hour for every 1/4 inch thickness.

91% alcohol is a great blender/solvent to help get rid of any fingerprints, just brush it on and it'll start smoothing out all those details.

Super Sculpey is great to sculpt with, regular Sculpey is not so great--kinda weird crumbly rubbery to work with. Super Sculpey (the pink/beige stuff) is a bit translucent so it's hard to see some details in the surface that may only show up after painting. To cut the translucency, you can mix in a bit of colored polymer clay, like promat (also made by Sculpey) to give the clay some opacity.

Ti Raven · Post by **Ti Raven** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 11:58 pm

Sanding is our friend. I use up to 2000 grit wet/dry. It is interesting stuff. Cernit brand cures to the most porcelain like finish. It is the favored modern clay of doll makers, fine art or hobbyists.

Special K · Post by **Special K** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 7:51 am

You are not suppose to use the oven you cook with for curing Super Sculpey pieces, can a hair dryer be used for curing it?

Ti Raven · Post by **Ti Raven** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 8:04 am

Very sloooooly for very thin veneer type projects. Just dedicate 2 cookie sheets, put your goodies on one - on paper to prevent bad shiny spots and invert the other on top. Instant baking chamber! A roasting pan does great for larger jobs. With both types, dedicate (*snicker*) the pan solely to poly clay usage.

ignatz · Post by **ignatz** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 7:19 pm

No. A hair dryer won't be hot enough or even enough to give you a good cure. Huh. I use the oven all the time. Many of the crafty polymer sculpting ladies I've met use their ovens for curing their crafty polymer jewelry use their ovens too. I think this stuff was designed for that, no?

Tony Agustin · Post by **Tony Agustin** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 7:23 pm

Barâ„¢ wrote:I use Sculpey.
Primarily for figures, but starships can be done too...

Bar, that Solo Carbonite sculpt looks fantastic!

Bar · Post by **Bar** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 2:08 am

Thanks. It's lying in about ten pieces in my loft. A box of models fell on it.
But it's ok, i can very quickly make another one. It's actually on my list of things to do.
Bar.

Ti Raven · Post by **Ti Raven** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 7:05 am

Ouch! Many sympathies, Bar!

Bar · Post by **Bar** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 7:20 am

It's okay. I have made about five Han Solo's in Carbonite, and they all end up trashed...
The next one i make will probably be a master for a kit, so it may last longer...
Bar.

Ti Raven · Post by **Ti Raven** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 6:57 pm

Special K wrote:You are not suppose to use the oven you cook with for curing Super Sculpey pieces, can a hair dryer be used for curing it?

Sorry it took so long.... had to find my reff. material.

No, Not hot enough. Try a crafter's heat gun. Sometimes called an embossing gun. Find it in the rubber stamping area. Move it around a lot, so as not to turn your goodies into bubbling sheets of nastiness!

The only hard reff. on hand is in a book, so no pix. Polymer Clay, by Jacqueline Gikow. Page #123 shows an inlay inset into a channel routed into the oak cap board of a staircase. The mosaic door next to it is very cool.

The artist is Cynthia Tinapple.

nkuzmik · Post by **nkuzmik** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 8:46 pm

What about packing sculpy into a mold, then baking it? A friend is going to machine a mold of a squat cone, about 2.57" wide at the base about .25" at the top and maybe 3/8" tall.
Assuming that the machined surface is smooth and devoid of any place for the scluply to get caught, do I need any kind of mold release agent? A previous post mentioned that sculpy shrinks about 2%

Almost forgot to mention, the mold will be made from scrap aluminium, of an unknown type.

Defrag · Post by **Defrag** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 6:34 am

I have had good results baking at lower than the recommended temperature and for longer.

I have just finished a sculpt that was about 1.5 inches thick. Baked it at 225 for 4 hours and then 170 for 3 hours and then left it to cool in the oven overnight.

No burning on the thinner bits and it has cooked nice and hard without cracking.

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