To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2007 04:12:58 -0400
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] TECH: smoothing plastalina (more!)


Doing research while eating between work sessions (I know, I should get a 
life), I found out more about smoothing oil-based clays.

It seems I'm not the only one using baby oil (liquid paraffin) to smooth 
plastalina.
The difference is that people use it in combination with something else, 
such as a piece of stiff leather, or a plastic scouring pad (Scotch-Brite), 
or muslin, or nylon stockings. The oil serves as a lubricant on the 
smoothing material to prevent dragging of the clay.

I tried the scotch-brite (TM), and it really works well by itself on the 
clay, and quickly looses some of it's coarseness, as it gets saturated with 
clay and feels more like wet leather. It makes the toolmarks disapear quite 
well. Of course, there is a catch: the scouring pad leaves some of its 
fibers behind, which really annoys me.
I'll try with stiff leather soon.

This smoothing with oil and smoothing material works well to remove 
toolmarks, but you still need to finish with a soft brush and solvent (or 
more baby oil).


Another "stoopid-idiot-dangerous" time saver for softening the clay sculpt 
in seconds:
I tried the blow-torch approach. I simply point my alcohol burner at my 
sculpt (not too close), and with a spray bottle I shoot some rubbing alcohol 
at the flame, which is propulsed in a quick-dying ball of fire which 
immediately softens the clay to working consistency. I saved at least half 
an hour with this trick today, and saved my fingers lots of pain.
Instead of an alcohol burner, maybe it would work with a candle?





 

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