Neville

krispee · #1 02-05-2012, 11:15 AM

Hi all, a new mini bust, this time made from a clay called Chavant, polymer like Super Sculpey but you can`t harden this in the oven, stays soft which is a shame and has made me think that i won`t use it again unless i am making something for bronzing......

it`s about 20cm high in total and from imagination, except for a few trips to google for some bodybuilding refs.....it`s not as smooth as the Sculpey bust due to the waxy nature of Chavant which really needs a hot gun to constantly warm the clay which i didn`t have so i just kneeded and smoothed as best i could......
just a shame i can`t bake it, i`ll just have to keep it out of reach so i don`t knock it over and ruin it.......

thanks for looking.....

Kris

Hasey · #2 02-05-2012, 06:32 PM

That is cool, I use an oil based clay if I'm making a mould as it's re-usable but for one off's I use DAS air dry clay

TOLDart · #3 02-06-2012, 07:23 AM

Nice

**ArtsyLynda** · #4 02-06-2012, 08:58 AM

Chavant is a plastilene clay, not a polymer - it will never harden or dry out. It works well if you make a simple warming box - use a small Styrofoam cooler (about $2 at a drug store or the Dollar store) and hang a small light bulb in it (I mean seriously, just lay the light across the edge of the box, don't bother to "install" it). Put a disposable aluminum tray in the bottom so the clay won't get stuck in the box, then put your clay in there with the lid loosely on the cooler. WIthin a few minutes (maybe 15 for a full block of Chavant), your clay will be workable. Once it is, cut it into slices so it will warm faster the next time. You can adjust the temperature in the cooler by adjusting how loosely the lid is on it.

You can smooth polymer clay by putting a little citrus cleaner (any brand - Fast Orange is one brand) in a cup, then using an oil painting brush (so it's sturdy - I use a filbert) and just a tiny bit of the citrus cleaner at a time, paint all over your piece. The citrus cleaner should be used sparingly. It actually melts the top surface of the clay and will leave you a smoother surface. Use the filbert to get into crevices and scrub out crumbs if need be.

Before using the citrus cleaner, you can use a bit of nylon screen wire to make sure the surfaces are as smooth as possible, then use the citrus cleaner and get a nice finish.

Neville is a fun little guy and you did a beautiful job on him! Keep up the good work! Thanks for posting him here.

krispee · #5 02-06-2012, 11:37 AM

cheers, Hasey, TOLDart, and Lynda.....

Lynda: you`re right of course, it is Plastilene, forgot that.....actually if you go on their website they recommend several different types of fluid for smoothing, one of them was Isopropanol, so i used that, it does work but some people actually warm the clay on the model with a blower or flame or something like that so you can smooth it a little more, i`ve seen them do that on Youtube.....
i honestly prefer Super Sculpey and will go back to that for any future models of this type.....the Citrus cleaner is probably better but i didn`t want to spend more money on something that was really an experiment to begin with with that type of clay, just wanted to try it and get some experience working with other clays....
the next one will probably be back to water based clay for a smaller than lifesize bust based on my Fireflower series of sculpts, plus i have an oil painting commission to do so getting a bit busier now.....

Kris

PS - did i mention that i think the previous thread featuring the Sculpey mini bust has gone MIA?

**ArtsyLynda** · #6 02-06-2012, 11:58 AM

My foundry's the one that told me about the citrus cleaner. I'd been told before (years ago) to use some chemical that smells like dry cleaning (it may be dry cleaning fluid - I don't remember now) and was toxic! This citrus cleaner is not harmful - no bad fumes or anything, so that's what I stick with. I use Classic Clay, not Chavant. I used Chavant years ago but even their non-sulfur clay has enough sulfur smell to it to set off my asthma. The president of Chavant was shocked when I told him this - they use the same presses for sulfur-bearing and non-sulfur bearing clay, so I don't see why he was surprised! Hopefully they've changed that practice now. If someone's in a workshop with me and using Chavant all the way across the room, it can trigger my asthma, and my lungs aren't as sensitive as they used to be by a long shot!!

I'm playing with water-based clay myself. Congrats on the commission! Keep up the good work!

**ArtsyLynda** · #7 02-06-2012, 11:59 AM

Mini-bust thread - yeah, you mentioned it. I have no idea what happened to it. WC had some technical problems a few weeks ago and several threads went missing, so I've heard. Dunno if they can be recovered or not. Weird. (I noticed your PS when I hit "Post reply" - hence the second reply)

**sculpturedolls** · #8 02-06-2012, 12:18 PM

Cool guy you have there. Good job on the muscles. Is his belly button kind of high? Guess belly buttons can be at different locations though.

For these smooth types of sculpts, if you were to fill in the nostrils and a few undercuts and then find just the right parting line, you can make a plaster two part mold. Good to know how to do molds like that just to add to the skill set.

Lynda- Do you think that the orange cleaner would work for smoothing wax? I'm using that toxic solvent stuff and dying with it. I just thought of something. I have orange cleaning carpet cleaning solution so I'll give it a try. But maybe the brand Fast Orange would be better. Very good post you had there with lots of good suggestions on how to work with oil clay. Thanks.

**ArtsyLynda** · #9 02-06-2012, 12:31 PM

SD, I haven't tried it with wax. It's doesn't have to be Fast Orange brand - any brand will do. I get it at an auto supply store. Works great, doesn't stink and doesn't hurt my skin or lungs either.

Do you have an alcohol torch? It's a squeeze bottle with a tiny nipple on top and a wick. You put denatured alcohol in it and light the wick (once it's absorbed enough alcohol) You can squeeze the bottle to make a puff of air make a teeninsy flame just "kiss" any wax you're working on and smooth it. It's a jeweler's tool you can get from riogrande.com (a jewelry supply place) and possibly The Compleat Sculptor (sclupt.com).

krispee · #10 02-06-2012, 12:39 PM

Lynda: is that supposed to be sculpt.com or sclupt.com?
have you heard about a guy called Adam Beane [adambeane.com] who uses a proprietry wax called Cx5, amazing sculptor......

Kris

**sculpturedolls** · #11 02-06-2012, 12:43 PM

Ooh, that sounds just like something I need Lynda. Thanks. I will check into it. A lot of times I just need a little softening of the wax to smooth it out with a tool. Thanks again.

**ArtsyLynda** · #12 02-06-2012, 12:51 PM

Sorry for the typo - sculpt.com, of course.

SD - you don't have to smooth it after using the torch - it will be as perfect as any silver or gold jewelry you've ever seen - just like glass. Glad I could help!

**sculpturedolls** · #13 02-06-2012, 01:27 PM

Dentist must use it too. Guess with making their wax sculpts for teeth. Found it cheaper on Ebay from a dental supplier. Sculpt.com has a $5 handling fee in addition to UPS charges. So for a little purchase like this, it makes it cost more than it should. Look forward to using it!

**ArtsyLynda** · #14 02-06-2012, 02:12 PM

Glad you found a good deal! I got mine "in person" at our local sculpting supply shop. I hadn't thought about dentists using them but that's logical.

Glad you thought to look on Ebay!

AllisonR · #15 02-08-2012, 10:52 AM

I don't know anything about your materials, but I just wanted to say I love this guy! He is so full of character!

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