Aalish: a 60cm jeune fille in brown microcrystalline wax

Having recently switched from being a Community Observer to a Producing Artist, I understand it is necessary to post a WIP within one month of the switch, in order to maintain Producing Artist status, otherwise I will automatically be switched back to being a Community Observer.

While I have enjoyed being allowed to observe the many fine and talented Doll Artists who participate here, I must confess that I have also been inspired by their openness and willingness to share their works, not only by opening the doors of their studios and allowing peeks at the process of their works in progress, but also with the generousity of their time and expertise in helping new Doll Artists.

This is my first submission to this forum as a Producing Artist. Although I have been familiar with dolls and doll making for many years, I am brand new to the phenomenon of contemporary Asian Ball Jointed Dolls. They are truly fascinating. I am compelled to make one of these dolls for myself, in my own studio, using the materials I have on hand.

The materials I have on hand are water clay (stoneware, porcelain, and terracotta), oil clay, polymer clay, and wax (paraffin, brown microcrystalline, candle). Most of the water clay is in a dry state, and would have to be crushed and reconditioned in order to use it. I only have a couple of pounds of oil clay, not enough to make the project I am working on. So the material I have chosen to work with is the brown microcrystalline wax, because I have several pounds of it. I purchased a case of this wax a couple of decades ago, and because it can be reused, and modified in so many ways, I still have many pounds of it stored in my studio.

The process I am using is to make cardboard profiles from my working drawing, slotting them together, and filling-in with warm wax to make the rough doll. At this point, most of the parts of the doll have been roughed-in. I am currently preparing to sculpt the doll over the rough parts.

This is a picture of the rough parts laid over my full-size working drawing.



My weblog has all the details of daily progress on this doll.

Many thanks to all the fine and talented Doll Artists on this forum who have shown that a resin BJD can be produced in a studio by an independent artist.

 

Thank you for taking a look at it, Modelhorse.

Over the years my studios have ranged from the kitchen table to room(s) in the house, to outbuildings. The current studio is a full basement (~1300 sqft), plus a very small outbuilding for storing flammables (alcohol, turpentine, kerosene, propane, acetylene, etc.). The last studio was three rooms in an eight room farmhouse, and a 336 sqft (14'x24') outbuilding (which I hammered together over a period of several months, and served me for fifteen years). Before that, it was a small workbench in the furnace room of a basement, and an automobile garage separate from the house. I always manage to adjust my work to the studio. I think a studio is wherever you make it, not the size. It's the work produced that is important. Of course, adequate ventilation is always important to have for some things. And of course good light is another thing that is important. It seems that the perfect studio only exists in magazines. This basement studio has a lot of floor space, but low ceilings, and few windows for natural light, and the ventilation is not the best. I make do.

 

Yes, I know about mess. Even when I've just finished cleaning up my studio, it still looks a mess. Sometimes I spent more time looking for a tool than actually using it. <sigh> I'm a mess.

Agreed. Thank you! Please keep the critiques coming in. The candid critiques are one of the best things about this forum.

Thank you for taking a look. I try to document all the details of making this doll on the weblog. I now have all the parts roughed-out. I haven't started the sculpt yet. So far, I've done the really easy stuff. )

 

First of all, I just want to say that I'm a big fan of all your work.

I really like modeling with microcrystalline wax. It has so many wonderful qualities.

It is relatively clean to work with (I rub a thin layer of dish soap on my hands before I start working with it, and the wax washes right off after work).

It doesn't produce any dust (no silicosis), and doesn't dry out like water clay (right now, all my water clay needs to be reconditioned to be able to use it - the wax is always ready!).

It is strong, yet lightweight, and is easily joined together.

It can be modeled, carved, and cast into molds.

It doesn't shrink or crack as you're working with it.

It can be very hard and carved when taken from the refrigerator, or softened in a wax pot and spread like soft butter with a knife. I can soften pellets of wax from the warmth in my hands. It can be rolled out on a flat surface, into long tendrils which have good tensile strength.

Water and wax don't mix, so wax can be poured into a wet plaster mold that has had all the excess water removed, and when the walls thicken, the excess wax can be poured back in the wax pot. Thin sheets can be made by pouring in a one-piece flat shallow mold, or various diameter wax rods can be made in a two-piece plaster mold. I've made complex multiple piece plaster molds to cast wax into. If the plaster molds are dry, I just soak them in a tub of water until they are saturated, dab out the excess water with a cloth, bind the mold up with rubber bands, and pour the molten wax. My wax melts at about 170 degrees F.

You can adjust the overall hardness or softness of your wax by adding petroleum jelly to soften it, or paraffin to harden it, depending on what you want to do with it. I usually use it as is.

I use a low-wattage soldering iron for localized melting and joining (use proper ventilation), and an old aluminum pot on a single-burner hot plate for softening, or melting the wax for modeling or pouring.

The case I bought, so many years ago, had five slabs in it. Each slab was about 19 inches long by 11.75 inches wide by 1.5 inches thick. Each slab weighed about 11 pounds. It was expensive at the time, but considering how many times I've used it and reused it over the years, it has turned out to be one of the cheapest modeling materials in my studio. I currently have over eight pounds of wax available for this project, and have used about 3.125 pounds (50 ounces) to rough-out the doll. Most of the pieces are solid, except for the upper legs, which were cast hollow. I have some pieces on wire armature, and they don't need to be kept wet. I just drape a cloth over them to keep the dust off.

Unfortunately, I'm doing the best that I can with the ancient digital camera I have. The pix are taken in the best light I have available in the studio. The brown microcrystalline wax isn't very photogenic.

I haven't started sculpting it yet. All I've done so far is rough-out all the parts.

Agreed. Thank you. Please keep the critiques coming in. The critiques are one of the best things about this forum.

Thank you for taking a look. I try to document the daily details of making this doll on my weblog. Roughing-out all the doll parts was the easy part. Next, I'll start sculpting her.

 

Unnamed Female 60cm BJD WIP Adjustments



Hopefully from this photo you can see that I have made some adjustments to the hands (they were too small by half!), and I'm testing a larger ball joint in the hip to see if that will make the lower torso look somewhat better. I haven't addressed the arms yet, but I will. I'm considering whether or not to make a second joint between the hips and the middle of the torso, and having a three-part torso.

I have also done some filling-in work on the head, although it probably can't be seen.

Thank you for the wonderful critiques. Please keep those critiques coming. The critiques are one of the best parts of this forum. Due to the critiques so far, my doll has already improved substantially, and she is still in the rough stage of development.

The details of my daily progress on this doll are being documented on my weblog.

 

Thank you very much! I really appreciate this.

I really like that torso reference with a front and back view. It shows the contrapposto very well.

You're quite right. When I was first making drawings for this BJD, I was thinking more doll and not as much real girl. She really should be more of a real girl. The more I work on her, the more she wants to be a real girl.

You are right-on about the upper torso. I really noticed the muffin top yesterday after seeing Tatiana's doll's torso put together. Also I've been seeing how other torsos are being fit together, and gaining a much better understanding of how it works. When I made my drawing, and proceeded to make the armature and fill-in with wax, I did it without a good understanding of what I was doing. I think I understand it somewhat better now.

This morning I woke up thinking about the doll. I have decided that I'm not going to just start cutting into what I have done so far, but first I will take my red pen and modify my working drawing with my new understanding. Then I'll start cutting.

Let me run this by you, if you don't mind? The multiple part torsos are actually fit in very shallow sockets, and have a limited range of motion, otherwise the rather large opening of the ball part of the torso will show. It has to be a large opening so the silicon rubber mold core can be removed after casting in resin. I know I'm no where near molding or casting anything, but I can't help but keep it in mind as part of the design process.

I'm going to have to draw it; then the drawing will explain what I'm thinking; and I can ask my question a little better. Thank you.

Thank you. The feet were the first parts I made, and I probably spent way too much time on them, and put in too many details for them to be rough parts. I am determined not to become emotionally attached to this BJD, but I must admit, I like the feet too. I get the feeling that they will be subject to a lot of modification as other parts are changed, so they can be a part of the whole. I'm already thinking that the ball joint is positioned way to high. I may have to cut down into the feet to reposition the ball joints.

All the joints are a big mystery to me. I do not own a BJD, nor have I actually seen one, other than in pix and videos. I just don't know what the tension at the joints is, or how the elastic works when a doll is posed (I've heard of kick), where the stress points are, or anything. I am going to learn about all of this, with this doll.

Thank you for taking a look at my doll. Thank you for the criticism. One of the best things about this forum is the criticism. I'm learning so much. Most of the daily details of my work on this doll are documented on my weblog.

 

Updated: Torso Modifications



I shortened the lower torso and lengthened the upper torso. The next step will be to work on the hip joints.

Details of the daily progress of this doll may be seen on my weblog.

 

Thank you, Morgan!
I needed that.
I was thinking the same thing,
patl told me my photos were too dark, and I'm trying to do better.
I'll have to experiment with that (photos).
I'm trying to feel where my own fingertips touch and translate to the doll.
Maybe if the hands get to be the right size, the arms will be the right size?
I'm still in a rough stage of development on the doll, so this kind of critique is very useful.
Better to be noticed now than after I've put hours of detail into a part.
I really haven't put any detail into any part yet.
Perhaps that is why I'm working slowly? Slow is good on a first BJD.
Many eyes can see more than my four eyes.
Hugs to all of you!

 

Thank you for taking a look at my work. Some of the solid wax parts are getting to a point where I'm thinking about casting them hollow. Not only will they be lighter in weight, but I might also be able to start stringing them loosely to test the ball joints. All the parts are still in a rough state of development, and do not have any detail or sculpting time spent on them. If I don't cast the wax parts hollow at this time, I've also considered making some generic ball joints and sockets from Super Sculpey/Polymer Clay and testing some ball joints that way? I've started working on joints, and I need something to do testing with.

If I do make multiple piece plaster molds of some of the parts, I will probably add a little paraffin to the melt of brown microcrystalline wax in order to get a little harder casting, for stringing purposes. The way to make adjustments to the wax is by adding small amounts of the modifier at a time. I keep it as simple as I can, adding petroleum jelly to soften the microcrystalline wax, or paraffin to harden the wax. I have tried other additives in the past, and have learned from those experiences to keep it simple, and work with just small amounts of additives. The wax is reusable, and can always be remelted. Microcrystalline wax, Paraffin, and Petroleum Jelly (such as Vaseline) are all byproducts of the petroleum industry, so they work well together.

I'm certainly in no rush to spend a lot of time working on the details yet. Once I get a simple, working BJD, then I can mold and cast several bodies and heads to work on the details.

 

I've found a local source of round doll elastic, and they sell it by the yard, which means I'll probably be able to purchase several different sizes of elastic cord in order to test ball joints with. I'm not sure, but I think the 3.5mm elastic cord will be just about right for my 60cm BJD. If I string hollow wax parts together, I'll probably string the parts loosely. I should be able to string a composition doll more tightly. I'll be picking up the elastic when I pick up the CompoBell doll composition slip. I'm probably going to purchase some inexpensive doll eyes as well. I'm not too concerned about wigs and clothing yet. I have acrylic paints and an airbrush already in my studio.

 

Over the years I have worked with brown microcrystalline wax as a modeling material, I have learned how to make it do what I want it to do. I don't have to worry about it drying out, and that is a main consideration. For me, it is a nuisance to have to keep a clay sculpture just wet enough to model, but not so wet that it slumps. Granted, plastiline doesn't dry out either, but I didn't have enough plastiline to do this project. I had plenty of wax. I have a wax pot that I use to soften the wax, for building up masses quickly. The wax warms in the heat of my hands, and I can soften small pellets for working details. The wax responds to carving with a knife when it is cool, and it can be worked on with heated metal tools as well. I also use hand-carved wooden tools. My favorite sculpting tool is an old paring knife.

Durability? I've been using this wax since the mid-1980s. It is reusable. I can melt it and remelt it. I try not to get it too hot, and maybe that is why is is still a great modeling material after all these years? It can be softened with petroleum jelly or hardened with paraffin. I'm currently testing knee joints with it (refer to my weblog for more details).

 

Yesterday I made a test knee joint from unmodified brown microcrystalline wax, and strung the test leg with a long rubber band. Granted, it is strung rather loosely, but it was tight enough for me to model a test knee joint around a ball joint, and do some flex testing. It is suitable for the tests I am doing, but that is all. It might last longer if I had added some paraffin to the wax, to make it a little bit harder, but for what I'm doing, it works just fine. This was my very first working ball joint that I can flex, and the ball stays in the socket. Sweet!

I had thought about making a teensie-tiny doll with my Polymer Clay, in order to test some joints, but the wax test joint worked well enough for me to finally get a fundamental feel for a ball-and-socket joint. I should have done this a long time ago!

However, every time I see someone on The Joint making a tiny OOAK BJD, I really get the urge to make one for myself. Maybe after I finish my first contemporary ABJD, I will be able to focus on testing some more complex joints on some tiny Polymer Clay test BJDs. I'm so easily distracted that I'm afraid to start a new project, right in the middle of this one. Its not that I lose interest... I just have a tendancy to gain interests.

I am going to remain focused on finishing this BJD. I'll try to satisfy the various curiosities that pop-up by doing quick test pieces with wax, like I did with the knee joint test wax.

Details of the wax test knee joint can be seen on my weblog.

 

Hey Jphobia.!

I'll point you to my Public Profile. Scroll down to the Biography section.

If I cast the dome shaped joint of the lower torso and the lower torso separately, I would have a three-piece torso (upper torso, mid-torso, lower torso). On this doll, the torso will be a two-piece torso, and the upper torso will have a slight range of motion on the dome shaped joint of the lower torso.

I've already cut about 15cm off the dome shaped joint, and added about 15cm to the bottom of the upper torso. I may have to do that again? I don't know. My doll is still in a very rough stage of development. By rough stage of development, I mean that I have not yet spent any time modelling details of any kind. When I get the rough doll to the point where she feels right, then I'll start sculpting over the rough doll. I can see no point in spending hours doing fine detail work that might get sliced, diced, and mutilated if I change my mind. Remember, this is my first 60cm BJD, and I'm feeling my way through the process. I haven't had this much fun in years!

Thank you, Jphobia! Please keep the critiques and suggestions coming. I'm here to learn as much as I can, and hopefully share what little bit I think I may know.

 

Unnamed Female 60cm BJD WIP

I have recently updated my weblog with some new progress pix of my BJD WIP. One of the things I did was cut a new skullcap in the head. Here are a couple of pix of the cut.





I'm sorry about the picture quality. Most people's phone-cams take better pix than my ancient digital camera.

All the explanations of what I've done are on the weblog.

 

Here is the front view, hopefully viewable.



Here is the back view:



This is not really a BJD that I'm planning on casting. It is more of a test-the-joints BJD. I started with a couple of hollow wax balls that I had on my workbench, and I cut and pushed and pulled the shapes to fit balls of wax, rolled in my hands. I pushed a dowel through the balls to make holes. Those ball-joints don't have any slots in them, just holes. I made the tubes by wrapping small snakes, or coils of wax around a dowel, then smoothing the wax on the outside of the dowel before removing it from the tube. The arm tubes are just stuck in the shoulder sockets, so far.

Today I got some 1/16th inch diameter round cord elastic at the fabric store, and I just may have to try and make a small Sculpey BJD, now that I have some real round elastic cord to string it with. This wax BJD is strung loosely with rubber bands, just like Speck the little BJD that inspired me to make it.

It is fun to play with because it isn't a serious project. I mess around with it when I'm experiencing doll maker's block, and can't figure out what I should do next on my big project.

Mainly, it just occupies space on my workbench, sitting on the plastic bag that has plastiline in it.

At the end of today, after tinkering with her, off and on, several times through the day:

 

Hi! Thanks for taking a look at her. ) The white gridlines are the edges of the cereal box cardboard armature that I used on all the parts in this project. Her face and head are still in a very rough state of development, so I don't know for sure if that is how the features will stay? I guess that is why she is still un-named? I don't know who she is, yet?

Thank you very much for the critique. The critiques are one of the best things about The Joint! Lately, I've been slowly working on the torso more than any other parts, besides the knee joint. It is getting closer to a finished state, ready for the first plaster mold to be made. The first plaster mold will be used to cast a hollow wax torso, with some additives to make the wax carvable, and harder, so it can be loosely strung, and tested before the final plaster molds are made. I will be modelling the features of the doll onto the hollow carvable wax castings. I will be casting doll composition slip into the final plaster molds. At least, that is the plan, so far. I'm figuring it out as I go along.

Part of the reason I am making slow progress on my BJD is because I do not have any personal experience with any resin BJDs, yet. I just do not know how they feel, or how they pose, or anything. My only experience with them so far, is through pix and videos. :pout

I love it, especially for small sculptures, like dolls. However, it also is a good modelling material for larger sculptures as well. I have a 3/4 lifesize wax figure on armature that is on hold, a 1/2 lifesize wax figure cast from a waste mold that was originally modelled in water clay, and a lifesize bas relief of a child in wax, which is ready to be cast in bronze, someday?

One of the things I really like about this BJD project is that I was able to make the doll in parts, and I don't have to work around a 24 inch figure (~1/3rd lifesize?) attached to a wire armature. There is so much freedom in being able to pick up individual parts and turn them all around when modelling them. :XD

 

I work with doll parts, so every once in awhile I put them together to see what is happening.

Photographed under two overhead incandescent lights, without flash.




Photographed using the camera's built-in flash.


I apologize for the poor picture quality.

 

Thank you for your kind words, glimmer. You are so encouraging. My small BJD is just tubes and ball-joints loosely strung together with rubber bands, but she is already teaching me a thing or two. I'm using clay hand-building techniques, but with wax instead of clay, to make her.

I am really enjoying working with the cereal box cardboard armature. It is quick, easy, and very inexpensive. One advantage is being able to work with individual parts, and being able to turn them all around in my hands while working on them.

One disadvantage is that the parts are solid. I cannot even loosely string them together for simple joint tests. I'll have to rough mold them in plaster, and cast hollow wax parts to do that. (I guess I could drill out the solid parts, but I chose not to.)

How does La Doll stick to other materials? The wax sticks to the cardboard well enough for the cardboard to be used as an armature, yet I can cut through wax and cardboard with an X-Acto razor knife, if I need to change something. That is another advantage to using the cardboard armature. I don't have to cut through a wire armature with a saw or wire cutters.

I do not know anything about La Doll! Can you do clay hand-building techniques with it? Can you roll out coils, slabs, extrude it, pinch it, and so forth?

One idea for adapting the cardboard armature technique to La Doll might be to roll out a thin slab of La Doll, cut the profiles from the slab, cut the slots, then let them air-dry and slot them together, and work from there? That would work if you can roll a thin slab with the La Doll. It seems to me that I have seen some doll tutorials where slabs were rolled out, but now I don't know what they were using? La Doll, or some sort of Air-Dry clay? :confused:

You could test that idea by making some ball-joints using circle profiles. Cut two circles, the same size, from a thin slab of La Doll, cut slots in each one, and let them air-dry. When dry, slot them together, and fill them in to make a ball. I've done this technique using wax and cardboard. Makes a quick, easy, ball-joint.

All these new types of clay are confusing for someone who doesn't have any experience with them. I'm only familiar with old school water clay, wax, and plaster.

 

Actually glimmer, you are SO far ahead of me, I am learning from you! I cannot vouch for my thought processes. Use them at your own risk. However, if I post them, then you can use them if you find them useful. I usually think more than I do. Thinking is easier, but it doesn't produce as much finished doll as actually doing.

I'm using microcrystalline wax because I have it on hand, and in quantities sufficient to make this 60cm doll. If I had enough oil clay on hand, I would probably have used it instead of the wax. However, I do have some experience working with the wax, and if I had used oil clay, I would probably have molded it in plaster, and cast wax into the molds to finish the BJD. Alternatively, I could have cast plaster into plaster waste molds, and made plaster masters. Once the process is understood, just about any material may be used?

I've posted a diagram for a simple, hand-cranked ball-joint lathe on my weblog. I've got one in my studio, somewhere. They are very simple to make with ordinary tools, and commonly available materials. Anyone, with basic woodworking skills, and some woodworking handtools can make one. I found the idea for the lathe in Chaney & Skee's Plaster Mold and Model Making. CD jewel boxes can be easily shaped as templates to make just about any form that can be produced by rotating the material. If you'd like more details, just ask.

The cardboard profiles I cut out and slot together for ball joints, are easy, quick, and inexpensive to make. Make an outside profile from cardboard to check the spheres roundness, if they really need to be round. In the following photo, you can (hopefully) see the ball joint for the thigh on the left (positive shape), and the two cavities (negative shapes) in the torso of my wax BJD. You can just see that the negative shapes also have a cardboard armature. BTW, that thigh ball joint is two inches in diameter.

I haven't seen any around this neck of the woods. If I do, I may try some.

The thing I remember hearing about them is that they have the consistency of cream cheese? That might be perfect for spreading on a styrofoam armature, and subsequently, spreading on the air-hardened material? I can't imagine making a slab, or rolling out coils in such a material. :confused:

Yes, the Yoshida book is probably where I saw a slab of La Doll being made? I'll check my copy. Thanks.

 

Thank you for your kind words, Alewife. If you need any details about making a small hand-cranked lathe, just ask.

Then La Doll can probably be used over a cardboard armature? The cereal box cardboard I use for an armature, with my microcrystalline wax, has one printed side (somewhat slick) and the other side is regular paste board.

That doesn't sound as bad as I thought.

We have a Michaels! It is halfway across town, but sometimes I go there and look for knitting yarn, when there is a sale. I'll have to check their sculpture section the next time I'm over there. Thank you!

 

What I've been calling a lathe in the above posts is actually called a box turner in Chaney & Skee's Plaster Mold and Model Making. A simple wooden box holds a rod with a handle bent on one end. A template cut to the shape you want to make is fastened on one side. Plaster is dribbled on the rotating hand-cranked rod until it builds up enough to be scraped by the template, and it assumes the template's shape.

There is a very simple template turner illustrated in that Unoa Perfect Guide book, that is posted here at The Joint. That works the same way, except no box is used. They may even be using La Doll, or an equivalent to shape with the template?

I make a positive and a negative ball for my joints, and I can use the positive to twist back and forth in the negative, to refine the joint. I twist it back and forth a few times, then look at them, and fill-in, scrape-off where needed. So far, I'm getting pretty good fits, surface-to-surface.

 

Small wax BJD strung very loosely with rubber bands. More at my weblog.

I like how this came out so much, I'm thinking of doing another one using Polymer Clay. )

 

New Drawings

I wasn't happy with my first drawings, so I made new drawings for Aalish, my first 60cm BJD.



The photo shows the old drawings on the left, and the new drawings on the right. I'm going to stick with the new drawings to complete Aalish. Next I'm going to update my full-size drawings, then I'm going to make the modifications to the wax doll parts.

Once the wax doll parts are finished, I'm going to make plaster shell molds of them, and cast carving wax into the molds. I'll finish smoothing and sculpting in carving wax, then make plaster slip casting molds. I'll be casting doll composition slip into those molds. The doll composition slip will be baked in the kitchen oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours. Then the doll should be ready to paint, and string with elastic. Once she is strung, the only things left to do will be to set her eyes, make her a wig, make her some clothing and some shoes, and get her photographed. I'm going to get someone else to photograph her because my camera just isn't up to it.

 

The legs on the old drawings turned out to be a problem, so that is why I changed them. The new legs are not as fashion-dollish. They are more like the legs of a real girl.

I used photo references from http://www.posespace.com/posetool/default.aspx. I also referred to my artistic anatomy books, of which I have many. I also kept some parts of the old drawings, for example, the face, although I did modify the head profile.

Overall, I've had an uncomfortable feeling about the first drawings for quite some time, but really couldn't pin it down until I started doing some joints. Then I knew I had to make some changes, but didn't know where to begin. Then I had an idea, and instead of sitting on it, I started drawing.

After that, I was in the fog of creativity. It's like the fog of war, but not as deadly.

These are some major changes! I'm going to really find out how easily my wax model on the cardboard armature can be changed? :confused:

 

Thank you Maggs! I feel the same way about these new drawings. I'm really excited now about finishing up this dolly.

 

Thank you glimmer! If only I had the same amount of artistic talent as I have patience, I would be set. My dolly started out to be a generic unnamed BJD to learn how to make BJDs, but now she has a name, and she wants to be a real girl, therefore, the new drawings.

 

I'm documenting my BJD WIP.
This is a photo of the existing doll parts laid out on the new working drawing.



There are many more details on my weblog: Atelier de Poupée.

At the bottom of the post are a couple of pix of my carving wax test parts with a slot cut into the large ball joint. This carving wax is the bees knees! Awesome stuff. It is very tough. I think that perhaps it is the addition of Talc to the waxes that gives it such wonderful properties. I am looking forward to casting all of my doll parts in carving wax.

 

Maggs, this carving wax is awesome. I have never, ever experienced anything quite like it. It is so tough, yet at the same time, can be easily worked by cutting, carving, sawing, drilling, scraping, sanding; and be added to, using a tool like a wax pen. Martha Armstrong-Hand brought this carving wax technique to her studio from the big toy companies. I think it is the talc, added to the waxes, that makes it so remarkable. My carving wax test pieces, strung together with thin, strong elastic, were cast 6mm (~ 1/4 inch) thick. They are so strong!

The recipe I used was:
(All recipe parts are by weight.)

1 part paraffin (not home canning paraffin, but the higher melting-point paraffin),
1 part of my brown microcrystalline wax, and
2 parts of Baby Powder (Baby Powder Ingredients: Talc, Fragrance)
Do not get the cornstarch baby powder!
I also tossed in a couple of ounces of white scented candle because I had it on hand.
My recipe ended up smelling like a freshly powdered baby bum.

Melt the waxes, but don't let them get too hot.
I used a candy thermometer in my wax pot and the melt never got above 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71C).
When the waxes have thoroughly melted, add the talc, and stir well until completely mixed. (Use appropriate respiratory safety precautions when handling Talc.)

This mixture may be poured into water-saturated plaster molds, much in the same way you pour ceramic slip. When the walls are thick enough, pour the excess back into the wax pot to be used again and again. Save your chips and shavings and remelt them to use again. When you're done with your cast wax patterns, toss them back into the wax pot to use again and again. Being able to reuse it, makes it very economical over the long run.

More info here:
http://atelierpoupee.blogspot.com/2010/09/carving-wax.html
here:
http://atelierpoupee.blogspot.com/2010/09/carving-wax-02.html
and here:
http://atelierpoupee.blogspot.com/2010/09/carving-wax-03.html

Experiment! Try this recipe:
1 part white pillar candle wax.
1 part Baby Powder Talc.
If it is too brittle, try adding a little bit of petroleum jelly (Vaseline).

I'll bet that will give you an idea of how wonderful carving wax is.

This carving wax is meant to be cast into water-saturated plaster molds.
You need to know how to make at least some rough shell molds to use it
(at least, following Martha Armstrong-Hand's method of working with it).
However, I'm so sure you could use these carving wax patterns for making
silicon rubber molds for resin casting!
The carving wax can be sanded glassy smooth!

Believe me, I didn't think too much of it until I tried it.
You will be pleased.

 

I am going to encourage you to try it.

The recipe I used was a simplified version of waif's modified version of Martha A-H's recipe.

It seems to me that the filler (talc) and the wax (paraffin or candle wax) are much stronger and tougher when mixed together than either material is by itself. What is that called? Synergy?

While I have not tried the 50/50 candle wax + talc recipe yet, I would like very much to hear how it works if you do try it? If it doesn't work very well, it could always be modifed by the addition of some microcrystalline wax, or even a small amount of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) which is what I use to soften brown wax, if needed (usually to use it as a filler).

Please let me know if you do it!

 

Exactly! Even if the first try, isn't exactly right, the mixture can be modified.

All recipes by weight:
9:9:1:1 paraffin, industrial talc, besswax, carnauba wax [Martha's original carving wax]
4.5:4.5:9:1:1 microcrystalline wax, paraffin, industrial talc, beeswax, carnauba wax [waif's carving wax recipe]
1:1:2 microcrystalline wax, paraffin, baby powder talc [my carving wax]
1:1 candle wax, baby powder talc [suggested simplified recipe for home-made carving wax]

The more you know, the less you need.

EDIT: Now I know a little more, and I'm going to say that the Candle-wax + Talc recipe is much too brittle to work as a doll carving wax. I think the white pillar candle-wax can be substituted for paraffin, but it cannot stand on its own, alone with talc.

 

Simple Carving Wax Recipe

I know what you mean, right?
Tomorrow I'm going to get organized!
Between the procrastination, and the disorganization, it's no wonder I can't get anything done.

I am going to try my own recipe.



These white pillar candles were picked-up off the top of a neighbor's dust bin, out at the curb. I'm bad for dragging things like that back to my studio, then putting them away where I can't find them again.

Okay, so I have a little over 6 pounds of white pillar candle wax, and 28oz of Baby Powder talc. I'm going to melt 28oz of candle wax, and add 28oz of Baby Powder Talc to it. That will make 3.5 pounds of carving wax.

1 part Candle Wax binder + 1 part Talc filler.

EDIT: I melted 28oz of white pillar candle wax to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, and took it outside to add the Baby Powder Talc. I stirred the mix until all the talc was saturated with wax. This batch is a light gray color. I poured a test piece in a water saturated plaster mold, but let the carving wax stay in the mold a little too long. I had to push a rod through the spare to let out the excess wax.

I poured the melt into a water-saturated plaster mold, and scored it with a knife, to make it easier to break apart when it completely cools. I also kneaded some of the warm carving wax in my hands when it was cool enough to handle comfortably. I do not think this simple recipe will work for modeling, except for large, gross shapes. It cracks too easily, and gets a little bit crumbly as it cools.

It carves well. I think I can use this wax to make cast doll parts to finish for making final doll part molds.

Overall, while this recipe will work, I like my first recipe much better! This simple candle + talc recipe might be good for those who are looking for a very inexpensive alternative to the commercial Industrial Carving Waxes?

 

I am going to modify the candle-wax recipe with the addition of some microcrystalling wax.
The candle-wax + talc recipe, by itself, is too brittle. It needs the microcrystalline wax to make it tough.

1 part microcrystalline wax
1 part candle-wax (substitute for paraffin)
2 parts talc

All parts are by weight.

This is pretty much like the first recipe I made, which is a really nice carving wax.