Aalish: a 60cm jeune fille in brown microcrystalline wax

Carving Wax

waif's recipe is (by weight):

900g microcrystalline wax
900g paraffin wax
1800g industrial talc
200g beeswax
200g carnauba wax

My first carving wax recipe is (by weight):
14oz microcrystalline wax
14oz paraffin wax
28oz talc
2oz scented white candle (optional - I don't think it did much)

As you can see from the above two recipes, the wax and talc are 50/50, with very small amounts of other waxes added. The microcrystalline wax + paraffin wax are 1 part together, and the talc is 1 part (or 1800g wax + 1800g talc in waif's recipe).

I'm not sure what you'll end up with if you make a recipe that is:
1 part microcrystalline wax
1 part paraffin wax
1 part beeswax
1 part talc

If I were you, I would make:
1 part microcrystalline wax
1 part paraffin wax
2 parts talc
1/20th part beeswax.

For example:
1 pound microcrystalline wax
1 pound paraffin wax
2 pounds talc
1 ounce beeswax.

Or, you could just leave out the beeswax?

 

Carving Wax

Whew! I figured you had missed that part. I'm glad you caught it before making a batch.

The batch I mixed with candle wax + talc will have to be modified so I can use it.
I will add 28oz microcrystalline wax, and 28oz talc to that batch. That should make it good.
In the end, I will have 168oz (10.5 pounds) of carving wax in the studio. That should be
enough to have several dolls cast in carving wax at a time, with some left over.

Today I will be casting the lower torso of the BJD in carving wax.
Last night I made a 4-piece plaster mold of the old brown wax lower torso.
It is now freed up to modify to the new working drawing.
I still like the brown microcrystalline wax for modelling.

 

I think that is a great idea, Maggs!
It sure sounds better/easier than the way I do it.

I use an old plaster mold that I made of the base of a wooden breadbox, many years ago.
It holds an oval of wax about an inch thick.
I soak it in water at the same time I'm soaking the plaster molds I'm going to pour.
Then I dab the excess water from it, and set it of the floor next to my mold.
There is a picture of it here.
After the wax has set up, but before it gets hard, I score it with a knife.
That way, it is easy to break into smaller chunks for later use.

I like to clean out my wax pot after each use, rather than leaving a large chunk of wax in it.
That way, as you've already mentioned, I don't have to melt all of it to pour a small mold.
It only takes a few minutes of extra time to do this work, each time I pour.
It's things like this that make life in the studio a little more tolerable.

 

Yeah, it's been awhile since I've updated my WIP thread, so here's a teaser of what is happening with dear Aalish. As you know, I completely redid my working drawing of Aalish, so she is going through a radical change. I'm having to redo most of her parts, all of which I had done to some degree, or another. However, since I'm so indecisive, I decided to make rough shell molds over the existing parts, before I committed to the radical modifications. On that note, I must admit that I'm a lazy procrastinator who would rather fiddle around adding wax to parts that really don't need any mods, instead of making molds. Eventually, I did get around to making molds for the lower and upper torso; which freed them up for modifications, so now I'm modeling the torso. How about a photo? As usual, no matter how hard I try, this brown microcrystalline wax doesn't want to be photogenic. What we're looking at here is the torso lying on the work table, front facing up. For all the gory details of what I'm doing, please take a look at my weblog: http://atelierpoupee.blogspot.com/2010/11/modeling-torso.html

 

aminoff: Thank you very much!

glimmer: Did you make your carving wax? If so, how did it come out? :confused:

 

Why, thank you so much for your kind words, glimmer!
The Catch-22 is all the details I left out. :confused:
For example, I really didn't show the cereal box cardboard coddles I used for the last mold.
Also, I expect everyone to use fresh plaster for molding, not the 5 years old plaster I'm using. :dead
Every book I have about molding and casting with plaster recommends throwing out old plaster.
But I'm so frugal, I couldn't bear to toss out 50# of plaster, no matter how old it was.
I'm hoping to use it all up for rough shell molds.
Since rough shell molds are used for casting carving wax, they are saturated with water.
In other words, the consistency of the plaster isn't as critical as for slip casting.
Nevertheless, working with old plaster can have problems all its own.
I don't recommend using old plaster unless you're a real masochist, like me. :p

I'm sorry to hear about the critters stealing your sculpture!
I'm imagining them sitting around their little home, next to the fireplace, admiring the torso.

In my experiments with carving wax, I'm amazed at what small additions of various waxes can do to a recipe. I did find out that just white scented candle wax + talc (50/50 by weight) doesn't work. A softer wax, such as beeswax, or microcrystalline wax needs to be added so the carving wax isn't too brittle.

Overall, I'm very pleased with my home-made carving wax, especially with the price I paid for it.
I ended up making about 10# of carving wax, for the cost of about $6+tax , for baby talc powder. All the other materials I had on-hand, in my studio. Since I've had them for so many years, their cost had been amortized to about $0.00.

 

Just a progress photo. Shown here are the head, torso, and upper legs in brown microcrystalline wax. The torso is being modelled in wax. Breasts and shoulder blades have been roughed-out on the upper torso. Collar bones and neck haven't been touched, yet. Neither have the new arm sockets been carved. Tummy, and hips have been roughed-out on the lower torso. A wee bit was also added to the bum.

 

Thank you Jphobia. Yeah, this new lower torso actually has hips. I feel very comfortable with my new working drawing, so I'm going ahead and starting to model some torso landscape (bodyscape?) features. As always, I must keep in mind that Aalish will be molded in plaster, and cast in doll composition slip. She will look more like a porcelain dolly than a resin BJD.

The o-hole bellybutton is simply a marker at this point.
I use all kinds of markers when I'm modeling.
For example, those hemispheres on the upper torso are markers for breasts.

Mais bien sûr.

http://atelierpoupee.blogspot.com/2010/11/looking-at-faces.html

The daily work progress on my BJD (or the lack thereof) is published on my weblog. I try to do a little bit of work on my dolly every day.

 

Thank you for taking a look at her, glimmer.

Thank you aneemal. I am striving for a natural look.

Aalish is far from being finished, but I hope that when she gets finished, she will come to work for me as an Artist's Mannequin or Photographer's Model. I am planning on doing a lot of knitting for her as well, starting with some thigh-high stockings, and a basic tube dress. ) Sometimes I feel impatient about the pace she is progressing at, but I really don't know how else to make her? :confused: I'm figuring her out as I go along.

She is being modeled in Victory Brown wax.
Those parts will be rough shell molded in plaster.
Carving wax will be cast in the rough shell molds.
The carving wax parts will be finished smooth and test strung.
The carving wax parts will be molded in plaster for slip casting.
I will cast her in doll composition slip, then bake the cast doll parts.
I imagine there will be some sanding on the cast pieces to finish them?
Then I'll string her with elastic, make a wig, shoes, clothes, put in eyes,
and do the requisite face-up and body blushing.
So much to do yet! :dead

 

Thank you, AstridRune.

I like wax as a modeling medium. It suits the way I work.

I started out, many years ago, modeling with water clays (terracotta, stoneware, porcelain, earthenware). I still have several hundred pounds of water clay in my studio, but it is all dry and hard. I do not feel like crushing it, soaking it, putting it in plaster bats to solidify, then wedging it and wrapping it in plastic. I will only do that if I absolutely must. The water clay is for large projects.

I have several (3) pounds of oil clay (Roma Plastilina), but not enough to model a 60cm BJD, so I didn't use it for this project. Besides, the Roma contains Sulphur. I sure wish I'd known about the adverse reaction to silicone rubber before I bought it.

I have lots of wax. Years ago, I bought a 55 pound case of wax, and it seems to last forever. It can be reused over and over. I have several sculptures that are still in wax, without drying out, cracking, or any other adverse effects. It warms in my hand, and I can pinch off small pieces and add to my doll parts. I scrape excess wax away with a paring knife. For building up forms quickly, I heat the wax in my wax pot until just before it melts, then apply the softened wax with a knife.

I recently made some carving wax, which I will use in the next step of the process. )

 

Aalish is still very much a work-in-progress.



Although I am still working with my ancient point-and-shoot digital camera,
I am trying some different things to make the images look better.



Happy Happy Joy Joy



The day by day journal of making Aalish, plus other BJD related things
may be seen on my weblog: http://atelierpoupee.blogspot.com/

 

Agreed. The new working drawing has a thicker neck, but I have not yet modified the neck. I used the upper torso from the old working drawing, and have been modifying it to fit the new working drawing. Also, her shoulders are too straight. The new working drawing has more angle to the shoulders, from the arms to the neck. I will eventually add the angle, as well as make the neck slightly thicker (larger in diameter). Thank you very much for the comment!

My current studio (~1300 sqft) is actually much larger than my old studio (~650 sqft), which I had for almost 17 years. However, I always try to do the best I can with the space that I find myself in. I have never let the lack of a proper studio stop me from making art. )

 

Hi Glimmer!
Merry Blessings, Happiness, and Prosperity to you as well. :XD

Aalish was stuck together with small pellets of wax for the photoshoot.
Some of the parts are hollow, but not all of them, so no stringing yet.
She stayed together just long enough to take a few snapshots. )
I think the reason her head looks a little small is because she is more realistic in proportions now?
It always seems to me that heads on real humans look too small. :confused:
However, with the new working drawing, Aalish is now 7 heads tall, which is a normal head height for a young girl of about 13-16 years old.
The old working drawing had her at a head height of about 6.75 heads, and her legs were very long, way longer than normal. Also the torso was smaller, and the arms were shorter.

I got some work done on her feet today, and I'm thinking I might have to mold them in a rough shell mold and cast them in carving wax very soon. )

 

This is a progress photo of Aalish on the working drawing.



I'm keeping a journal of my daily progress on Aalish at my weblog.
Thanks for looking.

 

Thank you for your kind words.

I know I keep harping on this, but having a reusable modeling material is very nice when sculpting a first doll, or a 1000th doll. If I had had enough oil-clay when I started my doll, I might have sculpted her in oil-clay, over a wire armature. Even a fine water-clay, like porcelain would have worked nicely, though it usually needs to be kept moist while modeling with it.

The modeling material I had the most of, when I started this doll, was the Victory Brown microcrystalline wax, which I purchased in the 1980's for about $80USD for a 55 pound case (5 ea. - 11 pound slabs), from the Petrolite Specialty Polmers Group of Bareco Products in Oklahoma, USA. At the time, $80USD for a case of wax was quite an expensive purchase for me. Today, the same 55 pound case of brown microcrystalline wax costs about $250USD. Considering how many times I have reused that wax, since the 1980's (~30 years), that $80USD that I spent back then, was an extremely good deal! For a young person, with years of sculpting ahead of them, even $250USD for a case of wax would be an extremely good purchase (even if it seems like a lot of money now, you will be happy you did it).

Victory Brown does not dry out. I have some wax sculptures on armatures that are still works-in-progress, and have been for years. At any time, I could go in and start work on them as if it had only been yesterday, instead of years.

When I am finished with a work, and have made molds of the wax piece, I can take that wax and toss it in the wax pot, melt it down, and use it again. Like the Energizer Batteries Bunny, it just keeps going, and going, and going.

Also, an added psychological advantage is that I'm not hung up about wasting my modeling material. Therefore, if a project is not going well, I can just toss it in the wax pot, and start over again without too many regrets. I think I would have some regrets if I had paid $8.55USD per pound (@Dick Blick) for a modeling material that wasn't working out, yet could not be reused. A 55 pound case of La Doll, at $8.55 per pound, would cost ~$470USD, and it could only be used once.

The disadvantage to the Victory Brown is that it is too soft to make a OOAK BJD. The wax should be treated like a very firm oil-clay. Both modeling materials need to be molded and cast into a more durable material to make a doll. I am loosely following Martha Armstrong-Hand's method of making a BJD, and I will be making plaster rough shell molds to cast carving wax into. The carving wax is hard enough to test string with elastic, so I will be able to make some adjustments before I mold and cast my final doll. The carving wax can be used as a pattern for making silicone rubber molds for resin casting, or plaster slip casting molds for porcelain slip, or doll composition slip. I am planning on casting Aalish in doll composition slip. One advantage of the doll composition slip is that it does not require a pressure pot or a kiln. I can pour it like ceramic slip into a plaster mold, then bake it in the kitchen oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours to cure. I will see how it goes. I'm figuring it out as I go along.

 

Hi Jphobia! I encourage you to give it a go. These days, you do not have to buy a whole case of the wax. I have seen it available in 3 pound chunks, as well as by the slab. I think you could easily make a 60cm BJD with a slab of microcrystalline wax, and still have some left over to model some accessories for her. Also, I have seen white microcrystalline wax, as well as the brown. If I remember correctly, Victory Brown was the least expensive microcrystalline wax that Bareco Products had, at the time I bought mine. That is one reason I bought it. Even at $250-260USD per 55 pound case, that is only about $4.50 to $5.00 per pound for a reusable modeling material that will last you for a really, really long time.

Oh thank you so much for your kind words. I just learned how to crochet! I have tried to learn how to crochet before, but was not successful. I think it was perhaps because I really didn't have a good project to learn on. Making a crocheted wig cap for Aalish was a project that really motivated me. Now I have a new craft skill to add to my BJD-making skill set. :XD

As far as the face goes, that is a carving wax cast of the brown microcrystalline wax face. I made that casting in a hot-pour moulage mold. Yeah, that's what the brown wax face actually looks like, in a tan color, and without the cardboard armature lines.

I know what you mean. While it takes some time to do every day, now I am really glad I started it, and have kept up with it as well as I have. Now, I even find myself referring to my own weblog for reference stuff.

Jphobia, you have such a good eye! :arrr
Those are the same lower legs that I made for the first BJD, that I later modified the working drawing for, to make the Aalish that I'm working on now. I made plaster rough shell molds of the first legs. Then I chopped off about .75 inches from the ankles. Since I have not really done any modeling on them since I modified them, they do need some work, and the work they need is, like you noticed, thicker ankles!

The lower legs actually need all sorts of modifications done to them, so they are in proportion to the new working drawing for Aalish. But the main thing was that the old legs were much too long, and that part has been fixed.

That is too funny.
When I first put breasts on the upper torso, I used a wax sphere, cut in half as place markers.
As you know, natural breasts are not perfect hemispheres.

For me, it is a balancing act between realistic natural looking breasts, and somewhat stylized breasts for a doll. My doll's breasts will not jiggle.

 

Thank you for your kind words, Lillycat.

I still have quite a bit of work to do on her. She was roughed-out quickly, but work has slowed down on her as I am modeling features and starting to add details. Aalish is still very much a work in progress.

 

That is such a sweet thing to say, glimmer! Thank you.

 

I started out with one working drawing, and made all 15 doll parts to it. Then I changed my mind, and modified the first working drawing. All the old doll parts had to be redone for the second working drawing. I decided to make plaster rough shell molds of the old doll parts, before modifying those doll parts to the new working drawing. I also made hot pour moulage molds of the head and skull cap, then cast carving wax into them. The rough shell molds, when saturated with water, can be used to cast carving wax. I finally made enough plaster rough shell molds to cast the legs and torso in carving wax. I am using the carving wax castings of the old doll parts to start doing some test stringing. The lower torso is a different color because it was cast with an experimental carving wax recipe.



There are more pix at my weblog:
http://atelierpoupee.blogspot.com/2011/02/test-stringing.html

If you look at the pix, you will notice that the slots on one hip joint are different than the other hip joint. This is intentional. I am experimenting, and trying different things with these old carving wax doll parts. Anyway, this is more or less what my original doll would have looked like, if I had not changed the working drawing.

I still need to make some carving wax castings of the old arms, and the current feet and hands (which did not change very much).

Since these pix were taken, I have taken her apart and restrung her with the elastic in a different configuration. The second configuration is much better. This morning, she was still in one piece, even having stayed strung overnight. This carving wax is tough!

I will not be using any of these carving wax parts at all! All of them will be melted and reused after testing is finished. This test stringing is very exciting for me because I do not own a company BJD, so this is my very first experience stringing and restringing a BJD of any kind. I'm not counting the little brown wax BJD that is strung with rubber bands. :p

Enjoy! :XD

 

Thank you, HystericalParoxysm!

I am quickly finding out that it is much easier to understand how the stringing works by reading about it, than to actually do it. I have not had much time to do anything with her yet, but so far, the weak points are the knee joints. The hip joints seem to be pretty stable. The torso fits much better than I thought it would. This doll is giving me both pleasant surprises and disappointments as well.

This carving wax test doll will also be used to test the carving wax itself. I want to be able to do extensive modifications to it, like adding new ball joints, and smoothing the parts, and so forth. I have a 25W soldering iron instead of a wax pen. I'm going to see how it works with this test doll. By the time I get to making carving wax parts for Aalish, I should be much more familiar with ball joints under tension, and modifying and finishing the carving wax parts for the final slip casting molds.

 

Thank you, Alewife.
This is not really an update, but more like a sideways-date. I will not be using any of these parts in the final doll. These are just for practicing stringing and smoothing and modifying of the carving wax. Will I ever make any real forward progress?

 

Carving Wax Test Doll

I made a rough shell mold with plaster and moulage and cast some carving wax feet for testing purposes.



I have also been working with various abrasives to test smoothing the carving wax.



More details at my weblog.

http://atelierpoupee.blogspot.com/2011/03/carving-wax-feet-n-2.html

I have finally run out of plaster! :dead

 

Thank you, Alewife.

The brown microcrystalline (Victory Brown) wax that I am using for modeling
is much too soft for stringing with elastic.

The Carving Wax Test Doll is made from the carving wax recipe that I made in the studio:

Carving Wax Recipe:
==================
1 part brown microcrystalline wax
1 part paraffin
2 parts powdered talc (I used baby talc, ingredients: talc, fragrance)

My 'parts' were based on the weight of a container of the baby talc: 14 oz.
I tried it with just candle wax and baby talc, but it came out too brittle.

I drilled and slotted the feet, then restrung Carving Wax Test Doll with the feet on.
I have even been able to get Carving Wax Test Doll to stand on her own, for a
short time. I need to work on her knee joints. That is what Carving Wax Test Doll
is for: experimenting and testing.

I am hoping that the things I learn from Carving Wax Test Doll will be used
to make Aalish, when I finish modeling her in Victory Brown.

 

There is always some sort of trade-off with every modeling material.
The fact that the Victory Brown is soft is what makes it a good modeling material.
Warmed in my hands, I can do just about anything with it. Cool, it is firm and strong.
But it is too soft to withstand elastic stringing.

Oil-clay also has some of the same properties as sculpture wax.
When warmed in the hands, it is easily modeled, and when cool is much firmer.
But oil-clay needs more of an armature than sculpture wax, because it is softer, overall.
If I had had enough oil-clay in my stash when I started Aalish, I probably would have used it.

As with any trade-off, there are usually some workarounds.
In the case of modeling a BJD with a soft, resusable modeling material over an armature,
I must transform the soft modeling material into a transitional material that is stronger,
and can withstand the elastic tensioning, for test stringing. That's where the plaster rough
shell molds and carving wax come into play.

Carving Wax is used in Professional Design studios, and I am using a DIY homemade
recipe that approximates the expensive stuff that the Pros use. Carving Wax is the Bee's
Knees. Sweet! The more I play with it, the better I like it.

Yes, it requires an extra step to transform the soft modeling material into a harder
material that can withstand tensioning, but it is worth it. Plaster is a relatively
inexpensive molding material, so the cost is low. The Victory Brown wax, and the
Carving Wax are both reusable - I have gotten years of reuse from the sculpture wax, and
will continue to get years of reuse from it. This is the first year I have made Carving Wax,
but I will continue to reuse it for many more years. After a project is completed, I can
simply toss the sculpture wax in the wax pot, and remelt it for the next project.
Likewise for the Carving Wax.

The Carving Wax recipe I am using is a modified version of waif's modified version of
Martha Armstrong-Hand's Carving Wax recipe.
waif is also using Carving Wax to make a BJD.
waif has been able to get her Carving Wax master doll parts glass smooth.
Martha Armstrong-hand used a wax pen to add carving wax to carving wax.
While I have not yet tried to do any adding to carving wax, I will probably use a low
wattage soldering iron (25W) to emulate a wax pen.

Thanks for your kind words Jphobia, and thank you for looking at Carving Wax Test Doll.
)

 

I just called the local builder's supply, and they have
USG N°1 Industrial Molding Plaster
for $34 per 100 pound bag.
That works out to $0.34 cents per pound.

When I bought my first 100 bag of plaster, many years ago, it cost $11.00.
Several years later, it had gone up to $22.00.
Now it is $34.00.

Even tripled in price, it is still a very low cost molding material.
I will need some new plaster to make the slip casting molds for Aalish. )
I am hoping to be able to get at least ten casts from these molds.

So far, the cost to make Aalish (still a WIP):
$60.00 for 2 gallons of CompoBell CS-1000 doll composition slip.
$52.00 for round doll elastic cord, doll eyes, and misc stuff.
$34.00 for molding plaster.
)

 

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement, glimmer !!! )
Carving Wax Doll is made from old doll parts, and is for testing only.
I am still modeling the brown wax for the final Aalish BJD.
Once I deem the brown wax parts are ready, I will mold them and
cast them in carving wax for refinement for making slip casting molds.

I have been making molds for a few years now, but I do not assume everyone knows how.
So I try to put as much detail as I can into my posts, even when I think the detail is trivial.
I must admit that my own plaster mold making practice is quite sloppy, but I make it work.

I learned how to make plaster molds from an art instructor while attending Art School.
Over the years, knowing how to make plaster molds has been a very helpful crafts skill.
Just knowing the basics of molding has helped with making flexible rubber molds.
Plaster is one of the least expensive molding materials, so it is a good material to learn with.
Plaster can also be unforgiving of mistakes, or forgotten steps, and is a strict teacher.
However, mistakes made with plaster are not as expensive as those made with rubber.
I am very happy to know that someone is finding the weblog posts helpful. )

 

Thank you, Aminoff. )

I have been doing some Research & Development work with carving wax.
Actual work on the doll is done between R&D sessions to discover new techniques.
The carving wax doll parts are used to test string the doll and to refine the final surface.

I am using a 25 Watt soldering iron to melt carving wax into areas that need to be filled.
I am using the soldering iron because I do not have a wax pen tool.

I have found that dripping molten wax into an area to be filled is not as effective as
melting the area to be filled with the soldering iron first, then dripping wax into it.
I use a big chunk of carving wax to melt into the area that needs to be filled by
touching the carving wax to my soldering iron while holding it over the area to be filled.

Once the area is filled, and has cooled, I use my paring knife to shave it down to the
final form. This is a technique that I am practicing on some other big chunks of carving
wax. It is somewhat awkward to do, at first. Once I gain some experience, I will attempt
to do some experiments on Carving Wax Test Doll. I hope that makes sense. I am
having a lot of fun making my BJD.

 

Carving Wax Test Doll got some upper arms today. Carving Wax Test Doll is not the final Aalish BJD. Carving Wax Test Doll is just being used for testing joints, and playing with the carving wax. I am still modeling Aalish in brown microcrystalline wax. A new set of molds will be made for her sculpt.



I used the 1.5 mm round elastic doll cord. I trimmed the carving wax castings I made yesterday in the moulage mold, before drilling the holes and cutting the slots. I had to fill in the hole from the spare before I did the trimming. I used an alcohol lamp and an old knife to fill in the hole with carving wax shavings. This carving wax is really nice to work with.

 

Another photo of the 60 cm Carving Wax Test Doll with upper arms, strung with 1.5 mm round elastic doll cord. The little 20 cm brown microcrystalline wax BJD is strung with grocery store produce rubber bands.

 

Thank you, whitewings.

I am very sorry for the low quality photographs. My ancient digital camera (c1997) has a high resolution of 640x480 (VGA resolution), and is a point and shoot snapshot camera with a built-in flash, a macro adjustment, and one of those terrible little screens that show me what I'm shooting. One of the problems with it, is that I cannot see well enough to know when the camera is in sharp focus, or not. I am hoping that my daughter will have pity on me one of these days, and hand-me-down one of her old digital cameras, which are half the size of mine, and have an order of magnitude better resolution. She is currently attending Photography School, and seems to acquire a new camera quite often.

Anyway, even though it is difficult to see in the photos, one of her knees is almost fully modeled, and the other one is not. So I'm not really sure which knee's lines you are referring to?

All of the parts of Carving Wax Test Doll are made from the doll parts of my first try at making a BJD, which was aborted, early on in the process. I just made some plaster rough shell molds of those parts, before I started to modify them for the second try, which is named Aalish. It is somewhat confusing, but I just change my mind every so often.

I don't think she is sitting slouched. It is hard to tell. She is pretty much in the exact same position she was in when I took the photos, and she isn't slouched right now.

I am also anxious to see Carving Wax Test Doll with lower arms and hands! :XD
Right now, I am completely out of plaster in my studio, and am trying to use moulage to make rough shell molds to cast carving wax into. I have an idea that I can make some small wooden mother molds, fill them up with moulage, then push the lower arms into the moulage to make the molds.

Thank you again!

Yeah, I spend too much time experimenting, and not enough time getting on with finishing modeling my doll in wax. The wax does not dry out, and so I can leave it indefinitely, then just pick it up and start modeling it again. It makes me lazy. I am such a technically oriented art geek, and not artsy enough. As I'm modeling my doll, I'm always thinking about how am I going to mold her. I'm really into the reusable materials, so right now, I'm trying to figure out ways to make moulage rough shell molds to cast carving wax into, rather than the plaster rough shell molds that Martha Armstrong-Hand used. While I can use a plaster rough shell mold to make several casts, I cannot reuse the plaster when I am finished with the mold. However, I can reuse the moulage, and this is one way that I have discovered, that I can make my BJD more economically, and eco-friendly as well.

Carving Wax Test Doll is the result of an idea I had about being able to play with, and test joints under elastic tensioning, before I finished modeling Aalish, who is still very much a brown microcrystalline wax work-in-progress. This came about because I do not own any resin BJDs to refer to. This Carving Wax Test Doll that you see, will be destroyed once I make rough shell molds of Aalish, and cast her into carving wax.

Anyway, this is how my doll-making process is unfolding, so far, compared to Martha Armstrong-Hand's method:

MA-H: model doll in one piece, in oil-clay, over a wire armature, on a modeling stand
ME: model doll in parts, in Victory Brown wax, over a cardboard armature

MA-H: remove oil-clay doll from modeling stand, cut limbs and head off torso, make plaster rough shell molds, cast carving wax into rough shell molds
ME: make rough shell molds of doll parts, cast carving wax into rough shell molds

MA-H: cut limbs and torso at joints, add ball joints and sockets, test string carving wax doll parts
ME: test string carving wax doll parts, using old parts.

MA-H: refine carving wax doll parts
ME: still figuring it out as I go along..... :confused:

Yeah, sometimes my process even confuses me. :confused:
That is why I'm keeping a daily journal, because 3 weeks from now, my whole train of thought may be totally different than it is today. At least I have some sort of record of what I was more or less thinking 3 weeks ago, or 6 months ago.

It used to scare me when I was younger, and people talked about old people losing their minds. It doesn't scare me as much as it used to because now I know that when I lose my mind, it won't be missed. :dead

 

http://atelierpoupee.blogspot.com/2011/04/carving-wax-lower-arms.html

Carving Wax Test Doll can too haz arms !!!

For the lower arms, I used a moulage mold. The mother mold for the moulage was made from scrap wood and cereal box cardboard, sealed with orange shellac. I stapled the cardboard to the wood, then put a fillet of oil-clay inside the mother mold, around the seam, before I applied the shellac. I really cannot see much difference in the carving wax castings from a water-saturated plaster rough shell mold and a moulage mold, except that the castings from the moulage mold seem somewhat cleaner. The moulage mold is somewhat flexible. The moulage mold material is reusable. So, using a moulage mold for making the first carving wax castings is my contribution to Martha Armstrong-Hand's method of making a BJD.

Next, some carving wax hands. Then I will have the equivalent of a garage kit BJD to finish. I do not own a resin Asian BJD. Carving Wax Test Doll is going to be my ball jointed R&D doll. The more I use the carving wax, the more I like it.

 

I am still learning about what I can do with the carving wax.
It can be melted and cast in a water-saturated plaster mold, or a moulage mold.
That means you can model in something soft, like oil-clay, make a mold, and cast
the carving wax into the mold.
You can keep filling the spare, and make a solid casting, or,
when the walls of the carving wax are the thickness you want, you can pour out the excess.
If you pour out the excess, you have a hollow casting to work with.
The carving wax can be drilled, carved, sawn, machined, etc.
You can add to it, if you want to.
Use a wax pen or a similar tool for additive modeling.
It takes and holds extremely fine detail.
It is tough enough to be elastic tensioned.
Carving wax can be finished glass-smooth!
Carving wax is reusable.

Martha Armstrong-Hand brought carving wax from the professional design studios into her doll making studio. Personally, I think that using the carving wax is M-AH's best contribution to BJD-making !!! )

 

Carving Wax Test Doll for the Aalish 60cm BJD project.

Thank you, glimmer !!!
Actually, I could probably get away with not making hands for it.
But I think I will anyway, so I can test wrist socket depth?

Double jointing?
First off, I'm going to see if I can figure out how to do single joints.
Jointing is proving to be somewhat more difficult than I thought it would be.
Also, I'm not quite sure if I like the way double joints look?

So really, what I am considering doing is making single floating joints.
That is where the ball is not attached to a limb, but floats free between limbs.
But I will probably do the single floating joints on my second doll.
Eventually, I will try some double joints, just to see how they work.

BTW glimmer, your ShinyDoll is gorgeous !!!
I have a ShinyDoll Thaasa on my wish list.