Apoxie questions...

lbrevner, it depends on the size of the doll. I think the most convenient way is to sculpt the arms out of apoxie entirely, using some tubes or sticks as a base. I'm working on 60 cm doll at the moment, and I used plastic tubes about 8 mm thick wrapped in thin polyethylene. After tubes are removed you receive the hollow channels for stringing, no need to drill them.
Shanks can be made similar way.
It's up to you if you want your doll's thighs hollow or not, as they can be rather massive. If no you may also use tubes as a base; if yes you may form a rough shape out of any material - Ladoll, paper-mache, styrofoam or plasticine (the last two should be wrapped in polyethylene and removed later).
I prefer hands and feet to be sculpted in one piece, no insertions of other materials.

Actually, Apoxie Sculpt is PERFECT for the joints, even if the rest of the doll is made out of Ladoll (for example). BTW, what kind of Apoxie do you mean - Sculpt, Clay, etc.?

 

I use apoxie for everything when I make a doll, although so far I have often used old junk doll parts (of my own creation) as armatures, and they are already hollow ~ f course this is not an option when you are making your first doll or a doll of a different size to your previous efforts. The first time I made arms, I sculpted them in apoxie but over a 15mm pvc conduit pipe. It was a bit thick, but I'd definitely recommend sculpting over something hollow, or over something that you can pull out after the apoxie has set. I would use something like a drinking straw, but maybe put a wooden dowel inside the straw to make it more rigid, just make sure the apoxie only adheres to the straw, not the dowel, which you can then pull out later. When adding the apoxie, I would add just a thin rough layer first, and when that sets, I would sculpt more detail over the top.

If you are making a very big doll, and apoxie will be the final material (meaning you don't plan to mold and cast) you might want to build with a mache or paperclay underneath, because apoxie gets very heavy as you build it up. I find when I cast my dolls in resin they are a bit lighter than the apoxie originals. But if you're going to mold it, you would probably want to use all apoxie just because it is so strong.

I sculpt hands on wires just to add strength in the fingers, but I also found that the wires can come to the surface because it's hard to estimate where the clay will sit and how much of the wires will be covered by clay. When this happens I file back the visible wire and some of the apoxie and then cover over with more apoxie to remake the shape of the hand.

When you mix apoxie by squishing and rolling it in your hands, a thin layer will build up as you work. I recommend mixing the clay, then washing your hands with just warm water, no soap as it seems to come off easier with just water. You can wash with soap afterwards of course. Apoxie will stick less to clean hands than to hands that already have some on them.

My best experiences has been with apoxie sculpt, not clay. I also found that super white sticks to your hands a lot more than the regular stuff.

 

I ran across this tip today at:
http://www.monstermakers.com/content/tips-tricks.html

I do not know if this works, or not. :confused:

I was looking for information about WED clay.

 

When I bought Apoxie Super White, Aves sent some of the solvent along for free without my asking. It's very useful for removing it from your hands. If you're sculpting with it, I'd recommend using the regular white instead.

I make molds for all my parts. I do sculpt the joints, usually solid and then drill them when hard. I might make basic sphere or semi-sphere molds in a range of sizes, but I'd rather cast spheres in resin to work on then to try to accurately squish apoxie into the molds ~ my joints rarely end up being round though, they are usually a bit odd and mechanical in their final shape but I might start from a sphere. To make a socket, I use cling-film as a barrier between fresh clay and a solid piece so they do not stick together. Put the apoxie where you want the clay, lay a piece of cling film over and then press the joint in. If you have already cut slots in the joint they will also be in the impression, you can push them out while the clay is soft, or sand/carve them off later.

 

I've had really good luck with just using baby wipes to clean un-cured Apoxie off my hands - I think baby wipes have a bit of alcohol or something in them that makes them great for cleaning Apoxie.

 

Yes files, rasps and sandpaper will work.

 

Haha, I just noticed this thread. :XD
I think everything has been covered so far, but I guess I'm the only one who wears gloves when mixing up my clay. The mixing stage seems to be the messiest part as it comes together it gets a bit less...loose, it holds together better after it's fully mixed that's when I take my gloves off. ( I like to keep my nails on the long side too, so that's one more reason for the gloves on my part. :p )
As for the joints, I had originally made mine from AS but found that I couldn't get their shape just right and switched to beads. I used wooden ones, but if I could have found something easier to drill in the size I needed, I would have used that.