FAQ: Apoxie Sculpt and other epoxy putties for additive modifications and repairs

Hi! I work with polymer clay which is actually a type of plastic, just that before baking, it has properties like clay so you can knead it to shape etc. It bakes to a rock-hard finish and in my years of working with it, I've never experienced any of my work breaking when dropped on the floor.

However, I do not know how big a piece you want to sculpt, most of my pieces are not bigger than roughly 5cm since my main work is in food miniatures. So there is a possibility that it MIGHT break if you're thinking of making something that is huge and heavy.

Hope this helps!

 

I was just thinking along the lines of small things as accesoiries to big things like MSD sized chairs for example.

I looked into aves epoxy sculpt but for big sized projects such as chairs I find it too expensive.
I'll definetly look into polymer clay, sounds like that's exactly what I'm looking for

(a normal clay chair would break when dropped from a small desk, which, if it's a pretty chair, would be a terrible waste...)

Thanks a lot for the advice it was very helpful and wonderful

 

I'd recommend polymer clay. Some brands are just like clay, and some are MUCH harder. (kato clay is the hardest polymer on the market last time i checked, you need a food processor to work with it).
For an MSD chair i'm guessing you want some sort of fantasy add on or something?
I'd advise doing the main structure in wood, adding the details in clay later.

An MSD chair in polymer clay will get pretty pricey.

 

agree with the polymer clay - some are super strong - i made a 60cm tail for my bjd out of sculpy living doll and cernit and it's holding up just fine - i've dropped the pieces a few times without any damage.
that and you can leave the clay out for months without it drying

 

I used Magic Sculp, which is just another version of an apoxie clay. It hardened overnight, but was perfectly pliable and easy to work with while wet. I mixed roughly two equal amounts of the ingredients and was able to complete my mods and then some from a very small amount (about 5oz, for around $7 which is quite cheap compared to some others.) My mods included were small, but I've still got plenty to add ears, close eyes, and further mod my doll body....

 

If you are looking for something rubbery, Sculpey makes a clay that cures into a bendy, rubbery substance. http://www.sculpeyproducts.com/SuperFlexBakeandBend.htm

 

I'm in the middle of waiting on Dollmore epoxy putty to dry in an MNF head (making it into a "normal" filled in neck area with slot for s-hook instead of the MNF switch-neck opening thing) and wondering if I'm doing it right? The directions aren't very clear (the usual not-very-good English) and it mentions working with water on your fingers while molding the putty. Do I actually need to make sure all of it gets wet so some kind of chemical reaction will make it harden, or do I just have to wait? I figured it would be more dry about 10 hours later and it's still pretty sticky where I checked it earlier. I've never used the stuff before so I have no idea, I did use some water on my fingers at first but not towards the end and am wondering if that effects it.

Or do I just needa wait longer. XD Hoping that is the case, but if I've done something wrong or it won't set due to missing more water, a directive towards that solution would be most helpful. ^_^

 

if it is similar to milliputt, water doesnt make much difference, though when curing it can be still softish/maleable, ie bend it a little - best wait the full curing time - put it on one side and try not to fiddle

~

Has anyone used Amazing Scuplt? found it on ebay and postage to the UK is 14 dollars have a moderate amount of milliput left for my couple of projects which I need to used up, but just querying in advance have had issue with Millput drooping during curing when doing long ear mods, etc

 

The water on your fingers recommendation is just some kind of trick to make the putty stick less to your fingers, but it usually doesn't work too well.

 

oh, and has anyone used Magic Sculp(t)? been mentioned in this thread, but no mention of how it performed .. thanks found some white ebay UK and says it is finer than milliput ...

 

Okay cool thank you, yeah I plan to leave it alone for a couple of days at least even though it says 12 hours on the package (I'm past that already). Want to be sure it is totally set, and glad the water has nothing to do with it. And I notice that too Sharkyra, hence why I was slightly confused over maybe the water had another reason to be needed. XD

Edit: Ah HAH! I are SMRT. So thaaat's why there are two colors in the package. I had no idea you had to knead them together in equal parts (the instructions say this only if you are looking at it in hindsight really). It's actually working now. XD

 

I'm wanting to make some animal parts for my Pukipuki, like animal legs/paws and stuff, but I'm not sure which clay to buy. ^^;

 

http://www.avesstudio.com/index.php...ion=com_virtuemart&Itemid=4&vmcchk=1&Itemid=4

Apoxie Sculpt air dries, is sand-able, and produces strong parts.

You can find it at some hobby stores, but I order it off the internet (because I do not live near any good hobby stores).

SA

 

I suggest paper clay.i love that stuff (I'm making my own bjd with it). it's an air dry clay too. You could use polymer. It's my second choice and it requires baking. Paper clay is much easier to sand than paper clay but it takes longer to dry because it has to air dry. I've never used apoxie before so I don't know anything about it. You can find all of the clays at hobby lobby and other craft stores. Hope this helps.

 

I second strangeangels comment about Avies apoxy, but Milliput brand Epoxy is also good. For sculpting parts that need to be strung with elastic I'd recommend an epoxy/apoxy. While for things like ears or horns or anything else attached by say magnets or putty; paper clay or polymer clay is aok.

 

Sculpty is pretty good, I think. I got to finally work with some of that a few days ago, and it might prove useful.

 

hi i would to ask what putty can i use on a ws doll head ro fill a hole.. that is not noticeable? incase i did it wrong how can i remove it?

 

If it's a pure white, you can use milliput super fine white. You can use other epoxies, either way you most likely have to tint or paint it to colour match.

 

It also depends on how big/deep the "hole" is. If its say from a dog/cat getting a hold of the doll or a ding/dent from a fall, you can try the boiling trick, and it should pop back out again.

 

thank you,,,

 

by the way how can i also remove the putty? so that i would also know... thank you

 

Epoxy mods are for the most part permanent. The only way to get rid of it is to sand the epoxy (carefully) back down to the resin.

 

For lots of info on your first mods and on resin care, see the very useful Customizing Index: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?173416-Customizing-Thread-Index

 

thank you...

 

hi id like to know if i can use air dry clay on modding a bjd? thank you

 

When I use air dry clay for making little miniatures, they break like nothing. It's extremely fragile. I highly doubt it's strong enough to be used on modifications.

 

thank you.. i thought i can use it. anyway thank you for your info..

 

I find LaDoll works well because it has fibers and hardens over time but the problem like air dries is once water hits it, it starts to soften so you have to seal it with some sort of spray putty like Mr. Hobby.

If you want try the apoxie route, I personally enjoy Milliput Super Fine White.

 

Yes, LaDoll is excellent! I like LaDoll Premiere which is light weight. It doesn't shrink as much as other air dry clay so it's less prone to cracking. It's VERY strong when dry, but it does dissolve in water. So it's better for a mod you don't need to be permanent. For a permanent mod, I would use milliput.

(Basically echoing what Animadictsaiyuki said.)

 

Resurrection!!
I was wondering if anyone knew which epoxy putty BEST matched Fairyland Beauty White? If it matters for matching reasons, I just got her in February of this year. Please help!

 

Question about Amazing Sculpt. I'm trying to match to a light natural skin tone. Does anyone know what color combo is best to do that? Trying to Match Bluefairy natural skin

 

The question on matching CP Beauty White was a few months ago, but I figured I should toss this in here for reference.

While I was trying to make a doll body out of apoxie, I was trying to match my BW Breakaway boy's head, so I've got a couple tips here.

I tried this with Apoxie Sculpt Super White (since the regular white is really more grey)
For tinting it, I used Liquitex Heavy Body (which has lots of pigment in it) in: Cadmium Yellow Light Hue, Unbleached Titanium, and Naples Yellow Hue.
It was mostly Unbleached Titanium, then a fair amount of Cadmium Yellow Light Hue, then a little Naples Yellow Hue.

Mix these up first in your pallet of choice, then use a toothpick (or something similar size, also good for mixing those colours together) to add some to part A of the apoxie. I found that, for some reason, adding a bit of water to the mixture makes the pigments stretch a LOT farther. I would need to add three times as much paint when I didn't use water.

 

How does the apoxy handle being sanded? Is it easy to get as smooth as resin, or is it kind of touchy to work with?

 

Hobbywhelmed: It's quite hard when it cures and I've been able to get it pretty smooth. Thought it's best to do as much smoothing as you can before it cures, for which water on your hands and tools works well. The only place you want to be a bit more careful is where the apoxie feathers into the resin.


Another general tip is to let the apoxie/epoxie sit to firm up for a while after mixing it- because at that point, it's more or less a gooey mess.

 

Bump because I have a question about removing mods. I've got a head I've adopted who had one of his eyes closed and scarred with epoxy. Is there any way to remove this? If worse comes to worst I have a dremel I can use, but I'd really like to avoid that if at all possible. Thanks!

 

LeexMarie - The best way to remove epoxy/apoxie is to sand it back down to the shape you want. The solvents you'd have to use to loosen it up would do more harm to the resin faster than it would loosen the epoxy/apoxie. This has been my experience anyway. Your best bet is to open the eye with sanding tools (paper and files) and make the 'scar' flush.

 

Random thoughts on apoxy/epoxy/putty and color matching:

my Dad used to patch stuff using superglue and baking soda - sprinkle the baking soda on quick while the glue is wet to get better fill and a base that you could tint. Extrapolating from that - would it maybe be possible for small fills/repairs/ mods to sand or scrape a little bit of resin from a hidden thick area (like inside a head cap), put in the epoxy, then do a covering skin layer of the sanding dust or scraping? Would it be possible to boil and smooth the outside scrapings layer once the epoxy is cured, like you'd do for a scratch or small nick? This would theoretically give a perfect/near perfect color match. Or am I thinking when I should 't be again?

 

I was wondering if anyone here uses Tamiya putty from Volks.

http://www.volksusa.com/matlpa0039.html

Do you get a lot of it in a package? The description doesn't say how much putty is in the container. I'm asking because I have a lot of projects I want to do with it,but I don't know if I'll have enough.

 

It says on the box on the right hand side: NET 25g. I would assume that is the amount it contains :] I'm not sure how much you would need for projects though since I havent done any yet. Hope this helps ^^

Here's a bigger pic I found on google:
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn309/gmodelkit2008/87052A.jpg

 

It comes in two pieces - around 10cm/4inch long strips. One strip is the putty, the other is the hardener. Thickness of each strip is less than 0.5cm/0.2inch. If you are doing a lot of modding you probably need a lot.

 

I know that probably looked like a dumb question,but I couldn't see the 25g part on the Volks site at all. Thank you both for posting those pics! All I really have to do is fix some scratches and chips,and that looks like it would be enough.

 

You can buy it cheaper off Hobby Search, rather than from Volks - unless you are buying some of their nifty other supplies together ^^;

 

Before you buy it online why not try your local model hobby shop? You might get lucky and find that they sell all types of Tamiya things

 

If you have a Horizon Hobby near you, they carry a bunch of Tamiya products ^^ Not sure if you'll be able to find this specifically though since on their online shop it says discontinued. But I'm sure you might be able to find some at another hobby shop in your area ^^

 

I ordered it from Volks because I had a lot of other stuff to buy there,like string and shine pearl,but I'll definitely check out Hobby Search.

The only store where I live is Wal Mart,and they never have anything I need for BJDs. I pretty much have to rely on the internet to buy stuff like that.

 

I have question, I asked this on a different thread before and someone answered me but I would like more suggestion. I'm planning to make some detachable fantasy parts, but i have to use my doll as a manequin, so someone suggest me to use Premier LaDoll air dry clay because it doesnt stick to doll?
Another suggestion was to cover her in clingfilm and use Apoxie, but he/she also said it might stick to the clingfilm. But I dont want that.
Have anyone tried these???

 

Hello, i want to ask if we have to use mask while sanding or carving milliput epoxy putty? I know that if we mod a bjd we have to wear a mask but i'm not sure about epoxy putty.
Also is there a sub forum for asking questions? I'm worried of posting in wrong forum >.<
Thank you!

 

I think this might go in the Customization&Maintenance section, but I'm not sure.
I would recommend wearing a mask. I don't know for certain if the dust is toxic (I wouldn't be surprised if it was), but it's still dust and I would prefer to be protected from that kind of stuff.

 

Yes dust is toxic! And you should also wear gloves (I know it won't help you modelling but milliput is topix so..)

 

Yes, please wear a proper mask which filters out particulates, to protect your lungs and your health. You can also further prevent inhalation of dusts by sanding/carving wet, if possible. Your health is more important than your dolls!

I don't have particular knowledge of the toxicity of milliput, but maybe Tekenduis can help you if you post in this thread :http://www.denofangels.com/forums/s...you-need-to-know-about-respiratory-protection!

There isn't really a subforum dedicated to asking questions They're organized into whatever area of the hobby is relevant. For example, if I had a question about postal services, I would go to the Buying and Shipping Questions subforum. If I had a sewing question, it would go under Sewing and Crafting :> Don't worry, if somethings in the wrong place, it'll probably be moved by a mod to its proper home

 

Thank you guys for your answers! xD
*bow bow*

I forgot to ask what kind of sanding paper is the most suitable? Because what I used doesnt seem to be very effective

 

Uhm... apologies if this has been talked about before...
I want to make fantasy leg parts for a pukifee, without using the actual pukifee calfs as a base... so I was wondering if I can us epoxy to make them instead, but I'm scared that the epoxy would break when I try to string it... I also don't know where to get s-hooks that tiny, or how to make fantasy leg parts... xD (Ugh, I shouldn't be planning already. I'm not even ready to save for my pukifee yet)

 

Hi Calabri,

A few things. ^^

Epoxy is an adhesive, used to bind two things together. Apoxie is what you're looking for, a sculpting material. Apoxie is known to be ridiculously strong, but I don't know offhand the resistance it has to elastic tension of a doll.

It is perfectly possible to sculpt parts entirely out of apoxie, but you really need to have a clear plan of what to do first. It's a bit unforgiving for a beginner in sculpting, because when it cures, it is permanent and very hard to change. I recommend doing some practice pieces in clay first, so you can go through the motions. Everyone's sculpting techniques are different, so you'll have to find what is best for you.

There are plenty of tutorials here in the customization subforum that can help you along the way, just use the forum - specific search function to limit it to customization.

Best of luck,
Laelen

 

Apoxie is a BRAND of Epoxie putty. You WILL want an artists epoxie putty for your work, as it takes longer to cure. All epoxie putties can be sanded, and even carved to some degree after curing. They cure by a chemical process, to any you mix should be used before it cures too far and goes hard. Once cured, it should easily stand up to being strung, ESPECIALLY on such a small doll.

Apoxie Sculpt, Amazing Sculpt and Miliput are all brands of artist grade epoxie putties. All have been used with dolls. I personally have only ever used Amazing Sculpt.

Just make sure your pieces are thick enough without being too bulky, and have good channels for the elastics to go through. If you can find straws small enough in diameter, it can be a good idea to sculpt your new leg pieces over sections of straws, so that you don't have to drill out channels after the pieces are finished. That might not work so small, or with the kinds of angles you might need depending on the type of legs you're making, but it's worth a try.

Agreeing on starting out with clay for practice. It'll help you get a better idea of what you're doing, and how to go about sculpting your epoxie pieces.

 

I second trying to find straws. I've seen people use them before for legs etc. and it is pretty amazing what can be accomplished :] I also wanted to suggest finding the straws that have the bendy part at the top cuz you can use that bend to your advantage for the angle of the legs ^^ It might be a little hard to work with at first since it's so flexible but I'm sure with practice it could work great

 

Ah, thank you!

Oh that's really helpful, thanks!

Okay ^-^ thanks~

 

Hi

I have been away from the hobby for so long I have really forgot what is damaging to the resin when it comes to putties and whatnot. I have Tamiya Epoxy Putty --smooth-- and I was wondering if this is a safe item to use for eyes or not? Thank you in advance for your replies

xoxo chemi

 

Do you mean to hold eyes in? Epoxy will cure within a certain time period after you have mixed the two parts and become hard, so the eyes would not be removable. If you look in the Customization and Maintenance forum, you'll find a lot of threads on various things that are good to use for eye putty. Blue tack is often mentioned, as well as silicone ear plugs. It can depend on the type of eye that you are using.

Or, if you mean to sculpt eyes out of, then I don't see why it wouldn't work. ^_^

 

I was thinking of trying my hand in sculpting eyes so that sounds like a plausible option then! Thank you so much and sorry if I misplaced this thread, it sounds like it should be in Customization and Maintenance forum, so sorry about that!

 

Ah, ok neat! ^_^
I think I've seen some threads about making eyes, so maybe digging around the Customization and Maintenance forum will bring them up. Best of luck!