As the title suggests, I'm wondering what method you're using for creating the ball joints. How do you get them round? How do you get them hollow? What material are you using? I'm currently working with Super Sculpey Medium Blend, and I've tried several different methods for creating the ball joints, ( I'll use double joints for most parts) including baking the clay around a wooden bead and then attempting to cut it out, making a mold, using a circle ruler thingy, just rolling them in my palms and hoping for the best, and so on. The method that worked best for me was to make a short tube out of aluminium foil about the diameterof the ball, roll it in my palms, cure, use the circle ruler thingy to make it rounder, cut out the foil, and then model the two finished balls together for a double joint. I don't have a drill, so I have to use a sharp knife instead. I'm sure this is far from the most effective method, so what method are you using?
I'm still very much trying to figure this out myself to be honest! My first doll used straws to keep the channels open, which were built then with epoxy. Used files later to widen the holes. The body I am making right now will be plaster cast, so I am using solid resin spheres for the joints. That's the hope at least!
I don't sculpt in polymer clay, so I unfortunately don't know how people make polymer clay ball joints hollow or what tricks they use to get them spherical... but with air dry clays, you can wrap a layer of clay on top of a spherical object (usually a smooth styrofoam ball) to get the sphere started. Then you make it nice and spherical by sanding or several other clever tricks, some of which are discussed in previous threads about making ball joints. But I just stumbled across this method, which I had not seen before: http://patinadoll.com/キレイな間接球の作り方/ So the site is in Japanese but the general idea is that you stick a thin stick into the ball of clay you've made, then add some wet, soft clay onto the surface, then shape the ball with the mouth of a bottle or small jar by pushing the ball into the mouth and swiveling it around to make it round. The author says it's easiest to do when the mouth of the jar/bottle comes up to about 2/3 of the way to the half way mark of the sphere. Hope this helps someone! I'm definitely going to try this method.
@TenguCrow That is pretty much the same method I am using, with the help of this product: http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODAyWDE2MDA=/z/dBEAAOSwq7JUDcj9/$_35.JPG Though it can only be used when the sculpey has been baked, otherwise it would just smudge the clay around. Fortunately it has a sharp edge, so you can kind of "carve" it into a round shape, though it takes alot of time.
Wow infuscate, I had no idea you could use that with baked polymer clay! I had no idea it would be soft enough to carve with plastic. It does seem like it would take some time and forceful fingertips. Good to know!
@TenguCrow What I did was that i baked the clay for only half the recommended time, so it wasn't fully cured, but still firm and hard! My fingertips hurt like hell though after a while, haha.
