Jointing Making Ball Joints

I use wooden balls that I alter like so. The only problem is you can't get them wet else they'll expand and break your doll. X3 Super Sculpey shouldn't shrink at all, I haven't had any problems with mine. I usually stick the ball into the joint and roll it around till it fits smoothly.

Someone also had a link to acrylic balls, but I'm afraid those would melt in the oven...

 

Batchix's wodden ball idea is awesome! ^^ I myself might use it later on, but for now I seem to be okay with making joints.

My Advice about making super sculpey joints -

When I make joints I roll a ball of sculpey in my hands untill it is, well, round, and then I let it sit for a bit to cool off (the clay can get too soft when worked a lot). You could also stick it in the fridge for 10-some minutes to cool it off (it won't hurt it). and then take a SHARP razor blade (Or exactoknife) and gently cut out (With a slight sawing motion as if you were cutting meat, instead of a pushing motion) where the slit is, and then take toothpics and other tools to get out the rest. You pretty much just have to be gentle and not squish it. Ushally I do this AFTER I attach the ball to the body part it's a part of and hollow that part out up to the point of the ball joint.

THEN what you can do is size the SOCKET using the baked other part. For example, take the baked upper arm with the ball on it and twist it around in your arm socket to get the socket smooth and fitted to the size and shape of the arm ball.

And to my knowledge sculpey, and polymer clays in general, don't shrink in the oven....althrough some air-drying clays DO.

 

Lithe-Fider, you must have the most awesome sculpting control in the world. i always squish them flat when i try to do that before it bakes.
have you ever tried baking the ball, then drilling, and then attaching the
already baked ball to the unbaked polymer for the rest of the limb?
I've done that semi-successfully.

mostly I use Batchix's method - though joints for different areas get modified differently, depending on how i want the joint to move.

I'm trying to get the courage to try molding and resin casting - wonder if anyone has tried just casting resin joints to use - you would have to drill them out by hand with your dremel or whatever after they set up - and the resin is poisonous, but it seems like it would be wonderful to have a bunch made up to use...

 

I'll be doing some trial casting when I get Bastian's resin. :3 I can try that and see how it goes. The trouble is making it hollow because I can't stick a core mold in for that, the holes are to small. But I CAN do a slush mold(which involves shaking the mold around to cover all the sides). It takes several casts to fill up the mold doing that... but I think I can do it. we'll see! Hopefully that resin comes soon, I ordered it near a month ago now. =_=

 

Batchix said :
"I'll be doing some trial casting when I get Bastian's resin. :3 I can try that and see how it goes. The trouble is making it hollow because I can't stick a core mold in for that, the holes are to small. But I CAN do a slush mold(which involves shaking the mold around to cover all the sides). It takes several casts to fill up the mold doing that... but I think I can do it. we'll see! Hopefully that resin comes soon, I ordered it near a month ago now. =_="

that is so awesome - can't wait to see what you post.
I hadn't thought of the "slush mold" idea - that sounds good - i think for small dolls solid wouldn't be bad, but I haven't figured out a good way to hold the balls to drill them... i wonder if they make concave things to fit into your clamp that could hold them?

 

sculpey WILL shrink..i had a nasty experience with that once...i had covered a wooden bead with clay to make a doll's face..then baked it..

and as it cooled the back of the head split wide open and fell off the bead...so..it got ruined..and i learned the hard way, heh

 

Well, don't drink either part of the resin, but the whole resin-is-Poisonous is mostly a dust phenomenon, where the resin dust, if inhaled in sufficient quantities, is a suffocant.
The same may be said of water.

Use reasonable precautions--eye protection, nitrile gloves (you can buy them in the grocery store now ), don't use containers you plan to use for food later on.
And wear a well-fitted dust mask without cracks between your face & the mask when sanding.

Ann in CT