Sculpting questions

[Captain Blood]

Wow. All that spit... And I never knew...

Just to think that all those minis have been lovingly crafted using flob (as we used to call it at school).

Outstanding.

Now that's really putting a little bit of yourself into your figures. 

[The_Wisecrack]

first off i would say, take a look at ebob's site, it has everything,  .

http://www.ebobminiatures.com/products/tools.htm#sculpting

i bought the 8 pound set. probably a bit expensive for the green stuff included BUT, the dollies are inspirational. and the tools are brilliant. one more than the other. for sculpting i only ever use the scalpel blade. and i have found uses for the bigger end of that tool and the other tool. e.g carving door texture etc.

here is an example of what i have achieved using the tools in this set.

i also used white milliput but i wouldn't EVER advise it. it gets everywhere and is the most annoying thing to work with.
as for wetting the tool. just "lick it", not literally , but your tongue should be moist enough to just rub to toll lightly along it, not stab yourself with the blade  .



also, here is an example of someones work using the dollies, I LOVE THIS WORK.
http://makingminiatures.blogspot.com/2008/01/ready-to-cast.html

[vikotnik]

"Please Note: due to the supplier running out of stock, the 5-piece sets won't be available until the last week of October. Sorry about that."

...if You simply HAVE to get them quick, have a look here:

http://www.battlefield-berlin.de/shop/index.php?list=CLAY%20SHAPER

[Argonor]

Thanks, all!

Ebob has a lot of great stuff, too, as has BB...

No, I'm not in a hurry, and I do have to cut back on hobby spendings this month as I have a couple of things I MUST have to get on with some projects...

[Danny the Chimp]

Spit is indeed the choice you need, however while I never use anything else, I have never "licked my tool" as some suggest ( I know it sounds horrendous heh)

Then when you are about to smooth some work or just to moisten the tool (This is turning out to be a filthy innuendo post) if its becoming too tacky to work, just dip it into the spit puddle, and continue work.

Ahh, dear Necrostone. Dead from the waste up by the sounds of it... 

[Ramshackle_Curtis]

You can get a silicone thingy from any good art shop. They look like brushes but with a rubber end. They come in many shapes.

As for metal tools, I make my own from wire coat hangers. I hate it when I lose my tools so I go into the idea that if I make the tool when I lose it i can easily replace it. Takes about 20 mins and costs nothing, so is better than having to trudge into town to spend £5 on a tool Im probably going to have to modify anyway...

[Argonor]

You can get a silicone thingy from any good art shop.

You'd be surprised what you cannot get in Denmark that is easily available just around the corner anywhere else.....

As for metal tools, I make my own from wire coat hangers.

A good idea, actually.... alas, another thing you very rarely see around here anymore... plastics, plastics, plastics.... some with a metal hook, though, I could try one of those.... 

[blackstone]

There was a time when most miniatures where sculpted in milliput. Milliput sets rock hard if you mix it unevenly i.e. about 60/40 dark putty to light putty, (hardener/resin). This makes it good for certain things like stuff that needs filing to a point etc.

The reason most sculpters use green stuff now, as explained to me by Bryan Ansell of Citadel/Foundry no less, is the green stuff curing "soft" means the green have more chance of surviving the molding process intact. This means the sculpter than then rework the green into a new figure. Milliput figures tended to crack with the heat and pressure applied in the molding process.

When I sculpt figures I use a mix of green stuff and milliput these days like Danny the Chimp posted.

Personally I don't use any lubericants when sculpting I use a scalpel to scrape the pin I use if it gets a bit sticky during sculpting. The only "tool" I use when sculpting is a 2 inch sowing needle. That's it. Here's some 20mm zombies I did with the humble pin!

Other sculpters use lots of different tools however. I know Andy from Westwind custom makes alot of tools out of squashed down brass tubes, and btw he uses olive oil as a lubricant... probably better than spit to be honest! 

[NECROSTONE]

""""Ahh, dear Necrostone. Dead from the waste up by the sounds of it..."


 LaughAhh Chimp come here please....

( readies the chloroform)

....Vincent ....ready the wax will you....?

[Verderer]

Here's some 20mm zombies I did with the humble pin!

Eeek! Are those really 20mm??? Where can I buy them?

[Ramshackle_Curtis]

Yes, I dont know many good sculptors who even use shop boaught tools. I make mine, my buddies tend to use pins or other household items.

As for wire coat hangers, they are indeed a limited resource! Horde any you can get...