Sculpey ?

No problem. I think the stuff is great, I checked out celuclay but after reading the directions just sounded like it was to messy for me to try around my kids. I like the sculpty cause it woun't set up till you want it to and it will take any shape easily. Plus it is great for making sandbags and bed rolls with. The only draw back i can really see is if you want to make a real thick area something would have to be done to hold it up similar to paper mache. I guess wire would work about the same but I have not yet had an instance to try it.

Thanks for the info. Didn't want to force you into a master's thesis on the science of sculpey....

I use mdf for my bases so I don't worry much about it here. (I live on an island) The humidity plays havoc on pine bases etc. The mdf machines up nice and I usually paint it. If I do use wood it has to be sealed 8 ways from sunday.

I was thinking abut using sculpey for a similar project but wanted to be sure about its characteristics being used as a base (spread out over an area) before I put too much effort and time into it. Sounds pretty safe.

Thanks lizarqing.

Mike

I used a wood plauqe for the base. The only thing that I can imagine adhered it to the wood is from all the pressing on I did while forming it. It's on the good though, I tried to seperate a corner of it after I baked it and it would not budge. It seems to be adhered even better than the last one I did with glue, I had alot of problems with getting it stay flush with the base. I thought that time that maybe the water in the glue was having an effect with the wood. With the way that the wood is from the store it is allready kiln dried so shoud not be to much moisture in it. Of coarse the real test will be come summer time here in GA when the humidity returns, right now it has been pretty much in the 30% relative range.
I imagine that there has to be something in it, If it was real clay, then it would dry out over time and become hard like dirt does. This stuff stays moist in a package that is not air tight. I have had the box I have now for about 6 months sitting on top of the fridge and its still moist. That may be what is getting it to adhere to the wood. I have noticed very little contracting with the drying process. There will be some of coarse because water is being removed from it similar to concrete and it's thin. Thats why I am thinking that the cracks happened where they did. It was areas where I thined it out with the indentions.
Allright, I just realized that I am sitting here pondering the science behind sculpty. I must be bored!

Does it contract as it dries?

What sort of base material did you use? Some woods will shrink and swell with the grain, and I would think that if the sculpey is rigid and the wood has some movement.....

Did putting the base into the oven effect the wood? (i.e. the oven would be like a large kiln then and would dry the wood out causing the grain to contract. Bring it back out and let it sit in the rooms ambient humidity and it will swell a bit) will this effect the adhesion of the sculpey?

What is in the sculpey that makes it adhere to the wood?

Mike

talcum/baby powder is also good to help rolling the stuff into strips and the like.

Thanks for the tip Domi. I figured I would try wearing latex gloves this time and that seemed to work pretty good. Also found out that the handle of an exacto make pretty good use rolling it out and keeps it having a smooth surface as well. I did have a couple places that cracked during baking. Basically from areas that I made holes for the pole,sign and tree so they would appear to be coming out of the ground. Grass covered those up nicely though.

Chris, do you know how to get rid of fingerprints and joint lines and other imperfections in your sculpey? Use cooking oil, and a soft brush or cloth to rub them away or 'melt' the two patches together. Before it's baked, of course!

Oil is like a thinner for the stuff!

Yea probally would have been better that way, I did it that way for my jeep dio, allthough I can't remember what I put under it. So far it is holding very good to wood with no glue and just been baked on it. I guess time will tell with this one. It works great for ground work domi, stays workable until it gets baked and not very messy. Seems to paint very good to. Not to mention it is pretty cheap. This is the second dio I have gotten out of one box and the last one I also made trrees and sandbags with it. Still have enough to do another one at least.

I'd have done it Muzzleflash's way... I only use Sculpey (well, Super Sculpey) for my dinos, WB and Star Wars figures... I've never used it to make groundwork. May have to try!

Throw some ramon noodles on top and this could be a 4 star meal. yea this is the one for the Panther. Last time i used it for a base i glud it down but i pulled up in some spots. plus it was a much smaller area to work with. So far this is holding tight to the wood on it's own and looks as if it is part of the wood. I just hop it holds over time.

Brings back the days of bachelor cooking eh?

Rock soup with pine plank for dinner.



LQ, I put wax paper under my sculpey, then remove it easily and bake it on tin foil (dont use sculpey much, but that's what i did and was pretty simple) then just white glue it to your base.

so is this for your panther?