Soft, Medium or Hard?

[TigerEyes]

When working with Castilene what is your preference. I am doing a lot of research on the debate of Castilene versus Sculpey but if I were to go with Castilene which option is best?

[lord odin]

I thought this was a post on breasts sorry carry on. :confused2

[rmblair]

LOLLL!!! That's funny! Hahaha! What was the question, again?

[Tony Coca]

I think Viagra can help you with your situation.

[Kdawg59]

If you are going to take the plunge into castilene I wouldn't use the soft. Most sculptor who use Castilene prefer to use the hard grade for great detail and handling. Tony Cipriano has told me that medium is also not bad to work with albeit a bit softer and more malleable... The hard stuff can be quite solid and foget about working it with your hands at room temp... But that is the point of it... you can't smash something important like you could do with sculpey and the softer clays...

Hoep that helps a little...

and yes T... viagra could cure any situation although I'm pretty sure it won't make clay any firmer:)

[Confessor]

I thought for sure this was a thread about preferences of toothbrush bristles. So for the record, in order to reduce gum recession, go for soft.....

[rob]

I have no problem working with the medium. You don't really need to heat the tools either. You can still get crisp detail with it. Put your work in the fridge when you aren't working on it. The hard stuff will require you to heat your tools. A lot of carving work involved, too.

[Curt Chiarelli]

Greetings:

Speaking as a guy who's worked in both mediums I'm partial to Sculpey Premo because it is harder than Super Sculpey, thus allowing for sharper, high-level detail (forget about bothering with Sculpey II and III - it's pure garbage).

The primary benefit of working in Castilene (which is little more than Chavant or Roma Plastilina brand plasticene blended in with carving wax and extra filler) is that it has the handling properties of sculptor's wax, thus eliminating issues of rubbing out your detail while working on the piece in its preliminary stages. Considering this factor, if you were to choose Castilene, my recommendation would be to get the hard grade.

Ultimately, it all depends upon personal preference, patience, dedication and your talent to make it work for you. Good luck and good sculpting!

Best Wishes,

Curt