Super Sculpey - how durable is it?

Genezilla · 05-01-2012, 09:49 PM

Hello All,

Im brand new to these forums, and I've been inspired by some of the amazing designs and creations here. I sculpted back in High School, and Im keen to take this hobby back up again.

I live in Perth, Australia. And I havent been able to source a reliable distributor of Super Sculpey here. I found a place that sold some, but it was WAY overpriced and they only had one block. My question is, how has ppl found buying Super Sculpey online? Im worried about purchasing a dried up block, since I want to purchase at least 3 or 4 at once.

Also is it durable? If I put it in a zipper bag and plastic container, will it be usable in say 6 months? I've read that the durability varies, but I figured that Id ask the experts for their opinions.

Cheers,
GeneZilla

Alaneye · 05-02-2012, 03:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genezilla

Hello All,

Im brand new to these forums, and I've been inspired by some of the amazing designs and creations here. I sculpted back in High School, and Im keen to take this hobby back up again.

I live in Perth, Australia. And I havent been able to source a reliable distributor of Super Sculpey here. I found a place that sold some, but it was WAY overpriced and they only had one block. My question is, how has ppl found buying Super Sculpey online? Im worried about purchasing a dried up block, since I want to purchase at least 3 or 4 at once.

Also is it durable? If I put it in a zipper bag and plastic container, will it be usable in say 6 months? I've read that the durability varies, but I figured that Id ask the experts for their opinions.

Cheers,
GeneZilla

Hi, Super Sculpey is fine and will last a long time. I have some that's about a year old now, it's been wrapped polythene in a box, and though it has firmed up a bit, it is still perfectly workable. The product you need to be more wary of is the grey Sculpey Firm. Old stock of that can be rock hard.

Al

Genezilla · 05-02-2012, 04:53 AM

Thx for the reply Al, thats music to my ears! I'll order a few online and hopefully get a nice soft initial batch that will last me a while.
Cheers

cyborgt800 · 05-02-2012, 08:51 PM

You can recondition SS with a pasta machine and some vegetable oil. I personally do not think SS has any durability at all though...I find it very brittle after baking.

My preferred product is Apoxie Sculpt...It is very durable even in thin sections once cured. You do have to adjust your sculpting style to it's curing time but I found that almost a non-issue, others cannot adjust.
Apoxie also will keep forever. If it firms up from storage you can microwave it for 15-454 seconds and completely rejuvenate it. I did that to some 10 year old Apoxie with outstanding results.
Another Apoxie plus is that I can make my armatures from it and just start adding more bit by bit until complete. It can be polished, painted, sanded, drilled, filed and machined.

shakazulu · 05-03-2012, 12:48 AM

I have used aves sculpt, aves fixit and magic sculpt.

Aves fixit is the strongest of the bunch and holds it shape even on thin pieces and it wont sag. It is more expensive though then the rest.

Aves sculpt is great too but very soft like clay. You have to wait about 30 mins for it to firm up and it is more easy to use.

I found that Magic Sculpt is the weakest of the bunch. I would not recommend it at all.

I had used aves sculpt and fixit on statues and they stay rock hard for years. I use magic sculpt and it's brittle (maybe it's shelf life doesnt go past a year, meh).

cyborgt800 · 05-03-2012, 07:02 AM

The other thing I dislike about SS is the shrinkage...it's slight, but enough that it can cause cracking on an armature. So again Aves wins as well as in the blending layers together...SS is a bit lacking in the layering department as well.

It's true that Aves cost is greater but if you consider that you can bulk out most sculptures with EPS, paper or aluminum foil first and just add a thin layer of Aves to skin it all of a sudden you'll find that the same amount of Aves goes way farther than SS.

Don't get me wrong, I still use SS, just not as much anymore....probably why I have about 10 bricks of it still in the boxes plus about a hundred of the colored mini packs still in their wrappers.

One issue many also find with SS is having to build an oven or cut their work into sections in order to cure larger pieces...that isn't an issue with Aves.

I have to say though that if you're not a "layers" type sculptor than Aves may not be for you...I also like DAS and LaDoll due to their self-hardening though they aren't nearly as strong as Aves.

then there is the smoothing issue...mineral oil or alcohol for SS but Aves, DAS and LaDoll all just smooth with water.

Genezilla · 05-07-2012, 08:47 PM

This is some amazing feedback and I thank everyone who replied. I've been doing a lot of research and for now have decided to try out SS - since Im a beginner and want to work with a product that will be easy to use off the bat. I've already started sculpting the head and body for my design piece.

I've also tried boiling a SS test sculpt with great success. 15 mins in boiling hot water and it was rock hard afterwards, managed to sand down to sculpt too.

I hope to post some pics up soon. Thanks for allyour input.

shakazulu · 05-07-2012, 08:52 PM

no problem zoolander