Two questions: Putting electronics in clay and making big head with less clay

[lchunleo]

Hi

everyone for your help in my past queries.

i have two questions which hope to have some comments or help

1) How do we put electronics in the clay? For e.g. if we wish to put LED to light up eyes, do we bake/boil it together with the piece? will it explode or spoil

2) my present understanding is that big head sculpture are typically using large amount of clay. i maybe asking the obvious but is it the only way to save clay is to wrap it with aluminium foil? Becos it seems alot of alumnium foil need to be used to bulk up the head? my past questions have been exploring the use of air dry clay but it is difficult to get the form right and it does not allow rework,,,thanks

[jollyskeleton]

You can save clay by using other materials as well... you can use epoxy putty to bulk up the insides, though aluminium foil would probably be the cheaper option.
Air dry clay does allow some rework to some extent. You just have to make sure the clay doesn't dry out until you are happy. Keep a spay bottle of water on hand, and cover the piece with moist cloth or paper under a plastic bag to help prevent dry-out.

As for the electronics, I'm not very sure, as I don't think people generally introduce electronics into their clay sculpts. Perhaps someone else can chime in... it would probably be best not to put the electronics in the oven. It would be better served to introduce electronics to a resin cast of your sculpt

[noysan3001]

Your best option is to sculpt the piece in sections where you will be installing the LED's. Some part of the head will be hollowed out for the LED. Make sure the remaining parts to be join are good fit so it will be easy to putty the seams. It's like making joints for multiple piece sculpture. Baked the clay, install the LED, join the two parts then putty the seams.

For huge head sculpt, It's much more economical to bulk up your sculpt using aluminum foil than with clay.

[lchunleo]

thanks to both for your prompt reply!

for the "over the piece with moist cloth or paper under a plastic bag to help prevent dry-out", it will cause the work to smear?

[jollyskeleton]

It shouldn't really cause the work to smear unless 1) the clay is really wet, or 2) your cloth or paper is soaking wet and heavy

[lchunleo]

Originally Posted by jollyskeleton

It shouldn't really cause the work to smear unless 1) the clay is really wet, or 2) your cloth or paper is soaking wet and heavy

thank you v much!