Starting with Chavant NSP medium

[axxis]

Hi everyone!

First of all I would like to say: You are amazing guys! In this forum are crazy Artist and very beautiful fine works :

Second, I would like to start sculpting the next week (now I´m collecting the tools and all this stuff..), I´m gonna start with Chavant NSP medium, because I don´t like to bake my Figure after finished and for the moment I don´t like to do molds, duplicates and so on..
Also, after watching some tutorials I saw NSP medium I nice clay for me to start on this amazing world

My question is: after finished my sculpting, how can I make NSP a little bit more hard? because I don´t know If after finish your work, If you for example, put a finger on the sculpt, it´s gonna be print a mark on it?
I know if I like a finished hard sculpt I should work with Super Sculpey (normal or firm) and bake it...but for the moment I would like to avoid oven.

Sorry for the bored paragrapf, I was looking for an answer like this on the forum and I don´t find it.

Thanks.

[jollyskeleton]

Hi there! Welcome to the forum! This is the right place to ask indeed.
I like to use Chavant NSP medium as my clay of choice because I like its feel and handling.
You need to be aware though that when you buy the block of clay, it is quite hard like a brick. It softens and eventually melts a little when you apply heat to it, and the converse is true, where you chill it, it hardens. So if you want to speed up hardening of the piece, you can invert a can of compressed air (air dusters) and freeze spray it. I suppose using the freezer helps too.

Left on its own, the clay gets harder to some extent that it may resist some bumps, and won't pick up fingerprints as easily as you think it might.

That being said, if you're not making copies of it, and this will be your final, I'm not quite sure what Chavant's lifespan will be like if left alone for long periods of time. It picks up dust quite easily, so you might want to spray some Crystal Clear coat when you're completely done with it, but otherwise, I can't answer for sure about the long term stability of the clay. It gets harder for sure, but that is all I can guarantee

Good luck, and hope this helps a bit!

[axxis]

Originally Posted by jollyskeleton

Hi there! Welcome to the forum! This is the right place to ask indeed.
I like to use Chavant NSP medium as my clay of choice because I like its feel and handling.
You need to be aware though that when you buy the block of clay, it is quite hard like a brick. It softens and eventually melts a little when you apply heat to it, and the converse is true, where you chill it, it hardens. So if you want to speed up hardening of the piece, you can invert a can of compressed air (air dusters) and freeze spray it. I suppose using the freezer helps too.

Left on its own, the clay gets harder to some extent that it may resist some bumps, and won't pick up fingerprints as easily as you think it might.

That being said, if you're not making copies of it, and this will be your final, I'm not quite sure what Chavant's lifespan will be like if left alone for long periods of time. It picks up dust quite easily, so you might want to spray some Crystal Clear coat when you're completely done with it, but otherwise, I can't answer for sure about the long term stability of the clay. It gets harder for sure, but that is all I can guarantee

Good luck, and hope this helps a bit!

Hi jollyskeleton! thank you for the warm welcome, for all the info and tips .
Thanks to you, now I have things more clear.
I need to search this Spray in Germany, I hope they sell it

Anyway, this Chavant must have lifespan or Artists like for example John Brown, Jordu Schell or Aris Kolokontes (I check out his website the last day and I was shocked with his works) doesn't worked with it.
I think they don't gonna build those sculptures for a couple of years, isn't it?

And I have another question, I have seen that most of the people work with SS. Is it Chavant starting to be in disuse, obsolte?

Again Thank you for everything

[jollyskeleton]

Hi again,
You're most welcome. We all start out somewhere, and I didn't start sculpting till a year or two before too. We all learn.
The canned air is used for cleaning electronics. You shouldn't have a problem finding it. It is just a matter of inverting the can and spraying. Be careful of your fingers or they might get frostbite.

The crystal clear acrylic you can find in hardware shops. Possibly near the spray paints.

I do believe Chavant is used as an intermediate compound, and eventually will have to be molded and cast in the future, but how long they last until you make the molds I do not know. It is fairly stable that is for sure.

I think most people work with SS because it is more readily available, and the fact that you can bake it and therefore "save" your work before continuing on without fear of bashing up a part. Chavant and plastilenes are still the clays of choice for people in the modelling industries in film etc.

Personally I like the texture of Chavant and how it can be softened with heat instead of having to continuously knead it like hardened (but not cured) sculpey.. It also just feels easier to handle. Big plus its also cheaper lol

[axxis]

Originally Posted by jollyskeleton

Hi again,
You're most welcome. We all start out somewhere, and I didn't start sculpting till a year or two before too. We all learn.
The canned air is used for cleaning electronics. You shouldn't have a problem finding it. It is just a matter of inverting the can and spraying. Be careful of your fingers or they might get frostbite.

The crystal clear acrylic you can find in hardware shops. Possibly near the spray paints.

I do believe Chavant is used as an intermediate compound, and eventually will have to be molded and cast in the future, but how long they last until you make the molds I do not know. It is fairly stable that is for sure.

I think most people work with SS because it is more readily available, and the fact that you can bake it and therefore "save" your work before continuing on without fear of bashing up a part. Chavant and plastilenes are still the clays of choice for people in the modelling industries in film etc.

Personally I like the texture of Chavant and how it can be softened with heat instead of having to continuously knead it like hardened (but not cured) sculpey.. It also just feels easier to handle. Big plus its also cheaper lol

Hi man!Sorry for the late answer, I was busy the last week.
As I said before, thank you for your help
After thinking a lot about the first Clay buy, I decide to buy the Chavant NSP Hard, for the moment I'm gonna buy just two blocks of 2lb. some tools and see what happens

Because I have some Wood Tools, I used it and I've made a 40 cm rounded base (I don't know the English name..) with rounded borders and so on..always looking to save money

Also I bought this Torch, which has good opinions and is not expensive. http://www.dealextreme.com/p/honest-...hop-torch-6824

[jollyskeleton]

Did you get the wooden base to act like a turntable? That is handy.

Chavant Hard is used pretty much the same as the others I guess. Just the final state of it might be a bit harder.
The torch should also be good enough. All you need is some light contact with the flame and it should melt/blend quite quickly

Good luck!

[axxis]

Originally Posted by jollyskeleton

Did you get the wooden base to act like a turntable? That is handy.

Chavant Hard is used pretty much the same as the others I guess. Just the final state of it might be a bit harder.
The torch should also be good enough. All you need is some light contact with the flame and it should melt/blend quite quickly

Good luck!

Yes
I received yesterday my 3 NSP blocks and it works very good, I love it

I'm waiting for the tools order I hope it come today
For the moment I build a human armature and now I'm thinking which Character I like to do for my first statue..because I like to do a lot hahaha

The next step start with a WIP thread

Thanks jollyskeleton

[jollyskeleton]

You are very welcome!
I am also guilty of having too many "want to do" figures. Choose something that is fairly easy to execute first, so you don't end up tearing your hair out in frustration!

All the best!

[axxis]

Ok