blade_runner
02-21-2008, 01:23 PM
Part 1:
Aves Critter Clay is a stone based, air dry clay that's used for various projects like sculpting and repair. It comes in various sizes available for sale. I bought the 5 pound package at http://www.sculptingstudio.com.
The transaction was smooth as they use a good catalog website that reminds me a lot of oscommerce, but with a lot of modifications. They accept paypal, which is a big plus also. I received the clay in short order and opened up the box to inspect it. I was alarmed that the clay had what I can only describe as "mold looking pock marks" all over its surface. The clay I bought was their "natural" colored material, as I wanted the higher surface contrast for sculpting purposes.
I called the store owner, informed her that I thought the clay was contaminated, and she promptly sent out a new 5 pound package to my address. She inspected it first to see if there was any noticable "stuff" on the clay's surface. There wasn't. It was just fine. I asked if she'd like the initial 5 pound box back, but she said no, so I tossed it out.
It's packaged like most other water based clays, just in a plastic bag with a twist tie closing it off. The surface of the clay was not sloppy wet, but had enough moisture in it to mold very easily. It's density is similar to most other water based clays, but its surface reminds me of a sandy beach where the ocean waves wash over it, and then leave a "dried" look after the water receeds. You know there's water in it, but the sand makes it look drier than it really is.
That's a plus because after making several sample shapes, the clay left almost no residue on my fingers or my work table. It seems to surface dry pretty fast.
Speaking of surface drying, I had to smooth over some of the parts with my fingers to seal off some of the surface fractures in the clay as I was manipulating the parts. My guess is that, unlike polymer clays or epoxies, the plasticity of this clay gets lost quickly at its surface. I didn't use any water to smooth out parts, although I could. I just made some shapes quickly.
I'll post pictures if I think it's necessary later.
Finally for this post: I can see where model makers might like clays like this. It's forgiving enough to mold and shape easily, unlike Fimo clays which are very hard at first, and it tends to hold the shape you give it without sagging under its own weight. Also, it's not at all sticky to your skin or other objects. It seems the people at Aves have found a good middle ground between ease of use and density that makes scratchbuilding a quicker process. I've used many other materials which all have good points, but they usually have one drawback that makes them less than perfect.
So far, so good. Now all I have to do is wait for the parts to cure so I can do some other tests. I'll keep updating this thread as I move further through the tests.
Aves Critter Clay is a stone based, air dry clay that's used for various projects like sculpting and repair. It comes in various sizes available for sale. I bought the 5 pound package at http://www.sculptingstudio.com.
The transaction was smooth as they use a good catalog website that reminds me a lot of oscommerce, but with a lot of modifications. They accept paypal, which is a big plus also. I received the clay in short order and opened up the box to inspect it. I was alarmed that the clay had what I can only describe as "mold looking pock marks" all over its surface. The clay I bought was their "natural" colored material, as I wanted the higher surface contrast for sculpting purposes.
I called the store owner, informed her that I thought the clay was contaminated, and she promptly sent out a new 5 pound package to my address. She inspected it first to see if there was any noticable "stuff" on the clay's surface. There wasn't. It was just fine. I asked if she'd like the initial 5 pound box back, but she said no, so I tossed it out.
It's packaged like most other water based clays, just in a plastic bag with a twist tie closing it off. The surface of the clay was not sloppy wet, but had enough moisture in it to mold very easily. It's density is similar to most other water based clays, but its surface reminds me of a sandy beach where the ocean waves wash over it, and then leave a "dried" look after the water receeds. You know there's water in it, but the sand makes it look drier than it really is.
That's a plus because after making several sample shapes, the clay left almost no residue on my fingers or my work table. It seems to surface dry pretty fast.
Speaking of surface drying, I had to smooth over some of the parts with my fingers to seal off some of the surface fractures in the clay as I was manipulating the parts. My guess is that, unlike polymer clays or epoxies, the plasticity of this clay gets lost quickly at its surface. I didn't use any water to smooth out parts, although I could. I just made some shapes quickly.
I'll post pictures if I think it's necessary later.
Finally for this post: I can see where model makers might like clays like this. It's forgiving enough to mold and shape easily, unlike Fimo clays which are very hard at first, and it tends to hold the shape you give it without sagging under its own weight. Also, it's not at all sticky to your skin or other objects. It seems the people at Aves have found a good middle ground between ease of use and density that makes scratchbuilding a quicker process. I've used many other materials which all have good points, but they usually have one drawback that makes them less than perfect.
So far, so good. Now all I have to do is wait for the parts to cure so I can do some other tests. I'll keep updating this thread as I move further through the tests.