Plastilina Type Clay

[SPRINGFIELD]

I was reading a post about Roma Plastilina clay and it made me wonder what most sculptors are using. I would love to here from some sculptors out there what type of oil or wax based plastilina clay they use, how they use it and why they like it the best.
Right now I'm using Jolly King grey green plasteline. It's just firm enough for small sculpture and softens well without oxidizing when you heat it a little. It tends to stick to my metal tools but realy smooths out nice when I heat my tools. Also I like the smell and it doesn't contain sulphur.

[GlennT]

Le Beau Touche by Chavant. It has a very nice balance of texture and softness/firmness that is closer to water-based clay than most others. It has a tone that gives a sense of finished bronze tones in so far as that is possible in an oil clay. It is easy to manipulate rapidly so that you don't have to break the mood with efforts to get it softer, etc. Mainly, it responds well to the touch and feels more like clay than a synthetic.

[ahirschman]

My last 80 lbs were Le Beau Touche by Chavant, but I find it too sticky for my taste. I used some of their more industrial clays before which I liked more. My next order will probably switch to a less sticky variety from Chavant.

Another thing I am planning is to make a warmup oven to keep the clay at warmer temperatures (maybe 95F). I would just make a box with some insulation and a couple of light bulbs and an incubator thermostat. Should cost about $30 or $40. That way I can vary the firmness of the clay to facilitate my initial layup. (Any comments about this plan greatly appreciated.)

Ari.

[Jamo]

use a microwave it is a million times faster and warms the center of the clay rather than outside in. I would never use the heat lamp method.. too slow. Just ZAP it!

[ahirschman]

I'll give it a try. I was not sure whether oil based clay was polar and would warm up in a microwave, but you answered that. I think I have a cheap microwave stuffed in the garage. - yup, just checked.

Thanks for the help.

Ari.

[justme]

Hi,
I use an old roasting oven. Works great, and couldn't be easier.
Sculpt in KleanKlay. Have tried others, but always come back to it.
J

[SPRINGFIELD]

For me it's very interesting how different sculptors like different plastilina clays. I've tried a lot of different plastilina clays and have yet to be completely satisifyed with any of them. The closest thing for me is the Van Aken clays. They can be melted and poured like wax. They contain no sulphur. They model well without stiking to my tools and have virtually no smell. The only problem for me is that The Van Aken clays are a bit too soft. Still I havent had much trouble getting good detail using them. Also I have never had any problem with them getting hard thru oxidation.
Sometimes I will put a sculpture away for a while before getting back to it.

Has anyone tried using Jolly King plasteline?

[Alfred]

I like La Beux Touche as well, but I use the High Melt version (since I live in Southern California). The higher melting temp allows for more rigidity when cooled. I use Roma on occasion but I don't like the sulfer or the fact that it has to be shelacked before molding. I just ordered some Y2Clay from Chavant for part of a sculpture that needs hard clean lines. It's supposed to be very hard and very light weight.

I also use to use the microwave method of heating, but I find that it cools too quickly when I have it on my modeling stand. It also tends to come out too hot, or can be decieving, because the inside is molten while the outside is still firm. I have a simple box with a heat lamp on a dimmer switch. I turn it on as soon as I get into my studio and adjust the temp so that it warms but doesn't melt. I'm currently building a much nicer clay oven. I took a simple 4 drawer cabinet (about 15" wide) and a small heater. I cut the back of the cabinet to place the heater there and I'm currntly cutting the bottom of the drawers to place a heavy duty metal screen (diamond pattern steel mesh). This will allow the heat to circulate through the drawers and heat the clay at all levels. I can heat a lot more clay this way and I can still adjust the temp on the heater if I need to. I'll put the whole thing on swivel casters so I can wheel it around to any point in my studio. When it's all finished I'll post some pictures and a material list for anybody who is interested.

Alfred