Recommendations on Air-Dry Clay

[Cretaceous Crab]

I just ordered some green stuff, but was a little surprised on how small the amount was. I saw several different brands of air-dry clay at Hobby Lobby, and was just wondering if any of them were comparable to green stuff. I really do not want to use any oven-bake types.

[Justin_]

Air-dry clays tend to shrink a bit as they dry, which two-part epoxies or oven-bake polymer clays don't. Also they can crack if they are on an armature, but you could repair that easily. I don't know what brands were available but I'd look at each carefully to see which look like they are marketed for adults rather than children. None are going to be able to take the sort of fine detail of an epoxy or poylmer clay, but they are probably alright for the basic bulk of a figure and then use green stuff for the final skin layer. This is assuming you are building a figure from scratch, not customising. Air dry clay is not going to stick to the plastic of Papo or Safari etc. figure.

Sculpts that are 100% green stuff are usually miniature figures for table-top wargames or model railways, not for something the size of typical dinosaur models

[Jose S.M.]

I've made an entire dinosaur from air drying clay, a bit bigger than the Safari ones, but I don't really like working with it, too much mess, long waits until it's hardened and the cracks are a problem sometimes. And detailing things like fine scales is hard. But I think one can make a pretty nice sculpt from it with patience and the wrinkly kind of texture might be easier to achieve than fine scales.

[PhilSauria]

I have tried the air dried clay and would not recommend it - dries too quickly to allow enough detail and any reworking, and the shrinkage and cracking was annoying! I am completely sold on Polymer now - stays workable for ages and even after you bake it in the oven you can still add more clay to it or sand it if required.

[Cretaceous Crab]

Yeah it would mostly be for customizing.

One reason I was unsure of oven bake clay was my concern that a plastic figure would melt during the baking process.

Sounds like I may try the cheaper air-dry brands to get the basic shape then use green stuff to do details.

[Cretaceous Crab]

I have tried the air dried clay and would not recommend it - dries too quickly to allow enough detail and any reworking, and the shrinkage and cracking was annoying! I am completely sold on Polymer now - stays workable for ages and even after you bake it in the oven you can still add more clay to it or sand it if required.

Can you show me a photo of Polymer so I know what to look for?

[tyrantqueen]

If you simply intend to use it to block out basic forms, DAS should do just fine. It's horrible for detail work though.

However, it would probably be a better idea to bulk out the basic form using tin foil and wire. Thick layers of clay will crack. And you will save money by using foil and wire.

Can you show me a photo of Polymer so I know what to look for?

Look for Super Sculpey. It's easy to find and good quality. You can also get Sculpey Firm, which is supposed to be good for fine details.

[Syndicate Bias]

My wife found it easier to have a 50/50 mixture of super sculpey and sculpey as normal sculpey helps make the grey super sculpey softer and not so brittle. But you can experiment with the mix so its not too soft but soft enough to where its not a pain to even put it together.

I just use 100% super sculpey but its hard to work with. At least for me 

[Justin_]

Can you show me a photo of Polymer so I know what to look for?

Sculpey seems to be the most common US brand of polymer clay. FImo is a German (I think) brand that is available in lots of colours, but only comes in fairly small blocks.
You can boil polymer clay in water, rather than putting it in an oven, which might be a little better for customising though still not ideal.

My personal advice is to try as many materials as possible and then decide which suits you best. Leftovers of the others will still be useful for bases and scenery.

[MoarCrossovers]

While we're on the topic of clay types, which would be the best for basing a diorama?

[Lanthanotus]

For customizing I highly recommend an epoxy. Personally I use Fixit Sculpt, a two part epoxy that can be worked for two hours, sticks very well to the plastic of figures, is highly stable, hold details very well and can be smoothed with water while still soft. Hardens completly within 24 hrs.

While we're on the topic of clay types, which would be the best for basing a diorama?

Mortar/plaster/cement, especially if it is for medium to bigger size figures....... or if you really want to use a comparable expensive clay (compared to said mortar that is), I recommend Super Sculpey.

[Newt]

MagicSculpt and Aves Apoxie are two-part modeling epoxies, similar to Green Stuff but come in larger quantities and are more economical to use. They are easy to work with and cure harder than air-dry or polymer clays.


For diorama bases, it pays off to make the bulk of the form with an inexpensive, sturdy material such as wood or rigid foam, and save your modeling medium for the surface layers.