What Epoxy Putty should I use for a Safari Ltd figurine

[Stegotyranno420]

I am aware there is probably a myriad of threads that ask a similar question. However, I am asking just to make this specific.
There will be currently 1 figure I will be customizing
The safari Ltd old Dilophosaurus wetherlii.
I will be filling in the fenestra and adding more bulk to the whole body, and yn-pronating the arms. Which material should I use, and how should I.

[Newt]

I believe @Doug Watson has said he uses Magic Sculpt, and he obviously gets good results with it. I haven't tried that brand; I use Aves Apoxie and I like it pretty well. Milliput is another popular brand. Any of these should work for what you are doing.


Before you begin, lay down some cardboard or paper to protect your work surface. Epoxy can leave stains, and if a crumb sets up on your furniture you will probably damage the finish removing it. It's also good to have some paper towels handy to clean your tools and some water and cheap paintbrushes to smooth the epoxy, as well as your modeling tools. Wooden modeling tools will work, but epoxy tends to stick to them; I prefer steel or plastic tools. Make sure you have everything you need together before you start, as you have a limited window of time in which to do your sculpting.


Epoxies come with two components, usually labeled A and B. You mash the two components together with your fingers (wear gloves) for a couple of minutes to thoroughly mix them. Aves Apoxie uses a 1:1 ratio, so you use equal sized portions of A and B. I believe the other brands I mentioned are also 1:1. I just eyeball the proportions by rolling each component into a ball and adding or subtracting until the balls are the same size before combining them.


Once your epoxy is mixed it will begin hardening. Sculpting epoxies harden relatively slowly, so you have at least an hour or two to add and shape the product. (Similar epoxy putties from the hardware store, such as JB Weld or Oatey Plumber's Epoxy, harden in a few minutes; they can be handy for some jobs, such as reinforcing armatures). It will go through phases as it cures, being soft and a bit slippery at first, then becoming sticky, then increasingly firm. I like to knead the epoxy, then let it sit until it starts getting sticky (usually ten minutes or so) before trying to add it to the piece. Once added you can begin modeling it. You can get increasingly sharp details as the epoxy sets up. Use water to smooth the epoxy.


After the epoxy has fully hardened (usually 24 hours) you can carve it or sand it to add further details. You can also add additional layers of epoxy if needed; it sticks to itself very well.

[Doug Watson]

I believe @Doug Watson has said he uses Magic Sculpt

That is correct and all the advice you give here is spot on. I would add that years ago I changed the windows in our first home and I kept the frameless glass since the panes have smoothed edges. Each pane neatly covered the working surface of my desks. Working on the glass protects the furniture from the epoxy plus you can clean up any uncured epoxy residue with warm water or acetone and paper towel or you can wait until it is cured and scrape it off with a blade. Glass also makes a great surface to roll out lengths of epoxy putty. If you don't have a ready supply of old glass you can have a piece cut to the size of your work surface at any hardware store. They can also polish the edges to make them safe.
One word of caution, myself and my colleagues at the museum all worked with these two part epoxy putties and most of us had no reaction to it but one young lady did have a severe skin reaction and had to stop using it with unprotected hands. I myself have never had a reaction but just to limit any excess contact I mix the two parts wearing latex examination gloves then I take the gloves off while I am sculpting. Wetting the gloves with a little water makes kneading the two parts easier.

[Newt]

That is correct and all the advice you give here is spot on. I would add that years ago I changed the windows in our first home and I kept the frameless glass since the panes have smoothed edges. Each pane neatly covered the working surface of my desks. Working on the glass protects the furniture from the epoxy plus you can clean up any uncured epoxy residue with warm water or acetone and paper towel or you can wait until it is cured and scrape it off with a blade. Glass also makes a great surface to roll out lengths of epoxy putty. If you don't have a ready supply of old glass you can have a piece cut to the size of your work surface at any hardware store. They can also polish the edges to make them safe.
One word of caution, myself and my colleagues at the museum all worked with these two part epoxy putties and most of us had no reaction to it but one young lady did have a severe skin reaction and had to stop using it with unprotected hands. I myself have never had a reaction but just to limit any excess contact I mix the two parts wearing latex examination gloves then I take the gloves off while I am sculpting. Wetting the gloves with a little water makes kneading the two parts easier.

That's a great idea with the glass! Old window panes also make good paint pallettes, especially after you paint the back white.

[Stegotyranno420]

Heres the progress. It's a bit hard to see the details, but they will be highlighted out when painted. Thanks guys.

[Justin_]

Which putty did you choose in the end?

[Stegotyranno420]

Which putty did you choose in the end?

Milliput