So, I bought some Apoxie Sculpt based on some online recommendations, and I am finding it nearly impossible to work with. Here are the problems I am having:
1. It sticks to EVERYTHING except the thing I a trying to get it to stick to. Fingers, tools, adjacent body parts, heck, I think sometimes it sticks to the air. But it never sticks to the thing I a trying to stick it onto, it pulls right back off, stuck to whatever I'm trying to use to keep it from sticking. Yes, I use water and that works for about five seconds, and then it's sticking to everything again
2. It has the consistency of mud. It actually even flows on occasion and I have to push it back up, which then invokes #1 above.
3. It takes forever to harden enough to use without the problems in #1 and #2 above, and unfortunately I have a very short attention span and all I have to do is get caught up in reading an interesting blog thread, or getting a phone call, or having to take the dog out, and by the time I get back, it's too hard to work with, wasting a chunk of fairly expensive epoxy putty.
I have a good bit of it and would like to use it. When it does work, and I do catch it in that magic five minutes where it is a usable consistency and doesn't stick to my tools, it generates very nice results, capable of some very fine detail. But that has been the exception, not the rule.
So, am I doing something really stupidly wrong with it?
Is there a way to improve its consistency and hardness by mixing in other, shorter duration epoxy putties?
Any help would be appreciated. I've got Apoxie all over my hands and tools, and it's driving me crazy.
I'm not familiar with the name brand Apoxie Sculpt, but assuming it's a two part epoxy putty, I can offer some help. I'm not sure if my advice will work for what you're using. The reason I'm worried is that I've never had any brand of epoxy ribbon that was anything close to the consitancy of mud. Usally it's a much fimer consistacy.
#1 - make sure you use equal parts of both compounds (typically a yellow and a blue ribbon). When mixed, you should have a solid green mass without any of the original colors.
#2 To keep things from sticking to your fingers, use a dish of warm water. Keep your fingers moist at all times and wet your tools as you use them.
#3 you can hasten the hardening process with a little warmth.I like to use a metal can with a light bulb through the bottom. You can put the can over the piece your working on and it will harden faster. I know several other sculpters who use a hair dryer on low setting. It works, but it means using one hand for the hair dryer and another to hold the mini. With my set up, I can do somethiong else while the mini dries.
The last thing I'd recommend is to read the instructions for your product very carefully. I suspect your mix is off given the muddy consistancy you've mix. This website says a 1 to 1 mix will give you a clay-like consitancy, which is what I'd expect from an epoxy based sculpting medium.
That same website says that Apoxie Sculpt takes 24 hours to completely dry. Patience is your best friend when sculpting.
I appreciate the response. I assure you I read the instructions. I first mixed at 50/50 but I've tried some variations to try to get it harder, but with little difference
OK, "mud" may be too vague, since mud comes in many consistencies... The consistency is too soft to work with. I guess I need to learn how to use the water.
I am going to try mixing some Apoxie with some other epoxy putty that hardens much faster and see if they will work together to make a single putty, or if they just fail miserably.
I do have some ProCreate that I haven't opened yet. I've been using the Apoxie because I have a lot of it in comparison to the ProCreate, and it's a lot cheaper.
1. Let it sit for about 15-30 minutes after mixing, and the stickiness goes away.
2. I've never experienced that. At its softest, it's about as soft as Play-Doh. Maybe you have a bad batch of it?
3. Mix a small amount so you don't waste it. Set a timer so you don't forget to use it. Jodi learned this the hard way.
I did a Google search for "apoxie sculpting" and found this article:
http://www.angelfire.com/mech/jinsaotome/apoxiesculpt.html
In addition to making sure you let the compound cure for at least 30 minutes before using it, it mentions another Apoxie product called "Safety Solution" which may help the stickiness problem if water or vaseline isn't doing enough.
This article at Brushthralls also looks useful:
http://blog.brushthralls.com/?page_id=1556
I noticed it says it doesn't stick well to pewter, so if you're doing conversions with white metal minis with it, it's probably not the best substance to use for it.
(Tangent: I feel the need to note though that I've just started conversion work after a long hiatus with green stuff, and while that does... eventually stick in the right place, of course I felt the frustration of it wanting to stick to everything it wasn't supposed to (and yes, I've done all the stuff you're supposed to do). It's hard to be out of practice... :) )
Likely there are similar tutorials online which may offer other advice. I suggest using Google to good advantage. Brushthralls linked above has other great articles (although the site is poorly navigable), as does Reaper, and then of course there's good old Dr. Faust's painting clinic. Those last two I don't think have articles on Apoxie (although Dr. Faust's might) but all generally have great advice on the miniature hobby.