Jim Hingst explains how to use Magic Sculpt epoxy clay to correct woodcarving mistakes.
By Jim Hingst @hingst_jim
Sometimes I just cannot leave well enough alone. A good example of this is when I was carving a bouquet of calla lilies. I was trying to carve the petals very thin to achieve a realistic illusion. That’s when a carver’s worst nightmare occurred. I carved through to the other side. Some people probably would never notice my mistake because the folding petal would hide it to some extent. To me, however, the ¼” hole was a gaping chasm that bothered me greatly.
How
could I possibly fill the hole and salvage my carving? The solution was to repair
the damage with Magic Sculpt, a very durable thermoset epoxy clay.
Epoxy
clay consists of two parts. One part is the resin. The other is the hardener.
When the two parts are mixed together, a chemical reaction occurs. Unlike other materials that cure through
evaporation, it’s the chemical reaction that cures the epoxy clay.
Once
the two parts are mixed together, you better work fast because curing can occur
within forty minutes. How fast the
chemical curing occurs depends greatly on the ambient conditions in your shop. Heat accelerates the
curing process. So if your shop is hot,
the epoxy clay will cure much more quickly than in a cold shop. Within two to
three hours, the material is hard enough to be carved, sanded and
abraded with rasps and files.
Mixing Magic Sculpt Epoxy Clay
To
mix the epoxy clay, take two equal parts of the resin and the hardener and roll
each into two separate balls. Then "smush" or press the two balls together, rolling the components to form a cylinder or
rope shape. The color of each component is noticeably different, which is a
good characteristic. See the photo below.
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| To mix Magic Sculpt epoxy clay, take two equal parts of the resin and the hardener and roll each into two separate balls. |
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| You will need to continue to fold and roll the epoxy clay until the two components are blended into one uniform color. |
You will need to
continue to fold and roll the clay until the two components are blended into
one uniform color. If you have ever made
bread, the mixing process is very similar to kneading bread. What’s important
is that the two parts are mixed well together.
If the two parts are not blended sufficiently, the Magic Sculpt clay will not cure
properly. That means that it will not harden to its ultimate strength.
Working with Magic Sculpt Epoxy Clay
Unlike
clays that are used to make pottery, two part epoxy clays do not need to be
fired. When the resin and hardener are
mixed together, a chemical reaction occurs. As you knead the components
together, you may sense that the clay will become warmer. No, it’s not your imagination. And no, it’s nothing to become alarmed about.
Two part epoxies are exothermic. That
means when the two components or reactants are mixed together, energy in the
form of heat is released.
After
mixing the epoxy clay, press the mixture into the hole. Wetting your fingers allows
you to smooth the surface of the clay. The photo below shows the repaired hole.
Cleaning Up Magic Sculpt Epoxy Clay
Remember
that Magic Sculpt epoxy clay will harden in two to three hours. Make sure that you keep
your tools clean. If you allow residual clay to harden on your tools, cleaning
them will be more difficult and time consuming.
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| Within two to three hours, the epoxy clay is hard enough to be carved, sanded and abraded with woodcarving gouges, rasps and files. |
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| Gilded Lilies |
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| Gilded surface treated with Liver of Sulfur |
Conclusion
Proper
prior planning prevents problems and saves time when working with epoxy clay.
Before you get started, assemble all of the tools and materials that you will
need. A good practice is to keep all of your sculpting tools in one toolbox so
you are not searching high and low when you need them.
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Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer. Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.
Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for publications, such as Signs Canada, SignCraft, Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 325 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.
© 2015 Jim Hingst
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