davidneat

a maker, a teacher of making

TA G A R CH I V E S : M O D E L L IN G W I T H M I L L IP U T

Modelling with Milliput

Posted on July 2, 2014

Here is the page on Milliput I’ve just completed for the Modelling part of the Materials
section. It’s a summary of all you’ll need to know about this modelling material, together with
a few suggestions re. similar products. I only discovered recently that Milliput can be pushed
.. if heated carefully with a heat gun .. to cure rock-hard within minutes.

My page entries are usually meant to be added to and often start with general outline
information, price guidance, suppliers and useful links followed by my worklog where I can
put further info and photos when I have them.

Definition

Milliput is a 2-part, very hard-setting epoxy modelling putty, available in two fineness grades
and a few different colours. It is most suitable for small, delicate work. ‘Standard’ Milliput is a
light yellow/grey colour when mixed while the extra-fine grade is white. When equal amounts
of both parts are thoroughly blended together (until the colour is uniform) the putty begins to
harden, not requiring additional heat to cure. It remains easy to model for around
40-60mins, after which it gets gradually more ‘rubbery’ (but see below for making use of
these changes while modelling).
Advantages of using it

It sets much harder and stronger than most other modelling materials .. stronger than fully
baked Sculpey for example .. and this final hardness is not dependent on bulk i.e. very small
forms will cure just as hard as larger ones. This makes Milliput (more especially the fine
white version) more ideal for delicate forms.

The 1:25 figures above were modelled with a blend of ‘Terracotta’ and fine white Milliput.
They represent the first modelling stage after completion of the wire armatures described in
the post Modelling small-scale figures – Part 1: ‘twisted wire’ armature from March
2013.

Milliput sticks very well to a variety of materials, again unlike Sculpey, and is often used for
repairs or as a gap-filling cement. It is commonly used in the restoration of antiques and art
objects because of it’s high adherence and its strength when cured.

Once it has hardened it can be easily sanded and tooled (i.e. sawn, drilled), even carved
with a scalpel. Scraping with the scalpel can work particularly well for fine smoothing once
fully cured.

There is no noticeable shrinkage, and that coupled with its strength means that it’s very
unlikely to crack.

Unlike most 2-part epoxy materials it can be used with water! This can be used to help
smooth the surface while modelling, or water can even be mixed in to make a softer paste
i.e. to use as a gap-filling cement or to join Milliput parts while working. But Vaseline on the
fingers can also be effective for fine smoothing, as is methylated spirits.

When used as directed and left to cure on its own it will harden more quickly than air-drying
modelling materials, reaching an apparent full hardness in 3-4 hours (though full curing will
continue for a few more). However, this can also be accelerated by using heat and, with
care, Milliput can be rendered rock-hard in a matter of minutes (see .. below). Even if the
advantage of heating is not taken up, benefit should be made of the fact that it will start to
become firmer after about 40mins .. so for example basic modelling could be done first and
then later, when this becomes a firmer support and the surface less sticky, detail modelling
can be easier.

What it can’t do

It is very sticky when first mixed, noted above as an advantage, but this also means that it
can clog the fingers annoyingly while modelling .. when I’m working with it I need to have a
moistened flannel on hand to keep them clean.

Even in its freshly mixed state, Milliput has more ‘push-back’ than modelling wax or Super
Sculpey .. i.e. it is slightly rubbery. This increases as it cures and starts to get firmer, so for
example after a full hour impressions can still be made with modelling tools but they will
diminish a little as the material springs back.

Because of the cost relative to other modelling materials Milliput is not a viable option for
large work (see cost comparison of different modelling materials in Modelling and shaping,
part of the Making realistic models series in the Methods section).

What it costs and where to get it

Milliput is sold in most good art or hobby shops such as Tiranti, 4D Price (2014) c.£2.28-
£5.06 (Tiranti) per 113g packet dependant on type (ranging from standard to fine grade and
colours e.g. terracotta, black). See ‘Quick view materials info’ for ‘modelling’ in the ‘Materials’
section for current suppliers and prices.

Working life

According to the manufacturer it has a shelf life of c. 2yrs if stored cool, dry, sealed in
polythene bags provided.. but see notes below.

Further info sources

http://www.milliput.com

http://www.mbfgfiles.co.uk/docs/milliput_tech.pdforklog

Worklog

July 2013

At the time of writing I have not found any other epoxy putty to compare with it. You
may come across similar looking 2-part epoxy putties in DIY shops but these are not
marketed as ‘modelling’ material and tend to be even more expensive. An exception may be
Magic Sculp which looks promising but I’ve yet to try it .. see below July 2014.

Apparently the setting of Milliput can be speeded to just a few minutes by applying heat
(Tiranti website) .. but see June 2014 below. Best method of mixing; portion equal amounts
and press these together, then roll this into a long ‘string’, gather up and twist together then
roll long string again .. repeat etc. After 3-4 hrs hardening, it needs at least the same amount
of time to fully cure. Heat resistant up to 130C. Can be coloured by blending in powder
pigment (or even oil paint, or spirit-based colourants) while mixing. Different Milliput versions
are intermixable but also resin or hardener parts between them (as long as one knows which
is which) are interchangeable. The ‘hardener’ is usually the darker of the two and will
develop a resinous crust over time. If used as a press-casting material, ‘talc or a light oil’ can
be used as a releasing agent according to the Milliput website. Another tip from this website
is that, if you have to interrupt work during modelling, it will keep in its uncured state for up to
36hrs if put in the freezer.

How to model with Milliput Use should be made of the fact that Milliput will change in
consistency as it cures i.e. for the first 30mins rough build-up when at it’s softest, after which
fine detail especially imprinting and smoothing are easier once its getting firm. Carving can
be done after c. 2-3 hrs when almost set, then sanding/filing after 3-4hrs.

Accelerating hardening 7/2013 ‘Tips’ found (not yet verified) include: baking in oven (max
50C) for 30mins. Since cured Milliput is heat-resistant up to 130C successive adding/baking
is possible (but see later addition June 2014 below).

How long will Milliput remain usable? I recently made a test of some Milliput I’ve had for
at least 10 years. In fact, I was going to throw it away because it had become rock-hard and
the darker ‘hardener’ part (as I assume it to be) had developed a tough, resinous skin. I was
surprised though that after managing to chop off two equal pieces and starting to squeeze
them between the fingers they became softer and eventually soft enough to start mixing
together. For this first test I left the tough skin on, believing that it might still blend, but it
remained as small hard granules.

Above, my usual method of mixing Milliput is first to combine the two parts roughly and then
start rolling the mass into a long thin string, which I then divide, twist the strands together
and then repeat a few times until the colour is even. The hard fragments of skin remained so
I tried chopping and pressing the mixture on a tile in case that got rid of them.
It didn’t help much, so I stopped blending (it had taking altogether about 20 minutes) and left
the piece to harden, below. The consistency was not good (compared to fresh Milliput), ok
perhaps for rough work but rather fibrous and prone to fissuring when stretched.

I did another test but this time peeling off the crust from the darker Milliput stick, just using
what remained. This mixed very smoothly, a little harder than new Milliput but still a good,
smooth consistency, below. I needed 10 minutes to mix it thoroughly.

I’ve never properly timed the setting of Milliput up to now and I’m glad I did that with these
tests because I’ve generally been telling people that they have about an hour to model with
it. In fact it’s much longer .. if one can make use of the changes to model differently (and
later carve) as it toughens. I made a further control test using new Milliput in addition to the
two above.

10 year old Milliput with ‘skin’ included After 1 hour firmer but still could be kneeded and
modelled; less sticky, and ideal in this state for impressing with tools; little rubbery
‘springback’ as yet i.e. marks made with tools stay as made. After 2 hours no longer easily
kneeded or modelled, but still very flexible; still easily cutable with a knife; still good for
impressing though slight ‘springback’ i.e. marks made with tools fill in a little; easier to
smooth the surface without distorting the form.

10 year old Milliput with ‘skin’ discarded After 1 hour same as above. After 2 hours same
as above, though a little firmer and impressions spring back more

Both tests After 3 hours still cutable with a knife; still bendable, but no longer mouldable;
can be squeezed but springs back like rubber and impressions do not hold; very good for
carving. After 4.5 hours like tire rubber; ideal state for carving

New Milliput thorough blending took 10 minutes. After 1 hour still very soft, a little firmer, a
little less sticky. After 2 hours still mouldable and very flexible; cutable with a knife; still takes
impressions well with minimal springback, but fissures occur when trying to ‘smear’. After 3
hours no longer mouldable; still flexible and cutable but impressions do not hold.
7/2013 the nationwide £shop chain ’99p Stores’ now stock a form of mixable epoxy putty
from the ‘Do It Right’ brand. This is packaged in small, pre-portioned pellets which one just
has to blend together. Each pellet is c. 4g and there are 8 to a pack so this doesn’t work out
any cheaper than standard Milliput.. just could be easier to get hold of on the ‘high street’. It
has different properties though, as one can guess from the smell which is more like regular
epoxy glue than Milliput. For a start it’s much softer and stickier when first mixed (so much
so that using one’s fingers becomes rather difficult) and there’s a graininess that doesn’t
really disappear. The only other possible advantage (depending on what you use it for) is
that it sets up much quicker than Milliput; in my test it was a bit too firm to model with after
15 minutes and had reached almost complete hardness after 2 hours. When fully cured it
was also very strong. It may be ideal as a gap-filling glue or repair medium, but not so good
for modelling.

The mixed test piece above was gently flattened and pulled out in the same way as the
Milliput tests but the graininess and fissuring are apparent here.

Heating Milliput

June 22 2014

The Milliput website (address in the main text above) mentions that the curing of Milliput can
be accelerated with heat but goes no further in explaining how much heat or how much
quicker this can be. I recently did my own test .. mixing up a little standard (yellow-grey)
Milliput and quickly modelling a basic head, torso and arms on a very small (1:25) figure
armature of twisted garden wire (see Modelling and shaping in the Making realistic
models series in the Methods section). I used brand new Milliput, which was particularly
soft. For a heat source I used a Wagner brand ‘Heat Tool 400’ which is a hand-sized heat
gun, not so available in the UK anymore but a similar type can be found in Hobbycraft. This
type has only one heat setting and will deliver a temperature of up to 400 degrees C, but this
represents the local temperature reached if it is focused on a spot for a length of time, and it
is normal to keep the heat gun and/or the victim moving, when baking Super Sculpey for
example, because otherwise it will quickly burn!

I held the heat gun at a careful distance of c.20cm from the figure parts and moved it back
and forth while also rotating the figure slowly. I estimated that it had been about 15-20mins
since the Milliput had been mixed. I noticed after about 10secs that the Milliput surface was
starting to ‘bubble’ very slightly and appeared to expand a little, but when I took the heat gun
away the bubbles disappeared. From that point I was very careful, heating very slowly and I
noticed that gradually I could move the heat gun closer without the surface blistering. I gave
it around 5mins heat gun treatment all over, then left it to cool down. On cooling the figure
was rock-hard, just as if left to cure normally and carving with the scalpel showed no
weaknesses in the surface.

The hardened Milliput showed no signs of the earlier blistering. Gentle, more gradual heating
may have solved this; or starting with a lower temperature then building up. It may also be
prevented if the material is allowed to cure a little more first i.e. 30mins after mixing rather
than 20, or older Milliput may even react better .. I’m guessing now, it’s something I intend to
test so if you want to try this method it would be worth doing the same first.

July 2 2014

http://www.magicsculp.co.uk

From what I’ve recently read Magic Sculp may be well worth trying! It sounds identical to
Milliput in all respects .. working/hardening time, water-solubility, toughness when cured,
effect of heat etc. .. but with better price options. For example, when ordering from the UK
website, a 200g packet will cost £8.40 inc. VAT and standard 3-4 day delivery is also free.
This is more expensive than the best shop price (Tiranti) for the standard grade but cheaper
than the other white or coloured types. Magic Sculp is available in natural/grey, white, flesh
colour or black .. all the same grade. The natural/grey is perhaps a comfort for those
who may be slightly sickened by the ‘yellow/grey’ weirdness of standard Milliput. But the
advantages over Milliput may increase if one needs larger amounts. For example 1.6kg will
cost £34.99 including VAT and delivery, giving a price of £2.47 per weight of a Milliput pack,
for a product which is, according to others .. finer, softer and in colours!

Magic Sculp like Milliput, is a UK product. I rang the manufacturer and I was told that the
reason why there’s a ‘Magic Sculp’ here and a ‘Magic Sculpt’ in the US .. with a ‘t’ added, if
you didn’t spot it! .. is that the US firm copied the UK product and the agreement
was reached that ‘Magic Sculpt’ would only be sold in the US. I was also told that Magic
Sculp is softer to work with than Milliput because it contains less clay filler. As I’ve said, I
haven’t worked with it yet, though I certainly intend to .. so you’ll have to judge for yourself
how it compares. If there’s anything you think I should know, I’d be happy to hear it!
Posted in materials, model-making, modelling | Tagged 2-part modelling material, 99p
putty, alternatives to Milliput, best way to mix Milliput, cost of Milliput, Do It Right
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Milliput keep, Magic Sculp epoxy putty, materials for restoration of antiques, Milliput
shelf life, modelling with Milliput, Sculpey v Milliput, smoothing Milliput surface, water
with Milliput, working with Milliput | 7 Replies

‘Model-making Basics’ – modelling

and shaping
Posted on October 4, 2013

Please note before you start reading this older post that I have long since included a version
in the Methods section, under Making realistic models, which can be accessed above.
That version may have been updated or expanded since.

This is the third of five outline accounts dealing with what I consider to be the five defining
areas of model-making work; main construction, fine construction, modelling/shaping,
creating surfaces and painting. I’ve written these overviews in preparation for teaching
sessions at RADA ( Royal Academy of Dramatic Art ) in London. So they’re tuned towards
the specialities of theatre design model work, but most of the points will be relevant in
general terms to model work in other disciplines. I’ve started with the general ‘themes’ or
requirements of the subject .. in other words the ‘ways of thinking’ behind the practical work
.. and this is followed by a selection of ‘ways of doing’ giving more specific and practical
guidance on the materials and methods used.

As I see it, ‘modelling and shaping’ encompasses the making of any element in the model
that cannot be achieved by methods of construction. That is, if a form or part of a form
cannot be achieved by cutting sheets or strips of bought material and assembling the pieces,
it means that it has to be either shaped or modelled. So for example this would include
model figures and trees; forms of relief decoration which are more than just cut outs; the
making of specialized forms such as globes, domes, bowls, niches; soft furniture such as
armchairs, sofas .. I’m sure you get the idea! Some of these things can be bought, including
figures or trees, but usually the likelihood that these are ‘just the thing’ is slim. It’s very easy
to persuade oneself that it’s a good move if it will save hours or even days of time, so one
should guard against ‘cheating’ oneself by compromising on what one really
wants. Nevertheless it is worth knowing what the options are for a number of difficult forms,
such as transparent globes or domes for example, because believe me unless you are a
highly experienced maker there’s no easy way of making such things oneself. 1:25 scale
figures can be bought and are often used, but again I’ve seen too many examples of their
careless use in theatre design models to want to recommend this solution.

It’s expecting rather a lot of a theatre designer to be a good sculptor too, especially a good
sculptor of miniatures! .. and modelling is traditionally the province of the sculptor. For this
reason ways have to be found of keeping within one’s ‘comfort zone’ in terms of knowledge
and skills. You can’t know and be able to do everything! There’s no such thing as ‘cheating’
here (except in the case of cheating yourself, as above). What counts is that you’ve done
what you can to make the model look as you want it to look, and it conveys your design
intentions, regardless of the means you’ve employed. Most ‘serious’ sculptors have tricks
which they don’t like admitting to for whatever reason and a number of those are included
here. But any method of getting the job done which you imagine a serious sculptor may
frown on .. is in this context probably worth a try!

GENERAL APPROACH

The difference between ‘modelling’ and ‘shaping’

The main thing is .. ‘organic’ shapes with little geometric regularity such as human figures or
trees are more easily modelled, whereas more streamlined forms such as domes or niches
are more easily achieved by controlled shaping. Modelling is generally additive, usually
starting with a support then adding an amount of soft material, then adding more, etc. ..
modelling is ‘pushing a soft material around’ until it’s where you want it to be. Shaping, at
least the kind I do with the materials I’ve chosen, is generally subtractive .. the form usually
starting as a block which then has successive parts taken away from it until the intended
form is all that’s left. One major consequence of this difference is that modelling can usually
be back-tracked if a mistake is made whereas shaping usually cannot. If too much modelling
material is added or if it ends up in the wrong place it can be removed or moved, whereas if
too much is taken away when shaping wood or foam it can’t be put back. For this reason
modelling feels more free, there’s room for improvisation and chance, and there’s room for
taking risks and making mistakes because these can be smoothed away if they don’t work.
In fact modelling has to progress in this manner. Shaping on the other hand needs a different
‘mindset’ .. it needs to be more anticipated and must be quite tightly planned, leaving little
room for chance or experiment.

Choices of modelling material

Of all the materials for modelling available now, natural clay remains the most reliable and
versatile, in addition to being the cheapest by far. In its fresh state it is one of the softest,
smoothest, and can be made more ‘liquid’ very easily, so it can be almost ‘smeared’ on
when fresh, and successive layers fuse with each other readily. As it loses water it firms up,
allowing more detailed modelling, and even fine carving at the so-called ‘leather hard’ stage.
But as it dries it also shrinks and cracks, small forms are very fragile when dry if left un-fired,
and larger forms are heavy .. so unfortunately it’s not suitable for model-making. But a
number of different modelling materials have been developed which either remain in a soft,
workable state for much longer or harden by themselves.These have a range of different
properties, but they can basically be grouped into three categories (though some overlap
more than one). Incidentally, I’m just going to say ‘clay’ from now on in place of ‘modelling
material’ as a general term.

There are the plasticine clays which remain soft and workable almost indefinitely, even after
long exposure to the air. Most of them cannot be made hard and durable. Their basis is
usually an oil or wax (at least something other than water) and a filler, such as finely
powdered natural clay or talc. Examples modelling wax, plasticine, Chavant, plastilene, etc.
Polymer clays such as Super Sculpey can be hardened and more properly belong to the
third group, but if they’re not baked they will remain workable for as long, at least as long as
plasticine. In my experience modelling wax is the leader of this group .. at room temp firm
but softens quickly, does not stick to fingers, can be smoothed with hot tools. Many waxes
can be melted to a liquid state in order to be poured into a shape (only some ‘plasticines’
can, such as the American Van Arken brand). Here in the UK the ‘Newplast’ type of
plasticine in long blocks is probably the easiest clay to obtain, and relatively cheap at an
average of £1.80 for 500g. It is easy to model with, although when very soft I find it too sticky
.. it gunges up finger-tips and is not ideal when impressing with texturing tools etc.
Importantly though, plasticine will accept coats of Pva wood glue, which toughen the surface
and allow it to be painted. Pva wood glue contracts a great deal as it dries so there is usually
no danger of losing detail in the modelling, even after more than one coat.

Modelling waxes, plasticines and polymer clays all come in different hardnesses .. at least,
certain brands do. Above are two types of modelling wax, the brown one very soft like
natural clay and the white one much firmer. For more on working with these see Modelling
wax in the Materials /- modelling section.

There is a significant, but subtle, difference between modelling waxes and plasticines in
terms of their surface behaviour when being modelled, which some may find fairly crucial but
others may not. It’s a bit difficult to describe, but on the whole modelling waxes have less
elasticity meaning for example that if you impress a cocktail stick against the surface you will
get an exact groove with quite hard edges. If you do the same with plasticine (and
particularly Super Sculpey, which is even more elastic) you will also get an exact groove but
the edges will be more rounded because the material there has been pulled down a bit. In
other words, plasticines and polymer clays are a little more rubbery, and this can save time if
you’re going for smoothness. But on the other hand it means that these materials have a
significant ‘push-back’, a little resistance to being pushed around, which can make very fine
and sharp detail a bit more difficult. Generally the softer modelling waxes are similar to
natural clay in having really no ‘push-back’ at all.

To get back to the three basic types of clay .. the second category is the air-drying materials
which all share having water, in the place of oil, as a carrier and these will harden as the
water evaporates. Since some of their content is lost in this way they will shrink .. and some
of them will shrink and crack badly! Examples natural clay, Paperclay, Newclay, Claydium,
Das, etc. Many have a fibrous texture which helps in holding them together but often makes
fine detail difficult. Some are light, some are quite heavy. Pricewise they are very good; after
natural clay some are the cheapest clays around! I usually only use the air-drying, pulp-
based clays if I want to built up a rough core modelling shape easily and cheaply, but only if
I’m not bothered about cracking or the time it will then take to dry.

The final category includes those clays which will set or ‘cure’ as the result of a chemical
reaction, brought about either by two reactive parts being mixed together or by heating.
Examples Milliput (2-part epoxy putty), Green Stuff, polymer clays. My firm preferences from
this group are two, Super Sculpey and Milliput. They are very different materials to model
with and I use them for very different purposes.

Super Sculpey (that’s the full brand name for this type unfortunately, not just me being
enthusiastic!) is almost as soft and ‘pushable’ to model with as a soft modelling wax and just
as non-sticky ‘finger friendly’. It doesn’t stick to itself as readily as soft modelling wax or
natural clay but it will with just a little extra coaxing. I prefer it for modelling medium-sized
forms which need a combination of surface detail and smoothness .. a puppet head with
sculpted hair for example .. because I find smooth contours much easier to achieve with it
than wax, but at the same time very detailed textures can be achieved by imprinting with
texturing tools. Super Sculpey can be easily modelled up in layers, heated in between. More
on this is included later when discussing model figures. The only characteristic of Super
Sculpey that I don’t like is it’s very slight translucency which sometimes makes it difficult to
judge surface detail. There is more on Sculpey in the summary page I’ve included in the
Materials /- modelling section. Below is an example of a small fish form I had to make in
Sculpey which needed to be baked and fitted into a curve, so I had to rig up a curved
cardboard support for modelling it on. Small forms don’t take so long to bake so in this case
the cardboard survived the hot-air gun.
Milliput’s main distinction is it’s hardness once fully cured, much harder than a polymer clay. I
use it for small or delicate forms which I really want to last .. small, because Milliput is more
expensive than Super Sculpey. It is much more difficult to model freely with, having far too
much ‘push-back’. The two component parts of Milliput need to be mixed together in equal
amounts and the window for modelling before Milliput becomes too hard is 1 – 1.5 hours. For
more information on Milliput, there is quite a long entry in the alphabetical Lexicon.

Just for the heck of it, out of interest and for those of you who are really price-conscious here
is a comparison I put together earlier this year. I have taken prices from the sculptor’s shop
Tiranti in London, which I know are fairly average or ‘reasonable’ .. not the cheapest but
certainly not the highest! I have compared the price per kilo even if the materials are not
normally packaged in this amount and where there is a price range it reflects the cheaper
price for larger amounts:

Natural clay £0.47-£1.27 per kg £11.88 per 25kg, £6.37 per 5kg

Newclay £1.19-£1.96 per kg £15.08 per 12.6kg, £8.83 per 4.5kg

Newplast £3.56 per kg £1.78 per 500g 10% off 20

Claydium £3.94 per kg £1.97 per 500g.

Plastilin (Flints) £5.10 per kg

Modelling wax Terracotta Wax or Scopas White Modelling Wax £9.29-£12.72 per kg £46.45
per 5kg, £6.36 per 500g

Chavant £10.45 per kg £9.48 per 907g

Milliput Standard £20.10 per kg £2.28 per 113.4g

Super Sculpey £20.64 per kg £9.37 per 454g

Milliput Fine White £44.62 per kg £5.06 per 113.4g

Green Stuff £156.33-£240.50 per kg £4.81 per 20g, £9.38 per 90cm

The principle of ‘controlled limitation’

This is not an ‘official’ phrase but one I have assembled myself to help me to think about it. It
is a principle behind all successful making but applies particularly to modelling and shaping.
It makes me think of ‘damage limitation’ and conjures up a film scene of soldiers building a
strong barrier around a bomb to contain the blast. Perhaps ‘containment’ would express it
just as well.

I remember always being very impressed, and equally relieved, hearing about the ways
sculptors make their lives easier! For example making a block of wood firstly into a rough
profile shape of the whole head, to define the limits .. or rather to remove what one was
certain one didn’t want first .. before going further. Working in the other direction (i.e. building
up rather than removing), I was impressed when I saw the method of sticking long nails into
an emerging clay head to set the positions of key points on the eventual surface.

But put sculptors aside for the moment .. without doubt, craftspeople are better at coming up
with ingenious ways of making their lives easier! The photo below illustrates a delightful
technique called sledging which is still known to some traditional plasterers, used to create
profile shapes particularly for wall cornices. After some basic volume has been roughed in
using coarse plaster, a layer of finer plaster is shaped by dragging a cut metal profile along it
which collects and removes the excess.
Another example for a more complex form is provided by the schoolmaster/model-maker
Thomas Bayley in his truly precious book The Craft of Model Making, last published in the
1970s. Here he shows how to tackle interior alcoves and domes by first making a positive
shape from which a shell cast can be taken. He recommends making the main shape of the
positive by means of, what he terms, ‘running with a template’.
These methods may offer a manageable solution if one has time and patience, but they are
by no means simple to achieve, even the first example! One does also need quite a bit of
skill and practise. I include them here because they are more important as examples of the
type of thinking that one should do .. thinking in terms of templates which control the material
and limit the ‘damage’, but also ‘thinking in negative’ which there will be more about later.

These methods of control all apply to making larger-scale forms and are designed for
precision .. whether of line, smoothness or detail. When it comes to modelling on a smaller
scale a lot less precision is needed .. one can often get away with good ‘suggestion’ rather
than realistic depiction. This, together with the fact that things like weight and
structural integrity are not such issues at a smaller scale, means that the solutions for
modelling forms or creating shapes can be more free and varied, that is .. not tied to
conventional sculptural methods.

For example below I am modelling a figure directly onto a drawing, without using an
armature. The idea with this is that the complete front half is modelled, the material is then
hardened, after which the back half can be continued directly onto it. The big advantage here
is that the drawing imposes clear limits i.e. it is almost impossible not to get the general
proportions and shape of the figure right if one keeps to the drawing.

I’m using Super Sculpey here, a flesh-coloured polymer clay which, as I’ve said, is one of the
softest and most malleable. It hardens with heat, which means that the usual way is to bake
it in a normal oven (130 degrees centigrade, c.15 mins for each 6mm of thickness used), but
it can also be hardened quite well using a hot-air gun, which is better for the task here. One
needs to be careful though, when heating the figure up, that the paper template doesn’t start
buckling too much with the heat. Normally I’d suggest having the paper glued down to a
board, but it’s better if the paper is not because then it’s easier to peel away from the baked
first half without damaging it.

The disadvantage of this method of ‘modelling flat on a template’ is that obviously it works
better for forms which keep mainly to one plane, as with this figure ‘standing to attention’. It
helps a lot to have copies of the drawing close to the modelling, as below, and it’s pretty
essential to work out a clear side-view to be able to check the thickness being built up. As I
mentioned, a conventional sculptor would not work this way, arguing that one can’t get the
same sense of the overall three-dimensionality and poise of the figure while working. But for
the purposes of suggesting figures in a model, whether they’re there as characters in the
drama or features of the architecture, I think the benefits of being able to keep to a
template outweigh the shortcomings.

I’m not suggesting that all model figure work can be done this way. Normally a sculptor
builds up a modelled figure on an armature, which is a skeletal support for the figure usually
out of wire, and it makes sense to do that even at this small scale. Getting the armature right
is more than half of the task, at least in terms of importance. A good armature is not only
there for structural support, it should also be as far as possible a guide as to where to put the
clay .. it should impose some control. The small figure armatures below are ones I’ve
featured in my book, but I describe a quicker method later when we look more closely at
figures. The ones below are made of soldered brass and they include double thicknesses of
brass on the legs and arms but broken at the joints so that these can be bent at the correct
points. They also include flat plates (in brass shim) representing torso and pelvis, which
although not strictly necessary for support, are invaluable for keeping the sense of the shape
of torso and pelvis while modelling.
Below is a fuller sequence of photos which illustrate the use of ‘controls’ when shaping soft
foam and the usefulness sometimes of having a harder ‘core’ shape to model on. For this
task I had to make a 1:6 scale model of an ornamented fireplace, including two large fish
sculptures either side. This was for a film still in production, so unfortunately copyright
prevents me from showing the completed fish forms until the film comes out, but I can show
enough to illustrate the modelling process. Because the fish needed to be symmetrical I
decided to make the same basis shape for both out of styrofoam, cutting a template shape
first out of Pvc for one and using it flipped over for the other. Below, I have secured the
template shape to a block of styrofoam using double-sided tape, which holds it firmly while
shaping but which can be easily detached afterwards.
Knives and wood rasping tools can be used to get close to the edge of the template shape ..

.. but I prefer to use a sanding block and more ‘control’ to reach the line. I’ve made a round
sanding block from a cut piece of thick cardboard tube (the kind used for rolls of carpet or
upholstery fabric) with 60-grit coarse sandpaper attached.
The sides of the sanding block are at a right-angle, so if both the form and the sander are
kept against the work surface while sanding, at least the basis blocks for each shape will
come out the same.

I then sanded (or rasped) these freehand, but both at the same time .. i.e. a little off one,
then the same off the other .. until I reached the right shape below. Unfortunately I didn’t take
a photo in between the two here in this case, but the best next step would be to shape
down the top surface on each block first before doing anything else, because this slope can
be easily compared. After mostly using a coarse wood-file, I finished off the form below using
a small piece of coarse sandpaper. I’ve begun to press the first layer of clay (in this case I’m
using Super Sculpey) onto the styrofoam. Because Sculpey really doesn’t want to stick to
styrofoam, it was important to work it in thinly at first to ensure a stable coating before adding
more.

Below, I have built up a good, even layer ready for the modelling of the surface details.
Making a block styrofoam core-shape like this has a number of advantages .. it means that
the modelled shape has a more controlled basis as I’ve said, just like the wire armatures; it
gives a firm basis for pushing against, particularly if surface details are achieved by pressing
or imprinting, without the fear of pushing the overall form out of shape; it economises on
modelling material (some, like Sculpey or Milliput, are expensive compared to natural clay);
and it reduces weight, without making the form itself much weaker.
A note of caution though! .. I modelled these fish in Super Sculpey and didn’t need to
harden them because I was making moulds and casts from these prototypes. Heating a very
thin layer of Super Sculpey on styrofoam (using a hot-air gun) can distort the styrofoam
shape if it gets too hot. If you’re using this method for a one-off where you need a
permanently hard surface a thicker Sculpey layer (i.e. c. 5-6mm) would most probably be ok,
because the styrofoam would be partially insulated. Otherwise you have to use Milliput or
another self-hardening clay.

In the section ‘Making curved shapes in styrofoam’ later on I demonstrate another method of
controlling a shape using specially shaped sanders. These are not things one can buy but
they can be easily made. I found that only a thin strip of sandpaper was necessary to sand
styrofoam (or the polyurethane foam from Kapa-line foamboard you will see later). If this
strip is supported on a shape it means that the area of foam sanded will gradually take that
shape and this will work for convex as well as concave shapes.
Developing the ‘scanner eye’

Some people are good at looking at a subject, whether it’s standing before them or recorded
in a photo, then looking at the copy they’re making and recognizing how the two differ .. i.e.
what exactly needs to be added to or subtracted from their copy and where. Usually it’s
something they’ve acquired and developed through a lot of practise at looking at things, so
it’s a skill that theatre designers in particular should have already and be particularly
disposed to developing. It’s a fundamental of being able to model a likeness! I believe that
simply improving your ability to look at and compare things objectively is the most important
step towards acquiring skill in sculpting. For example, next time you’re on a train compare
the shapes of the heads you see around you. Try to estimate how big people’s foreheads are
in relation to their heads as a whole. Are hands bigger than faces, is the length of a nose
roughly the same as the distance from it to the bottom of the face, is the space between the
eyes the same as the length of an eye? These are simple things to try, you can devise your
own questions, and this type of conscious looking won’t fail to improve your abilities if you
practise it whenever you have a spare moment.

‘Thinking in negative’ or approaching the form as a void to be filled

Up to now I haven’t included the methods of mouldmaking and casting within this series
because they’re more specialised, a whole other subject in itself, and I’ve already written a
general summary of it Beginner’s Basics – Mouldmaking and casting explained which
can be found under Methods /- Mouldmaking and casting. But I’m including this brief
example here because it illustrates a different approach to making a form. It is a method of
form-making which goes back a long way and is now an integral part of our technology. I’m
sure most people are aware of the principles of it, but almost exclusively in the context of
‘making many copies of something’, which somehow prevents the recognition of it as a
solution to making single forms.

The challenge of making a model of a bath is a very good example of what I’m talking about!
Most often we only need one, and we know that ideally it should be as thin as possible, so
our thinking is automatically channelled in the direction of trying to construct the shape in a
thin but bendable material. This would be fine if the curves and slopes of the shape were
that simple. If however we think of the essential shape as a solid one first, so that we start
with a three-dimensional form template in other words, a lot more is achievable.

These two photos are enough to illustrate the method. I’ve made the ‘prototype’ bath shape
using the foam from Kapa-line foamboard (which I’ll say more about later) but styrofoam
would also have done. For the fish shape previously I used one shape template to guide the
sanding block, whereas this needs two to establish the limits of the top and bottom of the
shape. These just need to be fixed in the right positions either side of a rough block of foam
and the excess foam is then sanded away down to the edges of both templates. Finding the
right positions for the templates, either side of a block, is not that simple though! The best
way is to fix the larger template to the foam first and sand down to that using a right-angled
sanding block (just like the fish). This will give a much clearer indication of where the smaller
template should be positioned on the other side. The sanding can then be completed.
I coated the foam shape with polyfilla and sanded it smooth, then made a plaster mould from
it. In this case I made the hollow bath shape using a fairly simple process known as
absorption casting. The principle behind this is that the plaster mould will absorb water
from a liquid material filling it, meaning that the material gradually forms a tougher skin next
to the plaster. The remaining still-liquid material can be poured out of the mould leaving a
thin shell which is left to dry. This contracts a little as it does so it can be taken out easily. It’s
the method used, on an industrial scale, for casting crockery using clay slip. I’ve used a
special form of liquid papier-mache called Liquache which is not so available in the UK (but
I’ve included one source in my Suppliers list). An alternative would be to use the more
familiar method .. the beloved ‘balloon pasting’ one .. of papering the inside of the mould with
small pieces of newspaper and glue. The mould surface would need to be Vaselined first
though. In actual fact, if the thin shell is built up this way there’s no need to make the
negative mould at all .. it could be built up on the prototype form, as long as it’s strong
enough.

PRACTICAL GUIDANCE

Making model figures

Let’s just assume for the moment that making three-dimensional scale figures to inhabit a
three-dimensional scale model is a good thing, before arguing the pros and cons of having to
do them! The first thing that’s needed is information. We need to know what the human
figure looks like and, just as importantly, what it looks like at 1:25 scale. When I’m modelling
in 1:25 scale I work from visual cue sheets such as these ones. For these I’ve taking the
trouble, not only to find the clearest, most authentic looking and most general models for the
proportions and details of the human figure but I’ve also adjusted them all in size to fit the
1:25 scale. It doesn’t mean that every bit of visual reference I have needs to be in scale as
long as I’ve got this basis.

For these I’ve looked at various sources .. anatomy books for artists, figure reference
websites, medical books .. but the visual references I’ve found most helpful have come from
reliable digital artists such as www.selwy.com One can usually tell at a glance whether the
artist really understands figures, and the neutral grey or brown surface of a digital sculpt is
much easier to read than even the best real-figure photos.
Before one can begin modelling though, an armature is needed. As explained above the
armature supports the material but it should also serve as a modelling guide. In my post from
March 2013 Modelling small-scale figures I provide a step-by-step account of making the
simple armature out of twisted garden wire below.
The template which is useful as a size guide during the process is also included in the post.
The twisted surface of the wire has an added usefulness in that it gives more ‘tooth’ for the
clay to attach itself to.

In my opinion it’s much easier to model a figure at this scale when it’s ‘spreadeagle’ i.e. laid
out flat like a five-pointed star, keeping the joint areas free almost until the last. This way it’s
easier to portion out and balance body and limb masses, getting a symmetry first. Super
Sculpey lends itself in particular to this because very small amounts can be applied first of all
just to put some mass on the skeleton, and these can be quickly fixed with the hot-air gun
before putting another layer on top. It doesn’t matter how many times the same portion of
figure is subjected to the hot-air gun for successive layers as long as it’s not too close (i.e.
not nearer than about 5cm) or dwelling too long on one point. Either the figure or the heat
gun needs to be kept moving .. but slowly, not agitated.

Milliput is the next best alternative material to use, and some might prefer it. I’ve used it on
part of the figure above right and for the whole of the middle stage below. Milliput is a 2-part
epoxy putty, and the parts need to be mixed in equal amounts before use. After thorough
mixing one has between 1-1.5 hours to work with it before it becomes too tough to model. An
advantage over Sculpey is that it’s much stronger, especially when making very slender
forms and it’s much stickier. But for this reason I don’t like it as much as it sticks to the
fingers and makes detail modelling sometimes difficult. It has much more ‘push back’ than
Sculpey, especially so after just half an hour. It also makes the process of building up in
stages quite a lengthy one because a few hours are needed before it’s safe to model the
next layer.
Modelling tools

For modelling figures at this scale the question of tools is hardly important .. in fact I often
just use a cocktail stick and a Starbucks coffee stirrer! Basically it’s enough just to have
something finely pointed and something flattish.
But if you find that you are doing a fair amount in the way of modelling, and larger things,
here is a selection of the most useful bought tools. The four on the left are standard ones for
clay modelling and one can get them in plastic or wood. In the centre are two made from
walnut strip wood and to the right of these is an embossing tool. This is useful because it has
two rounded points of different gauge. The metal dental modelling tool to the right of it is an
example of a range of fine-modelling tools one can pick up quite cheaply (even in £shops
sometimes). To make modelling easier it can be quite important to have at least one of the
‘loop’ tools shown next to it. These make it possible to remove material rather than just
displacing it.

But just as much can be achieved using tools which are not meant for modelling, especially
when it comes to surfacing effects. Below is the fire part for the fireplace mentioned earlier,
modelled in Super Sculpey. A plastic bristle brush and a hogshair painting brush were
perfect for giving the burnt wood and coals a suitable surface texture.
Other useful texturing tools can be made either from natural forms such as this portion of
nectarine stone or modelled and baked in Sculpey itself. The form to the right, which was
designed to imprint a tree-bark pattern was modelled on a cutting-knife blade so that it could
be fitted into the handle.

Soft furniture
Rather than modelling the form of an armchair or a sofa out of clay .. this is possible,
especially for broken down old things which are any shape except ‘streamlined’, but they
can end up rather heavy .. I use soft sheet foam to make them. Take this old leather
Chesterfield as an example of perhaps the most ambitious, alongside something simpler.
Kapa-line foamboard has a polyurethane foam inside which is quite dense and fine
compared to the polystyrene foam in regular foamboard and the covering paper can be quite
easily peeled away without damaging the foam surface. The foam can therefore be used as
a versatile sheet material in its own right.
Unfortunately I don’t have ‘making of’ photos for these ones, but the process is simply one of
cutting the constituent pieces (seat, back and arm shapes) as flat foam cut-out shapes first,
then shaping parts of them either before or after they’re all put together. To give a better idea
here is the drawing I use as a scale guide for making the small armchair
Both pieces of furniture were made entirely out of foam except for the legs. Apart from the
advantage that Kapa-line foam sands easily and smoothly, it bonds very well with superglue
and because of its porous surface accepts any type of paint very well .. including even ink or
watercolour! If painted with these or very thin acrylic the surface will look matt, even velvety,
with a slight tooth to it like upholstery fabric. But it’s easy to make it smoother, as I’ve done
with the leather Chesterfield, by giving it more than one basecoat of acrylic and finishing off
with some liquid shoe polish.
Here again are the chairs made from styrene strip plastic from the previous article on Fine
construction. The chair cushions are Kapa-line foam and I’ve incised very slight lines with a
pencil.

Below are foam cut-outs glued to Pvc furniture pieces ready to be sanded down into more
rounded upholstery shapes (it’s easier to sand them after they’re fixed down).
For the characteristic ‘quilting’ effect on the Chesterfield, more properly referred to as
buttoning I think, I just marked out the pattern before gluing the pieces together and made
the indentations by pressing in the corner of a small metal ruler. For the larger- scale pieces
below I marked out the pattern, carved into it partly with a scalpel and rounded with a
sanding board.
If the surface is coated with thinned Pva glue tissue paper or even soft kitchen roll can be
laid on top and pushed into the pattern for more of a fabric effect.

Making curved shapes in styrofoam

I normally use the most common blue form of styrofoam which comes in sheets 2.5cm thick
(although thicker sheets can also be found). There are also other types of styrofoam,
differentiated by colour. The pink one here is finer and the green one is coarser.

I’ve chosen one of the simplest examples first to underline the basic principle of using
template cut-outs to control the shaping of the foam. This is just a little step up from the
previous example of the fish shape, and it’s much the same as the example of the bath
shape, but I think it will help to make the more involved example of the ‘dome’ shape which
follows a little clearer.

This sequence is taken from another article Shaping styrofoam in the Methods section. In
it I describe the making of simple ‘half-column’ shapes as part of a composite structure, and
below is one of the end results.
The first step in making this was to cut a piece of Pvc representing the base dimensions of
the half-column (I use Pvc out of habit but cardboard can also be used as long as it’s more
resilient than the styrofoam when it’s sanded). I’ve fixed the base templates firmly to the
foam with double-sided tape, but they can be easily detached. Next I sanded down to the
template using the right-angle sanding block shown above.
After this I attached a Pvc semicircle either end, again with double-sided tape. Most of the
part that needs to go can be sliced down with a knife if one’s careful, but then it’s
straightforward using the sanding block to sand down to the curve, provided it’s longer than
the piece itself so that it’s ‘stopped’ by the two semicircles.

The principle behind making a regular dome in foam is similar in that it involves setting up
template shapes, but this time they remain inside the form rather than attached temporarily
outside. The method is suitable for any number of form variations. The faint lines of the
plastic inserts are just about noticeable under the surface of the finished dome below.
The following photo sequence shows a form with a slight variation on the regular dome
shape but will serve to illustrate. The first step is to cut the Pvc shapes which will provide the
‘control edges’ or limits of the form. As I’ve said, these parts will stay within the form.

This particular shape needed to be more ‘pill’ like i.e. a little longer than a sphere, so I had to
make a flat section in the middle first, shown below. For this I used some layers of Kapa-line
foam sandwiched between the two plastic templates (made in much the same way as the
bath shape earlier on except that the two template shapes are the same).

Each quadrant of the form is then built up in layers of styrofoam, fixed down with double-
sided tape.
I’d advise building in layers rather than a thicker block because a Pvc template can be
included on the top of each layer, to further control the shaping as shown below. Here I’ve
started to remove the excess with a coarse wood file, judging by eye. But I made a

couple of curved sanders (shown in the last photo), to the same curve as the principle
semicircle, in order to sand the foam down to the template ‘stops’ smoothly. As I said at the
beginning, shaping certainly needs to be thought about beforehand and thoroughly planned.
The thinking may be involved but the doing of it is relatively easy, and once
one’s practised a little it opens up many form-making possibilities.

Perfect ‘bowl’ or concave shapes are much easier, again making use of the fact that a thin
strip of coarse sandpaper suffices to sand through styrofoam. The photo below is also taken
from the article Shaping styrofoam in the Methods section, and shows the shape near
completion. I first inscribed the size of the circle needed as a guide while sanding. I made
the sanding tool to the same diameter, with a c.6mm strip of coarse black sandpaper
attached. When the tool is pressed against the foam and revolved it will make a rough
depression at first but this will get smoother as it continues. For more on this and how to
make a round-topped alcove shape as an extension of this method see the article
mentioned.

Liquid modelling

Again this is my term of convenience for the technique of ‘piping’ a liquid material onto a
surface, as one might do when decorating a cake, to create the effect of relief decoration
without the effort that more conventional modelling or carving would involve.
Here I am using a relief medium I have prepared myself .. Polycell ‘Fine Surface’ Polyfilla
.. with a little water added to make it just a little more liquid. It should be mixed as-and-when
needed because the consistency is perfect for piping evenly when fresh but after a while (i.e.
after a few days) it starts to become a little lumpy.
The main trick is getting it into a suitable, squeezable, small plastic bottle with a fine nozzle.
It isn’t difficult to find these. The one above was from a £shop and contained glitter-glue and
so were the pen-like ones below. I’ve had to mix the polyfilla thoroughly with a little water first
in a small container, then fill a plastic syringe and use this to transfer it into the bottles. If not
applied too thickly the polyfilla takes 1-2 hours on average to dry. I prefer using this polyfilla
mix because it shrinks the least of the various materials I’ve tried. It also dries the quickest
and if deeper relief is needed a second layer can be applied, as I’ve done with the portion of
picture frame in the top photo.

Idenden Brush-coat, which is a texturing compound commonly used in the theatre here, also
works very well. An advantage of this is that it can be used as it comes without dilution and
will consequently keep its consistency much longer. But unless you have access to a friendly
scenic workshop, Idenden will be expensive because it only comes in 10litre buckets.

Other possibilities are offered by various fabric relief paints or glass-painting relief outliner
shown below. The Pebeo ‘Touch’ relief paints are more like a liquid plastic, so one can ‘draw’
with them very evenly, and there are various colours including good metallic such as gold or
pewter. It is a little disappointing that they shrink quite significantly, so they don’t manage
something like the picture frame, but are perfect for the suggestion of a relief surface. The
Pebeo ‘Cerne Relief’ glass-painting outliner is a thicker medium and the small tube comes
with a much finer nozzle, so very detailed effects are possible.
Working with wire mesh

I usually categorise my use of metal mesh as a method of shaping .. if not modelling even,
because it’s also ‘pushing a soft material around’ in a way. I work mainly with ‘welded wire
mesh’ which is welded firmly at each intersection, so that different forms can be produced
according to where the mesh is snipped and how the free pieces are bent. It’s ideal for small
tree forms, for example.
I’m sure many other structures can be made in this way .. but that’s something for another
day ..

Posted in drawing, materials, model-making, modelling, shaping, teaching | Tagged

1:25 model figures, absorption casting, air-drying clay, baking Sculpey, choices of
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for modelling, craft of model making, David Neat model-maker, dimensional paint,
figure armature, foam shaping, Idenden, liquid modelling, making a dome shape,
making a plug, making curved shapes in styrofoam, methods of form-making,
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Lexicon of materials and methods

Posted on August 4, 2013

I’m always finding out new bits of information on materials and what can be done with them,
but usually I have a problem deciding where to put these notes so that I can rely on
easily finding them again! So, needing a handy alphabetical notebook, I’ve turned the former
vocabularly into a lexicon .. which basically means the same thing but sounds ‘BIGGER’!

Whereas the vocabulary confined itself mainly to explaining the meaning of terms the
lexicon provides more, and for me it’s a handy place to update essential knowledge on a
variety of things without involving the ‘song and dance’ of a structured post. In my
experience so far, having ‘knowledge of making’ arranged according to principle materials,
and those in alphabetical order, makes things much easier to find .. at least it does for
me! Entries will usually start with the basic definition, but then include anything I feel it is
important to know in practice. Since I will, no doubt, have to constantly refer to it myself it
won’t be left unattended so it’s guaranteed to grow!

Here, for example, is an entry I’ve just updated on Milliput which represents what I hope the
whole of the lexicon will eventually become:

Milliput is a 2-part, very hard-setting epoxy modelling putty, available in two fineness grades
and a few different colours. It is most suitable for small, delicate work. ‘Standard’ Milliput is a
light yellow/grey colour when mixed while the extra-fine grade is white. When equal amounts
of both parts are thoroughly blended together (until the colour is uniform) the putty begins to
harden. It remains easy to model for around 40mins, then slowly hardens (but see below). It
will stick annoyingly to fingers, but can be smoothed or even thinned with water. Vaseline on
the fingers is effective in helping fine smoothing (methylated spirits can also be used). It will
stick well to most surfaces in it’s soft state and even serves well as a gap-filling ‘cement’
especially if it’s used straight after blending when it’s still sticky. It is often used in the
restoration of antiques and art objects because of it’s high adherence and strength when
cured. When hard (after 3-4 hours) it is very durable but can be easily sanded and tooled
(i.e. sawn, drilled), even carved with a scalpel. There is no noticeable shrinkage. According
to the manufacturer it has a shelf life of c. 2yrs if stored cool, dry, sealed in polythene bags
provided.. but see notes below. Obtainable most good art or hobby shops, Tiranti, 4D Price
(2013) c.£2.28-£5.06 (Tiranti) per 113g packet dependant on type (ranging from standard to
fine grade and colours e.g. terracotta, black).

At the time of writing (7/2013) I have not found any other epoxy putty to compare with it..
Apparently the setting time can be speeded to just a few minutes by applying heat (Tiranti
website). Best method of mixing; portion equal amounts and press these together, then roll
this into a long ‘string’, gather up and twist together then roll long string again .. repeat etc.
After 3-4 hrs hardening, it needs same amount of time to fully cure. Heat resistant up to
130C. Can be coloured by blending in powder pigment (or even oil paint, or spirit-based
colourants) while mixing. Different Milliput versions are intermixable but also resin or
hardener parts between them (as long as one knows which is which) are also
interchangeable. The ‘hardener’ is usually the darker of the two and will develop a resinous
crust over time. If used as a press-casting material, ‘talc or a light oil can be used as a
releasing agent according to the Milliput website. Another tip from this website is that, if you
have to interrupt work during modelling, it will keep in its uncured state for up to 36hrs if put
in the freezer.

www.milliput.com
www.mbfgfiles.co.uk/docs/milliput_tech.pdf

How to model with Milliput Use should be made of the fact that Milliput will change in
consistency as it cures i.e. for the first 30mins rough build-up when at it’s softest, after which
fine detail especially imprinting and smoothing are easier once its getting firm. Carving can
be done after c. 2-3 hrs when almost set, then sanding/filing after 3-4hrs.

Accelerating hardening 7/2013 ‘Tips’ found (not yet verified) include: baking in oven (max
50C) for 30mins. Since cured Milliput is heat-resistant up to 130C successive adding/baking
is possible.

How long will Milliput remain usable? I recently made a test of some Milliput I’ve had for
at least 10 years. In fact, I was going to throw it away because it had become rock-hard and
the darker ‘hardener’ part (as I assume it to be) had developed a tough, resinous skin. I was
surprised though that after managing to chop off two equal pieces and starting to squeeze
them between the fingers they became softer and eventually soft enough to start mixing
together. For this first test I left the tough skin on, believing that it might still blend, but it
remained as small hard granules.
Above, my usual method of mixing Milliput is first to combine the two parts roughly and then
start rolling the mass into a long thin string, which I then divide, twist the strands together
and then repeat a few times until the colour is even. The hard fragments of skin remained so
I tried chopping and pressing the mixture on a tile in case that got rid of them.

It didn’t much, so I stopped blending (it had taken altogether about 20 minutes) and left the
piece to harden, below. The consistency was not good (compared to fresh Milliput), ok
perhaps for rough work but rather fibrous and prone to fissuring when stretched.

I did another test but this time peeling off the crust from the darker Milliput stick, just using
what remained. This mixed very smoothly, a little harder than new Milliput but still a good,
smooth consistency, below. I needed 10 minutes to mix it thoroughly.
I’ve never properly timed the setting of Milliput up to now and I’m glad I did with these tests
because I’ve generally been telling people that they have about an hour to model with it. In
fact it’s much longer .. if one can make use of the changes to model differently (and later
carve) as it toughens. I made a further control test using new Milliput in addition to the two
above.

10 year old Milliput with ‘skin’ included After 1 hour firmer but still could be kneeded and
modelled; less sticky, and ideal in this state for impressing with tools; little rubbery
‘springback’ as yet i.e. marks made with tools stay as made. After 2 hours no longer easily
kneeded or modelled, but still very flexible; still easily cut-able with a knife; still good for
impressing though slight ‘springback’ i.e. marks made with tools fill in a little; easier to
smooth the surface without distorting the form.

10 year old Milliput with ‘skin’ discarded After 1 hour same as above After 2 hours same
as above, though a little firmer and impressions spring back more

Both After 3 hours still cut-able with a knife; still bendable, but no longer mouldable; can be
squeezed but springs back like rubber and impressions do not hold; very good for carving.
After 4.5 hours like tire rubber; ideal state for carving

New Milliput thorough blending took 10 minutes. After 1 hour still very soft, a little firmer, a
little less sticky. After 2 hours still mouldable and very flexible; cut-able with a knife; still takes
impressions well with minimal springback, but fissures occur when trying to ‘smear’. After 3
hours no longer mouldable; still flexible and cut-able but impressions do not hold.

7/2013 the nationwide £shop chain ’99p Stores’ now stock a form of mixable epoxy putty
from the ‘Do It Right’ brand. This is packaged in small, pre-portioned pellets which one just
has to blend together. Each pellet is c. 4g and there are 8 to a pack so this doesn’t work out
any cheaper than standard Milliput.. just could be easier to get hold of. It has different
properties though, as one can guess from the smell which is more like regular epoxy glue
than Milliput. For a start it’s much softer and stickier when first mixed (so much so that using
one’s fingers becomes rather difficult) and there’s a graininess that doesn’t really disappear.
Part of the reason for this is that, although it may be helpful that the two parts are already
dosed, with one wrapped around the other, where they touch a hard layer develops because
this has already started to set! The only other possible advantage (depending on what you
use it for) is that it sets up much quicker than Milliput; in my test it was a bit too firm to model
with after 15 minutes and had reached almost complete hardness after 2 hours. When fully
cured it was also very strong. It may be ideal as a gap-filling glue or repair medium, but not
so good for modelling.
The mixed test piece above was gently flattened and pulled out in the same way as the
Milliput tests but the graininess and fissuring are apparent here.

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