Polyclay & Resin Scale

[crambie]

I'm planning on doing a couple of posh wood, mother of pearl... SAK scales but for now I'm playing with a poly clay one. Wasn't sure if it was a good idea to post it as I'm not certain it will work but someone might find it interesting. The plan is to create a little scene and then for it to be encased in resin, something a bit different and should be be fun to do. It will be thicker than the standard scales but not by too much. I've seen people create similar scenes in Altoids tins but trying to do the same when you've only a few mm of height isn't easy.

I had a play with a simple test one to see if the clay held together, the "sand" base is only around 0.5mm thick, and learnt some do's and don'ts whilst messing around. Also got used to working at that scale although things need to be a fair bit smaller still. Tended to make something that I thought was the right size only to realise it needed to be half that. Also lost many a part by breathing too hard!


It's not bonded to the knife, it comes off and needs to in order to encase it in resin. Couldn't see how it could be done in situ.

I made a start the other day on the coral/zoanthid pivot covers. The photo makes them look huge but are only just over 2mm high. Started with the pivots as you want to make sure the scale still comes off. However I soon decided that I wanted more detail and also wanted the sand to be more white (it's a bit more yellow than in the photo) so stopped.


I've just created a new base and the colour's more to my liking. So if it's of interest to anyone I'll post updates.

[sLaughterMed]

Those are pretty. That really is a neat concept, I cant wait to see what else you do!

[AimlessWanderer]

Interesting concept. Please keep us updated 

[Smashie]

Very interesting indeed, could you use sand paper as a base. decorate it, apply resin then sand the paper off? may hold together better?

[crambie]

Very interesting indeed, could you use sand paper as a base. decorate it, apply resin then sand the paper off? may hold together better?

As the clay contains a plasticiser it turns out that it's fine even as a super thin layer. When I did the mess about piece I expected it to split when I tried to remove from the knife (and for it to be a really short project) but it has a fair bit of give especially when still hot. I just texture it with a toothbrush.

Using a very fine sandpaper might work, not sure how well the clay would stick or rather the sand to the paper.

[crambie]

This is the size I wanted the zoanthids to be (which it looks like the ones in the know call Zoas for short). The dot is one of its tentacles. I don't use a scalpel, it's just for scale as it's too thick. Instead I use a razor blade that I've sanded so I don't slice myself, it doesn't need to be sharp just thin.

The nice think about Zoas is that you can think of any colour combination and there's a real one that matches.

[AimlessWanderer]

Wow. That must be an incredible investment of time for a completed set of scales. I certainly wouldn't have the patience or dexterity to attempt something that precise. I'm certainly interested in watching the development though 

[ironraven]

Uhm... wow. I wouldn't call it EDC, but an art knife would be like a gentleman's knife for a different demographic. Show us once you've got it finished with the top layer of resin?

[crambie]

Very slow going. The Zoas took about half an hour each and I did about 20 of them. Currently working on the coral with the purple base, adding all the individual bits which are so small I sometimes have to search for them on my hand.

[magentus]

You Sir, are hard-core 

[metasyntax]

This is amazing work. Your description reminds me of paperweight art — I was lucky enough to see a very nice exhibit of paperweights at the Art Institute of Chicago some years ago. Some were very intricate, but this is on an even smaller scale. Looks great so far, I can't wait to see how it turns out!

[crambie]

Glad some are finding it interesting. My first attempt at a reef was a basic scene on a keyboard key cap. Wasn't very good but was also my first time using polyclay so learnt plenty. Looking forward to finishing the corals then can start on the wildlife. Have done some small polyclay fish that were fiddly but these are going to be really tiny. If it works out I do have another idea but thinking of things that don't have much height isn't easy, might just have to go smaller.

[jcs0001]

Very intricate work.  I'm not familiar with using the polyclay and resin - is it difficult to preserve your art without it shifting around?  I'm assuming that you preserve the artwork in resin once done but I could be totally out to lunch on this

John.

[crambie]

Polyclay is type of clay with a plasticiser, I think it's pvc, which means you can bake it in your oven rather than having a kiln. As it contains pvc you can't use it for anything you're going to eat off or drink out of. Like normal clay it's all bonded together, obviously the smaller you go the more delicate it is.

Unlike normal clay it comes in a range or colours and special effects, for example pearl and translucent. You can also mix them like you would pant to create your own colours and tints. So no need for slips although you can paint them too usually with acrylic paint.

Most seem to use it to make jewellery but also sculpting (by people far, far more talented than me), there's a range of doll flesh colours and some do very realistic miniature babies for example. Dolls house food is also a popular niche.

[T14]

As a scale modeller, this thing is right up my alley. Great sculpting work 

One worry I might have is that the resin might not be able to protect the polyclay right at the edge of the liner. This may cause the edges of the finished scale to be fragile.
Ideally I would advise that a thin lip at the edge of the scale be kept bare in order to let the resin cover all exposed surfaces of the finished scale.
But my personal experience with resin is limited to diorama water effects and molding/casting of toy soldiers, so I might be way off the mark here

In any case I'm sure the end result will be stunning 
-Tom

[crambie]

Was thinking the same but it's only about 0.5mm thick in most places so might be OK. Will do a dummy test piece to experiment. As the detail won't be too near the edges I'll have the option of adding a lip if need be. My biggest concern is taking weeks to do the clay then the resin ruins it in some way, like you hear of it not properly setting etc.

I did finish the purple based coral last night. That's a small needle next to it. Looks like a blob zoomed in that much, looks a bit less of one in real life. The balls catch the light as you move it so was worth the time over just texturing it.

[T14]

Good stuff:

I dunno how much experience you have with resins, so I apologize in advance if my ramblings are redundant.
I'd err on the side of caution and get some slow-setting resins to experiment with.
For optimum bubble free resin pours you need to de-gas the resin mixture prior to pouring. The only way to do this consistently is using a by vacuum pot.
Makeshift ones can be made using an old cast Iron pot, some plumbing supplies and a vacuum cleaner.
-T

[crambie]

Never used it, so far just had a read and seen some videos. Seems most don't bother with de-gassing perhaps for tiny things like jewellery it's not so important? Also need to make the plug (think that's the right word) and then the silicone mold.

The idea will be to do the resin in layers, so the fish are floating not on the bottom or stuck to something. Can't say I'm really looking forward to the mold/resin part.

[shibafu]

These are fantastic works of art, really looking forward to seeing the final result.

[crambie]

Not had much time this week but this is where I've got to so far.

[Steinar]

This is a really neat project! 

Exciting to see how it's going.

[Poncho65]

Missed this one and glad I found it now Very cool work you have there Can't wait to see final product 

[lemo]

Nice to see something different like this. It has the potential to look really beautiful and anything that makes knives visibly less threatening gets my vote.

[crambie]

It's keeping me amused, something different. Just got the pieces together for a different artsy scale, ebony, gold, silver, diamonds, sapphire, opal, mother of pearl and some other bits. But will be a joint project with my brother when he has time.

[ironraven]

Allow me to say, this is simply awesome. In the origional meaning. I am filled with awe by this work. I would go rather utterly bonkers trying to do this.

[gregozedobe]

Colour me deeply impressed

[crambie]

Slowly filling it in.

[Damsel]

Oh wow! This is amazing. I've done some things with polymer clay like jewellery and also used resin in the past but I've never thought about putting them together. I don't think I'd have the patience to do things that small either.

Really enjoying this thread, looking forward to seeing more.
Danielle.

[crambie]

It's slow going, just do it the odd evening, and as you know time flies and you think is that all I've done? Still not sure if it will look any good but either way it's fun and good practice.

[Mechanickal]

It's slow going, just do it the odd evening, and as you know time flies and you think is that all I've done? Still not sure if it will look any good but either way it's fun and good practice.

Untill you're eventualy finished and are bored to death in the evenings, thinking back about this project that made you forget about the world, every time you worked on it