Sculpting Straight Lines: An Introduction

Budokhan · 01-23-2010, 02:43 PM

Hey Gang!
Its always a pleasure to share with my friends and fellow-hobbyists, and I've always been the kind to share little tips and tricks 'cause that's the only way we, as artists, can grow, right? Right! So . . . on with the sharing!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yourreflection

How do you sculpt such straight lines?

Well, one of the tools I use most heavily is a little home-made "chisel". Years ago, at one of the other model shops I worked at, I was able to grind out this little gem using a Lathe and a bench-top grinder. It's made from bar-stock steel and I re-sharpen the edge using 1200 [grit] sandpaper.

In order to get straight scribe line details, you need to hold the "rake" or chisel edge at around a 20-30 degree angle to the surface of your material. Then, with just the slightest pressure, dig in to the material and gently move the side edge in a smooth, forward motion. It's best to only make a very shallow cut on the first pass and go a little deeper on subsequent passes. This will help to give you not only a straight line but, with practice, uniform depth as well!

Just remember, try and keep the chisel edge as sharp as possible as often as you can; if it gets dull, it will lead to jagged and wavy scribes and may possibly "skip" off track.

Other than that, though, I just use standard sculpting minarets, my opti-visors, calipers, and a boat-load of patience!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bellyboy

which putty is that ,cause the one i'm working with (tamiya ) is supper sticky and really doesnt shoe the details as good as yours ?
will u share your secret?

Absolutely, my friend! The putty is called "Apoxie Sculpt" made by a company called AVES Studios. Here's a small list of its properties as quoted from their website:

Quote:

• Offers economy as well as performance, strength and waterproof permanence. Freeze-thaw stable.
• Flat to semigloss finish to make repairs and painting easier.
• 10 Colors plus 2 Metals! Mix for more choices or patterns.
• Self-hardening, 2 part product (A & B) must be mixed thoroughly. Putty like feel.
• Open working time about 2-3 hours. Cures hard overnight (24 hour full cure).
• 0% shrinkage.
• Strongly adheres to almost any clean surface . . . including ceramic, fiberglass, foam, glass, metal, plastics, resin, stone, wood, and more.
• Can be seamlessly feathered before set-up, or sanded, tapped, lathed or otherwise tooled after.
• User friendly clay. Non-flammable, non-hazardous. No solvents or fumes. Conforms to ASTM D.4236.
• Clean up with Apoxie® Safety Solvent or water

I usually go with the silver-gray "metal" myself, mainly because the gray shows the detail better when working in such small scale, but also because its impregnated with nearly microscopic bits of powdered aluminum that give it extra rigidity when it hardens. Another nice thing that you'll love: when you knead it with your fingers, its has virtually no "stickiness" to it!

. Also, it can be polished to a near mirror-finish when fully cured!

Ive been using this stuff for years and highly recommend it! It's not very cheap, but it's neither really expensive; it is soooo worth the money!

Hope that helps a little bit!
~Cheers!
-BK