I got a bit adventurous with siome magic-sculpt I bought last year. I was told it doesn't go off if kept sealed. I mixed a small amount to make a tree stump - and I thought I had mixed equal amounts - by putting 2 worms the same thickness side by side and usinf equal lengths. I twisted the worms and worked them together for a few minutes to get a thorough mix and made a nice stump. Because I had made a rough bark texture to the stump I didn't have to use anything to smooth the surface.

The thing is still sticky a week later.

In the mean time I made a tree using the wire method I found here and used the magic-sculpt on this and it has set nicely. I used a water dipped finger to smooth the trunk out.

Is the first stump just from an unequal mix? If so can it be fixed at all by something radical like baking it? Does using water to smooth it help it to cure?

I was actually very impressed with the product and once I get this little hiccup sorted out I would like to actually try making a few other things - maybe even go as far as trying to use it on/for figures.

TIA

Brian

I'm using magic sculpt that several years old, and it has never stayed sticky, or tacky. Always rock hard over night.
My guess is an improper mix.

Sounds like Grumpy is correct. To save the effort pour an RTV mold of the stump, then cast in resin! The bonus is that you can use the mold over and over again!

I think it was just a bad mix, it happens. It's happened with me with other products, two part epoxy, two part resin. The epoxy is hard to guage so it's User error, the resin was measured exactally, and I just didn't mix it enough and it failed.

Brian I agree with the others. I use this product as well and find it is usually me who mixes and uses it wrong.

cheers
Cliff

Hey there, Brian,

Not to be repetitive, but I have to agree with te others: sounds like an improper mix. I don't think that the first stump of yours is likely to harden any more than it already has. A few years back, I mixed a batch to cover a seam on a polar lights Godzilla model I was working on, but since I was running low on Magic Sculpt, I had added too much of one half or the other (I don't recall which, offhand.) I had put the model aside for a while (it's one of my "on-again, off-again" projects.) When I returned to it a year later and tried filing a portion of it smooth, I had scraped it off entirely. The mis-mixed portion never did cure properly.

I'm still a huge fan of Magic Sculpt, however, using it for everything from filling in larger seams to detail original figure sculptures. I highly recommend the stuff.

On way of getting it to cure faster is to make yourself a drying box. Mine is similar to the ones used for drying oil painted figures, only I lined mine with aluminum foil,as well. With nothing more than a 60 watt lightbulb for a heat source, I find that most of my sculptures are cured "workably hard" in only 30-40 minutes or so. If using this method, however, be careful about putting anything made of styrene plastic inside. The heat of the drying box can sometime cause the plastic to warp.

Also, if you find the sculpted piece becoming "muddy" when using water to smooth it, try using 91% Isopropyl rubbing alcohol insted. It smooths the piece nicely, while it's faster evaporation rate prevents the "muddiness".

Talcum powder can be very helpful in preventing the Magic Sculpt from sticking to your tools and fingers, too.

Steve K.

Guys

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I have put this stump down to experience and binned it. I made 2 others yesterday and they have set properly - but in my eyes do not look as good as the first one .

Steve thanks for the extra tips. I have been thinking of making a drying box one day - so this is another thing I could use it for.

Cliff - yeah I know - good old operator error. I initially thought that the high humidity here might have had something to do with it (32 degrees and 80 - 100% humidity for the last 10 days) but obviously that wasn't the answer.

Brian