Has anyone baked a custom after painting and sealing?

[kaelynn]

I'm working on a commission of an OC and the character is wearing a sweater. 

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Originally I had thought to finish all the painting and sealing, then sculpt the sweater onto the pony in polymer clay and bake it.  I've had no problems baking ponies in the past, but they've all been bare plastic.  I now have a pony that's painted with acrylics and sealed with Testor's Dullcote and I'm terrified that the Dullcote will have some sort of reaction in the oven.  The paint job on this pony was a case of "everything that can possibly go wrong, will go wrong" and I don't think I could bear having something happen to the paint.

The other option is Apoxie Sculpt, which I've only used a couple of times quite a few years ago and I'm not confident in my abilities with it.

So I'm just wondering if anyone has successfully baked a pony that's painted and sealed with Dullcote without any sort of damage or darkening?

Thanks in advance!

[BlackCurtains]

Not a custom, but a mini polymer clay tea set. It was sealed with glossy Sculpey glaze. I only needed to reattach the handle on the teapot so it wasn't in the oven long, but my paint and sealer survived with no ill effects.

However. I would consider using the Apoxie in this case. Do you have a bait you can practice on? Some tips with Apoxie Sculpt - use vinyl tools. Metal and plastic with get all gummed up. You can use water to smooth it. I actually have a mini spray bottle I use to spritz the area I need to smooth. Sometimes it's easier to let it sit a bit before working with it. You can make an uneven mix of the two halves for a longer or shorter working time.

[Starflashbaby]

kaelynn If you try this on a bait pony like BlackCurtains says All I can say is watch that oven like a Hawk. I'm not so sure about the Testors Dullcote Either... I remember my dad using Testors paint on his car models. they seemed to have a chemical like sent to them so If the Dullcote is anything like the paint was... I don't mean to scare you just watch that oven and try another bait pony

P.S Very Beautiful By the way if nothing else use Apoxie sculpt that will work.. 

[SunPony]

I have not and I would not try it on your commission, personally.  If you want to test it out, maybe you have a "practice" custom you could put in the oven first just to see how it does?  Other than the sealant itself, the big change in temp could cause issues if the pony, paint, and sealant expand and contract at different rates.  Something to watch for if you do test it.  Sculpey doesn't require super high temps, though, so maybe it would be okay!

I think if you are comfortable using sculpey you will find apoxiesculpt easy to work with as well.  You could practice a bit before committing yourself to it. 

Good luck, the pony looks great so far!

[Seespotbitejane]

Have you ever worked with Worbla? I think that would be a better safer option. Less likely to crumble in the future too.

[kaelynn]

Thanks for the info and advice everyone!  I’ll go the way of the Apoxie for sure…I never thought of possible cracking of the paint/sealant from the heat.  I have a couple of other customs that I’m working on that use the Apoxie so I’ll put some more time into those to get a bit more comfortable with using it before I’ll come back to the sweater on this one.

Thanks again!

[BlackCurtains]

Oh, and you can bake Apoxie too if you want it to harden faster.

[Starflashbaby]

Note I was not saying to use Apoxy in the oven I don't know if you can do that I was simply saying you can do that in replace of using the oven

[Blackness]

Great question! I've only ever used polymer clay for my customs and have been wondering the same thing for years!

After hiding under a rock for almost 12 months I've finally finished another pony (WOOHOO!) but almost broke everything when trying to re-attach her head after baking the clay on the body. My sculpting seems to be getting more delicate with each project so I'm keen to rehair, paint eyes and THEN sculpt/bake to avoid having to risk destroying everything...

Tested on an old bait pony last night with several colours and different layers of acrylic paint - in oven at 130°c for 15 minutes. Didn't notice any change to the paint, no weird chemical/burning smells, everything seems fine!

Probably wouldn't risk putting a varnished/sealed pony in the oven though...

[SunPony]

That's great information!  Thanks for sharing your results.  What kind of acrylics did you use?  I guess what I mean is what brand?

[kaelynn]

Blackness: I was thinking more about this because I’ve had the same issue as you with almost destroying a custom trying to get the darn head back on at the end. Have you tried Cosclay?  It’s supposed to be quite rubbery and resilient after baking. I’ve only just started playing around with it myself but it will be interesting to see how it works for custom ponies.

[Blackness]

Sunpony - the brand is Sullivans All Purpose acrylic. Nothing fancy, just whatever I've found at craft stores. I'm in Australia and we seem to have limited options compared to the US and Europe.

Kaelynn - I know right, getting the head back on is a nail-biting experience!! For my next custom I'll leave the sculpting until last and see how the hand painted eyes and styled hair hold up in the oven, will seal/varnish after baking. Fingers crossed!

I use Sculpey usually... As mentioned, we don't get spoiled for choice in Australia and I'm usually too lazy to order online

[BlackCurtains]

Just a small tip, you guys might do it already, but to make getting the head on and off easier, cut a square section out of the neck ring.

[sunnydaze]

Truthfully I've seen some weird disaster ponies...I would not recommend baking after all the work is done

[Blackness]

Truthfully I've seen some weird disaster ponies...I would not recommend baking after all the work is done

What kind of disasters?

Because I'm pleased to report that I've just finished my first custom this way - painted her eyes, re-rooted all hair and styled before sculpting and baking..

I only use small amounts of polymer, thin and delicate pieces so don't leave a pony in the oven for long, this lady was baking at 110°c for about 10 minutes and everything has turned out fine The only difference I have noticed is that the hair (nylon Dolly Hair) seems to go a little thin and flat after being exposed to the heat, whether wrapped in aluminium foil or not, but it's not enough to bother me..