The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: Mana Minori on September 15, 2020, 12:31:43 AM
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(Just want to make this clear. I do not condone torturing my or anyone else’s ponies in a fiery hell)
I feel like the answer is obvious, but I watched a pony crafter who goes by the name of Midnight Rarity just pop a g4 plastic pony in the oven to bake their custom clay mane, and I’m just curious if I could do the same and not melt the pony on even the lowest setting in a convection oven (I think MR had theirs at low 200’s?)
Can baking a pony survive? Anyone know what the melting point is for G4’s?
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I would never risk it.
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I don’t know about a convection oven....I know they bake faster so you may want to keep an eye on your pony if you bake in there, but they’re totally safe to bake. :) I’ve baked a few customs with sculpted details at 275 degrees and they haven’t had any trouble. Just make sure if it’s a G3 you take out their hoof magnet! Idk what would happen if it got baked, but I’m not brave enough to experiment. :P
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I don't know, but if you don't want to risk it, Sculpey makes an air-dry clay. I just tried it on a BBE-to-NBBE custom, and so far so good. 2 days after using it I haven't noticed any shrinkage or pulling away from the pony's eye sockets yet.
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I've heard quote a few people have baked clay details right on the pony! They do melt sometimes, so keep an eye on them and consider apoxie sculpt if you're doing small details.
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Oh, didn't someone recently post some g4 customs with sculpting and some had melted a bit while others were fine? You could hunt through the customs threads for them and ask that person. I can't recall who it was.
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I recently learned this about ovens.
They don't keep a constant temperature. What you set it to, is actually an average while the oven fluctuates. So something at 300 can be as low as 250, and as high as 350. And each oven can be different (based on age or parts).
I wonder if it's the variance of individual ovens that make ponies melt.
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Oh, didn't someone recently post some g4 customs with sculpting and some had melted a bit while others were fine? You could hunt through the customs threads for them and ask that person. I can't recall who it was.
That was me. I've been baking G4's for customs this year. Keep 'em low 275 and no longer than 15 mins.
http://mlparena.com/index.php/topic,399066.0.html (http://mlparena.com/index.php/topic,399066.0.html)
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A tip that a lot of people don't know about Sculpey and other baking polymer clays is that you can bake them more than once. The clay might discolor but it doesn't get brittle or burn, that's a myth. So if you have something thick sculpted on a pony you can bake it in sessions, 275 (or even lower) for 15 min, wait until it cools then do another 15 mins and so on.
I have some sculpted pieces that have been baked 10+ times and they're fine.
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I've baked ponies to add Sculpty attachments. (With G3s and G4s.)
Worked fine except one of the G3s lost her magnet. IIRC I used the lowest recommended setting for baking Sculpty and, of course, checked the pony constantly to make sure she wasn't melting or on fire or anything. ;)
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Oh, didn't someone recently post some g4 customs with sculpting and some had melted a bit while others were fine? You could hunt through the customs threads for them and ask that person. I can't recall who it was.
That was me. I've been baking G4's for customs this year. Keep 'em low 275 and no longer than 15 mins.
http://mlparena.com/index.php/topic,399066.0.html (http://mlparena.com/index.php/topic,399066.0.html)
:( I'm sad I can't see the pictures on that thread!
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Oh, didn't someone recently post some g4 customs with sculpting and some had melted a bit while others were fine? You could hunt through the customs threads for them and ask that person. I can't recall who it was.
That was me. I've been baking G4's for customs this year. Keep 'em low 275 and no longer than 15 mins.
http://mlparena.com/index.php/topic,399066.0.html (http://mlparena.com/index.php/topic,399066.0.html)
:( I'm sad I can't see the pictures on that thread!
ah, good. Thought it was just me.
Can’t see ‘em either
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What would be the advantage of using an oven-bake clay like Sculpey over Apoxie sculpt, out of curiosity?
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What would be the advantage of using an oven-bake clay like Sculpey over Apoxie sculpt, out of curiosity?
I think working time? Sculpey doesn't harden completely until it's baked, but Apoxie is rush hour.
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What would be the advantage of using an oven-bake clay like Sculpey over Apoxie sculpt, out of curiosity?
They have a somewhat different consistency to them, and as tailrustedtealeaf said, different working times. Also apoxie sculpt is a little harder to find, more expensive, and it says to wear gloves while dealing with it so I assume it is more hazardous as well.
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visitors can't see pics , please register or login
Hmmm... facebook must be acting odd.
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Polymer clay and Apoxie Sculpt are different. They feel different, act different and work different. Apoxie is messy, for one thing. A lot of people have a reaction to it (it makes my hands itchy). It doesn't hold detail as well as polymers and in my personal opinion the finished product looks... Bloated? Uh... not sure how to describe it. Polymers are sleek. Apoxie looks bulky.
Plus, as Tailrusted said, the window to work with Apoxie is short. Some like a longer working time and to be able to make changes.
Apoxie is great to have for household use. I fixed a garden statue with it and it's also good for reinforcing things. I still us it on customs, but it has a utility role rather than a creative one.
Honestly, I was enamored with it at first but as time went on I became less happy with it. Some people can do impressive things with Apoxie Sculpt, but there's a reason most professionals use polymers.
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Honestly, I was enamored with it at first but as time went on I became less happy with it. Some people can do impressive things with Apoxie Sculpt, but there's a reason most professionals use polymers.
Thanks for the perspectives on this, everyone! I’ve worked with both Apoxie sculpt and polymer clays on doll customs, but never for detail work.
As far as skin reactions go... does that only apply to working with “raw” Apoxie? It doesn’t cause problems once hardened, does it?
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I would think not, but the packaging mine came in doesn't specify. It does say you should wear a mask while sanding it, though.
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So if it's safe to bake G4s as long as you're careful, what about other generations?
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So if it's safe to bake G4s as long as you're careful, what about other generations?
I've baked a few G1s with sculpey on them without issue. 275 F, 30 min, no problem. Interestingly they were all white ponies, but I don't think that would matter?
Edit: note that there was no hair in these ponies, only the bodies!
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For me it was just easier to find and buy Sculptey (Joann Fabrics store) than apoxie.
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So if it's safe to bake G4s as long as you're careful, what about other generations?
I've baked a few G1s with sculpey on them without issue. 275 F, 30 min, no problem. Interestingly they were all white ponies, but I don't think that would matter?
Edit: note that there was no hair in these ponies, only the bodies!
Alright cool. Thank you for telling me!
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Well I just found out the hard way that 230 degrees in a convection oven was a little too toasty for poor Cinnamon Chai. Her hair got a little burnt and the tips of her ears melted. Not too noticeable, though.
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I'm curious.
Is your oven a big oven, or a small one?
I'm thrown off since I'm used to large ovens that have a convection setting.. but when I look up "convection oven", they seem to be mostly counter top.
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What would be the advantage of using an oven-bake clay like Sculpey over Apoxie sculpt, out of curiosity?
I have actual easy access to sculpey clay and apoxie sculpt is expensive and I'd have to order it.
I have never had a pony melt. I have even baked several fakies. Low and slow and check on them frequently.
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Another way to cure (garden) polymer clay is to submerge it in boiling water. It’s a nice method because the clay doesn’t come out scorched. I’d suggest doing research on how long to boil it, I know there are plenty of good sources online if you search for boil curing polymer clay.
Now, one drawback I’ve heard about is that clay that hasn’t properly cured (say, the inside of a thick piece is still soft) can cause chemical reactions in the pony’s vinyl that can cause it to break down or leech. I’ve even been warmed by doll customizers that even cured sculpey can cause issues with plastic, though I’m no expert on that. I’ve got no personal experience with boil curing polymer clay pieces onto toys; I’ve only used the boil cure method for sculptures that are all clay pieces. But, if nothing else, it’s certainly well known that it’s just fine to boil a My Little Pony. I say it can’t hurt to experiment. You could use a fakie as a test subject.
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Boiling isn't a good way to cure polymer clay. The water simply doesn't get hot enough, it doesn't matter how long you boil it for. It will crumble over time.
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Also if you need an alternative, you could look into a 2 part epoxy putty. I thought it was similar to apoxy sculpt, but i'm thinking maybe not after the comments.
I've used it to resculpt stuff on anime figurines.
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Also if you need an alternative, you could look into a 2 part epoxy putty. I thought it was similar to apoxy sculpt, but i'm thinking maybe not after the comments.
I've used it to resculpt stuff on anime figurines.
I was also under the impression that these were the same thing, just Brand Name vs. generic... Mine is a 2-part, and seems to work well with plastics (no leeching, discoloring, etc., even after years in storage).
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Also if you need an alternative, you could look into a 2 part epoxy putty. I thought it was similar to apoxy sculpt, but i'm thinking maybe not after the comments.
I've used it to resculpt stuff on anime figurines.
I was also under the impression that these were the same thing, just Brand Name vs. generic... Mine is a 2-part, and seems to work well with plastics (no leeching, discoloring, etc., even after years in storage).
Ah, I see.
I know all of the epoxy putties have their own properties and quirks. I've never used apoxy sculpt, though I've always been curious about it. :) I personally like tamiya epoxy putty. It is easier to work with then polymer clays for some reason (for me).