Is there a learning curve with Apoxie Sculpt?

[Katika]

I am on the low end of the learning curve for sure...

Don't feel bad, Sunshine, I think I am, too!  I got mine in the mail a couple days ago and was so excited that I opened it almost immediately and made up a tiny amount (like the size of my pinky tip) just to play with and, for me at least, it handled much differently than the Sculpey that I've been used to.  I don't know if it's because the product was cold when I mixed it (I did this literally like 10 minutes after the UPS guy dropped it off on a 23 degree day) or if I mixed it wrong (I did it by volume, not mass... and I did notice that part A seemed lighter in weight than part B - can anyone tell me if it's mixed by volume or mass?) but it seemed to sort of crack when I was trying to sculpt things with it.  I could get it to behave for things like filling in cracks and holes, but was having a crazy difficult time getting it to actually sculpt nicely.  I'm assuming, based on how often it's used and the rave reviews that it has from other customizers that this was user error and I'm willing to keep practicing with it, but something about that initial go just wasn't quite right.

[sweetlittlejenny]

Don't worry about the parts weighing the same. It should just be the same amount. Make a little ball of each part and make sure they're the same size then mix until you have an even color throughout.
A tiny bit of water on your finger should keep it from sticking to you.
Depending on what you're using it for you may need to let it sit for a bit to stiffen up some.

[Griffin]

Yeah, that's one of the differences compared to polymer clays: you need to let it rest for a while before starting (15 mins if you want it to be more flexible, although it can still be a little sticky; 30 mins if you want it firmer and less sticky, better for small details). Then again, after an hour or two it starts to crack and tends to form those feathered edges when you're trying to sculpt with it. Water helps a little but you can't go overboard with it... that's when you should stop and just mix a new batch. The leftovers can be used for something that doesn't require detailing. If your Apoxie is old like my current batch - and I'm pretty sure it was old already when I got it - it starts to cure much faster. Mine is pretty much impossible to do any detailing with after an hour...