I've found this supplier of clay in the uk opinions please

[billymaya]

Hi guys ive been doing a lot of research regards the best clays to buy here in the uk monster clay seems pretty pricey so was doing some goggling and found this site I have tried to contact them but not heard back from them. Seems a good price but have nothing to go on if its any good ect ect has anyone used them before please?

1150 Modelling - Special Plasters

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The info they have on their site is very basic so don't want to buy some and then find out its pap!!!

 

[XtcofPain]

Hi From what i can see thats water based clay you are looking at. It comes in a standard 12.5kg size so its defintely not oil based and its very different from Monster Clay. As for special plasters themselves i have ordered stuff from them before and they were fine. They may not have replied yet as they may not be back at work till after new years.

Johnny

 

[billymaya]

thanks for the reply Johnny ahhhh yes I've just seen their holiday info hopefully will hear back from them, I though it was a bit cheap to be oil based clay had my fingers crossed would of been nice for that kind of cash where abouts do you buy yours from please?

 

[billymaya]

mmmm doing some more research monster clay is so damn expensive!!! am I right in thinking if I wanted 12 kgs of it it would cost me over £300 or have I got my calcs wrong? :S is it worth trying to make my own oil based clay I wonder?

 

[XtcofPain]

No you are correct with the price. Its very expensive if you need that quantity. What are you looking to sculpt. Small character maquettes and figures or 1:1 busts 1/2 scale busts etc? I mostly use water clay for my large sculptures and then i use a medium or soft plastaline which i get from Ulster Ceramics. It comes in a 5kg block for about 45 euro.

 

[billymaya]

mostly life size busts well hoping to ive picked some industrial oil based clay from creative resources so going to give that a bash also got a poly head coming ebay so will hopefully be here soon with the wet clay do you not find it dries out to quick for sculpting?

 

[XtcofPain]

Not not really to be honest. I just use a pole attached to a base for my armature and the water clay in that thickness takes a long time to dry out. I just cover it in a damp towel each night and it stays perfectly workable and then when i need to do some finer texture and refining i just let it dry a bit. Best of luck with your sculptures.

 

[woodman]

Monster clay is very hard unless you warm it up and blocking out any large sculpt would be a mess. Is there a reason you want monster clay instead of something like Chavant?

 

[Viking]

Here is a place in the UK that sells Monster Clay 2.27Kg for £23.00

PS Composites
Silicone Mould Making - Casting - Prosthetics & Supplies UK

Link to Clay
Monster Makers Clay UK 2.27 KG | Buy Here | PS Composites

 

[billymaya]

Monster clay is very hard unless you warm it up and blocking out any large sculpt would be a mess. Is there a reason you want monster clay instead of something like Chavant?

No particular reason to be honest I've just heard so much about it and people saying its the clay to have so I wanted to give it a wirl The clay I bought from creative resources has been dispatched today so should be with me soon will let you know how I find it im a total novice and a noob but really looking forward to practicing

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Here is a place in the UK that sells Monster Clay 2.27Kg for £23.00

PS Composites
Silicone Mould Making - Casting - Prosthetics & Supplies UK

Link to Clay
Monster Makers Clay UK 2.27 KG | Buy Here | PS Composites

thanks for the links Viking

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Not not really to be honest. I just use a pole attached to a base for my armature and the water clay in that thickness takes a long time to dry out. I just cover it in a damp towel each night and it stays perfectly workable and then when i need to do some finer texture and refining i just let it dry a bit. Best of luck with your sculptures.

My girlfriend bought me 12 kgs of air dry clay but thought I needed the oil based clay so ordered some more however will have a play with the air dry stuff and see how it goes thank you

 

[wiIIiam]

I use Chavant NSP and usually buy it from this shop in the uk, http://modelshop.co.uk/Shop?searchText=chavant but pretty much any model or art shop will stock it. Medium is best for most things, and i will occasionally use the firm/hard stuff if it is particularly hot in the summer.

Chavant have been around for a loooong time; it is fine art plasticine but is significantly cheaper than Monster in the UK as it is being imported from France rather than America. I'm sure Monster is a great clay, but I cant see why you would pay over the odds for it in the UK when there are cheaper, equivalent products.

 

[billymaya]

I use Chavant NSP and usually buy it from this shop in the uk, 4DModelShop but pretty much any model or art shop will stock it. Medium is best for most things, and i will occasionally use the firm/hard stuff if it is particularly hot in the summer.

Chavant have been around for a loooong time; it is fine art plasticine but is significantly cheaper than Monster in the UK as it is being imported from France rather than America. I'm sure Monster is a great clay, but I cant see why you would pay over the odds for it in the UK when there are cheaper, equivalent products.

thanks William ill check out some prices the clay I bought from creative resourcing has arrived today was rock hard out of the box but ive heated it gently on a radiator and it softened nicely broke off a bit in my hand and have been moulding it around my finger and its really plyable not sticky (it has a little tack to it) but looking good so far was a good price £121 roughly for 15 kgs of it delivered

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Just checked out your link looks reasonably prices to thanks for that I might give it a go if needs be

 

[wiIIiam]

Sounds good. Best thing you can do is make a little oven for your clay (its easier than the radiator ) Just line a cardboard box with some foil, cut your clay up into bits and put them in the box with a hot lamp poking through the top or side, it will make the clay nice and pliable after 20 minutes or so.

 

[billymaya]

cool thanks for the advice mate I've just found out its Beck industrial clay that ive received so should be pretty useful might by a small block of chavant to compare

 

[wiIIiam]

yeah do, id be interested to find out how it compares. I was recommended Chavant on a stop motion animation forum years ago, and will admit have never bothered branching out

 

[kwalsh0000]

Like William, I use the chavant myself and tis great stuff. Regarding heating the clay, I use a cheap rice cooker (argos 10 euro) , put the lid on and keep it on warm and it does the job perfectly.

 

[Viking]

I was a big fan of NSP Chavant till I had silicone curing problems using NSP Chavant Soft with Smooth-On's Mold Star silicone. After some research, seems NSP Chavant's Soft clay has been known to inhibit the curing of a few different platinum silicones. After that I tried Monster Clay, in my opinion, there is nothing that comes close to the way Monster Clay feels and works. It is the only clay I use these days. If you can't get a hold of this clay in your area, NSP Chavant is a good option, just be careful using the soft with different silicone.

Research Source: FMSC - Chavant Non-Sulphurated Plasteline (NSP) Sculpting Clay

 

[billymaya]

well I had a play around with the becks plasteline last night when it arrived was rock hard but about 15 mins on a radiator set on low and it softened nicely with a low tack I broke a piece off and moulded it around with my fingers and it responded well stay soft and pliable, This morning it has returned to a hard form, Im going to make a clay board this afternoon after watching some videos on sws so will let you know how it performs pretty pleased with it so far though

 

[billymaya]

So a bit of an update I created a small warm box following the suggestion on here and placed my garage inspection lamp over the top which melted it nicely and after watching Don Lannings video on sculpting forms and features on sws I decided to have a crack at a clay board myself, Came out ok im quite please with it for my first attempt hoping to improve with practice

 

[fettster]

if you are just starting out and wish to experiment with sculpting I can guarantee you that you will be doing yourself a disservice by trying to learn to sculpt with hard oil clays.
they dont really allow you to make quick changes or corrections so you cannot develop a fluidity to your work.

By best advice to you or anyone else learning to sculpt life size busts and forms is to practice using regular water based clay with a pole with a tennis ball on top for an armature.

you will be able to block out quickly and make changes as you go. its a much more organic way to learn. dont worry to much about it drying out, its alot easier to keep it workable than you think. Ive had a sculpt dry out for a year and just wrapped it in a wet towl overnight to make it workable the next day.