Polymer Clay versus Epoxies... FIGHT!

I have probably touched on this in the past but I'll bring it to a head here. There's a war brewing, a war between sculptors. On one side are the sculptors who use epoxy putties such as Greenstuff and, on the other, sculptors using polymer clays like Fimo or Super Sculpey...

So, what's best?

This used to be a really simple argument. Epoxies were best. It had nothing to do with any sculpting properties of the material. It was far simpler. Minis were almost always moulded in a vulcanising press between two discs of black rubber. This meant the original sculpture would be put under physical pressure and a lot of heat. Epoxies are great at withstanding this as they're generally tough like boot leather but polymers aren't quite so durable under the circumstances. Apparently they are possible to mould this way but it's rather more awkward and risky. So, it was generally a case of 'sculpt in epoxy. Polymer Clay is a pain in the ass'.

Times have changed.

Tese days we have all kinds of convenient ways to mould figures. A particularly good scenario is to cast a figure in resin first and then, should you want to go the black rubber and metal figures route, you just cast a few masters in a resin that can withstand the process. Plus moulding for resin is a gentle process on the master so you can sculpt in practically anything...

To all intents and purposes there are really no technical reasons to choose one over the other in the modern sculpting world (though, if you are a sculptor, always best to check with any clients that they are okay with your choice). So, it's down to what they can do.

On paper I have to say polymer clay seems to have the trump cards. So, lets deal with that first...



This lovely figure is for the Dust game. I'll admit I'm not very familiar with it but I love this figure sculpted by MIKH. Very cool...

Polymer clays don't cure by themselves and require baking. The great advantage here is that you can work and rework areas constantly until you are happy. Epoxies cure by themselves so you're always under the pressure of getting your work done before it's unworkable. This reworkability and simply the ability to just work slowly without any worries is a godsend for a sculptor. Plus it's useful for layering detail. If you start adding extra details you can work them easily into complete areas. Say you want to add something hanging from a belt that would deform a tunic under where it lies. If you'd already sculpted in epoxy you'd have to drill out and redo the area or drop the item there without the deformation which would not look so good. Obviously the best plan for epoxy is to pre-plan and know it's going to be there but polymers give you the easy option of changing your mind. Overall polymers offer control and unparalleled flexibility in their process. It's small wonder that there are a lot of sculptors shouting it's praises and saying that epoxies just can't get it done anymore...

However... there's a flip side to the coin. You ask 'can it be done in epoxy?'. There seems to be a school of thought that suggest that no it can't. Mr Tom Meier would seem to disagree.



This is a 35mm pirate by Tom Meier. It's sculpted in good old greenstuff and this is the kind of thing that's supposed to be so tough in epoxy. All that layering of details. Obviously a lot of forethought in the sculpting process. It can be done, though it's perhaps not so easy to do.

But then epoxy has it's own advantages over polymers, and not just it's vulcanisation survivability. Epoxies cure over time and their sculpting properties change over that period. Very soft at first mix and all the way to tough and rubbery later on. It may seem like a downside but it's also a strength. Soft epoxy is great for laying down shapes but partially cured is wonderful for working fine details. Last night I was sculpting the eyes on a 5mm tall head and needed eyeball, upper eyelid and lower eyelid. I roughed it in fairly neatly but it was great to come back to it 45 minutes later and just refine the area with partially cured putty. And with no worries of distorting the area around it which was another 45 minutes down the curing process and holding it's shape nicely (with just a hint of flex that allowed for tiny changes).

There's also the whole 'not baking' thing. The great thing about that is that, assuming your epoxy figure is being moulded in a way that wont cause problems you can use pretty much any materials on it as they don't have to withstand the oven. Little bit of thin plasticard? No problem.

Oh, and once it's cured you don't have to panic that you're going to drop the figure and destroy all your work...

Frankly, in summing up I have to do the whole fence-sitting thing which is never good for a blogger. But what can you do? Truth be told polymer versus epoxy just comes down to personal taste and what works for you. Personally I work in epoxies but like to grab some polymer clay once in a while to try and get the hang of it. As yet I haven't quite done so, I think I'm still used to the working process of epoxy which is rather different though I do like seeing clay sculptors working (JAG's and Aragorn Marks's videos for Miniature Mentor were fascinating). I think before long I'll end up using both, depending on what I'm trying to achieve. And that's probably the best information to take from this post (along with it being blindingly obvious): the right tool for the job.