How to easily smooth Polymer-Clay sculpts

In this Video I am demonstrating how to smooth Polymer Clay Sculpts after the innitial sculpting phases quickly and easy. This is a very handy technique every creator that works in polymer clay to sculpt miniatures and larger scale sculptures should know!
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[@remlya]

Odorless is not necessarily vapor-less. It may still be unsafe to inhale in a space that is too small or lacking sufficient ventilation. I think a respirator is still highly advisable and clear the room to avoid breathing what remains in the air. Your work is amazing, but this may not be a safe practice.

[@cmarkme]

I was so Inspired by your Sculptures.... I MADE A RACOON!!

[@trovarion]

HOLY SHIT, IT'S ROCKET :D got any pictures? :)

[@steampoweredmaniac5359]

You just “made” a raccoon, have you any idea what you’ve just done? You can’t just go around “making” raccoons, are you fucking crazy? So much work has been done to keep the balance of this planet, tediously perfected, in order to maintain the fragile equilibrium that keeps us from fracturing and dissolving back to sludge. You are NOT God. You cannot just “CREATE” a raccoon, You conceited pervert.

[@cmarkme]

@@steampoweredmaniac5359 Keep taking them pills, Maybe they'll work... LOL

[@ELFASHIONISTA]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR VIDEO CLASS !....it's an amazing inspiration, so many details, it's beyond amazing, The world is watching every move !

[@trovarion]

very kind of you! the video used to sit at around 1k views for a long time, now it "exploded" - at least as far as this nieche of a nieche hobby related stuff can "explode" :D

[@latenightfantasy]

Thanks...your sculptures are well made and detailed...and this video was exactly what I needed. I have plenty of turpenoid...I'm a painter and sculptor...so now I can smooth the polymer clay details on my ceramic lamps... Also the talk about the rythmn of application and the depth of the wrinkles....terrific...thanks for sacrificing your wrinkles. I learn from mistakes as well as successes. I'm donating.... KZbin videos ...instruction and music et al...make world peace a reality....beautiful!

[@eedi_beedi]

Why… do you… talk… like this…

[@shagrynpoiseen11]

This is so impressive! Thank you for the video 🙂 I'm just starting to learn and this was very helpful

[@GameCultureSculpture]

Beautiful sculpt. Hat down sir.

[@trovarion]

thank you!

[@qatsi4897]

Beautifully made models! Even the helmet has some bumps :)

[@lausdeandl]

Acetone will work, too. Nice work!

[@oldbaldfatman2766]

April 11, 2018---Thanks for the tip in dealing with this stuff. Until a few weeks ago, never heard of polymer clay as I had always used regular clay basically as a dam/wall around a piece for a silicone mold from time to time. I have NO figure sculpting ability, but now seeing a lot of uses for this stuff as far as saving me time in scratch building something like a Lazyboy chair, sofa, etc. and using it for my mold pattern.

[@MrSmokincodz]

I Love u man haha no words for how quality, just love, brother

[@ronward5698]

Cool sculpt. Great job

[@rafaelmagana5339]

Really awesome technique and sculpture. Thank you for sharing!

[@sam3206]

I have used turpentine or paint thinner on plasticine clay but didn't know you can use it to smooth out polymer clay. Thanks so much for the info.

[@carlosart3611]

So it actually work?

[@sam3206]

@@carlosart3611 yes

[@carlosart3611]

@@sam3206 for paint thinner?

[@sam3206]

@@carlosart3611 on plasticine clay yes. I have never tried it on polymer clay.

[@Pegatronus12]

Those look beautiful

[@danwolffranco1406]

one word perfect

[@Mr11Worcester]

Brilliant work

[@trovarion]

thanks!

[@rgb9795]

thank you for the turpentine tips!

[@cmarkme]

An Amazing Talent.. I had to hold my Jaw up!! :-)

[@trovarion]

that's very kind of you to say, thanks! :)

[@latenightfantasy]

DONE....I'm a patron...thanks again

[@trovarion]

are you sure you joined my patreon? i didnt get any notification :D

[@SergentGuimauve]

Wow that's really impressive ! +1 sub ! :)

[@CraftySmiles1333]

great video super helpful one thig iw anted to ask since i got no experience with this stuf is could you please recommend me any brands ? and what to get found some turpentine oil, then gum and im like what? also found some Clean spirit

[@darianarivera5480]

Hi you are awesome!!! Do you smooth the piece before baking or after, with this technique?

[@trovarion]

before :) and thank you!

[@jaychauhan2276]

Hello Sir , How much time We have to leave the clay model after applying turpentine For 2nd Time before we apply ?

[@CreatedbyRuby]

Hi. Please can you tell me if using turpentine or white spirit does the same job as rubbing alcohol. Also, does painting the liquid on remove lint and dirt from white clay etc. Thank you

[@trovarion]

sorry, I dont know if "white clay" is a trade mark or if you mean like "white FIMO", etc. Wha the turpentine does is: It makes the outer layers of the clay soft, it almost melts them a bit which is why you can smooth it with a brush. To me it looks as if dust, etc. settles into that mix and gets a lot less proent. but I only use grey clay, i never tried it on white. Also I never used rubbing alcohol, I am guessing it will work though, because people like Chris Clayton do use alcohol to smooth super sculpey firm.

[@dianamascarenhas]

wow amazing tip!! does it go in the oven afterwards? Will you paint them? What do you use to paint them?

[@trovarion]

I bake it, yes. There is copies available in my website. I paint tgem the same way i paint any other figure on my channel. You can check out any painting video i put up to get an idea.

[@Boruteczko]

Steven Tyler's misbegotten child... I like it!

[@skylab2029]

I can definitely see the resemblance.

[@IzzyVoodoo]

I'm a beginner, but I've used baby oil to smooth clay and found it worked well, is there any disadvantage to using it instead of turpentine, do you know?

[@pilgrimgrey4191]

Baby oil doesn’t evaporate it will leave residue on your work, I find isopropyl alcohol works best with sculpy for smoothing but it’s whatever works best for yourself.

[@argeancomics3291]

Nice work. Let me ask u this. What camera and software do you use to shoot your works? I can see on the background the screen showing live. The image are very good and display the details quite nice.

[@trovarion]

Obs software and panasonic gx80

[@Lilione111]

Does lighter fluid also work? I use that with jewellers wax for smoothing out carvings. Cheers

[@trovarion]

I have never tried it

[@MrCervasio1]

Your videos are very good. Question for you. I made a surfboard for a figure out of wood then covered it with polymer clay thin coat. How would you smooth it out?

[@pilgrimgrey4191]

Isopropyl alcohol

[@pilgrimgrey4191]

Oh god sorry just seen this is a year back lol.

[@MAMAMA341]

My paintbrush keep loosing hair, which brand can you recomend me|?

[@johnwhelan1193]

Great tallent, realy beautiful. For cleaning a wax figure old wax figure. What would you recommend.

[@trovarion]

thank you! but I am afraid, while I tried sculpting with wax I didn't really like it enough for my purposes to really get experienced with it, so I can't really answer that question, sorry!

[@GabrielBishop]

I used to do wax for jewelry. High concentration citrus cleaner like Goo Gone (Citrus Power), can be found at hardware stores) works for smoothing. but not sure about cleaning.. it knocks out scratches just like turpentine on polymer clay. actually have been thinking about trying this with polymer clay too. Not a huge fan of turpentine.

[@mercedesmarton3768]

Who was the model for the guy in the helmet? It looks like Steve Tylor or Jagger😁

[@turtleandbear1179]

what do you use as sculpting material? I've seen people using mixtures of green stuff with epoxy putties, but you don't seem to do so? and is it beginner friendly? (sorry if this is something you covered in another video.) [edit: i'm interested in miniture and bust sculpting, just fyi]

[@trovarion]

Super Sculpey Firm

[@volodymyrpielikh7505]

Hello! I live in US. Can’t find the one you use. I understand it’s a German brand you have. What brand (or type) would you suggest if overseas? Thank you.

[@rommeldomingo775]

What other liquid can I use if turpentine is not a available?

[@Brenners2010]

Did you put the Sculpey firm through a pasta machine before working with it? Or did you just use a roller? I bought some Sculpey firm recently and it's so difficult to make it pliable with my hands.

[@trovarion]

I just do it with my hands. You can do some of the other options

[@jimwhelan4485]

Great work! What is the English name for the liquid used to soften this medium, supersculpey? Is it paraffin based?

[@trovarion]

turpentine. you can use white spirit too. I don't think it's paraffin based.

[@jimwhelan4485]

@@trovarion Thanks so much!

[@anthonylambert8894]

I am in awe of your work, but have one question. I used a slow drying terpenoid. It still feels wet to the touch 2. Hours later. Should I be alarmed?

[@trovarion]

Usually when it evaporates the clay goes back to normal. Maybe you have to wait longer.

[@GeorgeWinterborn]

Is the striking resemblance to Steven Tyler an accident, or did you use an image of him as a caricature reference?

[@trovarion]

pure coincidence.

[@GeorgeWinterborn]

Fair enough.

[@krausersama9153]

Anyone got any ideas with what you could dilute turpentine? I find it to be a little too agressive for some areas

[@tobias.k.oyarzabal]

Try 70% isopropyl alcohol (much less aggressive)

[@jmanstein9419]

What clay are you using for this sculpt?

[@trovarion]

SuperSculpey Firm

[@hugodojo460]

Isn’t this bad once you bake it? The chemical residue left over would burn and get in the air

[@jesusforever1965]

do you bake these after you create them?

[@trovarion]

yes, depending on clay thickness, but usually ~100°C for 40 minutes

[@skyepaintss4236]

This might be a stupid question, but is it safe to bake the clay once you put a paint thinner on it? Since the thinner is highly flammable?

[@trovarion]

It evaporates way before that.

[@skyepaintss4236]

Thank you!

[@trovarion]

you are welcome!

[@ozbrat82]

I was wondering this too. Did you ever try it and was it safe?

[@trapcity9428]

Does it have wire inside the sculpture? And if so what kind ? Idk if i have to buy a specific kind :v

[@trovarion]

aluminium, flower wire. there is another couple of videos on my channel for armatures.

[@maltamaryfree]

What is the scale of your work? Very very nice

[@trovarion]

thank you! The orc in the back is 1:6, the one I am smoothing is 1:10. The female figures in the back would be rougly 75mm tall if they had complete legs. I work from about 1:6 to as low as 28mm. but 1:10 busts and 54mm figures are my favourite scales.

[@prasoonprashant8587]

is it some specific type of turpentine ?? or its general one ?

[@trovarion]

any will work.

[@Blaueskuchen]

I thought that polymerclay is water based and you cannot use oil based products on it or it will soften the clay

[@Kityileung]

Does the brush leave streaks?

[@trovarion]

depends on the softness of your brush! ideally it doesn't. sometimes you want a few streaks as part of the surface detailing process.

[@ShutUpWesley]

Remember skipping these videos, back then. Which is actually strange, since I am a 3D artist (was back then too). Have you ever thought about getting Zbrush and an wacom Intuios/cintiq? And make your own miniatures for print that way?

[@trovarion]

I sculpt for the fun of sculpting. That includes haptic feedback for me. Yeah, it would be neat to be able to do my own minis in 3d, but i can (and have my own minis for sale on my page) do that w/o 3d and at the same time keep the joy of working the clay with my hands.

[@manekki]

Lol that intro music hahahahahah

[@Nekotamer]

Can you still bake it afterwards? Can you smooth it after baking?

[@trovarion]

you can bake it afterwards, you cannot smooth it anymore with this technique after baking.

[@Nekotamer]

@@trovarion thanks!,

[@rachellegiebel7894]

Is there a benefit of using turpentine and not just water?

[@trovarion]

The turp dissolves the clay a bit, which makes it smoother.

[@manpotrait]

Hi friend.. This is monster clay use.?

[@trovarion]

Super sculpy firm

[@ikkiiiieee]

do you also use this for milliput?

[@trovarion]

No

[@Naranylla]

Idk if you'll see this. Just here to let you know baby sculptors are still watching your videos! :)

[@trovarion]

That is awesome!

[@MAMAMA341]

Does the oil remove the little scratches?

[@trovarion]

yes.

[@MAMAMA341]

@@trovarion why you prefer to use oil rather than alcool 91% ? is oil giving a better smoothness?

[@trovarion]

@@MAMAMA341 i dont think it matters.

[@fluidfox1436]

I remember using vaseline on sculpey

[@internalinjectiontrulyhere770]

Any color can have the same sculp expression art beyond evil blind blood

[@eddelmar2868]

How do you preserve that ? Newby here?

[@trovarion]

preserve what?

[@eddelmar2868]

@@trovarion I meant to say , can it be hardened by heating it up so it will last longer? Thanks

[@trovarion]

@@eddelmar2868 ah, i see! Yes, you need to bake it at 110°C for about 30-40 minutes

[@eddelmar2868]

@@trovarion thank you Sir , I'll try that.

[@nixland]

any alternative to terpentine

[@birdy369]

nixland I've read that you can use rubbing alcohol. You may want to double check that though. I'd like to know if you can reuse the clay for another sculpt after using either turpentine or rubbing alcohol or another smoothing solution

[@GabrielBishop]

I don't think so, though I have never tried reusing. For me, the surface layers of polymerclay seems more brittle after using turpentine. I just bought a couple bottles of alcohol (one 60% and one 90%withBenzine) haven't experimented with them yet, will try remember to post results.

[@jimbracknell5648]

sculpey makes a softener as well

[@RIDDICK0911]

Any word about the results with 60 n 90% alcohol?

[@Gelanabird]

I use 91% Isopropyl Alcohol, you can find it at any local drug store for dirt cheep. Works quite well, like turpentine it will dry the plasticizers in the clay. If you use rubbing alcohol, the major benefit is that it drys very fast. If you need to reuse the clay a cheep and easy fix to resoften the clay is add small amounts of baby oil to it till you get it to the desired affect. Note this is for polymer clay only.

[@DianeMaskosky]

What kind of clay is that?

[@trovarion]

super sculpey firm

[@DianeMaskosky]

trovarion can you tell me details? Sorry I’m not familiar with this brand

[@trovarion]

@@DianeMaskosky I don't know what you mean with details? here is the product page... www.sculpey.com/super-sculpey/9-super-sculpey-firm

[@skylab2029]

Light sanding with fine grade sandpaper works too.

[@trovarion]

actually no, because with this method you can also smooth facial features and smooth out wrinkles - and you can even go over it again with a wire tool if you lost too many of them and redo them. I would suggest you do all your smoothing before you are baking. I want to see anyone smoothing a face with sandpaper after it'S baked and not go mental over how tedious it is.

[@skylab2029]

Well, when the Sculpey is still soft, you can lightly brush one end, of a strip of fine grade sandpaper, repeatedly over areas of your sculpt that needs smoothing. Careful though, excessive use of this method can dry out the Sculpey, but this technique works well. Also, another benefit is you can simply cut sections of sandpaper to fine points to access small areas of your sculpture, this way you can save money from having to buy various sizes of brushes, and less need to work with harsh chemicals that can give off nasty fumes.

[@trovarion]

Sorry, but I simply disagree. also you dont need expensive brushes for this and unless you are switching a lot between a wide variety of scales you also dont need a lot of different sizes. If you are worried about fumes you can always wear a facemask and ventilate. This is simply a superior method to sandpaper as far as results go.

[@skylab2029]

For me, the use of chemicals changes the consistency of the sculpey too much, so, I prefer to use sandpaper. You can save even more money on by not having to buy numerous brushes, I didn't write 'expensive brushes', and by not using chemicals, I don't have to wear a mask or ventilate at all. To each their own I guess.

[@trovarion]

Agree to disagree then.

[@DIRTYYETTI]

Great sculptures! Get a mic so I can hear you!

[@trovarion]

are you sure your volume isnt turned off? there is definitely sound in this video...

[@RandomRads]

Do you sell these sculptures? Are you a professional?

[@trovarion]

How do you even define professional? My sculptures are for sale at trovarion.com

[@bluefangs867]

Those chicks in the back look cool too! You decided not to sell those?

[@trovarion]

They were never finished :(

[@yeahgirl11]

@@trovarion Aww! :(

[@nsrstudio7301]

Das clay..cant use..?

[@trovarion]

I don't understand your question, sorry.

[@alfvierth3971]

I think he´s refering to Das pronto airdrying clay? Not a polymer clay ;)

[@deridarmawan3098]

For das i’m using water , it’s work

[@dorjedriftwood2731]

You should still be wearing a respirator regardless of weather it smells all solvents kill brain cells.

[@nyslut666]

Even my auto-text can distinguish whether or not I am using it or if the weather is cold outside.

[@nyslut666]

@MaximumCustoms™ considering the fact that he did his video indoors... You can make your judgment from that. You're not using the five gallon bucket of it. You're using .00289 percent of a 1 quart. It's odorless.

[@TheSkipper1921]

If you notice the warning label on the turpentine bottle it will say "USE IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA!" obviously you must be unaware of this hence the headaches. I seriously doubt the space in front of your computer qualifies as a place to use a solvent. If you insist on doing this I would recommend a fresh air respirator connected to an outside air source, or very shortly we will see you sitting there in a chair with drool running down your face babbling incoherently. That is unless someone comes in the room with a lit cigarette in which case we will see a crater in the ground where your house used to be!

[@trovarion]

thanks for your concern, but I believe you are overreacting here. I pour like 2ml of the stuff and I have a window right to me that is open almost all the time. I don't know what I said about headaches in the video, but I am pretty sure I said "I am using tourpentine substitution that is odourless because turpentine gives me headaches" - so nothing to worry about there either. Luckily noone smokes in this house either - besides...you couldn't explode a house if you evaporated half the bottle in it. Oh and - babbling incoherently sounds like me already :)

[@lausdeandl]

trovarion you could explode an American house ... wood construction. Not a German house, Ytong or bricks. I would still research the Terpentinersatz, just because it is odorless does not mean it could not cause cancer etc.

[@skylab2029]

I build a rough form out of paper clay first, then coat the paper clay with an acrylic sealer so the oil from the polymer clay doesn't dry out, then I press the Sculpey over it. Acrylic floor gloss is what I use as a sealer. Then adding more Super Sculpey, I continue to smooth with my fingers, and roll over the soft clay very lightly with a fine round tool, back and forth repeatedly to make a smooth surface. Saliva will work very well as a smoothing liquid on SS, but just be sure to not ever have Super Sculpey come in contact with your mouth. After baking or boiling your Super Sculpey creation to harden, add more soft SS to any flaws in minor recesses to have a smooth surface on your sculpt, use a heat gun to harden the new added SS, then use primer to further correct visual flaws, and also use modelling putty for greater correction. Light sanding can be done on your hardened form, but remember to always wear a mask. I've been sculpting with Super Sculpey for years now, and I hope the channel creator doesn't mind me writing my process on his comment section.

[@nitacollins3645]

What type of primer would you recommend for SS?

[@skylab2029]

Acrylic flat gray spray on primer is best.

[@nitacollins3645]

thank you very much

[@marisol137]

That's dangerous if your baking the polymer clay. Are you just using the PClay to model? Also I've tested this and eventually it eats away and corroded the clay. This can cause burn if baked

[@trovarion]

No, it can't. If your model burns and corrodes you have been doing it wrong. Too muchh liquid, too much heat in the oven, something like that.

[@axazasors9092]

Use water

[@usernamemykel]

Could have been a one minute video. Voice is BORING. But, I like his work, so I'll like and sub.

[@ezcomezgo11]

Excellent sculpture. Really good work. Video is awful: audio overall is poor, you are mumbling most of the time, no time lapse to speed up the repetitive parts. Get someone to help you make the video next time.

[@trovarion]

Great comment on a 3 year old video mate. Lmao.