Microcrystalline Wax vs Clay for Monster Making, Sculpture, Casting - Differences Explained

J-Mac Clay: amzn.to/2sFeZo6
De-Solv-It Spray: amzn.to/2sEqiNw
(Just mist the surface of the sculpture, or apply with a soft watercolor brush).
In-expensive Watercolor Bush Set for De-Solv-It application: amzn.to/2sDwMMA
Monster Clay: amzn.to/2JnG99j
Wax: amzn.to/2sDUND1
The wax in this video is a high end version preferred by Jason the WorldTraveler, which is 2-AB 150 Wax. You can find it at Arizona Sculpture's website: arizonasculptur...
FOR LARGE SCULPTURES.... I always recommend "soft" clay. (Don't worry it will hold every detail just fine). Anything harder will be very difficult to work with in a larger application.
You can find bulk orders for soft J-Mac here: amzn.to/2LvHnA4
If you want to see soft J-Mac in action, watch my video of sculpting the fawn in clay: • Sculpting a Fawn in Cl...
Jason the Worldtraveler's Home Foundry: • Introduction to the Fi...
Full series of Fibonacci Fox Casting: fritzhoppebron...
Thanks for watching today. Hit the "like" button if you have enjoyed this video, by clicking the thumbs up icon. Subscribe to Fritz Hoppe on KZbin for more information and weekly uploads.

[@Paperieloveliness]

I’m a newbie about to start my first attempt at creating a sculpture using J-Mac classic clay. Your channel is very helpful for anyone wanting to understand process, materials, and beyond! Thanks very much!

[@wetdogalert]

I've worked in Wax for years and use a different process. I work under a strong incandescent lamp to soften the wax. I use an alcohol lamp to heat my carving tools. My workspace is messy, but the results are wonderful.

[@SdeCulture]

Terri B where can we see your work?

[@jagboy69]

Excellent Fritz! There is only one way to get better at this stuff and that's to DO IT! It takes hands on work combined with trial and error. Anyone can watch videos and they are helpful, but I find a couple weeks away from working wax and I have to make peace again with the stuff. One point I'd like to reiterate for your viewers is skipping the clay/silicone mold process saves money, but at the expense of producing a one off piece. Naturally a mold can be made later of the completed bronze, but expect the remaining copies to be around 3% smaller. The set of 10 roses I cast were molded off rose #1 for my wife using plaster of paris as a mold. It worked very well, but the final bronzes were definitely a little smaller and they still came out beautiful. In today's world of superior molding supplies, good old CHEAP plaster of paris has it's place when no undercuts will be experienced. All the best! Keep up the hard work!

[@FritzHoppe]

Thanks for sharing. I was actually just thinking about that situation where repos are made from original bronze sculptures. 3% you say... Very interesting. I think a piece is usually considered "orginal" when it came from the original mold or under the artist's direction. Either way, we have to pick it up this fall because I need to make myself produce more finished works.

[@FritzHoppe]

There will be some boxes headed to Texas soon!

[@jagboy69]

SWEET. Thanks.

[@jagboy69]

Yeah when I made my very first rose, it was a one off and I didn't make a mold. I wonder if pouring it yourself off something you originally poured yourself is close enough? lol ;-)

[@FritzHoppe]

These days almost anything goes. Check out Damien Hirst's sculpture: "A Thousand Years" (yes that should be italicized)

[@FranktheBlindArtist]

Awesome video. I’ve started sculpting in air dry clay and think I’m ready to get some better clay noe. Great job

[@jannaxxx7116]

Thank u so much!!! I have been watching sculpting since 2 years ago lol.. and I like it that u said that I have to do it now... I will use my stimulus check on it !!! Thank u

[@Declan-pg8cg]

For those who like Monster clay medium's properties, try mixing one part chavant medium with two parts Monster clay medium. It's absolutely beautiful to work with and takes excellent detail.

[@FritzHoppe]

yes mixing them does work. That sounds like a good combo!

[@rmt3589]

Have you ever mixed pottery clay with the wax?

[@aleabad7107]

Dude I just needed to hear the first 2 minutes, thanks a lot!

[@h7opolo]

1:17 thanks for the encouragement. i have been stuck in the briefing stage for years.

[@brandonringstad]

Thanks for the Great video. I was looking at all kinds of videos and yours really helped explain the difference between wax and clay.

[@FritzHoppe]

Thank you for watching!

[@DaveDFX]

You can make wax softer for sculpting by melting and mixing petroleum jelly.

[@FritzHoppe]

Thanks for adding that. Great tip!

[@ralphgutierrez3451]

Thank you for that tip, I’m a wax sculptor and I’m making a female sculpt for a bronze casting. I’ll try out this tip and see if I can increase productivity when I start sculpting her facial features

[@alphalonerllc]

Great overview on clay vs wax. Art project in process here at the moment, so I'm working on casting large tropical plant leaves for a concrete project. So far I have used bathroom silicone and lock-tight + sand to cover the topside of one large leaf. Then it was peeled off the dry medium, and the process repeated on the opposite side. Next up, later today actually, is wax painting the silicone molds, pressing them together, and creating my thicker than real life plant leaf, so then when it cools I can remove the wax impression and do cleanup and modifications. Followed by eventually casting the wax leaf in silicone, but I need to build the mold house first. Once the silicone mold is done, I hope the finished piece can replicate several concrete leaves for art project in mind. What is you thought for large molds, regarding using concrete fill for the finished piece, do you recommend silicone or polyurethane for molds?

[@galaretkaosmakupomaranczow2037]

thank you so much for that!! cant wait to try them out:)

[@FritzHoppe]

Thank you commenting! Let me know how it goes!

[@Malakren]

I do watch videos to see different ways to do the same thing, then go home and try them. each and everyone, and keeps the ones I feel more comfortable with. Then watch more, and practice some more, it took a long time before I could say I like this sculpt, but all the previous failures were each one a brick on the road to the ones I like now.

[@timvandeweerd3706]

In South America they make a combination wax called plasticera, don't know if it's good for casting and how you would call it in English. I'm searching for something like the plasticera but for casting any recommendation much apreciated!

[@rottnlove]

The easiest way I have seen to work with the hard wax is to break off chunks and on just high enough temperature using a slow cooker/crock pot to melt it completely, it might take a while if you don't have smaller chunks to begin with. Then you will need a smooth shinier cement floor like in a garage, nothing polished shiny or anything finished, and definitely not cement that hasn't been made an almost shiny smooth surface like how the cement of a sidewalk is very rough and textured like rough sandpaper. On the smooth cement pour a lot more cold water on the floor than you would think you have in melted wax or you could regret it more than you would believe. As soon as you have poured the water on the floor pour the melted wax from close to the floor onto the SOAKING WET(if in doubt keep a hose or water source running while you do this you want water to keep the wax from touching the cement at all before it cools and hardens!) The water cools the wax almost instantly if you haven't had the temperature on high in the slow cooker and you are close enough to the floor for the wax not to splash when poured. You'll want to pour it out on the water by moving arround and not in the same place the whole time. This will give you a thin sheet of wax that is easily re-melted or even warmed by hand to work with. It will be easy to remove off of the floor as long as you had enough water to keep the wax off of the actual cement surface. If you pour wax on the cement and you don't have enough water, you will have wax permanently stuck on your cement floor you will never be able to get rid of. If you poured the wax from too far from the floor it will splash and splatter everywhere possible and it will never come off of some surfaces completely. This is a technique for individuals who are capable of doing it intelligently and safely and at their own risk. It is not for those who require adult supervision regardless of their ages.

[@nigeldonaldson1647]

thanks for the advice, but id like to learn something about "push moulding" where you push clay into a plaster mould face, in order to make a clay plasticine impression, could you do a video on this? as there arnt many videos on this particular moulding process, it seems this is a professional method used to perfect crude clay/plasticine sculptures.

[@jacquisheardsculptures]

Hi there if I sculpt a figure in wax and make a thin metal armature first and then get it made into bronze will that work is it ok to leave the armature inside will it melt with the wax? Was just wondering if i could skip the mold making? 😀

[@maripraia1]

I wish I had seen this video 2 years ago... thank you 💕

[@edhill8860]

Thanks

[@CamiClaudel]

Love your videos ! ! 💗

[@FritzHoppe]

Thank you for watching!

[@riccardocampagna467]

A question: can I pour hot metal (240 degrees hot) into a silicone mold? Will the silicone melt?

[@FritzHoppe]

Actually, I think you probably can do that. I would highly recommend testing this on a smaller mold made with the exact same silicon rubber.

[@virpalsingh8017]

Please suggest how to prepare wax clay.. Waiting for response

[@mrdootan9427]

is de solv it basically the same thing as orange goo gone?

[@FritzHoppe]

From what I undersand it is, but you can compare the ingredients of the two to be sure. I never notice and difference in the way each one behaves. If anyone has input for this, please join the conversation!

[@Sketchrcat]

Can you use Desolve-it spray on super sculpey (medium) clay?

[@FritzHoppe]

Great question. I have read that 70% alcohol and lighter fluid work (just like plasteline clay), so I assume De-Solv-It would work for sculpey. Be sure to let it dry completely before baking it, to avoid fires. www.planetfigure.com/threads/how-do-you-smooth-polymer-clay-like-sculpey-or-fimo.45206/

[@Sketchrcat]

I'll try that Fritz...will let you know results...

[@megaknizzle]

what is the ceramic shell made of exactly?

[@FritzHoppe]

I believe fused silica is the ingredient that creates a clay shell which can withstand high temperatures.

[@suffertheyshall]

Where can I find wax products ?

[@trevormccabe7302]

What do you think about sculpting in wax from the get go? I have some experience with bronze casting and use microcrystalline wax for the whole piece since it saves some steps. But recently I've decided to try resin casting and will be making molds anyway so I'm wondering if there is a serious benefit in sculpting in clay versus a softer (medium) wax.

[@FritzHoppe]

You can sculpt in wax. I have done it before. It is very difficult though, unless you are okay with a crude surface texture. You can go straight to a shell for casting with your wax, if it is not too thick. Clay is very versatile and most importantly you can make adjustments quicker. It is still difficult to sculpt quality pieces, but without the extra frustration that comes with wax. One last word: if you can master wax... it is great for small details because it becomes very rigid when it cools.

[@trevormccabe7302]

@@FritzHoppe Cool! That's exactly what I was wondering about. I have noticed that wax picks up finger prints and things very easily, but I really like being able to pop it in the fridge for a bit and be able to carve into it. This makes me want to try out some oil clay too though.

[@FritzHoppe]

well let me know how it goes! You've probably seen my video on the J-Mac clay, here's a link if you haven't: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIaneH2upNh5bM0 I would start with a brick of soft J-Mac to get a feel for it.

[@stephan2176]

Hi, what would be easier to use for a beginner. Polymar clay or pasteline clay like you are using there or wax for 1/6 head sculpt. Thx

[@FritzHoppe]

Definitely monster clay for something than size.

[@stephan2176]

@@FritzHoppe oh, i was going to get roma plastilana..can i still use that ? And thanks for taking the time to reply.

[@rmt3589]

Any chance you've ever tried mixing pottery clay with the wax?

[@pavelrychtarcik9052]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/npfEqpSalLOpjc0

[@mihaiilie8808]

Its useless because once you mix the clay with the wax,it will repell water.

[@shunwilliams6180]

Can I use the clay for a candle

[@FritzHoppe]

That is an interesting question. You could probably use the wax, but I am not sure Be very careful to make sure it doesn't burn. I wouldn't try using the clay.

[@FritzHoppe]

I misread your question. A candle works great for heating up metal tools used on wax or clay. But you should not try heating the clay with a candle. It will not work very well.

[@shunwilliams6180]

Fritz Hoppe thank you 😊

[@tinytina8811]

Good day mr. Hoppe just a quick question im into sculpting 5inch figures i tried to use monster clay medium its not holding details especially super small details like the eyes shall i use wax for smaller scale figures? thank you. i already subscribed to your channel

[@FritzHoppe]

That is an interesting question, and thank you for subscribing! Could you please elaborate on what is happening to these small details? (Are they melting, sticking to the sculpting tool, or is the clay acting rubbery?)

[@tinytina8811]

Thank you so much for your reply mr hoppe i really do appreciate it because im just a beginner sculptor. The clay does not stick to the tools but it distorts the nearest parts of the sculpt its acting rubbery. i tried to use an armature like a rolled piece of tin foil to reinforce the clay like ive seen on other tutorials. what ive seen on action figure companies like neca is that they use a carvable wax like medium that holds the smallest details without distorting the surrounding parts while sculpting but i do not know what it is. super sculpey firm is great but it is very rare & expensive where i live. from what ive experience monster clay works great on large sculptures like a human head but too soft for action figure sculpting. any advise or recommendation from a professional like you is very important to me thank you so much and i will recommend your channel to all of my friends!

[@FritzHoppe]

I really appreciate the recommendation! Sculpting an action figure, or something of that size, will be very challenging no matter what; however, I know there is way to sculpt very fine detail on them. I know this because my brother is very good at sculpting tiny, yet highly detail toy & action figure type sculptures. I am checking with him to see if he will share any tips. Let me ask you this: Are you carving the clay or pressing down on its surface? (I mean pressing as if you are "stamping the texture") With detail that small, it is often best to not carve at all. But instead smoosh the clay into the correct shape before poking at it one detail at a time. Very time consuming!

[@tinytina8811]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and time it means so much to me. I'm hoping that you will make a video about this topic in the near future. It will help many beginner sculptors working on smaller scale projects. Im using dentistry tools to carve and ball tools to shape/smoosh details. I'm also making many researches and ive seen others using kneadatite for boardgame figures (which are very small) and it is very time consuming because it is very sticky you have to let it dry first before adding another detail. ive also seen japanese toy companies like figma using a quick dry epoxy like material it works for both small and large figures. they cover the armature with "this" epoxy let it dry hard and carve details and smooth it with different grits of sand paper. ive never seen other sculptors (except the japanese) use the same technique. Any information about this? Thanks to your videos I'm learning more about sculpting. I'm watching them all. More power to your channel!

[@FritzHoppe]

So I did get a hold of my brother. He said medium grade monster clay is the best for detail (it should be "medium" grade if you bought it on Amazon). This fall I will probably make a video covering the question you asked about detail. As for the epoxy, I have applied different epoxies and resins to various projects. This process you are describing sounds challenging, but you will probably have a much easier time using a dremel tool. If you don't have one, please look it up on the internet or go to hobby lobby to get one! They are very powerful, yet they can carve extreme detail in hard surfaces. Here is one of my affialiate links to a dremel I have used: amzn.to/2C9SBKZ I would just start with a less expensive kit like that one if you need to order one. You are also welcome to go my website and get ahold of me to send photos of your projects. Hope this helps!

[@h7opolo]

4:40 that's one big difference between plasticine and monster clay, you dont have to spend money on heating with the latter.

[@doublel_7758]

Clay is etter

[@wreckingball8881]

Does your brother have a channel on that mask stuff?

[@FritzHoppe]

I have tried to talk him into creating a youtube channel to share his mask making process, but he has been very busy finishing film school and he has not had time yet. He is very skilled in that field, so maybe in the future we will see some monster making videos from him.

[@wreckingball8881]

Fritz Hoppe what is he learning in the film school? Do they teach you how to make realistic models?(sorta like starwars how everything where models infront of a green screen)

[@FritzHoppe]

I am not 100% sure, but some film schools do teach those subjects. His monster making skills are mostly self taught, like an acquired trade skill.

[@srousada9579]

واووو

[@wmmatthew83]

Wed clay way better then monster clay any day

[@FritzHoppe]

They are very different in application and properties. It is personal preference by the time you try them all.