Sculpting Miniatuers - Sculpting Bladed Weapons

In this tutorial I cover how to sculpt bladed weapons. These fundamental techniques are essential for sculpting any time of weapon.
Tools:
Brass Rod - .032" (.81mm)
Snips
Flat nose pliers
Greenstuff or ProCreate
Aves Apoxie Sculpt
Small Tiles
Putty Oven
Files
Scalpel or X-Acto blade

[@johnkelley9877]

The blade looks really good. Thanks for sharing this tutorial as it has a lot of good information in it.

[@ryanbeasecker9235]

Very cool! I have been struggling with weapons. It's great to see how it is done. Keep up the great work! I will be anxiously awaiting the next sculpting tutorial.

[@dragom2009]

freaking great man! please more of this

[@starbux52]

Hey Tom, just wanted to say I'm using the teachings in this vid to attempt my own weapons today. Thanks for doing all these videos, really appreciate them.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Awesome! I hope everything worked out well.

[@JerzkusArt]

Cool work, once again :)

[@TheDungeonMattster]

I've recently started getting into sculpting with my green stuff. It's a lot of fun and really interesting to me. I just found your channel and it's helping me already! Thanks! 😎

[@TomMasonSculptor]

That's awesome! Keep it up.

[@martyndragar7910]

can I just say thank you for your tips there are so many sculptors I've asked for help and they don't wanna share any tips or ideas so THANK YOU!!!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

No problem Martyn! I'm so happy to hear they are helping you.

[@martyndragar7910]

Will you be doing any tips on orc head sculpting at all?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Nothing like this is on the schedule at the moment, but I'd love to do that someday.

[@sinistervideo]

Thanks so much! I have one of the larger coffee cans, mostly to do some larger projects. I was wondering if there was maybe a prob with too many figs at one time before I put it together. I love this putty mix, I see many new weapon sculpts in my future, thank you for the videos!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

sinistervideo should be fine no matter how many are in there at once. Have fun!

[@TheGamerZapocalypse]

@8:51...lol...remember it's the journey and not the destination. haha Hey Tom, still catching up on all your videos...when sanding I found if you have some water on the piece and sanding tool, it really keeps the dust and tiny flaky bits down (no more dust on your fingers) and seems easier to see what your sanding. I find it gives a better, smoother working surface and also acts as a sanding lubricant. You can just have a small container of water and dip the piece to clear off the dust when needed. The bonus here is you can clean the piece being filed and the sanding tool with the water. When I'm done sanding, I swish the piece and tool around in a small container of water then dry with cloth or paper towel, cloth is preferred because it doesn't leave the paper particles like the paper towel can. I usually use filing sticks, so water won't harm them, but if you're using metal sanding tools, just dry thorougly and coat with a light layer of some Petroleum Jelly and you're ready for the next sanding time. Another way I would usually do a weapon, and it's very tedious with no room for error like doing surgery, is, on a cured weapon piece, use an Exacto knife to cut the weapon edges. You can get a real nice sharp edge, but like I said, it's not easy, and if you cut too much off or get wobbly , your screwed and have to go back and fix the area you took too much off of. It's basically the same method as rough cutting away cured putty only here it is a precise flat edge you are also trying to get. Give it a try if you haven't. Keeping the blade as flat and flush as possible to the flat edge of the piece you are cutting is the key to success. Use it also as your cutting guide as you cut the flat edge.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+GamerZapocalypse great tips!

[@davidsouzalobo]

Hi Tom, nice tutorial. What was that light yellow tiles you used to pre shape the blade?

[@Zarnowski_Sculpture]

Nice vid. Tom. filing is the key..lol i am lasy and use most of the time my dremel ;-) I realy like the little acryl jars for your putty. wher can i find them. think they are very handy special when i sculpt not in my studio. Cheers Dennis

[@TomMasonSculptor]

SavageForged Minis can't believe I never mentioned the Dremel! Yes, if you have one of these, use it as much as possible before getting into the fine details. Saves TONS of time.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

***** I've only ever used the filing/sanding heads. They've touched my fingers before to no real ill effect, but yeah, the rotary blades would cut pretty bad.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

***** yeah, pretty early I think it was 6 or 7 here. Lots to do during the week so I try to start early (only recently thought, fighting the urge to be a night owl).

[@minitzonthesun]

I have been using Patrick Kieth's technique of using sandwich bag plastic and ripping it away after flattening. I have been having a lot of trouble with symmetrical two-sided blades and getting the edges to match and look even so I do a lot of sabres;)

[@TomMasonSculptor]

minitzonthesun Patrick's technique works great. I usually use it when I'm flattening putty to a much thinner amount. Symmetry is really tough. Just take it slow, steady and be sure to constantly check all the angles.

[@Mlopez8091]

minitzonthesun Have you tried using two pieces of clear acrylic to flatten out your putty? I use this technique with greenstuff and it is very effective as long as the acrylic is lubricated. You can buy the acrylic sheets at the large DIY stores along with a cutitng knife for clean cuts.

[@emilwestgaardhenriksen1715]

really like this video and sure will come back to it in the future ^^ Quick question: will you possibly consider doing a video on firearms too? have a hard time with it and are surely not alone (medieval in most cases for my part) ^^ you're awesome!

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+Emil Westgaard Henriksen definitely.

[@emilwestgaardhenriksen1715]

Tom Mason awesome!

[@whereismymind9429]

what is a putty oven and where can I get one, also where do you buy such small amounts of apoxie putty please?

[@Machinepriest]

Helpful and inspiring as always Tom. You mentioned a putty oven. I've been meaning to get one of these to slow down the curing time of my epoxy-based sculpts. Did you make your own? How about a video on the subject? :)

[@TomMasonSculptor]

***** great idea. I'll add it to the list.

[@pinchopaxtonsgreatestminds9591]

I find it better to use a small steel hammer to flatten the brass.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

That works too!

[@The_turtles_lair]

Hi Tom, I was wondering where you got the little containers you hold your putty in.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Ted Morey the containers are little Rubbermaid ones purchased from Meijer. I'm sure you can find something similar at any super-grocer. Thanks for watching!

[@sinistervideo]

Tom just wondering on your putty oven. How big is it? ie how many figs do you have curing at one time?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

sinistervideo I used to use a large Folgers can, now I think the one I'm using is a half size can with a 25 watt light bulb. I usually can get 3 or so figs in there.

[@Menselot]

Can you make a blade with clay ? (i am asking because i think it will be very fragile)

[@TomMasonSculptor]

You absolutely can. It takes a finer hand to smooth and adjust the material in order to get crisp edges, but it can be done. I just prefer the precision of using file are hardened putty.

[@WritingFighter]

Do you take commissions?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

+UnrealVoicebox unfortunately I do not at this time. Thanks for asking and I'll be sure to post about it in a video when I can.

[@haiduc5320]

¿Can i use miliput instead of aves?

[@TomMasonSculptor]

Yes, it should work very similarly.

[@almister]

Do you wear a mask when you file?

[@belverkungol]

+Igot skills It's not a bad idea. The epoxy resins are labeled as 'non-toxic' but you still don't want to be inhaling a lot of it. Even direct skin contact with some epoxy can cause dermatitis in people with sensitive skin. "Never breathe the sanding dust of partially cured epoxy. Epoxy chemicals remain reactive until they have cured. Serious health problems can result from sanding epoxy before it is fully cured. When you inhale these dust particles, they become trapped in the mucus lining of your respiratory system. The reactive material can cause severe respiratory irritation and/or respiratory allergies." www.westsystem.com/ss/health-effects-from-overexposure-to-epoxy/ Although they are talking about industrial grade epoxy which may be different. Each product seems to have a very different chemical makeup, and some may be more/less toxic than others. It's certainly not something that you want a lot of in your lungs. Basically, it doesn't hurt to wear a mask, but it 'may' have a negative impact on your health if you don't.

[@almister]

Thanks alot for being so clear in your response it is something i've wondered about for years and not had much luck reaching a comprehensive answer in my research.

[@LuciusForge]

Dude, seriously, just 2 words : Plastic Card. You're welcome.

[@TomMasonSculptor]

LuciusTroll that's a good material to use as the base material to sculpt. Some mold makers have trouble vulcanizing that material. It's excellent for practice if the mold maker can't handle it.

[@LuciusForge]

Yep I agree with that, but for a blade it's quite simple to use plastic card :/ It's a nice tuto and you made a lot of useful and sublim tuto ;)