[Model Man]

Wondering if I got a bad batch... Does this stuff have a shelf life or sensitivity to heat? I've had it waiting for about a month, but there has been a heatwave for most of that time. No AC at my place.

The stuff ain't smooth nor easy to shape. It's more like working with wasabi: sticky, pulls up at the slightest touch of tool or finger, easily smudged around, cannot be shaped smooth while 'wet' and generally mushes around and rips up when I try to shape it. When dry, it is as tough as any other putty to deal with.

I had hoped aves would be smooth like clay when working and then dry as shaped. Instead, the immediate texture is like when you rip apart a well-kneaded gum eraser -whereas a gum eraser is easily smoothed back over, this stuff is not.

I gotta find something better for recreating the 'tree bark' details on the TRU Godzilla. The seams are horrible and I was hoping aves would be my salvation.

This batch is labeled 'natural' color, but both tubs are green/gray. Ins ome ways it's great, in the mentioned ways, it is not.

 

[MonsterModelMan]

Model Man,
The stuff I got comes in two parts...Part A and Part B. I used latex gloves and neaded the two parts together real well (for at least 2-3 minutes) until the two colors became one...then I put it on the model kit.

When I used it, it was alittle tacky but soon (only a few minutes of neading) I was able to mold and sculpt with it. When wet by adding a finger dipped in water, it was real easy to form to the desired texture and made it real smooth where needed.

It states on the label that incomplete mixing will give poor results...so that part is real important to do. Should be a 50/50 mix of parts.

It self hardens and doesn't appear to have an expiration date on the carton.

Hope that this helps somewhat. I love this stuff and it should be perfect for what you are trying to accomplish!

MMM

 

[Bruce Bishop]

Is it Aves Apoxy Sculpt? If so, do you have the A and B parts? It always works wonderfully for me, so long as I mix it thoroughly with equal parts of the A and B. A little dab of water on my finger and it smoothes wonderfully. I have had it stored in my refridgerator for 5-8 years now and it still works great, I just used it on Iron Man. I don't know what happens if you leave it out in the heat, but I think it's supposed to be kept cool.

 

[Model Man]

If water is safe to use, then giving it a dab should help. Didn't know if that would be bad or good.

It is two part aves and each is a few tones of color away from the other: green/gray. Mixed, it is an uncannily similar color and texture to wasabi. Haven't tasted it yet though.

I have specifically smushed equal parts (eyeballed, not weighed) together for more than 3 minutes to make sure there were no probs on the mixing front. It is smoothest when mixing and I can roll it into a nice smooth ball. Applying it immediately, it is very tacky, textured and pulls off the surface with the slightest tease.

I used gloves for mixing and application the first time. The second time I took them off after mixing, the third time I just didn't care to bother with gloves at all. If it ain't gonna burn my skin off, then I'm not concerned. (Whereas the "liquid smoother" for Sculpy will give you serious chem burns! Be careful with that stuff!!!!)

I was hoping I could roll the aves into snakes, cut those to shape, plop them on G's hide and feather them into the overall texture. Hasn't worked so far. I'll try the water tonight and report back (sooner or) later. Thanks.

ps the heat wave has not broken 100°F outside, inside it's a non-sun facing side with shuttered blinds. So it hasn't been hot-hot, but room temp has certainly been uncomfortable on some days.

 

[Joe Brown]

You may want to read this - it's fairly helpful:
http://www.avesstudio.com/FAQ_s/faq_s.html

And, here:
http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=189583

 

[Model Man]

Thanks Joe (and you other guys). :thumbsup:
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I searched "Aves" before posting my question and got little relveant. Didn't think to search apoxie or any variant. Reading thru that other HT post was most helpful as was the aves faq as well. I got mine thru ssm, so didn't think to look for an aves site as such. I've seen magic sculpt around and will be getting some of that for some compare-and-contrast work.
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Water was indeed helpful. While mixing the 2 parts, I gave it one quick dunk which was more than enough. Then while using it, I dipped my sculpting tool into the water and applied/shaped the aves from there. Much-much better doings now.

I was able to roll out the snakes I wanted, then chopped off a bit as needed and applied to Big G's seams. Each one had to be hand laid and the enormity of the task really sank in as an hour later I had barely covered one half of one leg seam! Yesterday, I was basically smearing the aves into the seams and wiping away the excess. Results were not good. Now I am able to put down individual godzilla-lumps where needed. (I don't know if the stuff is going to be thin-spreadable enough to go on my Rom BoP as I need to build up one area of the under hull to finish that off. Bondo may still be the better tool on that one...)

I could see how too much water will make things very difficult and learned to use it sparingly this eve. Now I just gotta learn to dole out smaller amounts of the aves in the first place! I thought a pea's worth of each would be too little, but it is too much to work with in a given session so far! I can see how you guys have a tub around for a year or more.

 

[John P]

I've had pretty much the same experience as you, MM. But then, I'm a terrible sculptor and only use it for filling gaps and modifying shapes. I can't imagine how sculptors use the stuff to make, ya know, sculptures.

 

[NeilUnreal]

My experience is that it doesn't really have a shelf life, but one of the components (I forget whether it's A or B) will start to separate after a bit. So when using older Aves, one can improve the consistency by mixing each part separately with itself from time to time. This prevents "wet spots" vs. "dry spots" in the hardener.

This experience is many years old, however, and may not be true for newer formulas. And the Aves I was using had been stored in pretty bad conditions.

-Neil

 

[TAY666]

Sounds like you are getting the hang of it.

And yeah, figuring out how much you need for a job can be tough.
I've got lots of little blocks and brick that I make out of my 'extra'. Even a few attempts at making skulls with the stuff.

If you get it mixed up, and it is too sticky, just let it sit for a while and start to cure a litte. Then it should be easier to use. (never had that problem with my batch of Ave's yet, though I have with Magic Sculp)
Water is great for smoothing and blending. I usually have a small cup handy to stick my finger in.
I also use the Ave's Safety Solvent for that.

If you want to get into small tight seams then you need the epoxy putty.
This stuff has the consistency of pancake batter. I mix it on a smooth surface with a toothpick then use the toothpick to apply it like a trowl. Then I smooth it with my wet finger, and add any detail back in with another toothpick or pin that I also dip in water.

 

[Zombie_61]

If you get it mixed up, and it is too sticky, just let it sit for a while and start to cure a litte. Then it should be easier to use. (never had that problem with my batch of Ave's yet, though I have with Magic Sculp).

In my experience this is the key to working with Aves Apoxie Sculpt--after you've mixed the two parts thoroughly, let it sit for 20-30 minutes before you use it and it loses that "sticky" quality. You lose a small amount of working time, but it's better than trying to sculpt with the stuff sticking to your tools. And yeah, a little water goes a long way.

As for the two parts breaking down over time, I'm sure Aves has a shelf life but I don't know what it is. On their website they recommend refrigerating it to keep it "fresh" if you're going to have it for a while, but I've had mine for a couple of years now unrefrigerated and it still works fine.