February 13, 2013

Plasticine recipe

Here it is for those who want it, my DIY plasticine recipe.

What you will need:

-A big pot to mix it all in over heat since you need to liquify the wax and petroleum jelly. 
-Gloves and safety equipment. It's your house and your skin.This stuff is hot and may splatter and is flamable so be weary. 
-I also wear glasses, but safety glasses might help in case of hot oil/wax spashes.
-A kitchen scale to measure out the ingredients. 
-A spoon to do the mixing, long handle one works best. It should be sturdy as the mixture becomes stiff and will bend even the metal ones. 
-Containers to pour the finished product in to cool. 
-Good ventilation or a dust mask since you probably don't want any of the greasy fumes and powdered dirt coating your lungs. 
Now for the ingredients:

4 lbs. of wax (I used a blend of mycrocrystaline wax and sculpting wax)
10 lbs. of fine grain Ball clay
750 ml of mineral oil
2 lbs of petroleum jelly (approx. 3 containers full)

This is what 10 lbs. of the clay powder looks like ready to go.

Here's the method, I like to have everything ready to go before I begin, like an good cook. I made two batches one after the other. The first batch was great. I cleaned out the container and made a second batch right afterward. *The second batch had more clay added to have a finer grain option.
Get the pot on the stove and melt the wax.
 If mixing waxes give it a really good stir to blend them together once liquid.
Then add the goopy jelly and stir until it melts into the wax.
Wear gloves here, its hot grease and if it splatters you may regret it. The mineral oil is already a liquid and doesn't need any heating so I add it at now.
Gently add no more than a quarter of the ball clay to the liquid and give it a good stir until it is smooth making sure you have no clumps.
Add more of the dirt, it will start thickening up so you need to keep stirring it.
When I add the clay it sits on top, scoop deep and circulate from the hot bottom and it will belnd much easier.
Add the final bit of clay and it will be really thick. Keep it on the heat to help it along as you stir it until well mized.
Scoop it out of the hot pot and into a bucket to cool.
Batch 1 is done and its as smooth as cream cheese when it is still warm.
Cleanliness is next to godliness, so clean up while it is still hot, it will be much easier.
I made a second batch and topped up the first bucket and filled a second. This site makes me one happy artist!

If you have any other questions feel free to give me a shout and I'll help you out.

Ciao for now!








 




2 comments:

Fay_Moose_Art said...

What a great and detailed recipe. Thanks for sharing. Looks awesome, I want to play with it
How long did it took to harden?

BUNNY said...

It took a few hours to cool down, but it is plasticine it wont dry out so it shouldn't harden at all. I took a piece out and dated it as a test. I have it laying on a heat register to see if it will dry out with the application of heat. A good friend of mine made a similar batch 10 years ago and says it is still fairly soft.

=B