# Sculptamold



## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

Not sure what the correct sub forum is for this. Hire do you guys like to mix sculptamold and do you get a smooth consistency with it? I mixed per directions and it came out lumpy. Tried mixing more and adding water with limited success... too much water and it gets too runny and won't set up. I'm afraid maybe a have a bad batch that got some moisture in it or something. 

Sorry I forgot to take pics before I finished it. This is a mini diorama for my daughter that's also a test bed for me to learn on. 

















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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

I have a bag of it. I have used maybe 1/3. I'd say I did read the directions but preferred it a little wetter. I just did it by feel. It's definitely a little lumpy because it has something like shredded paper mixed into it. It can be smoothed as you apply it and as it dries. I just let what I did dry longer and it came out fine. I guess it could settle during shipping and with it sealed you could shake it up a bit.

Directions say it can be sanded and all that but I have not had a need for that yet.

I think it's a good product I can see why people like it.


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

It is good stuff. Id rather not have to sand it, but u suppose I could. Just wasn't sure that was normal consistency 

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## Andy57 (Feb 7, 2020)

Not a lot of experience, but 
While still wet a wet finger I can smooth out areas.


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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

Yeah I found it starts to harden a tad faster than I'd like but you can smooth it as it does that. It's not completely smooth though. Maybe that's just me being lazy but since I'm make a kind of rock face... It's good enough like that...


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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

It's... It's just my attempt to use up a bunch of woodland scenics incline/declines I bought.

Anyway this is what it looks like over their crumpley aluminum foil product.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

I'm a big fan of Sculptamold. I buy it in 50 pound bags. I've never read the directions (well, maybe once, when the dinosaurs were still around). Sculptamold, unlike plaster, is very forgiving of the amount of water you add. It will set up, no matter what, but if you get too much water in it it can literally take days to harden. I use 3 cups of dry powder at a time and add *warm* water, stirring as I go. When it reaches the consistency of cottage cheese, then I add a little more water and mix well. The trick is that you have to add enough water to emulsify the shredded paper in it. Better to add water a little at a time rather than all at once. I get about 30 minutes working time with it once I'm done mixing

I spread it with a palette knife, and this helps to smooth it. Then after it starts to set up, you can go over it with a damp sponge to smooth it out. I like it kind of coarse, though, because real nature isn't smooth. But you can easily sand it. I use a medium sanding sponge.


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

I'll have to try the warm water. I agree, a little lumpy is good, more natural depending on the scene. Just not too lumpy

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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

I read the directions but I always seem to feel these things are a little conservative on the water recommendations but you don't want soup either.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

I usually use rigid foam insulation, sand it to the shape I want and sometimes use foam putty to smooth things out/fill in gaps. But in some cases, I use Mold-a-Scene, Structolite or Sculptamold for final contours. Last time I used them was about 6 years ago, but I don’t recall any problems. I used a spoon to shape it while still wet and I did a little bit of sanding here and there after the stuff hardened.


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## Jscullans (Jul 8, 2019)

I recently made my own take on sculptamold out of paper mache and paster of paris. It worked out well for me but I also wanted a rough crumbly look to what I had going. I was able to wet my finger and smooth out where I wanted it smooth though.


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## Spruslayer (Dec 13, 2020)

vette-kid said:


> Not sure what the correct sub forum is for this. Hire do you guys like to mix sculptamold and do you get a smooth consistency with it? I mixed per directions and it came out lumpy. Tried mixing more and adding water with limited success... too much water and it gets too runny and won't set up. I'm afraid maybe a have a bad batch that got some moisture in it or something.
> 
> Sorry I forgot to take pics before I finished it. This is a mini diorama for my daughter that's also a test bed for me to learn on.
> 
> ...


I use this food chopper gizmo i found at walmart for 10 bucks
and papermache from HL ,some latex paint of a tan or brown colors and some water.
The chopper will turn it into anything from thin soup to a thick peanut butter consistency in about 3 mins depending on how much liquid is in the mix
The bad part is it takes several days to dry but sands easily and paints well afterwards
🚂 🚂


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

Interesting idea, adding paint directly to the mix. His it would make covering the white easier. 

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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

You can definitely add paint to the mix, so long as it's water-based. I just slap a coat of cheap brown interior latex paint on mine once it's dry.


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

CTValleyRR said:


> You can definitely add paint to the mix, so long as it's water-based. I just slap a coat of cheap brown interior latex paint on mine once it's dry.


I did that this time, but my paint dried too fast and I had a hard time applying grass before it dried. I'm going to try watering it down a bit and see if I can get more working time out of it

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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

vette-kid said:


> I did that this time, but my paint dried too fast and I had a hard time applying grass before it dried. I'm going to try watering it down a bit and see if I can get more working time out of it
> 
> Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk


I slather on a thick coat of brown and then apply the ground cover. Some times spritz on some matte medium for extra hold. Dries overnight.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

vette-kid said:


> I did that this time, but my paint dried too fast and I had a hard time applying grass before it dried. I'm going to try watering it down a bit and see if I can get more working time out of it
> 
> Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk


Work in smaller areas. About 2 square feet works best. Also, often a first coat of paint will soak in to the surface. Are you using LATEX house paint, or something else?


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

CTValleyRR said:


> Work in smaller areas. About 2 square feet works best. Also, often a first coat of paint will soak in to the surface. Are you using LATEX house paint, or something else?


Latex house paint. I was doing about 1sf at a time (the board is only 12"×24"). I'm not sure why it's drying so fast. It's water based though, so thinning should help. 

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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

vette-kid said:


> Latex house paint. I was doing about 1sf at a time (the board is only 12"×24"). I'm not sure why it's drying so fast. It's water based though, so thinning should help.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk


Huh. Odd. I'm actually using a can of Glidden tinted in "Ground Nutmeg" (brown with a slight reddish tint to it) that I got a the mistint shelf at Bome Depot for $4 for the quart.


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

Yeah, I got this the same way. It's a gallon though. Baer exterior satin enamel. 

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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

Ok, so I tried using the blender. Ruined a perfectly cheap blender! Ha... did not work well at all. The best method by far was the warm water and a good stiff stick. I may try the mixing paddle on my drill next time. It's still pretty lumpy, but the warm water was the last batch I did, and that seemed better. 


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