Sculptural Arts Products

by Grim on 2009/08/25

My Nevamoore post mentioned Sculpt or Coat.

Its is made by Sculptural Arts Inc.

What is Sculpt or Coat?

Sculpt or Coat is a Nontoxic easy to use water based plastic cream that tough coats foam, sculpts fabrics and papers, and binds textures. It adheres to practically any surface. It air cures to a clear finish or may be tinted with colorant. The uses for this versatile environmentally and user friendly material is endless.

I am a big proponent of using non-toxic materials in my shop/studio. So SOC fits the bill nicely. I also like the fact that it has many uses. Initially it may appear that it is quite expensive, a 1 gallon container runs about $50 USD. I have been working off of the same 1 gallon container for over a year. A little goes a long way.

Here are some of the things I use it for

1. Its a great coating for mache, I prefer to use it under my paint, because it is glossy.

2. If I do use it over my paint I will thin it with a bit of hot tap water and then brush it on. After brushing it on I put on a surgical glove and run my hand over the surface to smooth out the brush strokes.

3. It also makes a really strong glue.

4. Along the glue thought line, I have been known to mix it into things like Celluclay in its dry form. This makes for a very hard final mache. I have also experimented with mixing it into Paperclay and this created a very strong substance.

5. You can also mix things into SOC for certain effects: say for instance you want to make it look like dirt is coming out of a zombies eye. Mix a bunch of dirt and junk (twigs, crumbled leaves) into some SOC. Put it in the eye socket and when it drys spray it with some Plastic Varnish flat. Nice dirt effect that wont make a mess all over when you move the piece around.

Sculptural arts makes a few other products I use frequently.

Plastic varnish Flat: This stuff will take the shine off of any surface and is quite durable

Plastic varnish Gloss: The opposite of flat, makes things glossy.

Related posts:

  1. Working with Epoxy Glue Clay and Resin
  2. Taking care of paintbrushes
  3. Working with Polyurethane Foams

{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

The Frog Queen August 25, 2009 at 11:47 am

Thanks for the tip about the air hose on burlap. I have not tried that, brilliant!

Cheers!

Grim August 25, 2009 at 4:44 am

The air hose technique works great on Monster Mud'd props as well if you want to expose the burlap texture a bit more.

MarZel August 25, 2009 at 10:35 am

What as Great tip!! This stuff sounds fantastic!! I gots to get me some! Thank you!

PumpkinBrain August 25, 2009 at 8:20 am

Thanks for sharing this information. I didn't know about Sculpt or Coat. This looks like an amazing product. In fact it seems like it would be the perfect material for my props. I have some difficulties smoothing my paper mache prop. I'm using paper towel dipped in glue right now for that but it's not always working as expected. I shall try this product.

Grim August 25, 2009 at 12:34 pm

See my new post http://www.grimvisions.com/art/smoothing-mache-cl…
Getting a smooth finish with paper towels is very challenging. They are great for a textured surface, and you can get some great effects this way. Mache clays and pulp mache are much better when wanting a smooth finish.

kimily August 25, 2009 at 2:40 am

I love this stuff!! I use it to seal my papermache, so far. I really want to try it on fabric…any suggestions or 'do not attempt' hints?

Grim August 25, 2009 at 2:48 am

When using it on fabric, I work it into the fabric and then remove the excess from the surface. If the fabric is open-weave like burlap, I will take an airhose and blow the SOC out of the open parts of the fabric after applying it to the object.

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