Need advice from experienced poly resin and poly clay users

[Tilandra]

I have something in mind that I want to build, but I haven't worked with all the materials yet so I wanted to check with some experienced users and see if there would be any problems with the final piece.

1. Is it possible to sculpt a negative image into a piece of polymer clay, bake it off, and then use it as a mold for casting poly resin? Or would they bond? I need something for the negative that would have the sculptable characteristics of clay, but able to be made permanent.

2. If I create a sheet of clear or colored poly resin of about two square feet, with a varying thickness of 1/8" to 1/4", and a light source behind it, would the heat from the bulb cause crazing or cracking? Assume a standard 40 or 60 watt bulb.

3. If this sheet of poly resin is hung vertically using 4-6 post screws into a wooden base, would it craze and crack at the drilled/molded screw holes under its own weight?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Commodore Spark]

Ooh, I'm also very curious about this- I was going to try what you've explained in #1 there as part of a project but it would be nice to know ahead of time what other people's results have been.

 

[Tilandra]

Well I'll probably do a mini-test on a smaller piece, but that won't help me with 2 and 3. I'll let you know what my results are when I try it, but I'm still weeks away from being done with what I'm working on now.

 

[robn1]

Poly clay is mostly used by crafts people, to make figurines, jewelry and the like. You maybe should Google around for some arts and crafts forums.

 

[Tilandra]

When I did a search, there were 15 threads about poly clay... I guess I was hoping there was some overlap there, somewhere.

No worries, I was just hoping to get an idea what to expect before I started experimenting, or that someone could recommend something with similar properties that's more commonly used.

I am surprised noone has anything to say about poly-resin's heat resistance properties or brittleness.

 

[NamesInLights]

Hi Tilandra,
Did you get an answer to the question wether polyresin would bond to polymer clay? If not I can do a little trial for you as I use both.
I don't see a cast sheet being rigid / self supporting enough from fixings merely in the base; I think it would need to be hung. If you want to drill it you must use a flexible resin additive, it is very brittle without.

 

[Tilandra]

I hadn't received an answer yet, no, but don't use your materials to do a test for me. I have both materials, and can do a trial of my own, I was just hoping someone had already done it and could answer. Doesn't hurt to save on materials if someone has made a mistake before me.

I have not tried using the resin yet, though, so your assessment of whether or not I could drill into it is helpful. Thanks. Off to source additives.