# Aves vs Milliput for sculpting



## Spockr (Sep 14, 2009)

Am planning to try my hand at 1:8 and 1:6 scale figure sculpting this year and would appreciate some advice about materials. I use Aves for seams and minor stuff like ears, fins and the like. I like it but haven't had much success using it for sculpting larger things like heads, hands feet and bodies etc. Aves is also pretty pricey so I'm hesitant to slap down big blobs for experimentation. Do any of you use Milliput which is way cheaper?

Also, up til now I've just been mostly playing around with sculpting and would like to learn better skills. I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences and points of view on how to get good results. Any suggestions for reading or video resources would also be a great help.



Thanks,
MattL


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## Spockr (Sep 14, 2009)

bump up


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## IanWilkinson (Apr 23, 2010)

ive been using both for many years.. and heads down 100% - AVES is the better in my book.. I allways also use there saftey solvent when sculpting..
if you mix the parts A and B together when sculpting hands and heads.. i allways wait around 40 mins to start with the smaller details.. just get the basic shapes in there.. and when its starting to go through its mid hard stage. then you can add a little detail.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

What Ian said. I find that Aves is much softer than Milliput and therefore much easier with to work with. The Safety Solvent works better than water for lubricating your fingers and tools, as water can cause the putty to break down and become less adhesive.

I work "wet on dry", allowing each successive application of Aves Apoxy Sculpt to set before adding more. I'll whack a layer of putty onto my armature just to get a basic shape started. When that has set up, I apply more Aves to get the underlying form defined the way I want. The final application is the surface detail. This method not only gives a lot of control as I apply the soft putty, it also allows me to refine shapes by carving into the hardened material as well.

I hope 2012 brings us a new masterpiece from you, Spock! :thumbsup:


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## machgo (Feb 10, 2010)

To lessen your use of Aves, you can fill out your interior "space" with aluminum foil or the like. An initial skin of Aves over the foil should be plenty firm once it cures, so you can flesh out the balance without fear of distortion.

There are alternatives to Aves that are cheaper, such as Amazing Sculpt. It's essentially the same material, which I believe is actually a plumbers' putty. Still and all, the stuff isn't cheap.

I have never used Milliput so I can't compare.....


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## ryoga (Oct 6, 2009)

To make Aves work, you need to work on a small area at a time after you have completed the basic shape. You can't sculpt the entire face on one go. I tried that and something usually goes wrong.


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## bizzarobrian (Oct 4, 2009)

Milliput Rules! Before it dries you can smooth it down with a brush,cloth or finger using water.You can sculpt with it & it hardens like stone & sands beautifully.


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## bizzarobrian (Oct 4, 2009)

bizzarobrian said:


> Milliput Rules! Before it dries you can smooth it down with a brush,cloth or finger using water.You can sculpt with it & it hardens like stone & sands beautifully.


I`ve even used it for making molds for small parts.I`m doing a kit bash right now.Marvel/DC`s Iron Lantern.I pressed the milliput on to the IRON part of the Ironman nameplate then did the same with LANTERN on the Green Lantern.Trimmed & put them together & then when done pressed Milliput into it & behold!! A cool nameplate!


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## Disco58 (Apr 10, 2011)

machgo said:


> There are alternatives to Aves that are cheaper, such as Amazing Sculpt. It's essentially the same material, which I believe is actually a plumbers' putty.


 Plumber's putty?! The white plumber's putty I've used for the last 35 years (for plumbing applications) takes literally years to harden, unless there's some kind of catalyst you can mix with it. It would definitely be an interesting experiment to try, and an interesting second use for a common product. It could be another one of those situations where a downside for one application is an advantage for another. I may have to go dig out a tub of putty and see what it's actually made of. The wheels are turning....


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Disco58 said:


> Plumber's putty?! The white plumber's putty I've used for the last 35 years (for plumbing applications) takes literally years to harden....


BB was speaking of a two-part epoxy putty made for plumbing applications, not the oil-based stuff you're thinking of that is used to seal pipe threads. PC-7 is one brand - there's a display for the stuff in about every hardware store I've ever been in. It usually has a golf ball and other items adhered to a Coke bottle with PC-7.

It's cheaper than Aves or Milliput, but very sticky - looks like tar - and is too soft to hold detail for sculpting or filling seams. However, because it is cheaper than the dedicated hobby brands, it can be used for strengthening the insides of some assemblies, anchoring mounting pins, any application where its appearance doesn't matter. It puts out more heat as it cures than Aves or Milliput does, so you have to be careful when using it around thin plastic.


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## razorwyre1 (Jan 28, 2004)

having used both aves and milliput (extra smooth white) for sculpting figures, i have to say that aves is the better product.
when it came to faces however, i didnt want to deal with the time constraints of either product, so i sculpted the head in chavant clay, made a silicone waste mold, and cast the head in resin. the hair was then added with aves.


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## Spockr (Sep 14, 2009)

razorwyre1 said:


> having used both aves and milliput (extra smooth white) for sculpting figures, i have to say that aves is the better product.
> when it came to faces however, i didnt want to deal with the time constraints of either product, so i sculpted the head in chavant clay, made a silicone waste mold, and cast the head in resin. the hair was then added with aves.


Thanks for the suggestion. I checked out Chavant's website and they have a number of products to choose from. Any chance you could you point me to the specific product you like of theirs? 

Regards,
MattL


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## Spockr (Sep 14, 2009)

IanWilkinson said:


> ive been using both for many years.. and heads down 100% - AVES is the better in my book.. I allways also use there saftey solvent when sculpting..
> if you mix the parts A and B together when sculpting hands and heads.. i allways wait around 40 mins to start with the smaller details.. just get the basic shapes in there.. and when its starting to go through its mid hard stage. then you can add a little detail.





Mark McGovern said:


> What Ian said. I find that Aves is much softer than Milliput and therefore much easier with to work with. The Safety Solvent works better than water for lubricating your fingers and tools, as water can cause the putty to break down and become less adhesive.
> 
> I work "wet on dry", allowing each successive application of Aves Apoxy Sculpt to set before adding more. I'll whack a layer of putty onto my armature just to get a basic shape started. When that has set up, I apply more Aves to get the underlying form defined the way I want. The final application is the surface detail. This method not only gives a lot of control as I apply the soft putty, it also allows me to refine shapes by carving into the hardened material as well.
> 
> I hope 2012 brings us a new masterpiece from you, Spock! :thumbsup:


Excellent suggestions. Thanks


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## machgo (Feb 10, 2010)

Disco58 said:


> Plumber's putty?! The white plumber's putty I've used for the last 35 years (for plumbing applications) takes literally years to harden, unless there's some kind of catalyst you can mix with it. It would definitely be an interesting experiment to try, and an interesting second use for a common product. It could be another one of those situations where a downside for one application is an advantage for another. I may have to go dig out a tub of putty and see what it's actually made of. The wheels are turning....


I know the stuff you're thinking of--Swan brand is a popular one. For use on pipe threads as a sealer, or as a seal for the sink drain, where it meets the basin. That stuff is advertised to NEVER dry out! What I was referring to is a different product. Before I was exposed to Aves I had occasion to fix a cracked stack pipe. The stuff I was offered at the hardwaare store was a two part, kneadable compound just like Aves. Aves used to advertise it would cure underwater as well. I am really just guessing it started out as a plumbing product....


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## oliver (Jan 11, 2005)

Thanks for the info guys. Ive got to sculpt a new face for the polar lights Captain America,2005. The only decent face(mouth opened) is still out of scale with his head and I can't stand to look at it much more. His face is too large!!!


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