You will be surprised to know that something as simple as clay not only enjoys a broad range of uses, but also comes in a range of variations. The choice obviously depends on the use, so pick accordingly.

The simple and malleable clay is the ideal modeling material for amateurs as well as veteran sculptors. The ease of working and extreme versatility makes clay a popular choice that gives other sophisticated materials like rubbers and resins a run for their money!

Indeed, the use of clay modeling extends across genres – from basic ceramics and pottery to making molds and sculptures to masks, prototypes, special effects and even clay animation.

Different variations of clay are available – there is oil and water-based clay, sulfur and sulfur-free clay and hardening as well as non-drying clay. The choice depends as much on the texture and hardness of the different materials as the potential reproductions of the finished piece. The personal dexterity and preference of the artist also matters here.

For instance, the water-based clays are much softer than the oil ones. But the latter do not dry out or shrink as easily. In fact, the high grade ones are even permanently pliable and can be used over and over again.

The most common uses of clay are sculpting and pottery. Here, the artist usually uses the water-based clays and they are not bothered about the drying as the finished piece will be fired in a kiln to harden it permanently.

However, when an artist is making an initial model for a prop, prototype or prosthetic, they may prefer the oil-based or non-hardening varieties. This allows them a longer window to mold the clay as it will not harden on exposure to air. What’s more, they can even reuse the same clay many times after the casting is done. There is a varying choice of hardness as well to suit different applications.

Most of the clay options contain sulfur and this does not affect the sculpture, mask, prop or prototype as such. The only hindrance is that the sulfur can inhibit the setting of various silicone rubbers. As such, when an artist plans to cast the clay mold in silicone rubber, he has to consider sulfur-free clays.

Apart from these, there is a special type of ballistic clay that is surprisingly handy for testing body armor. This clay simulates animal muscle tissue and can be used as backing for ballistic vests to test the deformations from varying bullet shots.

When it comes to which clay to purchase, the oil-based Roma Plastilina is the first choice of seasoned sculptors for clay modeling. Del Milano plasticine clay is another good variant of the same class, yet less heavy on the pocket. For prototyping and automotive design usage, Chavant offers top quality industrial plasticine clay in both sulfur and sulfur-free variants. Roma Platilina’s ballistic clay is the government-designated backing material for terminal ballistics testing. And if you need moist and self-hardening clays for pottery and ceramics, there are quality offerings from Dresden, Artware and Boneware.

There are different clays and it’s quite easy to work with them. Cleaning your clay mold is also a simple process. Just don’t make the mistake of soaking the clay in water as this will damage the mold!

Clay is a simple and versatile material that has become the modeling material of choice for all kinds of people. Children enjoy playing with regular water-based clay which becomes hard when exposed to air. On the other hand, there is plasticine clay that stays moist no matter how many times it is used.

Then there are oil-based clays, sulfur-free clays, pottery clays and even self-hardening clays. Some clay comes in different colors and even varying degrees of hardness. These are used by different artists depending on the type of artwork and other preferences.

One of the common uses of clay is making molds for casting projects. It is malleable and can be easily shaped over the object to create a negative impression mold. The mold can stay soft and reusable or become hard depending on the type of clay used. Different materials can be cast in a clay mold like plaster, resin, rubbers, etc.

Once the clay mold is ready, you will want to clean and finish it before proceeding to the casting end of things. Casting artists usually wash their molds with water or even soak them for a while to get rid of the excess mold making material, release agent, etc.

However, you should take care never to wash or soak a clay mold. This can cause the mold to break, crack or just reduce the life of the mold.

If you want to clean it, just wipe it with a wet cloth, sponge or soft toothbrush. Else, spray a fine mist on the mold before wiping it off. In fact, try to do the cleaning soon after demolding from the model as cleaning dried clay becomes more difficult. The same process can be followed for cleaning the mold after the casting is done.

You can easily order Plastilina clay and other materials as well as get a lot of handy tips or guidance from the EnvironMolds website, https://www.artmolds.com.