I'm about to construct a 1:18 3D model for my A2 level graphics project, of a Ford Coupe. I have ordered the only form of Chavant that I could find readily available in the UK, 'Le beau touche'. Has anyone ever used this to make a car model? How suitable is it? How do you finish & paint it?
Le Beau Touche is a soft fine arts clay by Chavant usually used by free form artistes. The clay is sulphur free and has exceptional smoothness and sticking properties, in other words it's good to stick to about any armature that you want. It carves and shapes easily and holds good detail, it's also flexible enough that it is resistant to cracking. It's a little like plasticine where the heat from your hand will soften it enough so that you can apply it to your model. You will find that you will need minimal heat to soften it to apply to any armature, the hotter it gets the stickier it will be. If it gets too hot it will begin to sweat and sag away from your armature.
You may find that this clay will be OK for your application because of the small size of the model but normally a harder clay would be used. Of the Chavant clays J525 or I307 but both have a sulphur content. For sulphur free Y2Klay would be used. The supplier in the UK for Chavant is Styling Clay International Ltd. and they are located in Kent.
To finish it in paint I would imagine that you would have to seal the whole surface first to stop the oils from bleeding through. Seal the surface with a shellac first and make sure it is thoroughly dry before proceeding to the next stage. Make sure to test out the process first so as not to ruin your project.
Thanks for your reply. I have already bought the clay, and i have to complete the model before monday, so changing clay is not an option. Does it matter what kind of shellac? Can you recommend what paints to use? Would ordinary car paint do the job?
The point of the shellac is to form a hard shell over your clay model. This will prevent the solvents of the paint from eating into your clay and stop the oils from the clay ruining your paint job. It's important that you try the shellac on a seperate shape to make sure that it has no adverse effect on it. Once you know it is OK then your good to go on your model.
If you can get the shellac in a spray can that might be your easiest bet, use light coats to cover the model and allow drying time between coats until you have a reasonable shell thickness.
As you have only a short time frame to complete your model I think your only option is to use an automotive spray can paint. Like the shellac, apply in light coats and build the layer from there.
The model isn't going particularly well. I still cannot get the surface smooth enough, I am left with ripples. Can you give me some detailed advice on smoothing techniques? Is it just because my model is too small?
If you read most of the posts on this forum you will find that a lot of your questions have been answered numerous times. The answer to your question about ripples is on this post Ripples in clay.
