Agent_Clay

My name is James. I am a writer and a artist. I am currently researching Stop Motion Animation. I took some animation classes in college but those were primarily computer animation with 3D Studio Max 6. My teacher was incompetent and thusly ruined my future.

So I am researching and studying Stop Motion Animation and will post all my research here because I want to contribute to open knowledge that is out there for free. I believe education and inspiration comes from God. He gives it to us all for free, if we only ask, so I'm trying to be like him and pass the knowledge along to everyone who wants it.

My Stop Motion Animation research is mostly trial and error. I have read a few books but I have found the best education comes from experimentation. This allows me freedom and latitude that I want to test different ideas without being restricted by the bias of others.

Lego's!!!!! Best thing for starters. You walk into the store, slap your money down, and walk out the proud owner of some molded plastic guys, complete with perma-smiles. I love Lego because I grew up playing with them, building, and spending many happy Saturdays creating new worlds with them.

I'm working on a Lego project now. Darn kids keep stealing the parts which is slowing production. Hmmmm.....where's the legs?

Easy to use. Simple movements for beginners. Inexpensive. You can buy mostly whatever you need. Plus, they "snap" down. Enough tension is created at the connection points so that you can have them stand on a platform and move them from there.

I have a small lego collection and love to get my kids together and we play with them all the time. I actually have most the legos from my child hood. I should get new ones since the plastic might be breaking down by now.

Essex from DOW was the standard. Holding something in the neighborhood of 800 pounds per square inch it was easy to put down but had a long curing time. We also had high viscosity which is the thickest stuff I've ever dealt with.

3M makes a few variations with a two-part blister mix. This cures in under 2 hours and holds 1500pps. Mean stuff.

My first attempt I used Essex. This was 16 days ago, The center of the mold is still soft and when I tried to remove it from the cast, it tore in half. Thank goodness for nitrile gloves. I'm leaving it in the sun to see if that helps, but sunlight breaks it down with prolonged exposure.

WARNING: Urethane causes nerve damage. So always wear gloves.

My latest experiment is with Urethane. It is super tough and long lasting. It's only enemy is sunlight because it hardens it, makes it brittle, and then it crumbles.

I used four pieces of wood for this. I screwed it together because injecting the Urethane is really stressful due to it's viscosity(thickness). The back is a thick piece of card stock. (It's actually a wheat thins box).

Here's the abmination. The wood I used is Alder. It's a soft hardwood. I had to drill pilot holes for the screws to help guide and not split the wood. I then used masking tape for the card stock because I wanted to be able to take it off in case of pressure blowouts or the clay inside moved.

I also used a paint brush to coat everything with petroleum jelly. That's all you need for Urethan to release. Other releases can break down the clay. (I don't have pictures because I was wearing gloves to protect against the black goop and I didn't want to touch my camera).

Here's the result after 4 weeks of curing time. Urethane works best if you leave it 1/4 inch thick. I have it 1 1/2 inches thick, so it's taking a long time to cure. The center is still soft.

1. This shows where the urethane stuck to the wood and I had to use a utility blade to cut it off. I should have put a good layer of petroleum on the wood. Urethane is really strong, holds something like 800 pounds per square inch.

2. This layer is my clay mold. It stayed 99% in place, which I am please with. Notice the large splinter of the alder to the right of this arrow. Looks like urethane is stronger than alder.

I have just started experimenting with Bionicle toys. They are literally armatures. The only draw back I have found in my experimenting is they can't hold any weight. They can hold their own weight but you cannot put objects in their hands or on their back.

I like these because they can turn 360 degrees, economic, and really easy to replace worn parts. I did have to use model glue to secure certain components because some of the parts just slide together with modest clip edges.