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Clay Shrinkage


Friadaman

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Hello all,

 

I'm a newcomer to this forum and sculpting with clay, so I'm hoping i'm posting this in the right place:

 

I've got a question which is related to clay shrinkage in air. 

 

My purpose is sculpting a giant mask that suppose to be worn by an actor. I've already made a mold from his face, and now I want to sculpt it and I'm considering using sculpting clay since it's cheap.

My main concern is from clay shrinkage in air - I'm not gonna put it in the oven, and the process will be long (3-4 months), so it would be exposed to air for a considerable amount.  I've read that the shrinkage in air can go from 4% to 15% from it's volume. that would be devastating for me, as I need this mask to fit the actor precisely!

 

Are those facts true? or can clay be used for such precise purpose? would a humid chamber help, or is the shrinkage inevitable? 

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Adam.

 

 

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Several issues here:

- The clay must be fired if it's going to be strong enough to use. Raw, dried clay will just break.

- By the time it's fired, it will shrink somewhere between 5-12%, depending on the type od clay an dhow hot you fire it. It's unavoidable, it's the nature of clay.

- A clay mask will be much too heavy to be worn comfortably.

 

I would make it out of papier mache, or some other lightweight molding material.

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Several issues here:

- The clay must be fired if it's going to be strong enough to use. Raw, dried clay will just break.

- By the time it's fired, it will shrink somewhere between 5-12%, depending on the type od clay an dhow hot you fire it. It's unavoidable, it's the nature of clay.

- A clay mask will be much too heavy to be worn comfortably.

 

I would make it out of papier mache, or some other lightweight molding material.

 

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

Seems i've failed to explain my process thoroughly - after sculpting in clay, without putting in fire, I'm gonna make a mold out of it and then cast in latex/silicon for the actual mask. I just want to make the shape of the mask out of clay, again this process will take long (few months), so according to what you say - after that time the sculptor will shrink no matter what, right?

 

Thanks again!

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Jerry Rothman developed a clay body around the 1960's that did not measurably shrink going from wet to fired.  I used it a while back; the clay came from Aardvark as I remember. It is groggy, but took a porcelain slip at leather hard and bone dry stages and fired to a smooth surface.  
 
Jerry sometimes worked as a sculptor and has been quoted as saying "modern clay does not have to shrink!" (or something to that effect).
 
LT

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