Jim Austin Posted July 11, 2022 Report Share Posted July 11, 2022 Hello, A friend has asked me to repair a bust of his mother. It is made of unfired clay. Is there any material or process that I can use to fill a 3” long 1” deep chip off of the bottom shoulder? thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Austin Posted July 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2022 This is a photo of the project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Austin Posted July 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2022 Some suggestions: Paper Mache Microcrystalline Wax Wood Putty Resins Sculpy Oil based clay more natural clay adhered with slip. has anyone used Magic Mender? https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Mender-Greenware-Repairs-Add-Ons/dp/B00XZDEGSG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Austin Posted July 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2022 Yea. It is definitely an unfired clay body. I was told it was cast plaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Austin Posted July 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2022 Ok not using mender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted July 12, 2022 Report Share Posted July 12, 2022 2 hours ago, Jim Austin said: Yea. It is definitely an unfired clay body. I was told it was cast plaster. Cast plaster is definitely not clay, it’s plaster. You might contemplate plaster / gypsum repair products then refinish with paint. Durabond products (not premix) adhere well and cure fairly hard, similar to plaster. Any plaster repair product is likely fine though.Clay: a stiff, sticky fine-grained earth, typically yellow, red, or bluish-gray in color and often forming an impermeable layer in the soil. It can be molded when wet, and is dried and baked to make bricks, pottery, and ceramics. Ceramics are fired to high temperatures to melt them creating permanent ceramic products. Plaster: a soft mixture of lime with sand or cement and water for spreading on walls, ceilings, or other structures as in castings to form a smooth hard surface when dried. Plaster is not fired it hydrates and cures to harden. Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyK Posted July 12, 2022 Report Share Posted July 12, 2022 I have used DAS Air-Hardening Modeling Clay, 2.2 Lb. Block, White Color for repairs on plaster, clay and cement objet d'art with great success. Got it from Amazon...you can carve it to a limited extent before it hardens. You can work it after it hardens with files and grinders. Rae Reich and Jim Austin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Austin Posted July 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2022 To be clear, the bust is NOT plaster. This is unfired clay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted July 12, 2022 Report Share Posted July 12, 2022 Take some of the unfired clay and mix it with white glue to a thin paste. Drill some anchor holes in the areas to be joined if possible and then add some nails with the heads cut off, or short wooden joiner dowels to the holes with the paste to join the sections together. Then use more paste to finish filling cracks, sand as spray paint. best, Pres Rae Reich and Jim Austin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Austin Posted July 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2022 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Austin Posted July 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2022 Pres, have you actually used this method for repairs? My experience says that the applied clay to the original will not stick despite the glue and the armatures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted July 12, 2022 Report Share Posted July 12, 2022 It has worked for me in the past with plaster. I would think that it should also work with the clay situation. You may have to dampen the clay to help with the adherence as the dust from the clay is what keeps the material from joining. The dowels should help also. My only other solution/s would be to cut the neck off completely at above the deterioration, and then mount it on a riser of some sort above the box, or build a piece that matches out of another material to extend the neck area, wrap casting gauze around the seem smooth and paint. bst, Pres Jim Austin and Rae Reich 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rae Reich Posted July 13, 2022 Report Share Posted July 13, 2022 If it’s really unfired clay it can still be softened with water and you can stick a product like @JohnnyK recommends fairly well. Or you can, wit permission, file down the gnarly edges and smooth it as though it’s a collar, then paint to match. If it is plaster, moisten the area before dabbing on plaster patch. Pins or bamboo skewers might work better than dowels as anchors, pre-drill holes carefully. Pres and Jim Austin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted July 15, 2022 Report Share Posted July 15, 2022 On 7/12/2022 at 1:56 AM, Jim Austin said: Yea. It is definitely an unfired clay body. I was told it was cast plaster. On 7/12/2022 at 3:12 PM, Jim Austin said: To be clear, the bust is NOT plaster. This is unfired clay. Cast plaster? Or cast from plaster mould? Personally, I think it looks like plaster. If it's solid, it's 99.99% certain to be plaster. It will be hard and resistant to rubbing with a wet finger. If it's dried clay, it will be extremely fragile, and you will be able to rub/smooth bits off with a wet finger. PeterH 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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