Foam Clay - How to Sculpt, Cast, Carve, & Paint!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.พ. 2025
- Steve from SKS Props has an awesome new product - Foam Clay! He hangs out with Bill and they play around with different ways to use this versatile material!
Links:
Join the Extra Credit Club! punishedprops....
SKS Props
www.sksprops.com/
Foam Clay for purchase!
www.sksprops.c...
Suport us on Patreon!
/ punishedprops
Tools & Materials:
Foam Clay - SKS Props
www.sksprops.c...
Silicone Push Molds - Amazon
amzn.to/2WziTM4
Silicone tip sculpting brushes - Amazon
amzn.to/2JTaLnZ
Sculpting Bust - Amazon
amzn.to/2HLMyOL
Double stick tape - Amazon
amzn.to/2zBvrHU
4mm EVA Foam - TNT Cosplay Supply
tntcosplaysupp...
Rotary Tool - Amazon
amzn.to/2TI5Gj7
Hobby Knife - Amazon
amzn.to/2uD9jMx
Grinding Bits - Amazon
amzn.to/2MIRPVs
Peel Coat- Amazon
amzn.to/2FEtyOE
Createx Paint - Amazon
amzn.to/2lAZZD6
Airbrush - Amazon
amzn.to/2afUbYH
Tuntable Paint Stand - Amazon
amzn.to/2RbTedk
Hair Dryer - Amazon
amzn.to/2FfgnGU
Skewers - Amazon
amzn.to/2UlCr5w
Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic Paint - Amazon
amzn.to/1MMZ1Zg
Spirit Gum - Amazon
amzn.to/2V682Zx
Punished Props Mission: Transforming passionate fans into confident, skillful makers. Find out more at www.punishedpr...
We release new videos every month!
Fun ways to help our channel:
Join the Extra Credit Club! punishedprops....
Buy our books! www.punishedpr...
Share your projects with us on twitter!
/ chinbeard
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
See the full tools & Materials list + Photos on the Punished Props Website! punishedprops.com/2019/04/01/foam-clay/
Punished Props Academy hey bill would this work for dust casting for the bolts to make them look metal like you have done in the past for resin products also bill love the work and this was a better video with Steve from sks props in it the other one he come across as a grumpy 😡 rude person but this one is better well done
So if you seal it tight and then let it set in water over night will it desolve
can you fiberglass over foam clay?
So glad I got to do another video with my friends at Punished Props!!!
Have you tried using a little heat to see if the thin shaped snake pieces can be shaped that way without snapping?
Nice work! I look forward to trying your foam clay. 🙂
Hey Steven is the freezing necessary when using a mold? Or if you wait long enough will it eventually dry? I’m going to be trying some two-sided molds so I’m thinking it’s gonna take forever to dry.
@@mattTc17 it isn’t completely necessary but I’ve found the foam exposed to the air will of course dry faster and the foam clay against the mold holds moisture much longer. Freezing just kinda locks everything in place so it won’t deform as much when demolding.
I love foam clay and I've used it a bunch recently. One thing you have to watch out for when you're sculpting it onto normal EVA foam is that the shrinkage can cause it to curl up towards the foam clay side once it fully hardens over a few days or a week, especially if the EVA you use is fairly thin. I'm not sure whether you avoided it with the mask because you kept it taped to the form while it dried initially, or because you sealed it before it fully cured, but I had a similar amount of foam to clay and it curled right up and was a bit too brittle to safely uncurl.
You can disolve it in water to make it softer and more playable, also you can disolve it in a lot of water and use a brush to apply a layer of it on the surface, it make whole thing more durable.
Bill, you have no idea how relieving it is to see outtakes from your videos.
As I'm still fairly new to the whole DIY thing, I find it very intimidating to try something for myself.
And with those tiny bits of video I can realize, that even my role model can goof up.
That in mind, I love your videos even more !
Yes! We all flub our words and drop things, 'tis part of being human :)
A couple of people have mentioned this, but it is great for using on seams to fill gaps. In the UK I've really struggled to find a product to fill seams that's also sand-able and this is definitely the way to go. I've also used it for a super intricate design on a sword hilt, which turned out amazing!
Just wanna point out that this is the best advertisement I've ever seen on TH-cam.
No seg-way, no deliberately branching from content - your content matches the product, you create something with the company and it all feels fluid. I'm not a prop maker, and I love the videos, but this makes me want to actually buy the product and maybe get started!
EDIT: And that your patreon support from the community would be the only 'cut away sponsor'. Your community is your higher goal, hella support from me
I work at a craft store and i had to make a few exaples of projects for upcoing events. This stuff is great for mmaking small figures to hug around pencils and such. When it's fresh, it actually can stickk some to paper. I bet you can use it to make cool vines for wands and fine foam filigree work.
One way to get around those bubbles is to add a small box around the silicone mold. Fill it with plaster and let it cure. Then when you press your material in the mold you can press really really hard because the plaster keeps your silicone from stretching outward. That's how they do it at Aardman for clay press molds when making faces and parts for their clay puppets.
Not a bad idea!
animateclay I was actually thinking of something similar, but with the smooth on 300/57D for other applications .(shell Mold)
Yes! A plaster mold is actually the best mold as it wicks away the moisture.
That might help. You could get past the shrinking and cure time maybe, but the texture issue really broke the deal for me. Third strike. I could see using it for small bits that have a bit of wiggle room in the size but only if you can at least avoid the bubbles.
You have no idea how much this video is going to help me. I'm trying to craft the bird that sits on top of Hatori Chise's wand in The Ancient Magus' Bride. I think this will help me SO MUCH going forward. I feel confident that I can pull it off. THANK YOU!
Good luck!!! How did it turn out?
Well... thing is, I need to funds to get started. So I'm bookmarking this vid for future use. The confidence is still there, I just need to gather some things. First, money. lol@@starlight444
Foam Clay contains polystyrene beads in a medium that dries rigid. The top layer of the dissolved tests is almost certainly the beads, and the dirty look in the water is the medium the beads were in. It might have been interesting to see if the medium would settle out, but with the volume of the floating layer, there wouldn't be much.
I imagine the intro actually taking place somewhere among prop makers. In the back alley of an abandoned hobby shop.
I got foam mo about a week ago and this looks very similar. It hand sands fantastically, it helps with blending ridges or lines, and it hand sculpts well. Thin usage is ideal. Now, since it's water based, the reason for shrinking and hardening (my theory) is because the water evaporates constantly so there's less mass. If you get it sealed and painted and everything, it should stop that because the moisture has nowhere to go. I made an All For One helmet and used it on many spots and it hasn't shrunk or anything because I used it very thin. On the spots I used much more, I sealed it and it hasn't shrunk. I think an oil based variant could be even better
That's awesome, thanks for the info!
Wouldn’t that create some fungus or mold in the long run tho?
WAIT THESE ARE BOTTLE CAPS!
Wait... we aren’t living in fall out??? 0^0
OwO yes
This comment didn't age well
Life in the big city, pal!
*Maniacal laughter*
17:26 On the mask, I loved seeing the way the clay pressed right up against the EVA foam could slice and sand and seamlessly. I'd love to see how foam clay reacts to primers, paints, finishes, etc. and if its sensitivity to water affects primer/finish behavior. Excellent video!
Glad you liked it!
those horns and mask turned out great. plus, the paint job on the horns is killer! excellent video!
Thanks!
That is a glorious mask! Looks so good! Great job bill and glad I got a couple jugs at comicon! Thanks Steve!
Thanks very much! Can't wait to see what you make!
Thanks!
SKS Props honestly needs more subs. That man is amazing with his work
Truth!
georgegotjokes Thank You!
SKS Props no problem! Big fan of your Borderlands work! Your paint jobs are always A1. Can’t wait to see if you tackle anything from BL3!
georgegotjokes believe me BL3 is def in my future 😉
SKS Props looking forward to it my guy!
I've made the questionable decision to try and make a Ruby Gillman cosplay, so now I'm binging every clay foam video I can find XP thanks fellas
This could be AMAZING for hand armor sculpting. Get pieces formed to your fingers as ornate as you'd like. With shrinkage, I'd recommend sculpting larger than necessary and not enveloping. Just plates. Never-the-less, very cool product. Thanks for sharing this Steve.
An excellent idea for application!
You're welcome!
Also after they dry fully you can heat them up to get "bend" back again!
lol at the beginning and it's nice to see SKS Props again. :D I've also been waiting for you guys to do a video with this stuff.
I picked up a tub of foam clay recently, not this brand, and am experimenting with it for the moment. The tips you have were excellent and I shall keep them in mind when I start working on my husband's mask.
Fantastic! Share what you make with us on Twitter: twitter.com/chinbeard
Yay another SKS Colab! Last one made me sub to SKS. This one may make me buy foam clay :)
Wonderful! Can't wait to see what you make!
Thanks!
I honestly thought this was an april fools video because I had never heard of foam clay, but this is an awesome material! Thanks for the video, guys!
Surprise!
Learn Through Making Thank You!
This isn't an April fools?
Nope!
The fact that it dissolves could be an awesome attribute! Pouring resin around it and then soaking the piece in water could leave some amazing voids!
That would certainly be interesting! I don't know how well this material would hold up to the exothermic reaction from resin though - it gets quite hot!
@@punishedprops I'll try it and let you know! :)
For the melting issue with this stuff, looks like it definitely needs sealed so it doesn't get wet.
I've use a similar product from Crayola, 'model magic', it has a modeling clay that hardens into a foam-like material.
This stuff seems to be a better quality than Crayola, so I'll have to try it out sometime, the lightweight of foam is a great bonus for both.
S. Smith I have used both. While the materials seem similar, working with them is very different. This stuff is wayyy better.
Have you ever tried Amaco Cloud Clay? It is really spongy and rubbery when dry and feels a lot like EVA Foam. I would test the water melty thing but all my Cloud Clay dried up in the package. (The packaging is the worst for that. I even tried wrapping leftovers in plastic wrap but it dried out too.) Would be really curious if it would work for you!
Interesting! We have not tried that product
Try using vacuum sealer bags. I never get air in those and meat lasts longer
I love foam clay! I used it to mold approximately 100 individual decorative pieces for my most recent armor cosplay.
Just what I needed! Did you know...
Cura has a "reverse" setting to instantly create a Sliced mold setting? My wife and I want to create Hiccup and Astrid dragon armor.
Print dozens of dragon scale molds and shove foam clay into it.
Boom.
the lack of flexibility might be a problem though
@@jackplumlee745 not necessarily. I've used a fish hook type tool (the one I use for vinyl cut clean up) to remove the foam parts. If you carefully puncture the back to remove it, it usually comes out fairly well.
@@PKTEK the flexibility problem i was thinking about is not the 3d printed mold, i think that part will be great, but the clay foam when bended to be glued on a compound curve might snap.
By the way, fish hook is a useful tip, thank you sir !
@@jackplumlee745 you're welcome! It's actually a "weeding" tool... Had to look it up for you lol. The foam clay itself is still suuuuper flexible after it's been removed from the mold for a minute
That sounds like it might take a long time. Say you 3D print 1 sheet of negative scales and fill them with clay foam, wait for them to freeze overnight, remove and refill, wait 24 hours to cure.... You could have multiple 3D molds used at the same time, but that's extra hours on the printer.
You could try printing one sheet of negative scales with a fairly strong base, heat up a sheet of 6mm EVA foam, then press your mold into while it cools. It should pick up a fair amount of detail, and then you can stamp out pattern pieces much quicker out of an unbroken sheet of foam.
I watched a video earlier that advised sealing them after about a day and a half. This retains enough moisture to keep the foam creation supple. It was a guy called Ben Eadie on TH-cam also.
Ben Eadie is great! That's a helpful suggestion to share, thanks!
Fantastic! I first used foam clay to make the dragon for Ed's Spear from the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, and it worked great for scultping and filling seams.
Fantastic!
Fighting Munchkin
This was really informative. I've been interested in foam clay but was unsure. Also, it looks just like a kneaded eraser
That's so great to hear! And yeah, it totally does look like that!
I have a somewhat large mold that I used foam clay in, which is very detailed and fairly deep. So I pressed the foam into the bottom of the mold and the walls, but I didn't completely fill the mold cause it would have used maybe the whole tub.
Anyways... I froze it and de-molded it, and it looked amazing at first. Then it started to sag though as it thawed/dried (because it's kind of hollow or like a shell).
Anyways it has a silicone thing underneath it helping it hold it's shape now as it dries, but I've also noticed little craters forming on the surface 🤔 and it's shrinking and loosing a bit of detail.
I also set up a small fan to help it dry.
So... is the fact that it's a shell and not a solid "front to back" cast going to affect the percentage of shrinkage?
Or is the fan speeding up the process causing it to shrink more?
Also what could be the reason for the little craters? 🤔
Can u fix the surface damage. Like rub some more clay in the bubbles after u pop them and sand it?
I got some Foam Mo for Christmas, and used it to make a beak on my phoenix mask. I traced my pattern onto self-adhesive foam, stuck it together except at the base, which I glued to a plastic mask. Then I used Foam Mo to bulk up the beak. The thinner areas where I tried blending it to the plastic mask were peeling up, but I used a Zig 2-way glue pen to glue them back down, and they adhered well. I didn't do any detailing, just hit it with craft foam primer and painted, and it looks great.
That's great!
Another wonderful video guys.
Thanks!
Paid in bottle caps! That's hilarious. Nothing like making your own currency. Thanks for the demo!
I'm a sculptural artist and this definitely would be of great use for the work I do since it is light weight and pretty much acts as the same materials (drying time, picking up detail, or use of sanding and dremell tools) I currently use. Thanks for the video.
That's fantastic! You're very welcome :)
Awe yay good job Steve!!!!
Just got myself some foam clay as an alternative to just using kwik seal to fill gaps. (mainly larger ones) I am curious, this stuff air dries in like 24-48 hours, but is there any way to perhaps quicken that process a bit? Like having a fan blowing on em or something? Thought i'd ask just in case there is hehe It was this video that got me to buy some actually, watching a second time cause why not hehe
Awesome presentation of a very cool and useful product! Thanks Bill!
You're very welcome!
Does it need a release agent?
Foam clay is awesome -- welcome to the future!
Right? So exciting!
Foam clay is great :) I use it for teeth on creature heads with many teeth to make the head lighter :)
If you use the cc creativ silk clay, you get less shrinkage, and more detail. You can also get creamy silk clay which is a wet acrylic like substance great for texturing
This is honestly revolutionary stuff just ordered some myself!
I wonder if you made the thin sculpture and then sprayed it with plastic dip would it increase its flexibility?
I was going to make a full Skyrim Dragonbone, I have some plans for the main chunks of armour, between dense foam, eva foam, acrylic or polyester faux fur linings, but the "ebony" hammered metal has been a major thorn in my side. This looks absolutely perfect for the bands, rings and fittings!
Ah yes this could be a great option!
Really awesome and informative video.....really a very promising product with a ton of versatility.
Randy Stull Thanks!
I'm trying it for the first time with a prop I'm making from sheet foam. I'm using the foam clay to cover seams and overdremeled spots.
Hi guys I've used a lot of foam to make armour and I've used foam clay before but I'm going to use it to do Sarah kerrigan queen of blades I wanted to make her bone type details I was going to use foam clay but not sure if that would be the best material to use. Loved the vid! Even as an experienced foam cosplayer this was helpful :)
I want to start experimenting with moulding and sculpting. That material looks pretty versatile. Very informative as always
Yes it's super cool! Please share the results of your experiments with us on Twitter: twitter.com/chinbeard
I’m making a large upholstery foam puppet and need to fill in some blocky gaps, as well as polishing up the features. Should I use this stuff? It needs to be lightweight so I don’t get exhausted. Is mold an issue?
has just arrived in my city , going to make a few molds and give it a go
I got some foam clay as a sample when I ordered a wig from Arda. I didn't even think about using it for casting! Gonna go try this now.
This is what I would consider to be a great alternative to warbla given it seems a lot more versatile and cost effective.
It's definitely versatile and affordable! I don't know that its function is similar enough to Worbla to be considered an alternative, but it's an exciting material for sure!
I am curious: can eva clay be used to fill those ugly seams in eva foam builds? For instance, in the case of a helmet which needs to be shiny, like the bobba fett helmet build which clearly had visible seams.Even Evil Ted in his video on "invisible" seams conceded that it seams are always clearly visible on shiny surfaces... It would be nice if eva foam was able to fill seams, like certain clear glues can repair glass surfaces.
Can you use foam clay to make a mould from it, ?like with silicone where you can make a small flatted ball of foam clay and press things in to it then let it dry out and use mabey polymer or or a little foam clay to fill it with so you can make impressions with it,. Just an idea I had.
seal them with what that makes them waterproof?
Could you add foam clay to plaster of Paris? If I made a mould of my face in plaster and wanted to add to the face to create horns and bumps etc? Or would I just add the foam clay to the whole face and let it set and remove the plaster after?
Could this be used to fill unwanted lines in foam armor and such? Like darts in armor and seam lines?
MrDshaw1988 yeah it works well for that too. Just wet the foam first (helps the clay stick) and then you can go back after a day with a sanding sponge
@@SKSProps Awesome! I'll definitely be ordering some in the near future.
Kamui cosplay used this in her nergigante armour. Her claw video shows her using the clay to fill spaces.
it’s like he’s being babysat i love it
I'm a large child
Hope you guys get together again after all this craziness stay safe guys
We do too! Thanks very much :)
I'm curious if it is soft or hard when it's completely dry? Say if I wanted to create a texture rubber stamp.
If you create something using this product, can you then create a mold from it to reproduce your original creation in resin or whatever? I guess I'm wondering what sealant you'd need to make sure the silicone doesn't eat the foam clay mold master.
This is AMAZING- I had no Idea you could even do this!
Very nice. No baking. Can a “skin layer” be brushed into the mold before the foam. I’m inly at 8:39 but subbing now. I hope you go into painting this… prices are very affordable compared to most materials. Thanks.
I bought some foam clay and it came in very sticky....stuck to my hands, work surface, tools etc. is there some way to dry this out a bit so it doesn't stick as much. Thanks
Excited about working with this medium
I've been thinking for a long time now I'm going to make my Dragonslayer Ornstein helmet (specifically the Lions face, and all the small details. I.e. the eye sockets and nose teeth etc) and I think this will be perfect on a Eva foam base!
Totally!
Cool material. So as I understand, it's a 48-72 hour cure "clay". One thing I'm curious about is if you mold it then just leave it in the mold for 2-3 days does it set the same, since it does shrink 15%?
I'd say because it's an air drying clay it would need to be completely out in the open. I think that's why they put them in the freezer so they keep their shape so they can remove them and properly set them
Bill's Go-To texture is hammered metal lol
I love Foam clay! Different brands are good for different things. Cosplay Apprentice foam clay dries to the density of regular Eva foam.
It's a great material!
Hmm I wonder if this would be good for a pepakura build? I could build something out of cardstock and then xtc3d like I did with my last helmet, but then use this foam clay instead of bondo. Of course it wouldn't be as durable, but it would be significantly faster and easier to work with.
Immortal Reaver Interesting idea! Curious to see how it turns out!
Very curious about that as well. Let us know how it goes.
do you also know why the foamclay when painted looks more shiny than the rest? I've had this all the time and cant figure out how to fix it
I'm thinking for those thinner type pieces that a core would help for durability.
Hey guys I bought some foam clay because i think if I sculpt a dragon and use this for the wings they won't be as heavy as any kind of other clays would like polymer do you think it's a good idea? love you vids
Instead of just squishing the bag down like you did at 12:40, you can squish it down (or twist it) then turn it upside down, allowing the weight of the foam clay to help keep it closed.
I also do this when putting the stuff back in the bucket as I have had a top come loose in the past and everything dry out as the bag had come open within the bucket.
Can you use foam clay to do molds?
i was actually thinking about using some of this stuff for fursuit building
i think it might be a fantastic material for teeth, horns, and sculpting extra features onto a 3d printed head base
but i still have a lot to learn about its properties lol
So, I got my dogs pawprint from the funerary home in what feels to be a foam clay (it's white, like the Crayola stuff) I want to do a mold of it so I can actually get a "stamp" from it. I don't want to ruin the print though, and it's the only one I have of my baby. Do you have any recommendations? Like, should I do a liquid pour of some clay into it and cast a silicone mold of that? Or do you think it would take silicone well? I will be taking small pieces from the side of the mold to test on first, but was hoping to have a starting point.
A liquid clay poor is a pretty good idea, that's a great way to avoid damaging it and you'll be able to try again if the mold doesn't go as planned.
It's hard to say without knowing what the material is, but as long as it's not silicone you should be fine to make a mold of it. You'll just want to make sure you use mold release.
If you use a heat gun to heat foamclay it'll pock up and bubble up a bit and create a cool sorta skin texture and also get glossy look. Gotta be careful though because the line between this effect and mistake is real fine lol. I used this effect on some armor I made and to sculpt some mushrooms.
Oh neat!
I'll have to try that out!
Yeah, I used a heat gun to 2 day dried foam clay for my most recent build. It hardened in a really nice way when heated, but leave it on a bit too long and bubble and burned city!
Hello there.. I wanted to know if you could use this on a motorcycle helmet?
18 months later, I finally got a tub to play around with. This stuff is going to be great for filling and leveling seams in helmets and armor!
Right on!
What type of clay hardens without becoming brittle?
This looks similar to Model Magic. Is it stronger and less bendy?
Can you use foam clay on wood?
You can also buy Bloxygen (Argon in a can) and backfill your air sensitive stuff to extend the life
Is it possible that the plastic dip sealed the clay and that's why it stays more flexible?
This is so great guys! I can't wait to get some clay foam goodness in my life!!!! Very cool!
I know this video is old now, but I guess you have tried flexbond since this for the snapping issue?
Any advice on if this can work with casting a sculpture of a monster from monster clay?
I would use silicone for something that large and detailed
Can u use this for costume
I noticed that when I added a sealant to the foam it didn't shrink nearly as much. I used a couple layers of mod podge and got virtually no shrinkage.
When do you add the mod podge? Like right after forming your piece or after it's dried a bit?
@lisastory3426 I mostly used it right after I didn't have much else on the foam so it didn't need much drying per se. I did about 4 to 5 layers and allowed it to dry in between
I am using foam
Clay for the first time
Getting married in June and needed a cake prop. I wanted to do half frosting which I use plaster for and have fondant and the fondant would be the foam clay. I am doing this to be cost you know friendly so I’m having the cake and then two real cakes that are small on either side I have never worked with foam. I’ve never worked with Clay , I’m having a hard time and I understand that I can sand it when it dries but I use an impression mold but I can’t get it smooth enough where I need it to be unless I let it dry and sand, but then I can’t stamp it with the impression mold any advice
I just watch this video. I have tried foam clay (funny gummy is the name chinese store use for it) and in other hand I have tryed paper clay. This two are really similar to each other but once they are cured the results can be really different. Hope you can try paper clay and compare this two.
Love the intro! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I'm trying to find a good way to add sculpt-able details to a wood staff. Is there a way to get this to bond to the wood? I want to be able to blend the edges into the staff.
Foam clay doesn't stick to plastic, but even without adhesive it sticks really well to wood and paper/cardboard, and pretty well to metal too
I've used this product, tested it on a few props. Like Bill showed it does brake so if your making something thin or round I'd make sure whatever your making it stays that shape on your prop. It takes a few days to dry like 4 or 5 then you can work on it. It's true, larger items that are thick the middle is brittle so a few extra days is needed. It takes paint but I wouldn't use any with a lacquer it melted my one piece, plasi-dip works ok on it just needs a few coats. Water is your friend with this product because it will dry quick if water isn't used. I'm going to try the foam backing looks like it would apply better. Glue is another story, super glue works but eats at it, some pieces needed more then others, contact cement I found works but needs more then one coat. This products is good but I've come to a point on I have no idea what to use it for now.
Its great for foam bone pieces
Totally!