I have had a few problems with Magic Sculpt not getting hard from time to time. I have been mixing equal parts, and usually use a small amount of water to smooth it. Maybe that is part of my problem. I've had this happen a few times over the past few months and just wondering if anyone else has had any problems with it, or if I'm just doing something that's a no brainer. I go through around 10# a month and usually have great results. If anyone has any advice besides what the directions say, I'd like to hear from you. I'd switch to something else, but when the Magic Sculpt sets up, it works wonderful. (Is their anything that could possibly be present in the tan that would counteract the hardening? just a thought)
Kevin,
All 2 part epoxies work basically the same. Their hardening is a result of a chemical reaction to the two parts. What it sounds like is that either the 2 parts weren't mixed sufficiently or that you may have used unequal amounts of the two. I've experienced this when I tried to use large amounts to repair antlers. After that, I take out no more that a golf ball size so I can insure it is folded together sufficiently. I also flatten both parts out into thin sheets before initially laying one over the other. I roll them up and then start kneading them together until they become creamy.
I use Magic Sculpt, but it has a lot of fillers in it and has a tendency to be grainy and doesn't blend out easily enough for me. When I want a creamy consistency, I use Apoxie and for fish finishing, Newton Supply has a new two part epoxy clay that has unequalled ability to be feathered out.
I am an abuser of product. I say that since I sometimes leave the lids off of things far long that I should in my haste working back and forth between projects. I am extremely careful about getting combustables near flam, and cover and store toxic material properly, but the harmless stuff often gets neglected. Epoxy clay is one of them. Once I left for a six week fishing and hunting trip to Alaska, while gone I had left the lids off of two tubs (A & B) of All-Game. When I returned and saw that it was opened, I mixed a bit together to try the product and was amazed it still functioned as advertised. Since then it has come under my "OK to neglect" rule.
Why am I saying this? Because I think you would have to work overtime to spoil the product, and that George is right, it is probably your mixing, and not the product that keeps it from "creaming" or setting......
I have in studio at this time All-Game, Sculp-All, Magic Sculpt and Apoxie clay. The reason for this is that they came from different suppliers and were tacked on to other orders as an afterthought. I don't like the Apoxie for the same reason other do like the product....it is too soft for my purposes and nearly requires apothecary scale accuracy to work properly. All-Game and the others are much more forgiving.
When using, I roll out the two amounts (which I do measure on a digital scale, since I own one and use it form many component mixtures such as RTV rubbers and the like) on a clean flat surface and twist the two together in a spiral, ti fold the spiral over and repeat until the mass is egg-shaped, and then I knead it until all is smooth.
If you are using ten pounds of this material a month, you should have all the kinks out of the process by now. It is possible that one of the components in one tub or the other could be bad in a single order, but if you are constantly having this problem, maybe it is time to re-think your process or order another product. I use it constantly and have never used that amount in a month's time......what on earth are you doing with it all?
I appreciate your guys help, but I do mix equal parts and mix them thoroughly. I've only had problems a few times, but it was a few times to much. I totally understand how epoxies work, and I have been mixing them correctly. That's why I was wondering if anyone else has ever had any problems. I apparently just got a batch of hardener. Thanks for your ideas. Kevin