Hi, I am learning to sculpt with polymer clays like Sculpey, and I have all the tool marks and indentations where I held the miniature I am sculpting. How do I smooth those marks out? I get okay results with the tools I have:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SVRSRY
http://www.amazon.com/Butler-G-U-M-Gum-Stimulator-600R/dp/B000GFZPWM

but it just works some. I'm not getting super smooth.

Thanks for any help.

Smooth brush dipped in 70% alcohol (or if you want more aggressive then zippo lighter fluid). Final smoothing with the water...

Is that just rubbing alcohol from the drugstore?

Alcohol, lighter fluid, white spirit, water, saliva some use talkum powder - but thats only for final stage when you dont plan any more work done.

forget the alcohol actually - too agressive - Johnson and Johnson baby oil does the trick, doesnt smell and doesnt dilute sculpey into toxic goo

If you mix in a drop into old hard sculpey it will restore the clay.
if you use more oil you can get mashy paste to fill any holes with.

Give it a try - I have grown to like it

I had no problems with 70% alcohol (or smaller percent mixture), does not dilute sculpey too much.
I heard for baby oil and newer tried it. I suppose it is used only for final stage smoothing when no more material is added (otherwise it would prevent new layer of sculpey to stick) ?
Any special thing to know when baking (does not make burn marks or something like that) ???

Yes, and usually you can get 50%,70% or 90% mixtures (diluted with destilled water I think).
Anything more than 70% might be too agressive...

I had no probs of that kind with baby oil (as long as its made from fresh babies), if anything it facilitated layer adhesion as they blended into each other, and then scupley absorbed oil rather nicely not to leave burn marks so as a medium it seems more preferable - in comparison to white spirit I admit which is too agressive if you use too much.

Has anyone tried vodka?:lol: ... what a sacriledge

Thx for info, I'll give it a try (just started another 1/12 chic and her skin must be very smoooooooth )

Darko is the polishking !

I thought he is Croatian, is he not?

I have always had good luck with good old turpentine for smoothing Sculpy and Super Sculpy.

Having worked with Fimo and Sculpey and their predecessor Vinagel since 1972, Sculpey diluent is the nicest smoothing fluid. White Spirit works fine , but like Turpentine, when you heat the clay to cure it you will stink the house out.
So use the Scupey diluent : clean , odourless , perfect.

Sculpey sells a cheap dilutant that I use. I have used veg oil but it can discolour when baking the putty. Be careful though, as the sculpey dilutant tastes like crap if you get it in your mouth....also applying too much between too many bakings will lead to a loss of definition and fine detail in your sculpt.

Its also great for making a slip for filling minor sanding marks and baking cracks, should they occur.

Colin