First off, I love this stuff. Dries harder than Kneadatite and Milliput. It also is very easy to work with (doesn't dry out like my Milliput has).

Now for my question... the solvent says to wear gloves while using. I haven't been... can it be toxic or just an irritant? Anyone else have a problem with this?

Hi Brian, it is called Safety Solvent but that's just a marketing tool so I'd still not get it on my hands a lot, especially since they don't tell us what's in it and it is an organic solvent after all. You can become sensitised to practically anything and organic solvents will dry out your skin (defatting) at the very least which can lead to an increased risk of developing a sensitivity to other things, like the putty itself.

Einion

Do you wear gloves while working? I think it would really impede your ability to manipulate the medium.

It is definitely toxic , a friend of mine developed a severe skin rash from that.
You shoud wear gloves to protect your self from free radicals.


Cheers
Roc.

Brian,
try to use surgical latex gloves, wearing the right size (better tight than loose) will not affect the sensibility. The issues is the sensibility you have on your fingers (which differs with every person), not the glooves. Try also to use the 96º alcool, it works well as a thinner with every clay, putty, etc.
Most in general, wearing gloves is always advisable when manipulating any kind of chemical substances, your skin will always absorb some of them.

What I like most is it carves better than any of the other putties I've used. I've tried using reubber gloves with putty and it's too awkward. It says on the container that AVES is non-toxic. I do not know what they would gain by stating that and have the opposite be true. I think you'd be okay if you wash your hands repeatedly.~Gary

I don't use the solvent but yep, gloves certainly do impede manipulation in my experience - it should help though if you can find vinyl gloves or cots that are just the right size for your hands, the ones I have are too large so folds get caught in the putty which is irritating (plus they leave dents on the putty surface).

As far as the putty goes, after I blend a batch I go and scrub my hands clean with an abrasive cleaner; apart from any potential health concerns I don't like the feel of the residue on my palms/fingertips and I don't like it gumming up the handles of my sculpting tools

During sculpting I generally touch the putty very little with my fingers but I wash my hands with soap and water after a session anyway.

Einion

I never use gloves. Aves solvent is somewhat caustic and if you have an open cut it will sting. But other than that I have no adverse reactions to it. I use the stuff all the time for smoothing epoxy and cleaning tools/brushes. It works on any epoxy that I have used so far and is indispensible to me.

I was talking more about the solvent than the epoxy itself. I think I'll try gloves and see how it goes.

I don't use the solvent but when they say it's not toxic, it doesn't mean that it's not IRRITANT (to me, anyway). I always wear latex gloves when I knead the putty. Unpleasant feeling indeed but you get used to it quite quicly.

BTW can you tell me what the solvent actually does and how and when you use it?

Thanks!

Quang

Quang, it softens the putty so that it can be smoothed feather thin. A little goes a long way. It is also great for cleaning dried epoxy off of tools/brushes. You can also use to reconstitute epoxy that has already started to cure so that it can be made more maleable. I also use it to create an epoxy slurry that I can brush on to fill small pinholes or to build up areas very slowly.

Thanks Bob!

I'm interested in the 'slurry' thing :lol: . Lots of 'potential' there, like new textures, filling hairline cracks, etc.

How/when do you add the solvent? While you're kneading it or afterwards?

Q.

For the slurry I mix some small amount of epoxy and then put it in a porcelain mixing cup and add the solvent. Then I work the solvent into the epoxie with a brush so that it evenly dilutes the epoxy. The let it stand for a few minutes. After that you can start applying the slurry with a brush. It will dry the same as undiluted epoxy and can be sanded lightly. It is great for getting rid of tool marks or just smoothing out a surface. Give it a try. You will probably experiment with the consistency but I find that not making it too diluted is best. Also waiting a few minutes allows the solvent to soften the putty further so there are no clumps.

I also found that brushing the Aves solvent on to dried Duro will allow you to scrape off the surface without creating abrasion marks since Duro is so unfriendly to sanding.

One thing about the solvent is that it is best to apply and then wait a minute or two for it to interact with the epoxy. For cleaning tools soaking over night is best especially for files and brushes. It works well for removing dried-on epoxy on color shapers as well. It is good stuff.

Thanks Bob!

I'll try to get some and give it a try.

Quang