safe hound
I have been doing some simple sculpting with some air dry clay and I really like how quickly I can make a bunch of unique rocks with it. However, I have some concerns with using them on minis since when cured the clay becomes really brittle. I was wondering if anyone here has used air dry clay before and what their experience was. I have been looking into creating molds and casting, but that looks like it would be an expensive project.
nocturne radish
I also wish to hear more about this topic
meager pine
I've only used it to make a ground filler in a diorama. Especially if you use a lot of water to smooth it out, it can shrink a lot and is prone to cracking. I'm not sure if it is more or less durable than plaster of Paris rocks.
I dabbled a little bit in mold making but not as far as to get a pressure/vacuum pot. For really simple press-mold stuff you can get a material called "blue stuff" which is kind of like a wax that gets really soft when you put it in hot water. Then you can press it over something you want to mold, and copy it, either with a 2 part resin, UV resin, plaster, or clay or something. I'm not sure I'd use air dry clay, because it can sometimes be difficult to get the piece out of the mold if the shape is deep (I cast some wheels and tried to use plaster, it was a bad time). Bonus points to blue stuff for being re useable.
This is a lot less involved than making a silicone mold. Which is fun but a lot of trial and error. And silicone mold has a shelf life, so it can go bad if you put it away for a year or so
The mix, not the molds
neat crater
I used some for a recent non-miniature project, though the air dry portions were all less than 2" or so in size. The shrinkage is a big factor but it's also somewhat weak in terms of longevity. UV exposure can really mess with it and cause it to disintegrate if not properly sealed.
I struggled with its general durability though it's worth noting I didn't bake it whatsoever, just let it air dry. I also struggled with keeping attached portions... well, attached. though my scratch-n-slip technique leaves much to be desired. I found it a bit of a hassle to work with as well just based on how quickly it dries and how hard it can be to keep wet. I can't imagine how fast a mini-scale thing would dry out.
Broadly I also really struggled to make it look... decent? It was messy and I had a hard time making things look clean.
I agree with the sentiment to use it for scatter terrain and little else. You'll get much preferable results with something like green stuff or even an epoxy clay