Apoxie Sculpt

So Akutenshi has this cool HHT Automail arm, but it was a bit short on the Super Gem body, and the edge had a crack that needed some reinforcing. So she kindly gave me two large pots of Apoxie Sculpt to make something to extend the arm and to put on the opposite arm. Here is the stuff:

And some closer pix of the new additions:

Other arm:

(You can see the edge crack on the upper half of this photo). Apoxie Sculpt is pretty easy to use if you have used Sculpey--  it mushes and makes shapes in the same way. What is different, is that AS cold-cures; which means once you mix it, the clock is running. It stays workable for 3 hours according to the label, and is completely cured in 24. You need nitrile gloves, metal tools and parchment paper under where you are working. Paper towels are good to clean tools right away. I found AS was the most cooperative at about 1.5 hours after mixing it, taking impressions even better than Sculpey does (it's a little stiffer). I was told that you can roughly shape it and then sand it, but it has the same problem resin does once it sets, it tends to microfracture so the sanded areas will look whitish; so I tried to take my time and make the design as clean as possible while it was still moldable. Unlike Sculpey, the Apoxie is really strong--you can make long thin tiny pieces up to a couple of inches long without having to work it over a wire. I say this without having tried the new version of Sculpey that just came out: the Sculpey Souffle', which is supposed to be much more resistant to breakage and good for things like flower petals. Unlike some other 2 part epoxies, AS doesn't stink while you use it, which I appreciated. I think it comes in colors, I need to look because it has a nice rocklike texture that would make it awesome for "jade" artifacts and miniature items.

Meanwhile I also fixed the tips my Calia's ears, and I will smooth and paint them later:

Yay for repaired ears!