How to Make Toy Sculpture Clay and Wax - Intro to Relix

Relix is an open-source model making material that is perfect for sculpting toys and miniatures!

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00:00 INTRO TO RELIX
01:28 Upcoming Smoothing Solvent
02:13 INGREDIENTS
02:23 Carnauba
02:35 Candelilla
02:59 No Petroleum-Based Waxes!
03:25 Beeswax
04:29 Stearic Acid
04:51 Aluminum Stearate
05:27 Copal Resin
05:58 Cornstarch
06:24 Iron Oxide Pigments
06:50 EQUIPMENT
08:16 Filtering Setup
09:24 Safety Reminder
09:38 THE PROCESS
09:55 Step 1 - Measure Out Ingredients
10:02 Step 2 - Set Melting Pot Temp
10:15 Step 3 - Add Waxes and Stearic Acid
10:30 Step 4 - Add Aluminum Stearate
11:18 Step 5 - Heating the Aluminum Stearate
12:13 Step 6 - Working With Copal Resin
12:27 Step 7 - Grind the Powdered Ingredients
12:58 Step 8 - Add the Powdered Ingredients
13:42 Step 9 - Mix and Allow it to Rest
13:53 Step 10 - Setup the Filter Stand
14:19 Step 11 - First Filter 80 Mesh
14:44 Step 12 - Clean First Melting Pot
14:56 Step 13 - Second Filter 120 or 200 Mesh
15:44 Step 14 - Pour Material Into Molds
16:13 Step 15 - Allow Wax to Cool Overnight
16:37 Step 16 - Break Wax into Smaller Pieces
16:50 Step 17 - Finally Done!
17:12 Closing Thoughts

Song Credits
Imagine (prod. by Lukrembo)
Jam (prod. by Lukrembo)
Bored (prod. by Lukrembo)
Kitchen (prod. by Lukrembo)
Onion (prod. by Lukrembo)
Daily (prod. by Lukrembo)
Rainy Day (prod. by Lukrembo)
Holiday (prod. by Lukrembo)

[garyoverman]

Your comment about the product improving after a 24 hour wait really cracked me up. I know EXACTLY what you are trying to describe and I couldn’t do a better job.
It can feel just a little less “cohesive “ when it’s still warm immediately after pouring.
I do have a theory about what it is and your statement about it “realizing that it’s not just wax “ may not be as far fetched as you think. The natural waxes have a crystalline structure that changes slightly as it cools over time. Microcrystalline waxes are still technically crystalline though the crystal structure is smaller than the natural waxes.
So as the wax cools and the crystals interlock to form the new material it does undergo a slight change.
I’m not a material scientist, but that’s my theory. Your blended waxes do truly change into a new material with its own unique attributes. As much alchemy as chemistry. Part art, part science.
Keep up the great work !

[gunplaguy]

This dude just blessed us with his creation then disappeared, we need him back!

[JeremyCouitinho]

A couple things,
First it's absolutely mind boggling that you made this open source, I can't imagine the amount of tinkering and research that must have gone into this.
Secondly, people don't usually do stuff like this and try to protect their intellectual property which is fair but
Another barrier of entry.
I want to tip my hat to you kind sir, this information is really amazing especially to those where stuff like chanvant and monster clay is not available

Thank you so much

Are you looking at worldwide shipping in the future, would love to support this

[richardalonzo]

This is the most incredible video I have seen on making your own Clay Wax material !! Being a sculptor it is always frustrating to purchase materials that you wish were better and having to settle for a mediocre clay wax at best . Your attention to detail is incredible and what you have done is giving back so much to the artist community for many years to come . I understand your frustration with a product being discontinued and not available any more . Thank you again for your generous gift !

[elilentiart]

This is an amazing project and a gift to the sculpting community!

[anthillcrafting]

First you were making toys, and now a sculpting material for other people to make toys, great job.

[garyoverman]

Wow Kevin. You did a FANTASTIC job here ! The video and your presentation style is outstanding .

I Love the improvements you’ve made in the formulation and the lean toward the best natural ingredients.

I’m hoping you nothing but the best and your research is very exciting.

Best, GaryO (WillowProducts)

[mushnoodle]

Hey buddy are you ok? If you are taking a socialbreak its all good and chill but let us know that you are still alive lol

[paullee]

Thanks so much for this. I have been trying to emulate Gary's wax's for years with varying results. One of the biggest problems I encountered was the pigment not dispersing evenly and also discolouring when I use a wax pen on it.It would either turn a lighter or darker shade and was very offputting when trying to evaluate the forms I was trying to sculpt

[sculptastic]

In addition to copal resin did you also try rosin aka pine tree resin with the solvent removed? Such as what's used for grip with athletes/gymnasts. It seemed to have a lower melting point than copal but you may already have experimented with it

[Polygonlin]

It's sad the Workbook is no longer online it seems..

[warstarbs]

So when will you be making g available again?

[Sven-mhlw]

Awesome thanks for sharing! I’ve been wanting to make my own wax for a while. This will definitely help!

[marinogomez]

This is very well put together homie! I’m going to have to pick myself up some or make it. Amazing work, really. Thanks for sharing!

[Creaturiste]

Very instructive, thanks! I have more than 5 gallons of Monster Clay Hard that I want to convert to the new Grey that they now offer. I can't afford to replace it all in one shot. They won't sell me a bottle of their coloring agents, so I've been researching to see what would be compatible. My answers seem to be in this video (aluminum stearate + powdered pigments), but to clarify, what would you recommend to tint my old Monster Clay (and similar), and in what order? (I'm thinking to melt Monster Clay then gradually add both powders that have been mixed together). I have a crock pot, and access to artist-grade powdered pigments and various other powders for making paints and glues. I bought a pack of the new Monster clay to match the color, so if I buy more in the future, I won't get distracting variations in my sculpts. I'm worried that the pigments may introduce a gritty texture. I'd also like to increase the hardness, so maybe I'll add the same ones you recommend for that.
Thanks for pointers, Relix & commenters!

[redkalsam]

Looking for what you use to smooth it. Did you say that would be in another video?

[coveru]

Amazing work! truly impressive!

may I ask what made you choose to work with starch over sodium bentonite clay?

[pixelada]

I would love to buy Relix, but it’s out of stock on your store. Any chance you will have it in stock soon? Thank you for creating Relix!

[Diemermakes]

Super excited to see this in my feed this morning! Thank you for sharing!

[tank]

This stuff looks really cool! Are you going to be making any videos soon showing off the toy making process using relix?