Hi!Â
The solvent I’m more generically mentioning in this video is rubbing alcohol, but it gets mentioned in the later videos more specifically.
And yes, depending on the type of clay you use, different solvents for smoothing purposes are required.
RUBBING ALCOHOL
Usually best used for oil-based clays such as Monster Clay, most Chavant clays etc. Use 91% or higher, because the 70% is too weak of a solution to break down the clay.
Rubbing alcohol also works with Polymer clay such as Super Sculpey or FIMO.
Rubbing alcohol is pretty safe to use because it evaporates and doesn’t leave a residue on the surface that could change the chemical makeup of the clay.
NAPTHA LIGHTER FLUID & WAX CLEANER
Can be used to smooth wax-based sculpting mediums such as castilene, wax or Cx5, but it has to be used with caution. If left on the surface too long so that it gets soaked up by the material it changes the chemical makeup of the material.
In general, if you plan to reuse the material it’s best to not use lighter fluid or wax cleaners.
D-LIMONENE
This is a citrus based cleaning agent that works well with wax-based sculpting mediums (Cx5, castilene etc.).
The concentrated cleaners are best, but in general try to avoid additives like petroleum distillates. They may introduce dangerous chemicals into the material that on top of that may make molding problematic as they can react with molding materials.
Try to get pure d-limonene, or a 100% bio-degradable citrus solvent.
When working with solvents on wax-based materials you should always work in small areas with as little solvent as possible to not give the material time to soak it up. Too much of either Naptha or citrus solvent can make the surface mushy, leave an oily residue, or could possibly ruin your sculpture altogether.
I hope that helps, but if you have further questions feel free to askÂ
~Lisa