CX5!

[Sculptlab]

Hi

You probably know the new sculpting material made by Adam beane. It's a kind of wax, but that handles like clay when warmed. (http://adambeane.com/cx5/)
Adam finished a kickstarter project and now some of you may have already received CX5 samples and beginned to sculpt with this material.

I must say the communication of Adam is not always very clear and we don't really know when the CX5 will be officially available, but it should be in few weeks if I have well understood.

Anyway my point here is that this material is not so easy to use. In fact wax is not easy to use...Most of sculptures I see here are made of chavant or sculpey, which are the material I'm used to sculpt also. And as Adam Beane has no message board on his website it's difficult to ask him details about how he handle it (yes there is his first video, but it's very short).

So it would be fine to see here some tips, ideas, or first sculpt you made with CX5.

[sloopster]

i prodominatly sculpt in wax (unfortunatly it seems my suppliers don't think theres enough need for it so there dropping my fave item) any way i was looking forward to cx5 but sadly i think its going to be a bit of a damp squib adam has done an incredible job of boosting the materials profile and he is an incredible sculptor but if i hear one more post about "it will be available soon &were just making sure we have enough stock when we do put it on the market" you just know that as soon as its available the web site will post that there out of stock, i don't want any one to think I'm really being negative adam really is an incredible sculptor and I'm probably wrong about any release hiccups ... I'm just fed up of waiting.
all that aside just just shove it under a lamp in a put and it will soften up or you can get wax pots off ebay to melt it get a soldering iron and get a sharp tip if you don't want to air get monster clay with is essentially a wax have ago with that same principles apply just by the looks of it cx5 goes a lot firmer as it cools down. if i ever get any i will give it a go and do some demo videos.

[Orcar]

if he had just concentrated on making the cx5 available, people would be buying it now - thats what they want & all they need.
- - - taking a roundabout detour by marketing cx5 with shirts, mugs, overdue starter sets, dvd's that resemble infomercials.
those irrelevant projects to inspire interest is oddly enough competing with the interest adam's losing by prolonging the release date.

it was meant to be available at the start of april 2012, its approaching November now. I was excited at the start, now its just failure to launch syndrome.
I read from the people who have samples its almost identical to gary's 3Sixty wax but with a lower melt tempreature. I'd be more inclined to buy that.

[Sculptlab]

I think he has already a quite big quantity to sell. In fact for kickstarters it was possible to buy larger quantity. this is what I did and it was sent immediately after my order.
I don't really know what is waiting for but it seems that the commercial phase should begin very soon.
Concerning the DVD, I think we can complain about its very short length taking into account the time he needed to produce it, but I'm not sure there's something to say about exclusive CX5 content. If we want more information about sculpting chavant or other stuff we don't need Adam beane...

[JoshS]

sloopster, I completely agree about all the posts stating "it will be available soon & were just making sure we have enough stock..." I think if he had just said that is plans had changed and it was becoming much more work than he expected and he was way behind schedule, instead of it's almost done and it's going to be cool people would have been a lot less frustrated. One of his reasons for the delay was he wanted to include the Conan sculpt he was commissioned to do, don't know if you've seen the DVD but it takes up maybe 2 minutes of screen time.

if he had just concentrated on making the cx5 available, people would be buying it now - thats what they want & all they need.

That might be true but the people who backed him on Kickstarter did so on the assumption their money was going towards the production of tutorial DVD not to help set up a company and production line for Cx5. It makes business sense to do it the way he did rather than make the DVD then try and set up everything else but he should have stated that's what he wanted to do up front, I think there would be a lot less pissed off sculptor out there.

dvd's that resemble infomercials.

That's exactly what I thought after watching the DVD, there is some good stuff in it and it's pretty impressive some of the stuff you can do with Cx5 but it was definably more about selling the product than teaching people to sculpt.

Anyway, I've never used wax so I don't expect I'm going to have much luck sculpting anything more than a blob with the sample of Cx5 I've got.

[Sculptlab]

Even if you sculpt a blob please post it ther so we can see first things with this material

[Sculptlab]

Early stages of two sculpts i have begun to handle better this material (almost all the kickstarter sample is here^^)

[sloopster]

hello josh i dont suppose you fancy send me your cx5 so i can finally get to try it, as i generally sculpt in wax i really am keen to try it.

sloopster, I completely agree about all the posts stating "it will be available soon & were just making sure we have enough stock..." I think if he had just said that is plans had changed and it was becoming much more work than he expected and he was way behind schedule, instead of it's almost done and it's going to be cool people would have been a lot less frustrated. One of his reasons for the delay was he wanted to include the Conan sculpt he was commissioned to do, don't know if you've seen the DVD but it takes up maybe 2 minutes of screen time.


That might be true but the people who backed him on Kickstarter did so on the assumption their money was going towards the production of tutorial DVD not to help set up a company and production line for Cx5. It makes business sense to do it the way he did rather than make the DVD then try and set up everything else but he should have stated that's what he wanted to do up front, I think there would be a lot less pissed off sculptor out there.


That's exactly what I thought after watching the DVD, there is some good stuff in it and it's pretty impressive some of the stuff you can do with Cx5 but it was definably more about selling the product than teaching people to sculpt.

Anyway, I've never used wax so I don't expect I'm going to have much luck sculpting anything more than a blob with the sample of Cx5 I've got.

[sloopster]

orcar , do you know where i can get some of this 3SIXTY WAX from? my google search didn't come up with anything useful.

if he had just concentrated on making the cx5 available, people would be buying it now - thats what they want & all they need.
- - - taking a roundabout detour by marketing cx5 with shirts, mugs, overdue starter sets, dvd's that resemble infomercials.
those irrelevant projects to inspire interest is oddly enough competing with the interest adam's losing by prolonging the release date.

it was meant to be available at the start of april 2012, its approaching November now. I was excited at the start, now its just failure to launch syndrome.
I read from the people who have samples its almost identical to gary's 3Sixty wax but with a lower melt tempreature. I'd be more inclined to buy that.

[Orcar]

Hi sloopster

I forgot, willowproducts doesn't make waxes anymore from recent personal circumstances.

3sixty is a type of wax that they made amongst several others types
http://www.willowproducts.com/

if you dont mind making your own modelling waxes, gary has turned his efforts to selling a journal of wax recipes, from which you may make your own waxes including 3sixty.

I dug up some quotes from theclubhouse of other modellers experiences with it, doing comparisons.

"Cx5 as a material is pretty good, but for all intents and purposes, as far as I can tell it is identical to Gary's 3sixty wax. Using 3sixty and Cx5 side by side the only discernible difference is Cx5 is a tiny bit more plasticky and has slightly cooler grey tone. Working temp, consistency, feel, wax pen flowability, self adhesion, carvebility, feels the same with both, hell they even smell the same."

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"I agree to an extent. Gary wins I think when it comes to fluidity off the wax pen and non stickiness when handled. Adam wins when it comes to adhesion properties and smaller range of temperature differences to achieve different working/tooling properties. At the end of the day though, it just really depends on your preferences. If you like modeling waxes stick to Willow products. If you like tooling waxes and want a modeling wax option go with Cx5. Just my two cent, minor differences when it all boils down."

And yes, a man can still dream of the perfect wax

I heard you mentioned monster clay & you use waxes, you should try mixing a firm/hard grade wax like microcrystaline, jeweller wax into monster clay. its great especially for figurative sculpts.

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Hey sculptlab nice start, are you using a wax pen or carver tools with a heat lamp?

[Sculptlab]

At this stage I only used a wax pen and carving tools. And since yesterday I have an alcool lamp and honestly it's just 10 times better as it make possible to use the carving tools at "high" temperature. And consequently I begin to like this material

[sloopster]

oscar as soon as i can find some of that wax you mentioned i will give it a try, you see the thing I'm I'm kinda fat and i get hot very easily so i can generally use my hands on pretty hard waxes which is why i like them also i find a lot of the nsp clays sticky, maybe i should make my own wax.
mayers im not sure but if those little squairs with question marks in them are supposed to be pictures then there not opening

[Grosby]

That might be true but the people who backed him on Kickstarter did so on the assumption their money was going towards the production of tutorial DVD not to help set up a company and production line for Cx5.

Agreed. The CX5 was just an 'extra' on Kickstarter, the project was to fund the DVD and half of the backers chose an option that originally did not include any CX5, just the DVD. I realise that some people out there just want CX5 (and some may have backed for that exclusively), I'm not denying that, but there's a good segment who are just interested in the DVDs. The DVD wasn't/isn't an 'irrelevant project.'

I think he has already a quite big quantity to sell. In fact for kickstarters it was possible to buy larger quantity. this is what I did and it was sent immediately after my order.

How much did it cost to buy extra? I backed the Kickstarter and the CX5 he sent was enough for me for now but I'd like an idea of how much it might cost later down the line, when he has a store set up.

[Orcar]

[QUOTE=Grosby;3565511]Agreed. The CX5 was just an 'extra' on Kickstarter, the project was to fund the DVD and half of the backers chose an option that originally did not include any CX5, just the DVD. I realise that some people out there just want CX5 (and some may have backed for that exclusively), I'm not denying that, but there's a good segment who are just interested in the DVDs. The DVD wasn't/isn't an 'irrelevant project.'[QUOTE]

yeah saying it is irrelevant is wrong on my part.
but I was saying from the viewpoint that the dvd since it didn't meet expectations. was it really worthwhile the time making?
filming, editing that video could of been put towards paper work instead.
-- with hindsight with what was actually made I dont believe it was worthwhile making, I'd be different if it was actually a descriptive & technique orientated dvd.

I feel like he is not serious towards keeping his promises, & that questions the confidence in how he manages his buisness. whether if that contributes to how he manages his time
like I want his cx5 to be available for years to come. not that it gets shut down because he's too late in lodging his tax or something in the future

[Grosby]

but I was saying from the viewpoint that the dvd since it didn't meet expectations. was it really worthwhile the time making?
filming, editing that video could of been put towards paper work instead.
-- with hindsight with what was actually made I dont believe it was worthwhile making, I'd be different if it was actually a descriptive & technique orientated dvd.

The DVD was different than what I was expecting but I was satisfied with it overall. It is part of a series, too, so there's more to come. Once the entire series is available you'll probably look differently at the first volume. With how long it took to make the first part though, I don't hold much hope for seeing the rest, or even just the second volume, anytime soon. Whatever happens though, it's obviously worthwhile to Beane and a significant part of what he wants to do.

He is weirdly slow with things though, I agree. You can imagine maybe the complications of production, things out of his hands that are delayed, but then at the same time he's extremely slow at answering questions or even acknowledging questions, including on Kickstarter where people have given him money. It leads me to think a lot of it is down to him.

[Sculptlab]

@Grosby : When I ordered additional CX5 Adam kindly asked to me to not divulgate this kind of commercial information until the official release.

Anyway If possible guys it would be nice to come back on the subject of CX5 and sculpting! Please post your trials! I made some small progress this week end, I will show you soon.

[sloopster]

just found out that they are changing the formula for cx5 (making is less use to me i think) so the comments that they were sitting on the release date to make sure they had enough in stock is kinda a moot point as now we will have to wait for the new material to be stocked ... i do wanna try this stuff but i really don't think i can be bothered

[Sculptlab]

anyway if you want to test it now it's officialy available : http://www.store.adambeane.com/
It's not the "new" formula, but I don't think it will change so much thing

[Rayvin]

I have some coming. I have not worked with a sculpting wax before and have been using an oil based clay. I am rather excited at the potential and will report back.

It is unfortunate at how slow the process has been as I think he could have sold a lot with the hype generated. But at least people are getting out there and using the stuff now so maybe it will stay strong until the release of the new material.

[Sculptlab]

You will see how much it's different from oil clay! ^^
Have you already bought additional tools? Based on my 1 month experience I would say that Alcohol lamp and something to warm large quantity are mandatory

[Orcar]

with wax tool supplies, visit a jeweller supply store if one is near you. it will give a wider scope & perspective of how to work in wax.

Its because jeweller supply stores traditional sculpting medium is wax. consider the level of expertise required to make rings worth hundreds to thousands of dollars & the important role that wax plays in that industry - its worth just having a look to see what kind of equipment they use & how that would be applicable to you, because the principles of working in wax is very similar.
what they have in stock in terms of tools, range & equipment can be really extensive - in my experience anyway, its well worth your time checking out.

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anyway with cx5, I wish adam had a second option for shipment rates, making it cheaper to ship large amounts of his wax overseas when he gets his new formula ready.
its hurts to pay shipping costs of $52 - for even just 4 pounds subtotal of $96.

like another guy I get wax from shipping between the same countries, 5 lbs costs $49 shipping using the flat rate box medium - same as adam uses.
the padded envelopes with a 4 lbs max from usps costs $18.
so I can get double the amount of good quality wax (8 lbs) costing $36 shipment in 2 padded envelopes from another guy.
Adam should do something to bring the shipment price down with another option.

[Sculptlab]

For my last order i asked him to send two small boxes instead of a larger one to reduce shipping costs.

[sloopster]

yes on shipping it costs less to have two blocks of 2 sent than 3 blocks on there own.... not well thought out

[Sculptlab]

I'm afraid is not responsible for usps fees ^^

[Grosby]

CX5 has been out for some months now and so I figure some more people here are using it. I'd be curious to see what people are up to and what tools/equipment they're working with.

I have just a 4-square block he sent out to Kickstarter backers (1/2 lb I believe). I'm planning to buy some more in the next day or two (I see his international postage rates are now very agreeable). I'm also planning to pick up some new tools at the same time. What tools exactly I'm not quite sure just yet. I'm wondering for one if I should be looking into getting a waxer...

My current tools are just some dental-like instruments (needle or scalpel ends), which I heat over an alcohol lamp. I have a couple of loop tools but I believe they're larger than I want. I never understood the use of loop tools until recently but now it seems like they're crucial. I heat the CX5 in an electric frypan that I bought at a garage sale for $5. I melt the whole thing in the frypan and just leave it. When I want to sculpt I just turn the frypan on, it's a lot more convenient than I expected. I work on top of a glass chopping board. I also have the same sandpaper he uses in the early part of the video.

I have very limited experience with sculpting, I'm a complete amateur right now, and my approach to getting better has been very lazy but I'm planning to get more serious with it in time. I've previously used SuperSculpey but now I plan to concentrate on learning just with CX5. Below you see my current set-up and a terrible figure made with CX5. I was just experimenting there, trying to rough in a figure and then trying to smooth the surface. It was surprisingly easy and quick putting together a basic figure shape that can stand, taking just minutes. Doing anything more though was a struggle for me. Below you also see some crappy, slightly mushed heads made some time ago in SuperSculpey, that's an indication of where I was with that material. I don't think I could do the same (smooth surface, eyelids, etc) with CX5 right now, either due to limited tools or just lack of understanding. It feels like a lot of what I might've learned with Sculpey does not translate. At the very least I would say it's not as intuitive as I found Sculpey. I feel confident though that in time I will get better, certainly, but that anyhow is where I am now with it all.