Perfect Planning
Make sure you read the 'Before you Start' section on the 'Get Started' page Here
If you are using a simple compact tinfoil armature then you can skip ahead to the armatures page to get going.
If this is your first time using Pal Tiya Premium, this page is designed to inspire and perfect your planning phase.
Discover all the tricky considerations to keep in mind...
If this is your first time using Pal Tiya Premium, this page is designed to inspire and perfect your planning phase.
Discover all the tricky considerations to keep in mind...
When considering your Pal Tiya Premium sculpture always take into account these key questions:
1) Size - how large is the piece going to be?
2) Shape - how complicated is the structure?
3) Usage - will the sculpture be knocked/handled/climbed upon?
4) Construction- how long will we take to sculpt it, will it need an strengthened armature, will it need a scratch coat?
1) Size - how large is the piece going to be?
2) Shape - how complicated is the structure?
3) Usage - will the sculpture be knocked/handled/climbed upon?
4) Construction- how long will we take to sculpt it, will it need an strengthened armature, will it need a scratch coat?
One of the first things to decide is if the sculpture will need a scratch coat or not. (Spoiler - it usually does.)
This coat is a thin, heavily keyed underlayer that strengthens, unifies and binds all subsequent applications. It makes the sculpture monolithic, so is very useful for structure, strength and for letting us work on a piece over an extended time period, especially with bits added much later. It is essential for large pieces
The only time you wouldn't use one is for tiny quick pieces done in a day.
We love to go big so we always factor in this layer to our estimates and design.
This coat is a thin, heavily keyed underlayer that strengthens, unifies and binds all subsequent applications. It makes the sculpture monolithic, so is very useful for structure, strength and for letting us work on a piece over an extended time period, especially with bits added much later. It is essential for large pieces
The only time you wouldn't use one is for tiny quick pieces done in a day.
We love to go big so we always factor in this layer to our estimates and design.
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WHAT IS A SCRATCH COAT?
A scratch coat is a heavily furrowed layer of Pal Tiya Premium that once cured can be added later allowing sculptures to be made over days, weeks or even months. It adds strength and stability and is also important if you want to add to your sculpture later. 
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If you are planning to create for longer than one day and/or it’s larger than 12 inches (approx 30cm) then you’ll need a scratch coat. As the furrows make sure fresh Pal Tiya Premium adheres to the cured scratch coat.
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SIZE - HOW LARGE IS THE FINAL PIECE GOING TO BE?
How thick you should sculpt depends on the size of the final piece... Premium is most effective as a strong hollow shell. This saves both time, effort and money. Build a supporting core first (Foil, foam, wire, etc). Over this, apply a thin coat of Premium and begin sculpting. The final total thickness of a Pal Tiya Premium sculpture is dependent on its size: 1/8 inch (3mm) for really small sculptures such as the owl in our video that will likely be completed in one day. 1/4 inch (5mm) for small sculptures such as the turtle in the same video that will be done over a few days. 1/2 inch (6-12mm) for medium sculptures - between 1-3 ft tall (see below about scratch coat) 3/4 inch (18mm) for larger sculptures - over 3ft (see below about scratch coat) |
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However,
If your sculpture is between 1-3 feet tall (30-100 cm) it will require a 1/4 inch (5mm) scratch/furrow coat - see here for video
Anything over 3 feet/ 1 meter, double the thickness of the scratch coat to 1/2 inch (10mm)
If your sculpture is between 1-3 feet tall (30-100 cm) it will require a 1/4 inch (5mm) scratch/furrow coat - see here for video
Anything over 3 feet/ 1 meter, double the thickness of the scratch coat to 1/2 inch (10mm)
SHAPE - HOW COMPLICATED IS THE STRUCTURE?
Really small solid shapes need no armature (like sculpture (1) below).
Frog (sculpture (2)) is self supporting so only a tin foil core is needed.
Large Rabbit (sculpture (3)) is mostly self supporting though the ears need a wire armature to add strength and stability.
Dog (Sculpture (4)) requires a strong steel armature encased in the legs and tail. The Pal Tiya Premium should connect directly to the steel on the lower legs and tail, because they are so thin.
1/4 inch (8mm) steel rod wrapped with at least 18 gauge wire for the necessary grip or rebar or 4 strands of 10 gauge wire bound together into a larger, stronger single wire depending on size and usage.
Really small solid shapes need no armature (like sculpture (1) below).
Frog (sculpture (2)) is self supporting so only a tin foil core is needed.
Large Rabbit (sculpture (3)) is mostly self supporting though the ears need a wire armature to add strength and stability.
Dog (Sculpture (4)) requires a strong steel armature encased in the legs and tail. The Pal Tiya Premium should connect directly to the steel on the lower legs and tail, because they are so thin.
1/4 inch (8mm) steel rod wrapped with at least 18 gauge wire for the necessary grip or rebar or 4 strands of 10 gauge wire bound together into a larger, stronger single wire depending on size and usage.
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If your design is self supporting like the Knight (i) you may not need a reinforced armature
If your design is complex like the mermaid (ii) you will need to use a reinforcing armature. Be it steel rods, rebar, thick wire etc. depending on the usage and size. Steel: Rod, bar, lathe, stainless or galvanized. Necessary for over human height applications, very large pieces, or sculptures with components that extend significantly off the surface. Seeking advice from an experienced welder is recommended. Rebar has a tendency to rust if moisture is propagating through the piece. We recommend spray galvanizing the metal as a precaution. Fully cured and sealed PTP sculptures are naturally resistant to moisture permeating the material. When using steel, the interior armature must connect to the PTP shell. Otherwise, the armature offers no support over time. Foil will disintegrate over decades within the piece, potentially leaving an armature rattling around inside not doing any good. |
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This connection can be done by directly encapsulating some part of the wire, steel or lathe. If the sculpture is to be climbed on, or suspended over head height, significant portions of the shell must hang on to the metal. This transfers the weight from the shell, through the steel, to the ground. Connect the shell to enough steel to support this additional weight any place you feel could be compromised; whether it is an arm sticking away from the body, or where a foot hold could be used for climbing.
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USAGE - WILL THE SCULPTURE BE KNOCKED/HANDLED/CLIMBED UPON?
Whether your sculpture is going to be gently blushed by insects or, if it is to be manhandled by bears (or humans), will have an impact on how thick you need to apply Pal Tiya Premium. Light use/low touch/no risk sculpts can be made 1/8 inch or 3mm (depending on other considerations elsewhere on this page) High use/sitting/climbing/gnawing (not recommended) will need to be 1/4 inch or 6mm (also taking into account the other factors involved). |
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A note on BIG pieces designed for climbing/sitting on:
Pal Tiya Premium is an excellent sculpting material for large scale pieces and can easily be combined with internal armatures to create amazing pieces. PTP is primarily used as a hollow shell material. On larger sculptures, an internal supporting structure is needed. This can be either steel or internal cross sections built of PTP. 
With this armature, deep grooves can be cut in and filled with mixed PTP to give additional strength.
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PTP cross sections: These need to be 3/4 inch thick and be positioned to transfer any additional weight applied to the shell to the ground. Often a series of interlocked internal cross sections. Mostly for simple, ground based and non-suspended pieces.
With our Grandpa Dragon for Wellington Zoo, we knew upwards of 2-400 people a day would climb on him, so he was built with these cross sections of PTP. |
Transportation
You may need a forklift to carry a very large sculpture. If you have used foam as your armature the underside may be crushed by the tines. This will cause the sculpture to tip and make transporting it troublesome and possibly dire - The last thing anyone wants is crushed dragon toes...
There are several ways to prevent this:
1) Carve two channels across the underside for the tines to slide into, and coat with Pal Tiya Premium. This makes the base into essentially a permanent pallet. It also allows for lifting straps to be placed underneath.
2) Add more PTP around the bottom edge till solid 2 inches thick minimum and 4 inches high. This makes a stiff and extra resistant rim so, if lifted by straps, it doesn't crush the thin shell.
3) Do both. This is how we've constructed all of our large pieces and makes them as strong as possible, easy to carry and simplifies the installation by providing an in-built foundation. This is a great selling point for a sculpture. In-built foundations save a lot of installation costs for the client.
4) On very large surfaces to be climbed on, reinforce any suspicious areas with a thickened channel cut deeper into the foam. This will become an internal supporting rib once filled with Pal Tiya Premium.
You may need a forklift to carry a very large sculpture. If you have used foam as your armature the underside may be crushed by the tines. This will cause the sculpture to tip and make transporting it troublesome and possibly dire - The last thing anyone wants is crushed dragon toes...
There are several ways to prevent this:
1) Carve two channels across the underside for the tines to slide into, and coat with Pal Tiya Premium. This makes the base into essentially a permanent pallet. It also allows for lifting straps to be placed underneath.
2) Add more PTP around the bottom edge till solid 2 inches thick minimum and 4 inches high. This makes a stiff and extra resistant rim so, if lifted by straps, it doesn't crush the thin shell.
3) Do both. This is how we've constructed all of our large pieces and makes them as strong as possible, easy to carry and simplifies the installation by providing an in-built foundation. This is a great selling point for a sculpture. In-built foundations save a lot of installation costs for the client.
4) On very large surfaces to be climbed on, reinforce any suspicious areas with a thickened channel cut deeper into the foam. This will become an internal supporting rib once filled with Pal Tiya Premium.
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Pal Tiya Premium is most effective as a strong hollow shell. This saves both time, effort, materials and money. Build a supporting core first (Foil, foam, wire, etc). Over this, apply your coat of Pal Tiya Premium and begin sculpting.
The final total thickness of a Pal Tiya Premium sculpture is dependent on its size. Please see our SIZE, USAGE & SHAPE PDF format here. Click the picture to download it. |
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