Bonding Fundamentals  

 All projects start with a foundation Conceived through biomimicry, the entomological study of wasps 

 for the development of earth based composites & sculpting mediums. sKratch works through 

mechanical adhesion to bond to most surfaces.  Nano sized minerals, crystals, and fiber find the 

imperfections in the surface of the area being worked to form a mechanical bond.

 The consistency of sKratch would be like a type of “Eco – Dough”

Before starting,

1.

You will need a bowl or bucket of water to rinse your hands. 

 2.

 A towel, and washcloth to wipe, and dry your hands.  

3.

 A spray bottle filled with water

4.

 A set of natural brushes for smoothing,  shaping , and drawing into the medium 

Using a foundation or armature allows you to use less  

Skratch for a project. Some foundations you might want to sculpt on, such as to  enhance or alter the design of the underlying form- such as sculpting on a wall, or object.

Now that you are set up, let's get started sculpting. Take out about a  handful of Skratch and work the medium with your hands a bit to loosen it  up.  

 Push a thin layer of Skratch into the surface  to create a strong adhesion with the surface you are sculpting.  After you have applyed a thin layer of Skratch to the area creating the a bond, you are able to apply as much Skratch to a thin layer to build up the bulk of the form you are sculpting.  As you are sculpting clean your hands or tools periodically in the water to  keep them clean and remove the Skratch that will be sticking to your hands  or tools.  

Skratch has an excellent working time, dependent on the thickness of application. You can work on an area for a long time, and even remove the  Skratch you have applied and put it back in a different container to use again later. If  it seems to be drying too quickly on you, mist it with a little bit of water.  You can also stop sculpting when you wish and come back to it later. If you  are going to leave a project for a few hours or over night, you will want to  mist the surface of what you are working on and then cover it with plastic  wrap - I use plastic shopping bags for this. The plastic will stick to the  surface and keep moisture from evaporating while you recharge your  creative batteries or get some well deserved rest. 

Once you have built up the bulk into some basic shapes and have formed  Skratch so there are no gaps in the surface of the medium you can use the  spray bottle with water to lightly dampen the area to help you smooth it out. 

 If there are gaps in the surface of the medium when you spray water onto it,  the water can go into the gap and prevent the gap from closing up.  Don't worry if this happens, Skratch can always be filled in later once the  medium has set up a bit.  

Brushes work great to smooth out an area after spraying a little water onto  the medium.  

If the piece you are working on is too wet and not forming well, take a break  and allow it to set up for about five to ten minutes.  

If you make the basic shapes and let them set up you can come back and  push or draw details in with your fingers or tools.  

For example, make a half sphere shape and let it set up for about ten  minutes and then you can push into it to form a face or whatever you like.  Use the water lightly, it is helpful for forming but can make the medium too  wet if not applied with a little caution. Cleaning your hands and tools and  leaving them a little bit wet often can achieve the same result as spraying  down the piece you are working on.  

Skratch is an air-dry medium. so the thicker you make it the longer it  will take to dry. As it dries you might notice small surface fractures develop  in the thinner areas of your work. This is normal, it happens because the  medium was not folded or pushed together while sculpting. You will notice  that the thicker areas of your sculpture do not develop similar fractures. You  can just fill in the fractures with a little more Skratch.  

The more you sculpt with Skratch the better your results will become. I still  get small fractures here and there in my work that I fill in after the piece has  dried. Skratch is very flexible with how you can work it.

Finishing  

Now that your piece is dry and any minor imperfections or fractures are  filled you can finish the surface of the sculpture with wet sanding or dry  sanding. If dry sanding always wear a mask or respirator and remove the  sanding dust promptly. You don't have to sand the medium if you are happy with what you have sculpted. If you are not happy with a part of your  sculpture you can chisel or carve it down to what you want, or totally  remove the area you don't like and sculpt it again with more Skratch.  

Skratch bonds well to dry Skratch, which allows you to add more of the  medium in stages to build up some larger and larger sculpted areas or add  any details you might wish to add later.  

Use Skratch how you want to. These instructions are only made to help  guide you to an understanding of how the medium works and not to tell you  how or what to create. 

Sealing and Painting  

After you have fine tuned your sculpture it is time to seal it up to protect it.  Skratch must be sealed up whether it is going to be outside or inside, this is  a must for protecting your sculpture. I have been using wood  sealers but concrete sealers also work. Primer can work too, but only seal  

the surface of the medium and don't penetrate like wood sealer. I like to first  seal it with something that will absorb into the medium and then paint it to  create the finished look. Be sure to read the product labels and use them  according to the manufacturers instructions. I'm not going to tell you what  kind to use or how to paint your sculpture, based on your experience and  knowledge use your best judgement to figure out the appropriate finishes  and paints to use for the environment you are placing your work in and your  own preferences in paints and sealers. I also often use a sealer after I paint  to help protect what I have painted. Ongoing maintenance such as applying  more sealer over time is also a good idea to help protect your work.  

Composition and Ingredients  

Skratch is composed of recycled fibers treated with  borate, an anti-fungal and fire-retardant, and inert mineral  ingredients:  

Limestone, Cellulose Fiber, Mica, Attapulgite, Vinyl Alcohol  Polymer, Starch ( Hydroxypropyl Amylopectin Phosphate ), Boric Acid,  Crystalline Silica.  

ΔWARNING!  

Always use a respirator or dust mask when dry sanding.