One of my hobbies is doll making. Porcelain arms, legs, head and shoulder plate. Soft stuffed body.
The arms and legs, once fully fired are quite robust, yes they will break if you're careless, or drop them, but it ain't a case of kid glove treatment once they're finally fired. The body is given shape with a stiff aluminium wire armature, which helps to pose the doll.
The arms and legs are first filled with bits of polystyrene packing shapes, well squashed in, then the armature is pushed firmly into the polystyrene. At present I glue a calico disk over the top of the arm or leg, with a hole cut rooughly centre to hold the armature more or less centrally in place.
What I'd like to do is use some form of slightly flexible potting compound, say 1/2 to 3/4" deep in place of the calico, something that will cure quite quickly, say within 1/2 hour and will keep the poly packing in place and hold the armature central in the arm or leg.
I had thought of plaster of paris, but I'm a bit wary of that coz there's no give whatsoever in the PofP, so posing arms or legs might place a strain within the capping, which if there's no slight flexibility, could cause the porcelain to crack.
Anybody got any thoughts of a suitable type of potting compound, just a little bit of flexibility and quick setting, and likely sources.
Stuff is available in the US, but I haven't come across anything that looks a likely candidate this side of the water.