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I have been looking for an alternative to modeling clay or plasticine to use when setting up a rifle stock for glass or epoxy bedding. The clay is used to fill spaces in the barreled action where you do not want to epoxy to go, and to create 'dams' that keep the epoxy contained in the barrel channel. It is also used to keep it out of magazine wells, trigger areas, etc..

I have specifically been looking for something that is very inexpensive, and as close to being universally available as possible. The material has to be soft, pliable, slightly sticky, non-drying, and easy to remove once it has served its purpose.

What I have come up with is a mixture of "plumbers putty", a putty used for sealing around plumbing fixtures - with a bit of petroleum jelly mixed and kneaded in to give it a bit more flexibility and soften it so that it molds to shape more easily.

The plumbers putty I found has a linseed oil smell to it, which means that slowly but surely it does harden with time. Taking thumb-sized pieces of it and thoroughly kneading a small amount of petroleum jelly into it makes it softer and more pliable, also slowing its drying time so that it stores better.

It winds up being one-third or less the cost of modeling clay, and it keeps much better. Also, plumbers putty and petroleum jelly are very easy to find.

Since I have found this mixture to be useful, I thought I'd mention what I had found.

I use some putty/sealant in refrigeration work. It's used to seal around copper pipe penetrations. It never hardens, even in extreme heat, aka garage. There are 2 types I've used. One is a black cotton tape, you see on car expansion valve and sensing bulbs. The other is a white rope/cord that you mold to what ever. It will get a little firmer when exposed to heat over a decade of use. This is the one you probably want for it sticks to it self good where the other one you have to work together and is really tacky. I have a box of it around here some where I could send you some to try if your interested.