At least I put the lessons of sculpture to good use to fix up a major leakage on the ceiling and metal pipe.
Process ;
I have scrape off the paint from the metal pipe to reveal its rusty surface then encase it with hydraulic cement that I have bought from the hardware store. It supposed to be used to mend big cracks , I am not sure it can be use to encase a metal pipe , I did it anyway and it works. It has a 5 minutes drying time so you need to work fast.

     I sculpt and shape the cement to the contours of the metal pipe and the ceiling too , thicker for the areas having the leakage. The cement is premixed already so just add water not too much else it is watery or too little it becomes lumpy , it should have a feel of clay for sculpting.

 To finish I use white water base enamal paint to paint over the grey cement.  

Another ceiling area that is i think water log but there is no leakage , just that the damp area cause what ever coat of new paint that I have applied to flake off . I applied the same hydraulic cement but pound it thin and flat just a thin layer to buffer the new coat of paint and the ceiling surface. It works too however the uneven surface looks a quite unsightly.   

The cement cost $16 a pack.