green stuff question

[pnave01]

I have been trying for a while to use green stuff to add some detail to a dreadnought i am working on, but it keeps sticking to everything but the mini. I have kept my tools wet with water but every time i try to sculpt it just makes a mess.
Does anyone have any links to a how to for sculpting? or possibly know of anything better to use then GW green stuff?
Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Ritual]

There are lots of different putties you can use, some of them decidedly less sticky than GS. There\'s Milliput, Magic Sculpt, Tamiya putty etc. etc. Try looking in a \"regular\" hobby store, i.e. one that sells scale models, train models, or even RC models. They should have at least something, and chances are it\'s a lot cheaper than the GS you can buy at GW.

GW is probably the worst place to buy putty as they sell the ordinary GS re-packaged in their own packing for a much higher price than you would pay in other places. It is often not very fresh, either.

Personally, I use Magic Sculpt for most of my needs. One advantage with putties like Magic Sculpt or Milliput is that you can file and sand them when they\'re set, which you can\'t do well with GS as it is not entirely rock hard when set.

 

[Bignastyshark]

Sounds like you having the same problem that i used to have, if you are trying to get the GS to stick to a piece of flat smooth plastic (which comes to mind as you are working on a dread)

try and sand/score the area that you want to apply the GS to, also wash your hands in cold water the colder the better,

This will get rid of most of your skin oil for the initial mixing stage and will keep the GS cool so its not as sticky,

Hope this helps,

Cheers,

Bignastyshark.

 

[moonmin82]

i used to have this problem but since i started freezing my green stuff to keep it fresh its been a distant memory.

perhaps the fact that its both cold and slightly damp reduces the stickiness.

also, silly thing to point out, but make sure the surface your applying the putty to isnt too wet either!

 

[pnave01]

thanks Moonmini, Bignastyshark, and Ritual for all the help. I ended up going and buying something other than green stuff, called apoxie sculpt. I took the green stuff there an showed it to a friend that worked there, and he said that it was already useless to old and i only got it a week ago. He suggested i go try get my money back for it. Was wondering if any of you guys had heard of Apoxie Sculpt and if you had any opinions on it.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by pnave01
I took the green stuff there an showed it to a friend that worked there, and he said that it was already useless to old and i only got it a week ago.

If you\'re buying the ribbon type where the blue and the yellow are touching then it does begin to set from the centre outwards. You should still be able to use it by cutting out the hardened portion and discarding that.

The newer packaging option - two separate rolls in a tube - gives a much longer shelf life.

Originally posted by pnave01
Was wondering if any of you guys had heard of Apoxie Sculpt and if you had any opinions on it.

Apoxie Sculpt is similar to MagicSculp; a bit softer when mixed and a touch more adhesive IME. It also sets harder. There are a couple of threads covering the various two-part putties where this is mentioned if you want to look for a bit more - easy to find by just looking for the word apoxie since it\'s a unique term (unlike magic or green).

Like MagicSculp it\'s a great putty, although I prefer MS myself; you just need to develop the right \'touch\' to use any putty well.

Einion

 

[Wren]

I\'ve heard people say to let the GS sit for 10 or so minutes after you mix it, the stickiest stage is immediately after mixing.

When I first started trying to use GS, having read about using water for lubrication, I would use like a drop of water. So the GS often wouldn\'t stick to whatever I was trying to apply it to because the water would get inbetween the GS and the surface. When I finally got a chance to watch people who knew what they were doing using GS, they would just swipe the tool across a damp sponge or lick it, so it\'s just a tiny amount of water on the surface of the tool. Or you can try petroleum jelly - dab a bit on the back of your hand, touch the tool to it then wipe most of it off on your hand. Though you have to be able to wash whatever you use jelly on when you\'re done with the GS portion or paint won\'t stick.