I need help using Green Stuff

[Olaf the Stout]

Hi guys,

Yesterday I used Green Stuff for the first time with what I would call marginal success. I used it to fill some gaps on my Blood Bowl Troll. He is a 4 piece metal job, head, upper torso + 1 arm, other arm, lower torso. This meant I had to gap fill 3 gaps.

I decided to pin all 3 joins (also a first for me). That went sort-of ok. The worst pin was probably the head, which ended up slightly off centre to his neck. It isn\'t too bad as the head pretty much covers the view of the neck when looking at the mini from on. Even still I put some Green Stuff around the join just to smooth the join out and make it look a bit better.

The main problems I had with the Green Stuff were getting it where I wanted it to go and getting a smooth finish. I think most of the trouble I had with getting it to where I wanted it was due to its stickyness. I think I must have tried to use it too soon after mixing it. The one other time I had to fill a gap I used Milliput. That seemed to go hard before I could use it all and I ended up having to mix a second batch to finish the job.

I was worried about the Green Stuff doing the same as the Milliput so I started using it only a few minutes after mixing. It was very sticky and I kept getting little bits stuck to other bits of the model and my sculpting tool by accident. Considering how flexible the Green Stuff still was after an hour or so I think it would have been easier if I waited a little longer. I had water on hand to dip my scupting tool into. That seemed to help a little with the stickyness.

The other problem I had was getting the final result nice and smooth. A couple of the joints are very much in plain sight so I need a nice smooth finish to hide the join. The joint where the arm connects to the upper torso is probably the most obvious join. I have the GW Sculpting tool which I used to try and smooth out the Green Stuff. However, after priming the mini I can still clearly see where the Green Stuff was added as the finish isn\'t as smooth as the surrounding metal.

Do you normally sand the Green Stuff after you are finished to get a smooth finish? Is Green Stuff even able to be sanded? I was going to give it a go with a file before I primed the mini but I wasn\'t sure that the Green Stuff had completely hardened yet.

That leads me to another question, do you have to let the Green Stuff cure for a certain amount of time before you can prime or paint over it? I let the Green Stuff cure for a good 4-5 hours before I primed. That seemed long enough to me but I\'m not 100% sure.

Are there any tips people can give me for using Green Stuff?

Thanks in advance,

Olaf the Stout

 

[mattsterbenz]

Hey Olaf,

You\'ve got the right approach, it will just take a few tweaks and some getting used to.

Most people will wait about 10-15 minutes after mixing their green stuff. The tackyness will go down a bit. I usually use it right after mixing and don\'t have much problems. You can also try changing the mixing ratio to get it less sticky, just add more blue.

It may sound gross but I have much better success using spit rather than water. Might want to try licking your tools rather than dunking them in a cup of water (I used to chew the GS to mix it but I don\'t do that anymore. If it can hurt you, it would have surely done something to me!)

Sanding it is possible. I do it all the time. But it is easiest and looks the best if you make everything smooth and look good before it sets. One trick that I find easiest for making areas smooth and blended is using the spoon-shaped end of a GW tool. Use plenty of spit or water and make a fast circular motion to \"polish\" the surface. Once it\'s smooth then it\'s time to worry about the edges of the GS, and try your best to make it flush with the rest of the model.

You can paint the GS right away as it doesn\'t shrink. Just make sure it\'s only paint and not to touch it otherwise you\'ll distort the area. I\'ve painted several models that had fresh green stuff on them and not had any problems.

Hope this helps,
-Matt

 

[Queenoftheunifrogs]

get yourself a clay shaper, (prefereably a size 0 ) they are an absolute godsend for smoothing putty.
if you are sculpting with green stuff it does shrink back a bit and you need to keep resharpening details until its dry

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by Olaf the Stout
I decided to pin all 3 joins (also a first for me). That went sort-of ok. The worst pin was probably the head, which ended up slightly off centre to his neck.

To try to avoid this use a sharp needle to first mark the drill point where you need it. Then \'drill\' out the whole a little with a sharp knife tip. Then drill. Pre-marking the hole helps prevent a bit drifting off during drilling.

If you have a problem like this again, drill the hole in the top of the torso oversize which will give you enough play to be able to get the head back into position while the glue dries. For this you may want to use gel superglue or a two-part epoxy instead of a thinner superglue

Originally posted by Olaf the Stout
The main problems I had with the Green Stuff were getting it where I wanted it to go and getting a smooth finish. I think most of the trouble I had with getting it to where I wanted it was due to its stickyness.

This is one of those things you get better at with experience.

Originally posted by Olaf the Stout
I was worried about the Green Stuff doing the same as the Milliput so I started using it only a few minutes after mixing.

Working period for most putties is an hour or more (sometimes as much as two hours + if you\'re lucky).

Originally posted by Olaf the Stout
It was very sticky and I kept getting little bits stuck to other bits of the model and my sculpting tool by accident.

Try varying the proportions of blue and green. I like 60:40 yellow to blue.

Kneadatite is very forgiving of varied proportions of resin and hardener so play with it, see what you think.

Originally posted by Olaf the Stout
I have the GW Sculpting tool which I used to try and smooth out the Green Stuff. However, after priming the mini I can still clearly see where the Green Stuff was added as the finish isn\'t as smooth as the surrounding metal.

You need practice smoothing and feathering.

This is something that requires a certain \'touch\' and experience in knowing if you\'ve done enough. With a smooth tool - and I mean a polished surface - the marks it should leave on a putty like GS should be super-smooth, even glossy.

But honestly it\'s just easier to use a clay-like putty like MagicSculp (which is awesome anyway) for filling. If you miss something during the putty stage you can easily scrape, file, sand and polish when it\'s gone hard if you need to.

Originally posted by Olaf the Stout
Do you normally sand the Green Stuff after you are finished to get a smooth finish? Is Green Stuff even able to be sanded?

It is, but not easily. And the proportions of the mix can have a bearing, as can the quality and type of the abrasive you\'re using.

And no, I don\'t think it\'s common to sand GS; I think the norm is to aim for the finished surface during the wet-shaping phase.

Originally posted by Olaf the Stout
I was going to give it a go with a file before I primed the mini but I wasn\'t sure that the Green Stuff had completely hardened yet.

FWIW, if you don\'t use heat to speed up curing, always wait longer rather than shorter!

Originally posted by Olaf the Stout
That leads me to another question, do you have to let the Green Stuff cure for a certain amount of time before you can prime or paint over it?

Not really but I\'d recommend you wait until it\'s fully cured. With experience you\'ll know how long it takes for it to get as tough as it\'s going to get.

Some more tips:
Wash you hands thoroughly after mixing, or wear gloves.

DON\'T lick your tools - epoxy putties have chemicals in them you should minimise exposure to. If you want to use saliva for a sculpting lubricant (lots of sculptors use it) either lick the back of your hand and run the tool through that or spit onto the desk or a corner of the palette and dip the tool into that.

Although I think it\'s a bit of a pain at the end of the day try blending it with Milliput (already mixed); you get a nice material that has something of the best qualities of both putties. Essentially it makes Milliput a little like MS is straight from the container!

Einion

 

[Olaf the Stout]

For gap filling, where I just want to end up with a smooth join, and not really sculpt any fine details into the material I am using, am I better off just using Milliput instead of Green Stuff?

I\'ve noticed that the Milliput seems to set rock hard, compared to the Green Stuff which still has a bit of flexibility in it, even once it is set.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by Olaf the Stout
For gap filling, where I just want to end up with a smooth join, and not really sculpt any fine details into the material I am using, am I better off just using Milliput instead of Green Stuff?

In a choice between those two, probably.

But as I say, a blend of the two is worth trying if you don\'t plan on getting any MS.

Originally posted by Olaf the Stout
I\'ve noticed that the Milliput seems to set rock hard, compared to the Green Stuff which still has a bit of flexibility in it, even once it is set.

Yep, GS is like a bendy plastic when set, in contrast to most other epoxy putties (the clay-like ones) that set hard.

Einion

 

[airhead]

Another way to pin a joint you are not sure is going to line up:

Glue the head to the body, then drill at an angle down through the back of the neck, or up from under a collar or armor piece (somehere kinda out of sight). Drop the pin in and be sure that the pin is slightly below the finished surface. Drop a drop of thin superglue into the hole. Now that head is secure. When you GS the neck joint, put a small dab in the pin hole and smooth/match the surrounding area.

 

[freakinacage]

the best way to pin in my experience is to drill the first hole in the middle of what you are pinning. then get a very small amount of blue tack or gs and add it to the other piece. then lubricate the putty and push the pieces together. when you remove them there should be a small nodule where the hole is on the other side. use a pin to mark the middle and then drill it out once you have removed the putty. simple

 

[the mighty dwarf]

i find that to get a really smooth surface when your sculpting is to use vaseline to lubricate your tool, then use the flat end of a sculpting tool to smooth it out, and you get a really nice, smooth result.