Green Stuffing Tips?

[BloodbathMcGrath]

Hey all I had a few questions, thought I could try to sum them all on to on thread.

First I was wondering where I can get my hands on some. Even the Games Workshops around here only seem to sell liquid green stuff. I tried using a two part epoxy from a hardware store and it was NOT the same. It was practically unusable for modeling even after I looked up some tips on how to handle putty- like wetting your fingers and tools.

Secondly, I was wondering what some of your opinions are for effectively handling and modeling your stuff. I've heard plain, warm water, or even Vaseline or chap stick work well to lubricate. Also, what kind of tools work best for the various jobs and textures people commonly make?

Lastly, I was wondering what stuff is the best to use? Or at least easiest to handle. I've heard green stuff is more pliable, but dries soft and brown stuff can be tougher to mold, but dries very hard? Any insight someone might have?

Thanks guys!

 

[Johnny-Crass]

Greenstuff from Army Builder is my choice. I use tap water or saliva in a pinch

 

[Loran]

One of the best things that help you with using Green Stuff is the right tools. Sadly the GW modelling tool is good for filling gaps, but it's a tad too big for sculpting anything remotely detailed. I've got a couple of sets of silicone-tipped colour shapers that are used usually for painting (hence the name :tongue: ).

These are great, as the smallest size of shapers are small enough to sculpt small eyes and whatnot. Best place to get them is probably eBay, unless you live next to a very cheap art store, which is kinda like hoping Ferrari will make a very cheap 911. I got mine from eBay and the price was reasonable (around £20 for two sets of five + postage).

Also, get the firm ones. Silicone generally is not all that firm, so even the firmest will bend slightly, so the soft ones will be about as useful as boiled pasta

As for which putty to use, I've used the GW one. However, I tend to run out of the yellow part way quicker than the blue one :tongue:

- Loran

 

[Dan_Lee]

You should be able to find green stuff on line at much better value for money than at GW. You can also use milliput (available in most model shops).

I've heard that green stuff is best for smooth organic shapes, while milliput is better for rough rocky shapes, but I think you can probably use either for both.

I've also seen it suggested that old dentistry tools make good sculpting tools, but I've never had the guts to ask my dentist if they are throwing any out.

For lubricant I found plenty of cold water works fine.

 

[BloodbathMcGrath]

Thanks guys! I will look for some tools around. Maybe even see if the dollar store has useful nick knacks that would work. I just went to the dentist, so I won't see them again for about 6 months :/ hahaha

I will ask my hobby store if they have any or see if they have milliput. I checked the army painter website and found their's is a great deal cheaper than Lames Workshop

 

[Santawraith]

Some craft stores sell a green stuff putty under the name modeling clay, be very careful to read and know what your getting prior to buying.

I get mine from reaper as I get a discount with them.

My tools are from the craft store its a entire line of sculptor tools retails 49.99. So you might check them out if there is any in your area.

 

[BloodbathMcGrath]

Hmmm. I was thinking metal crochet needles? haha because I am a cheap bastardo. And then something I can find that is also flat for smoothing. Out the cracks and such.

 

[blue loki]

Dental picks make great tools, and you don't have to get them used from a dentist. Just check your local supermarket/drugstore/dollar store. You should be able to find a set of 2-4 picks of various configurations for cheap. I found a pack of 3 for under $5.

For a smoothing tool, nothing beats a wet finger.

 

[skullgrl]

Sewing needles and toothpicks are also good. I like to shave my toothpicks down with a hobby knife until they are very sharp/thin. Then I dunk them in water so they get some give at the end. I also use my X-Acto knives to sculpt with. To stop things from sticking I will either use water or all purpose flour. Flour works great when rolling out sheets.

 

[BloodbathMcGrath]

Thank you so much everyone for your tips. I love when creativity meets thrift because something beautiful often comes out
I will probably look up some tutorials on YouTube and maybe post some links on this thread in case anyone else was browsing it for ideas. The only down side is that I won't get started until after Christmas. (I have requisitioned Santa for an extra special present of grown-ass-man-toys )

 

[frankenstine]

i didnt think dentsits where alowed to give them old picks away or is that just in the UK?

 

[Johnny-Crass]

No a dental pick is that thing with the firm rubber end. I use them for sculpting faces and skin. Though I do have a set of dentists tools thanks to my friendly dentist friend erv: .

Also dont use vassiline, I used it for a long time and it gives a coat that makes paint a hard surface to stick too. Its a problem

 

[BloodbathMcGrath]

Johnny; would chapstick also form a slippery layer? I might just stick with warm water in that case.

 

[Johnny-Crass]

Chapstick is just refined vassaline erv:

 

[BloodbathMcGrath]

Yeah that was kind of my thought. I tried warm water before, and it worked well enough (and I was using plumbing epoxy! extrememly sticky and not very moldable...)

 

[Infernal Skull]

I'd highly recommend Chapstick to lubricate your tools. Put a little blob on your thumb and run your tool across it. Not enough to "muck up" the surface of the tool, more like you're wiping the tool clean on your skin.

Chapstick is not nearly as greasy as Vaseline, and I've never had any difficulty priming or painting over puttied portions when I've used it.

I recommend Brown Stuff for sculpting sharp details, or any pieces that you'll sand or scrape into shape after it cures. The harder surface make sanding and carving much easier.

Green Stuff and Procreate both stay a little rubbery once cured. In my experience Procreate retains sharp edges better than Green.

The best sculptors tend to make their own tools; stock tools can be useful, but the edges often need to be sharpened a little. One of the best tools you can make is to take an X-acto blade and sand the sides perfectly smooth (to remove the blade bevel), and of course sand the edge dull. That gives you a straight edge, a fine working point, and a flat edge.

 

[skullgrl]

I also use Tamiya's Epoxy putty. The smooth type can really get smooth. When you first mix it, it does tend to be more malleable than green stuff. Its easier to mix but I suggest letting it sit for a bit.

I wouldn't use vaseline, its actually used in painting as a (cheap) masking agent for where you don't want paint to be.

 

[Marche Funebre]

i've successfully been using Nivea hand cream, the blue tin, for almost a year now. You have to wash the surface before applying the next layer and or paint. But other than that its pretty simple and cheap. What you have to remember is that you only need a small amount.

I otherwise I use water mixed with a little bit (no more than a smidgeon) of liquid soap.

 

[horrid]

Saliva works pretty well. Adding more yellow to your GS mix makes it more pliable/ workable. New "improved" GW sculpting tool is absolute crap. The older one with the circular burnishing end was pretty good for smoothing surfaces but like other posters stated they tend to be too large to do refined work. Like others one of my "go to" tools is the #7 xacto blade. the point is fine enough to incise then grab an edge and "pick" to sculpt an eyelid. The blunt edge is helpful too. I have some dental tools; Demolished a dental office a few years ago and play with them time to time. There are some decent pulling tools for making chainmail but my favorite is a tiny "spoon" that burnishes very cleanly.

The worth of miliput really depends on the grade. The normal grey/yellow is good for bulking out an undersculpt but won't take fine detail. Haven't used other grades fine/silver but heard others say they worked well.

Andreas makes a compound like brown. It sculpts really well can be worked/ smoothed with brush and water and cures hard enough it can be tapped/ sanded. Really great stuff; wish my supplier still supplied .

Liquid greenstuff is shit. If a bad sculpting tool wasn't enough to erode your confidence as a sculptor this stuff will. There is nothing (even basic gapfilling) this stuff does better. It dries up in it's pot faster than standard GS goes bad; That's it and only a positive if you are selling it.

 

[untitled_musketeer]

If you look on the web, you might want to search for 'Kneadatite' putty. It's the same thing as Greenstuff but that's the proper name rather than the branded expensive name. You might be able to find it a little cheaper if you search for that.

As for sculpting tools, experiment too. Everyone here has valid suggestions but you can use just about anything to create textures.

I will always use water to lubricate mine. On top of that I will always mix a little water into the putty. This is for two reasons. First;y it helps to keep the putty soft but also it means that if/when I have made a little too much, I can pop it in the freezer. This dramatically slows the curing process allowing you to let parts on your model cure sufficiently before you sculpt more. I would say two days in the freezer is your limit. Any more than that and the putty starts to become brittle as it cures.

Cheers,

u_m

 

[untitled_musketeer]

Liquid greenstuff is shit. If a bad sculpting tool wasn't enough to erode your confidence as a sculptor this stuff will. There is nothing (even basic gapfilling) this stuff does better. It dries up in it's pot faster than standard GS goes bad; That's it and only a positive if you are selling it.

However it does have a most excellent use...

[video=youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK97CLGFwY4[/video]

 

[Dimreapa]

From the video U_M posted:

"This liquid green stuff is a little can of filth..."

Actually an interesting technique. Definitely will give that a go. Especially over my own greenstuffing.

To the OP:

The key to greenstuffing is practice and patience. Don't be afraid to let a greenstuffing project take several, or even dozen attempts to finish off. Almost all of the key to getting the best out of it is cleaning up afterwards, and building up layers. You need to teach yourself techniques and steps that work for you. Although, things like good tools, lube, taking care to file/sand down impurities are good starting points.

The basics are easy to cover, most of it has been mentioned. Most importantly, always keep your tool well-lubed. I personally suggest water over saliva. Saliva's good in a pinch, but, especially if you're using metal tools, it isn't going to stop the sticking. I moved from saliva to water, and found I managed much better detail. But it's all about balance. Using too much makes the greenstuff too lucid to work with if you're trying to make specific shapes, and too little can make it difficult to get the GS to do anything you want it to. It's all about playing with the material, and finding what you are comfortable with. If you can get saliva or vaseline to work for you, it's best to stick with it, at least until you're confident enough to try other options.

Watch youtube videos and read articles. Whilst finding your own groove is definitely better than trying to mimic skills that don't feel right, never be afraid to try new techniques. You don't need to be an artist to do good greenstuffing. I can't draw for crap, but I'd say I'm a competent with the material, and that's because much of this hobby is about technique and tricks, rather than relying on artistic flair (although that helps).

Play with your mixtures. Straight 50/50 yellow and blue mixes are good for most things, but add more yellow to get a mix with more play to it, or blue if you want something more rigid. Obviously more yellow takes longer to cure, and blue takes a fair bit less. Again, it's all about getting the feel for it.

Crucially: never conclude that you can't do it. So many hobbyists say they can't do greenstuff. They can. The trouble is they wont, and that's different. If I can use greenstuff well, absolutely any hobbyist can, because I consistently flunked art at school. It's all doable. Practice, tricks and technique. It can all be learnt, and it doesn't take long. There's a young lad who has been in the hobby for about 5 months at my local GW who is about at my level already because he's swatted up on youtube videos and articles. When I started this flipping thing there was easy access to the internet!

That's my excuse, anyway.

P.S. Brownstuff is as amazing as people say it is for detail, but it's pretty hard to get these days due to being discontinued, unless it's been put into production again. It really should be, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Good luck, hope some of this was helpful.

 

[horrid]

Hey that is a good use; Thanks for the video. It's a shame they don't make an effort to publicize this themselves.

 

[Dimreapa]

...make an effort...

Therein lies the reason I suspect.

 

[Johnny-Crass]

I was a guest on a corner of Combat Phase podcast earlier this year with another amazing sculpter. Alot of good tips in that show