Milliput

[diamond cutter]

Is anyone else having problems with Miliput grey?
It is crap to work with lately, the yellow part is soggy and almost glows in the dark!
Trying to carve it is a real pain!
Come on The Miliput Company-get your act together!

 

[1969]

I had this problem couple of years back so switched to magicsculpt, seemed every box even if from the same multi box batch in the shop were different in texture and workability. I am not overly impressed with Milliputs quality control, if you get a good batch its superb but a bad one and its useless.

Why Milliput anyway Pete? so many other options now, although I do like the tensile strenth for thin parts that Milliput can offer.

Steve

 

[Gra30]

Hi Pete, Moz did mention something when I saw him last.
Mine has been ok but I am new to using in big quantities and learning the stuff as you know, and I have been doing a hell of a lot of carving )) as I find more comes off than goes )
May be worth a few people dropping a line, I have 5 new packs here and will let you know how they are and will look closely now you have mentioned it
Best wishes mate

 

[pte1643]

Don't know if it's relevant.

I only use the Superfine White stuff, and that's been fine (No pun intended).

I don't use it in large quantities though.

 

[valiant]

Funny you should bring this up, I thought it was me! - I've never had problems before, but I've got a batch at the moment that doesn't mix well or doesn't seem to cure! I've been working on a sculpt tonight and the stuff I applied last week is still soft! I've always sworn by the stuff in the past, but this batch is well below standard!
Steve

 

[ChaosCossack]

I have found with the milliput silver, there is a hardish crust around the outside of both pieces that has to be picked off before it can be mixed. Does anyone know why it goes like that? It's a waste of time and material and a royal pain in the ass!

Colin

 

[diamond cutter]

I've been using Miliput since I was an egg and never had any problems with it till now. I have 20 packs of it, all the same but I think that I will get on to the company and see what they come up with. I have tried all of the different putties availiable but Miliput is (was) the best all-rounder till they messed with it. That crust you can sometimes find on it comes with age (lol) and can be got rid of by heating it up under your lamp and mixing it before you use it.

 

[valiant]

In addition to my previous post, I emailed Milliput last night so am waiting on a response - I will let you all know if anything happens!
cheers
Steve

 

[Merryweather]

I had this with bog-standard milliput a couple of months ago and I thought it was just me mixing badly. I had to dump my work and start again. I am relieved to hear that God uses MP too!

 

[valiant]

Hi guys, thought that you might like to read the response from the Milliput Company - interesting to read the bit about storage!

"Dear Stephen Leadley

We are very sorry to hear that you have experienced problems using Milliput Standard Yellow Grey. We can assure you that the formula for our product has remained unchanged since we began manufacturing. Other than changing our suppliers of pigment our suppliers of raw material have not been altered since we began producing Milliput.

There are two main reasons why Milliput does not cure to its full potential. The first is that the sticks have been under mixed. As you have used our product for years I do not think this is the reason why the product has not cured as you have used Milliput many times before. The other reason is that stockists of Milliput do not always follow our storage guidelines. Either their stock of Milliput has not been rotated correctly or the Milliput has been stored in conditions of excessive heat or moisture. This often has an adverse affect on the quality of the sticks. It can make the sticks very tough to mix, and as a result of this the curing agents in our product do not work correctly. This often causes the Milliput to only partly cure, which to the user can be very frustrating.

The best way to tackle this problem is to warm up the Milliput sticks before mixing them. We have been told by users of our product that if you remove the sticks from the packaging along with the cellophane bags then place in the microwave on defrost setting for 1 minute this should soften the sticks in order for the product to be mixed successfully.

You should then find that the Milliput will be easier to mix and this will ensure that the curing agent responds correctly.

I hope this information has been useful to you and hope that you continue to use Milliput in the future.

Best Regards
Stephen Atherton
The Milliput Company"

Cheers
Steve

 

[diamond cutter]

Both Moz Corry and myself have assumed that there is a problem with the pigment-they definately need to go back to their old supplier as it is now crap!
Well done Steve.
We reckon that swapping the stick from the Milliput black might solve the problem and also give a nice grey colour to the master, cool for spoting surface problems

 

[valiant]

Ta guys - seems like the pigment could be the problem, then!
Ill have a play with the microwave while SWMBO is at work - Ill keep you posted! I like the idea of mixing the colours, would maybe save on primer!
Steve

 

[ChaosCossack]

Microwave? Worth a shot

 

[valiant]

Yeh, its what the guy from Milliput suggested in his email! (see above)
Steve

 

[Einion]

I have found with the milliput silver, there is a hardish crust around the outside of both pieces that has to be picked off before it can be mixed. Does anyone know why it goes like that? It's a waste of time and material and a royal pain in the ass!

This can happen with all colours of Milliput and it's a sign of it beginning to go off, from being stored too long basically. I've had it happen and everyone I know that uses Milliput has too if they don't go through it quickly. Have to say I'm glad it does happen because it's one of the issues with Milliput that made me go looking for an alternative and I haven't looked back, numerous things have it beat in just about every respect!

Einion

 

[Mike S.]

I've always preferred A & B Epoxy Putty myself, but once the Milliput hardens fully (which always seems to take an inordinate amount of time comparatively) it IS rock hard and mills, sands, carves easily.

 

[diamond cutter]

I'll get some of the black and try it with the standard grey or silver grey. I used just silver grey for a couple of years and the superfine but got through too many blades trying to carve it. Some years ago there was a fad of mixing Duro with milliput (which I tried) but never liked the qualities of Duro.

 

[diamond cutter]

Don't put Milliput in the microwave on full power for 2 minutes-
Just Don't!

 

[Don]

Give us a laugh DC and tell the wondering people what a mess you made, and do you need a new microwave?

Don

 

[valiant]

AAhh! The instructions from Milliput were defrost for 1 minute!! mind you, some years ago I did a similar thing with Fimo, left it in the oven for a few hours - it glazed the baking tray!! Hey, we live and learn!!
Steve