WIP Whats every one using for putty these days .

[alfsboy]

I am still plodding on with Milliput but its quality seems all over the place.When its perfect I can zip through a master but often its just not up to snuff .the colour varies like crazy.They say it is the same as its always been but I have some 30 year old mastesr that are a completely different colour when finished to modern ones .Magic Sculpt seems good but while one lot was great ,the next two were hard and crumbly .I get on with that green putty and its very quick to work with but not sure it will withstand a hot mould .It softens up a bit when reheated .Even A+B now is hard and gritty and not so smooth .It used to be much smoother to work with .Most of my masters are very small ,about 20 mm for model railways so it has to stay on a thin wire frame.i also tend to wet sculpt a lot with a brush .I paint my figures in a sense . .
Any suggestions or comments out there? .Judging by the superb work on this thread I am amongst masters indeed.

 

[1969]

Martin have you tried a combination of Green Stuff (kneadatite) and Magic Sculp, mix both independently and then mix together about 50/50 and see how it works, you can always very the mix to find one that suits.
Mixing the two has the benefit of holding detail well and also strength in the cured putty.
I have used it with great effect in the past and find you get very smooth results from it.

here is a link of what I used it for.

http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30630&highlight=chasseur+lady

Cheers

Steve

 

[polyphemus]

If you have a pack of Magic Sculpt that's hard & crumbly just pop it in the microwave for a short time.

Geoff

 

[alfsboy]

Good idea Steve .I've mixed A+B and Milliput and Milliput and magic sculpt in the past ,then I hit a good pack of Milliput and I am away for a few months no problems ,then back to inconsistency again .I'll try your suggestion .Your figures look so neat .Mine are a mess though which is why I want to get a consistent finish.They are fine when cast though but look terrible photographed probably as they are so friggin small .To get a shot they are about blown up 5 times larger at least .I am trying to post a picture from flikr but its not working yet
Martin

 

[Colin_Fraser]

I have used Magic Sculpt with success in the past but am now using Grey Sculpey firm for busts. Mostly because getting MS here is a bit of a pain and I didn't want to wait. I was pleasantly surprised with the sculpey as its better than the old flesh coloured super sculpey I used to use.

Colin

 

[1969]

Martin I totally agree with you about milliput and its inconsistency, I began using milliput and found it great until I had to buy more and it was like using a totally different putty, even buying from the same bulk box batch on the shelf gave mixed results.
I tend to stick with Magicsculpt for about 90% of all sculpting now but do liek to try other mediums form time to time.

As for loading images you can upload straight from your hard drive using the `Manage Attachments` button on the postings page, much easier and you do not need a third party upload site.

cheers

Steve

 

[theBaron]

I've started using Super Sculpey, and Aves' Apoxie Sculpt (two-part epoxy). I have some ancient Miliput that I use now for filling gaps, or for making things like canvas sacks/sandbags, just to use it up. The one log of it is drying out or otherwise curing from the outside in toward the center, so I have to cut away the hard parts to get to the good stuff.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Ray]

Martin,
For my large scale work-1/35 and larger-I do most of the sculpting in Magic Sculpt straight, for smaller figures-1/48-I really prefer a Magic Sculpt Green Stuff blend. I don't mix the MS and GS separate anymore finding it an unnecessary step. The extra stiffness and rubbery consistency of the MS+GS blend is what I like about it for use in smaller scales, helps form and hold detail during work.

Here are two examples of the two different blends as used. The grey figure is done mainly in straight MS with only a little visible A+B though the entire armature was built up with A+B. The Greenish figure was made primarily with the MS+GS blend, again with the armature built up with A+B and only a small bit of A+B externally. I use the A+B for building an armature mostly because it is harder when cured than MS but also because it tends to be more tacky when fresh so sticks better to bare wire and resin which makes the job of building up an armature much easier.

 

[Einion]

My favourite is MagicSculp, hands down. Apoxie Sculpt is similar enough that I can use them interchangeably to some degree, but I prefer MS.

I also like Kneadatite, but more for applied details than doing full sculpts. But its qualities make it very suited to small-scale figures and it's probably the material that's most used for making the masters of fantasy minis (hence the generic term greens for the sculpts).

I've long hated Milliput so haven't used it in years, partly because of mixing issues but also because it tends to go off during storage so much.

Einion

 

[Vermis]

I got some milliput when I first started dabbling in sculpting a few years ago. Hated it and gave it up, until recently. That was when I hit on a good batch - soft and smooth - and these days I use it in most things, to some degree.

it tends to go off during storage so much.

When I first opened the good packet, I noticed the darker bar was pretty soft and uniformly grey. None of the yellowish rind that I saw before, or that's since developed on it. Do you think that any related 'staleness' has a lot to do with the differences in quality?

for smaller figures-1/48-I really prefer a Magic Sculpt Green Stuff blend... The extra stiffness and rubbery consistency of the MS+GS blend is what I like about it for use in smaller scales, helps form and hold detail during work.

This is pretty much why I like mixing green stuff with other putties - the magic sculp/apoxie sculpt/cold clay troika, and milliput. Also procreate and kneadatite brown/neutral (brown stuff). The elastic, springy, rubbery memory of green stuff can drive me batty, but somehow makes it great for mixing with the other low-memory putties, particularly the claylike ones. They eliminate green stuff's memory and stiffness, and it helps to hold their grain together. It's not quite the same with any other two putties, I find.

 

[housecarl]

I use Milliput mostly for groundwork, and filling seems. I do have to agree with the consistency issues, some of it is very granular in texture. Although it's not really an issue for what I use it for, I can see it presenting problems for finer work.
Carl.

 

[alfsboy]

Thanks for all your advice .Its good to know its not just me .I tried Green Stuff and Magic Sculp mixture and it is a great idea .one I hadnt tried .I have ordered some more of both .
Polyphemus !!! .I am about to try putting some old MS into the micro wave while my wife is out walking the dog .I will of course blame you for any disastrous result which will only give her more ammo that the internet is an agent of the devil ,or at least until she goes on ebay every evening..
The MS GS mix seems hardest so it should be alright for a hot mould .I have tried the old Sculpy .Got some good results .I also tried a rock hard epoxy called TuffStuff which was tricky to work with but got some decent results .Its not marketed now but may well be under another name .
Thanks guys .This a great forum and I feel at home already
Martin

 

[TWOMOONS]

I use A+B Epoxy...I have been called a dinosaur because I do...but I find it as good as it ever was. I've mixed it with Sculpey, actually...and found that the best attributes of both come through in the final "product". Eventually you will have to use it up....don't mix large amounts; only when you are atually definitly working and sculpting. You can also "control" the mix (whichever attribute from each product you may need more than the other at any given time) by altering the ratio between the Sculpey and the A+B Epoxy.
If Milliput was a person, I would punch it right in the mouth. Can't atnd it.

 

[Vermis]

Polyphemus !!! .I am about to try putting some old MS into the micro wave while my wife is out walking the dog .I will of course blame you for any disastrous result

I had the same problem myself, with MS and cold clay, though I put them in a warm oven for a few minutes. Did the trick.

I use A+B Epoxy...I have been called a dinosaur because I do...

That's one putty I still have (and want) to try. How does it handle? And what's people's beef with it?

 

[alfsboy]

My microwave survived and thanks for the great tip .Who would have imagined sticky putty in a micro wave would refresh it .Amazing .I am now experimenting mixing all sorts of puttys in odd combinations .Milliput green resin and MS hardener works OK on first impression .
re A+B .My friend used to send me some from the States .Its very good for drapes ,clothing etc as it tends to smooth up a bit when dried .Job to put into words .the A+B i just tried was more gritty not so smooth .

 

[Patrick]

For most of my production work I am using ProCreate which is the gray Kneadatite/Duro stuff and also some Apoxie sculpt for certain things. I like to mix my own gray for that. This is a lot better for me because the ProCreate has less "memory" than the green stuff and stays put. It doesn't round off and soften the sharper edges.

Recently I have tried a bit of Fimo and for really small scale figures it has good elasticity but smooths well with a brush. I've tried a 50% Classic/40% Soft/10% Mix Quick blend and prefer it over Super Sculpey Firm Gray.