Tutorial on: Greenstuff

[Br0ther Rafen]

Hi guys

I want some help on just using greestuff because when I search around on the forum's I don't really understand the "let it harden" or "glue it on" comments. I just want to know how do you simply apply it without it falling off or becoming deformed? Don't need pics, just want a quick rundown on the basic use of it because I want to do some minor modeling work with it soon so I can do

Some serious stuff for future projects.

[Shadow Captain Corveus]

Hey,

 

I don't profess to be a Greenstuff master myself but I think I have a few points that can help you.

 

Greenstuff is made of two parts; the Yellow which is the "Base" and the Blue which is the "Hardener". You combine the two to make the putty that we know as Greenstuff with which you can model custom shapes. You'll want to use about one and a half times the amount of yellow to the amount of blue, this will make it soft and sticky enough to be able to work with easily (the more blue you add the stiffer, less sticky and faster drying it becomes)

 

Ensure that you combine the two so that there are no streaks of either blue nor yellow present and knead them together with clean hands. This is very important as contaminants will prevent it from sticking very well to the surface that you are sculpting onto.

 

Apply the Greenstuff to the surface you wish to sculpt on and ensure that it has stuck on firmly. Always use more than you need as later it will be difficult to add more on, the lubricant on your sculpting tools will prevent the next batch of Greenstuff from sticking to the existing layer.

 

To sculpt the Greenstuff you will need tools, I recommend getting a sculpting tool set from your local hobby store as they are perfect for the job, although, I use a pointy craft knife and a fine needle as they can work just as well. You will need to lubricate your tool before sculpting using Vaseline or a similar product. This will prevent the still sticky Greenstuff from sticking to your tool causing accidental deformation of your sculpt as you try to prize it off. If the tool begins to stick add some more Vaseline (you should only be using a very small amount, just enough to thinly coat your tool). You can now shape your Greenstuff blob into whichever shape you desire. If you wish to do your sculpt in stages, slowly building up the shape with multiple sessions and applications of Greenstuff you will need to clean the lubricant off after the previous session has dried with a little warm soapy water. The lubricant prevents the tool from sticking and will also prevent other things such as glue, paint, more Greenstuff etc. so you will need to clean it off before doing anything to the sculpted surface.

 

You must finish any sculpting you wish to do before it hardens, as soon as you add the two components together it begins a chemical reaction which slowly hardens the Greenstuff into solid plastic. You will usually have 1-2 hours to finish your piece of work before it becomes difficult to work with, depending on the ratio of Base to Hardener you have used. The ratio you use is all down to personal preference but I like to use Greenstuff that is about the colour of Goblin Green or maybe slightly lighter. Be careful not to touch your sculpt until it has set fully, this will usually take 24 hours as you will risk accidentally deforming it.

 

Those are the basics that you need to know about Greenstuff. I recommend that you practice using some on a plastic tub before you begin on your miniatures, just so that you get used to working with it. I got used to using Greenstuff by sculpting melta damage, skulls and aquillas on the lid of my bits box.

 

I hope my advice is useful, remember; practice lots with it and you will eventually feel confident enough with it to try your hand at some of the Greenstuff projects here on the B+C!

[Br0ther Rafen]

Thanks Corveus, the advice has helped a lot.

just tried to use it to fill gaps in some metal models and it looks good. Thanks for helping out.

[ShotgunFacelift]

Shadow captain is dead on with the practise bit, at first its pretty frustrating to work with.

 

General Tips:

- however much GS your thinking of mixing, use half that amount. Its surprising how little you need, and nothing is more annoying than having alot of (expensive) extra GS hardening before you can use it.

- DO NOT TOUCH IT with your bare fingers, it doesnt become apparent until when you paint it, but then the fingerprints are really noticeable

[Tabgoi]

Good lord I wish I would have found this thread years ago. I never actually though to use vasaline on my tools, I have just been keeping them wet with water. I just figured the occasional pulling was just natural, this will help out a lot. Ohh, a tip on tools, I found sculpting tools from hobby shops to be a bit expensive near me so I went a bit cheaper but in the end more robust route. For about twenty bucks total online I picked up two ten piece dental pick sets and a twenty piece dental putty sculpting kit. I have a lot more tools and angles then any of the hobby sculpting sets I found. Though when sculpting hair I have found it hard to beat a simple tooth pick or paper clip. I find the lack of a handle and really short size lets me fine tune a lot better.

[Brother Nihm]

This is not a tutorial though, more of a question asking about GS usage.

 

Topic moved.

[djhg]

For 'lube' I use a combination of Nivea hand cream (the one in the blue tub) and water.

It's absurd how good it is together...

 

If you want to fill a gap to be a smooth seamless affair, you can stuff all the GS required into the gap, then run your finger back and forward over the GS with enough pressure and you'll get a very nice nearly invisible fill.

 

If you find your GS is going hard too quickly, then add some Fimo to it when mixing the blue & yellow (1:1:1 of blue, green and Fimo)

You will need to leave the model for a good 12-24 hours for the putty to properly harden now, but for long modelling sessions it's fantastic :)

[madscuzzy]

A key to using GS is to understand its curing rate and properties.

 

0-15mins is when GS is at its stickiest and will adhere to any surface it is pressed on. Pretty good if you wish to apply it onto a model.

15-30mins is when the GS starts to get hard but less sticky. It will still stick by will not adhere as well... Pushing it around to form general shapes would be good around this time

30-1.5hrs is when you can start working on you details.

1.5-2hrs is when you can put in your finest details such as lines etc as it is almost cured. Touching it at this stage shouldn't leave finger prints.

[ObsidianIchor]

Quick question on GS, this seemed like the place to ask.

 

I used some GS to test arm positions with the intention of prying them apart afterward to glue. After everything was positioned, the joints seemed relatively sturdy, although I have not actively tried to remove them yet. How good of a bond does GS form between pieces? Is it enough to hold the mini together or should I try to reinforce it somehow?

 

If I need to reinforce it, I was thinking to either pry them apart and glue or to drill through the shoulder into the torso and put a pin in place (which will eventually be covered by the shoulderplates).

[Hemal]

GS is very tacky and dries dead hard but relies on the microscopic imperfections between the model pieces to adhere to and join. It doesn't chemically bond with metal or plastic, and so the joint is about as strong as a superglue joint..

 

I would always pin it.