Just starting out.

[Degare]

*Resurrecting this a little*

 

I'm actually not new to sculpting (I use sculpy III), but I want to try my hand at Green Stuff...  Problem is, I'm honestly afraid to buy something new without knowing everything about it that I find relevant, and I searched on the forums and wasn't able to find the answer, so here we go;

 

 

1.  Does Green Stuff air dry?  If so, how long does it take for a figure to typically dry?  How long does it typically take for the un-kneeded "green stuff" to dry out when placed in a ziplock for storage?

 

2.  How easy is Green Stuff to paint once it sets?

 

3.  How firm is Green Stuff?  Fimo I know you can make small figures without using any sort of "skeleton", while sculpy III almost always requires one (given the softness of it).  Does Green Stuff require a "skeleton"?

 

4.  You have to mix your Green Stuff... how do you know HOW to mix it?  Is it 50/50 blue and yellow?

 

5.  Can you touch it with your bare hands?  Or is it like a lot of other mixable epoxys (construction work) where you have to wear gloves?  I can't imagine using surgical gloves to sculpt, but I do have them if required...

Edited August 7, 2015 by Degare

[DixonGrfx]

1. It's a chemical cure. So "dry" isn't really the right term. It takes some getting used to. There are different types of things you can do at different stages of the cure. After about 1.5 to 2 hours, it has cured to the point you can't work the putty any more. So planning ahead is key, and working small sections at one time. Storing in the freezer really helps preserve GS. Keep your extra in the freezer.

 

2. Easy peasy

 

3. You will need an armature. GS needs something to push against.

 

4. 50 50 is the starting point. I prefer a 60/40 heavy on the yellow.

 

5. No gloves needed. Just don't stick your fingers in your eyes and you'll be ok.

[Speak_Centurion]

1.

 

Yes it will air dry (in fact, it will set even underwater).

 

I'd say Greenstuff is good for about 1 hour. After an hour I find it too stiff to use, but that's just me.

 

Greenstuff is unpredictable in how long it lasts, I've had strips of GS last 12 months with no sign of deterioration, and I've had strips of GS go off after a month. I am of the opinion that freezing GS causes a chemical breakdown in the "blue stuff", so I never freeze mine.

 

2. Takes paint as easily as plastic.

 

3. Definitely need an armature for human figures. If you were making something flat or round, no you wouldn't need one, but for most figures, yes.

 

4. I  use about the same ratio as Dixon, 60/40.

 

5. I've read the safety data sheet for Greenstuff (aka Kneadatite), there's a warning that it may possibly cause irritation, but other than that it's pretty safe and non-toxic.

 

If you want to buy Greenstuff cheap, look on the internet for Kneadatite; I buy mine in 36" long strips. To prolong it's lifespan, avoid handling it. Cut off a piece and put the rest in a cool dark place away from any chemicals that might react with it.

[djizomdjinn]

1. Cures, rather than dries, as noted. It'll be sticky (and placeable anywhere) for the first half hour, pliable and will take fingerprints for an hour and a half after that, and you can make minor adjustments for an hour after that.

 

2. Might not even need primer. But you can prime and paint too, just in case.

 

3. Yep, make a wire skeleton. I use wire from the hardware store. Brass is probably best.

 

4. 50/50 is good. You should be able to push it up to 60/40 in either direction (any more than that and it'll fail to cure).

 

5. Yes, just wash your hands thoroughly after you sculpt and don't lubricate with spit.

 

 

edit:

Hmm. For your very first epoxy putty, I'd recommend ProCreate, actually. More or less the same, and same price, with a few changes that I think I like better (and one caveat):

 

+ Less sticky than Green Stuff. Still sticky for what you need to stick it to, not so sticky that lubrication is mandatory.

+ Neutral gray color. Much easier to see what you're sculpting.

+ Seems to be more tolerant of off-ratio mixes (though counter-intuitively to GS, adding less hardener results in a faster cure time and stiffer part)

+ Stiffer and has less memory.

 

- Somewhat faster cure time.

Edited August 8, 2015 by djizomdjinn

[Mad Jack]

 Some additional notes on greenstuff...

 

You've got about an hour or so to sculpt fine details and make adjustments, etc... Greenstuff is slightly elastic (It tends to have more "memory" than most of the other putties) and dries slightly flexible (It will rip rather than snap).

 

It takes about three or four hours for GS to cure enough that handling it won't mess up the details. It takes about 24 hours to cure fully.

You can shorten the curing time by making yourself a curing oven - a bit of heat will speed up the curing reaction. Cut a very large door into the side of an old coffee can, punch some appropriately-placed holes and reattach it with some sort of hinges or thick string. Leave a bit of space open at the bottom of the door to let the air go through (and possibly insert a thermometer). Set your work inside and lean a desk lamp with an incandescent bulb in it down over the top of the can so it's about half an inch from touching. If you have an old thermometer of some sort you can use it to keep an eye on the temperature - you don't want it up much over about 95 degrees F. You'll want to keep an eye on it but if it's something thicker than a sword or such you can leave it in for up to an hour or so. By then it will be hard enough that even reasonably rough handling won't mess up the details and you can continue sculpting on it. Cooking it a couple of times will fully cure it.

 

Public Service Announcement: Greenstuff DOES NOT LIKE direct contact with plastic bags or plastic wrap - it will bond on a freakin' molecular level or something and you will never get it off. Best to just keep it in the original package and put that in an airtight bag. Under almost all circumstances it should easily stay good for longer than it takes you to go through it.

I've cracked open a package I'd had unopened on my table for six years and it was still usable six months later.

Edited August 8, 2015 by Mad Jack

[djizomdjinn]

Public Service Announcement: Greenstuff DOES NOT LIKE direct contact with plastic bags or plastic wrap - it will bond on a freakin' molecular level or something and you will never get it off. Best to just keep it in the original package and put that in an airtight bag. Under almost all circumstances it should easily stay good for longer than it takes you to go through it.

I've cracked open a package I'd had unopened on my table for six years and it was still usable six months later.

I rewrapped mine in baking parchment. It works a lot better for me than the original packaging that seems designed to waste half the putty you get.

[Goblyn]

 

 

Public Service Announcement: Greenstuff DOES NOT LIKE direct contact with plastic bags or plastic wrap - it will bond on a freakin' molecular level or something and you will never get it off. Best to just keep it in the original package and put that in an airtight bag. Under almost all circumstances it should easily stay good for longer than it takes you to go through it.

I've cracked open a package I'd had unopened on my table for six years and it was still usable six months later.

 

 

i keep mine in bags and they are fine 

 

[Qwyksilver]

Folks should make sure if they buy the ribbons to separate the two colors and cut out a thin section of the middle where they meet and have already cured due to contact.

 

And Goblyn, I think you need a little more putty.

[TaleSpinner]

Folks should make sure if they buy the ribbons to separate the two colors and cut out a thin section of the middle where they meet and have already cured due to contact.

 

And Goblyn, I think you need a little more putty.

 

That's about what I have, maybe a little less, though after all the stuff I did for Reaper last spring/summer I'm a few tubes down. 

 

Freeze it for even longer shelf life.