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Has anyone any experience with recycling sprue by melting/heating it in a liquid or semi liquid/plyable state?? I have used it (melted) in limited quantities to make rock/jump points for my jump pack troops, but has anyone ever melted down sprue to use as a resin subsitute?

I say this because I have an inordinant amout of the stuff and do not want to see it in a landfill, but my GF says it has to get gone fast.

Anyone?

Never done it.

But a friend of mine has and recommends adding a little soap.

I have no idea why.

Doesn't melt down well at all, it is thermosetting plastic which means that as it was done under immense heat and pressure, it's chemical state has changed and will no longer melt, only burn.

winnertakesall wrote:Doesn't melt down well at all, it is thermosetting plastic which means that as it was done under immense heat and pressure, it's chemical state has changed and will no longer melt, only burn.

This. ^

The only thing empty sprues are good for is rubble/scenery and making the place look untidy (the latter of which isn't really helpful).

IIRC GW use them to make bases, as that is all they can do. I seem to remember at Gamesday (UK) the have huge bins full of empty sprues so maybe you could take it there if you really didn't want it going to a landfill.

Basically as said above, the plastic is not designed to remelt...otherwise our minis would be constantly melting from being left in the sun...

That said, the plastic will melt given enough heat, however i doubt it will ever melt into a useable substance...

-kizzap

Personally I use sprue as the framework / basing tool for scratchbuilds to get round that 50% of the model must be GW product rule for in store use

Oh and by the way, it also gives off poisonous fumes when you try and melt it, possibly a failsafe put in by GW, so I wouldn't recomend melting it at all for two reason:

1. Poison fumes
2.Doesn't work

Although it is handy stuff to have, you can use them in modelling, for framework, rubble, making basic buildings ect.

It's NOT a failsafe PUT IN by GW.

It's a chemical side-effect of the compound reacting to heat.
It's a property of the styrene plastics group.

I was joking, merely a lighthearted jab at GW marketing techniques

Melting plastic is a bad idea. Do not melt plastic. Unless you really like toxic fumes that is, in which case knock yourself out.

chromedog wrote:It's NOT a failsafe PUT IN by GW.

It's a chemical side-effect of the compound reacting to heat.
It's a property of the styrene plastics group.

I seem to remember that styrene can be dissolved by gasoline. I wonder if the heat changed that too?

ChaosDave wrote:

chromedog wrote:It's NOT a failsafe PUT IN by GW.

It's a chemical side-effect of the compound reacting to heat.
It's a property of the styrene plastics group.

I seem to remember that styrene can be dissolved by gasoline. I wonder if the heat changed that too?

Um, isn't styrene + gasoline = napalm?

nectarprime wrote:
Um, isn't styrene + gasoline = napalm?

no

nectarprime wrote:

ChaosDave wrote:

chromedog wrote:It's NOT a failsafe PUT IN by GW.

It's a chemical side-effect of the compound reacting to heat.
It's a property of the styrene plastics group.

I seem to remember that styrene can be dissolved by gasoline. I wonder if the heat changed that too?

Um, isn't styrene + gasoline = napalm?

More or less yes...

Great, we've gone from cheap resin substitutes to weapons banned by the geneva convention...

Leigen_Zero wrote:

nectarprime wrote:

ChaosDave wrote:

chromedog wrote:It's NOT a failsafe PUT IN by GW.

It's a chemical side-effect of the compound reacting to heat.
It's a property of the styrene plastics group.

I seem to remember that styrene can be dissolved by gasoline. I wonder if the heat changed that too?

Um, isn't styrene + gasoline = napalm?

More or less yes...

Great, we've gone from cheap resin substitutes to weapons banned by the geneva convention...

See even sprues can be useful. Recycling is the name of the game, only with this you get to recycle with fire!

There was a thread with some good scratchbuilt terrain made from sprue as a more constructive and non flouting of Geneva Convestion type of way.

I have chopped it up soaked it in liquid poly cement and made a filler, but tbh it is just easier to use superglue and talc.

Maybe I need a blendtech blender, powderize it and make "rubble/rocks/" for scenic bases?

Or a meat grinder for, like, 30 bucks.

From everything I am reading, and this is the internet so who knows what is right, the Geneva Convention and international law do not prohibit the use of napalm on military targets. They only prohibit the use of napalm and similar incendiary weapons on civilians and in general should be employed to just cause unnecessary suffering to individuals. Even then there are stipulations to that.

This is the best read I found so far was this: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/incendiary-legal.htm even if it is a bit slanted to a USA view of things, IMO.

So it sounds like flame on to me!

Synchro wrote:From everything I am reading, and this is the internet so who knows what is right, the Geneva Convention and international law do not prohibit the use of napalm on military targets. They only prohibit the use of napalm and similar incendiary weapons on civilians and in general should be employed to just cause unnecessary suffering to individuals. Even then there are stipulations to that.

This is the best read I found so far was this: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/incendiary-legal.htm even if it is a bit slanted to a USA view of things, IMO.

So it sounds like flame on to me!

Since we are civilians here(i.e. none of us is representing a military force or government) the Geneva convention wouldn't actually apply anyway. Ownership and use of napalm or other flammable materials would be a local government thing as each country would have its own laws for this.

Brother SRM wrote:Melting plastic is a bad idea. Do not melt plastic. Unless you really like toxic fumes that is, in which case knock yourself out.

Quite literally.

Connor McKane wrote:Maybe I need a blendtech blender, powderize it and make "rubble/rocks/" for scenic bases?

I've used an electric spice grinder to grind up old sprue for rubble and basing grit... it's a lot of work though, and rips the grinder to pieces eventually.

Brother SRM wrote:Melting plastic is a bad idea. Do not melt plastic. Unless you really like toxic fumes that is, in which case knock yourself out.

Litera...

Will20017 wrote:Quite literally.

Damnit!

Not sure what your options are in the US, but up here we can put the sprues in with the plastic/metal recycling and somewhere, somehow I hope it becomes something better...
Otherwise, I second the numerous recommendations above to re-use for rubble, structural support, painting support, etc...

Will20017 wrote:
Quite literally.

Reminds me of the guy who wanted to do snow basing and was going to crush up lightbulbs for the snow. I don't think I need to explain why powdered glass is never something you want to spend much time near...

nectarprime wrote:
Um, isn't styrene + gasoline = napalm?

No.

Napthalene+Palm oil is NaPalm. Napalm2 is a gelled gasoline (new, improved, even more sticky.) "... and napalm sticks to kids ...".

Styrene + gasoline is a stabilised gel form of gasoline. It's also carcinogenic.
It's also a good way to ensure that the local firies don't just "let it burn" when the old wooden shed has drums (44ga) of the stuff in it. You've never seen them move so fast.

Make spruecrons.

Seriously, if done right they make convincing necron models. And they're getting a revamp, right?
Why not have the new op army for essentially free?

...I'm quite sure there's 3 different conversations going on right now on this 1 single thread. More internet excellence...

Anyway: Nah, not napalm, just an Anarchist Cookbook wanna-be version of the stuff. I would get a cheap blender from the local dollar store, and go nuts. Broke it?
Twas only a dollar.

Melting plastics doesn't release any fumes, as long as you're only melting it (change of state). Soon as you start burning it (change of chemistry), THEN you've got crap on your hands. Thus a thermosetting plastic is gonna be pretty crappy.

Crushed glass for snow? Why haven't I thought of this?!
It would be so shiny! Oh wait...(*insert copious amounts of blood here*)

Brother SRM wrote:Melting plastic is a bad idea. Do not melt plastic. Unless you really like toxic fumes that is, in which case knock yourself out.

And the puns keep coming...

But yah do not melt it down

I LOVE THE SMELL OF SPRUE IN THE MORNING!


And why argue about how napalm is made.... here educate yourselves. LOL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napalm