Jings. Impatient much?
Have to agree that the 5-minute epoxies aren't much cop for more than quick gap-filling. And to Sean: the problem is that those are the only putties you can regularly find in British hardware shops! (B&Q is the biggest chain over here, but I still feel a twinge of disappointment when I look at their pitiful glues 'n' putties section. Surprised to hear Lazzurus can find milliput there!)
Milliput was another one developed for plumbing and DIY repairs, but ironically you're much more likely to find it in hobby, art and craft shops. (Which are exactly the three shops where I can get it in Belfast, and nowhere else offline) But Lazzurus, if you've used green stuff before, be aware that milliput handles
very differently. Rather than the elastic, chewing-gum consistency of
GS, it's quite claylike, a wee bit messy (particularly on tools and fingertips) and 'tears' rather than stretching. It's slightly water-soluble, so if you use a lot of water as tool lubrication it can create a slippery layer (just like 'clay slip') that can create more mess and prevent the putty sticking to the intended surface.
Like I say, that's a word of caution, not a warning to put you off it. It does have advantages too: it's much easier to smooth, and to model sharper edges in milliput than green stuff. It cures hard rather than rubbery, and be quite easily carved and filed afterwards. In that way you can smooth over any little hiccups in your sculpting, cut extra details, and sand sharp edges even sharper. And yep, it costs as little as £2 for a 1/4 lb.
It just needs a little getting used to, maybe more than some other putties, but
when you know what you're doing...
Tips for general sculpting, but especially relevant for milliput:
- Wash up well after use. (especially hands and fingers after mixing)
- Get a balance between too much and too little water lube. (Personally, I use a piece of wet sponge in a shallow dish to moisten my tools, rather than have them dripping wet) Alternatively, use an oil-based lubricant like vaseline.
- Stick the putty on when it's freshly mixed, and most sticky. It'll also help if there's something on the model to give extra purchase, like a roughed-up surface, grooves or notches. Form it into rough shapes, like a 'sketch', at this point.
- Then leave the putty for a while. In the case of green stuff it's not strictly necessary, but it lets the stickiness calm down a bit and the putty firm up a bit, making it easier to work. With
GS a wait of 15-20 mins in usually mentioned. (by which time you'll probably have finished, or are still doing, the rough shaping anyway)
In the case of milliput a pause in sculpting is even more recommended. It lets those wee little polymers start binding together, reducing the fragile softness, crumbliness and water-solubility of fresh putty, and leaving a more pleasant and workable texture. It can be left up to a hour, though that depends on local temperatures and is about the upper limit.
Me, I like mixing a bit of green stuff into milliput. The elastic nature of
GS also helps bind the milliput together. The thing is, you need
GS for that in the first place...
Any reason why
GS is a problem to order? Is it mostly the wait, or explaining the expense to your parents? Do you know you can get it cheaper (or at least in better-value amounts) than at
GW? Procreate - a pretty good putty, particularly for beginners - be had for similar prices.
