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Hi everyone

As per topic just looking for some recommendations on sculpting tools for a total beginner planning to use green stuff for the first time.

Also does green stuff take paint ok or does it need priming? Any other beginner tips would be appreciated too, I have read you need to keep the green stuff and tools wet or lubricated to stop it sticking but don't know much else.

Here's a pic of what I plan to use it on, as you can see part of the model is miscast possibly due to a bubble but it looks like it will be fairly easy to fill it with green stuff then carve the curve in under the detail part.

I would highly recommend a small set of silicone clay shapers as sculpting tools. Dental picks, paper clips and exact knives can be useful too. Keep your tools lubricated with water to help smooth things out.

As for primer...EVERYTHING needs primer. It will give you much better results than painting on the bare material. I like Stynlrez from Badger.

I second the clay/colour shapers (they use both names but are the same product). They are so good I'm surprised GW doesn't sell their own branded option

They come in 3 colours, black (firmest), grey (middle) and white (softest) though even the black is very soft and flexible. Most of the packs you'll see have 5 or so different head shapes, if you only get one a black cone is ideal as a general catch-all tool. However for their cost they are worth getting in sets as they should easily last you years and years of use (just don't get superglue on them).

They let you rub and push and move greenstuff (and other putties) around without marking the surface. Much like small fingers for you to work with, only they won't leave fingerprint marks on them.



After that general "clay" tools are ideal. You can get loads of 12 or so clay tool packs on ebay and in craft shops. All different shapes from picks to cutters and blunt blades etc... Each has a use, though that use might vary from person to person and in general a lot of "how to make specific things" guides will vary depending on the creator. There's also a lot of things that go unsaid or are hard to find - sculpting is far more a niche so there's a fair bit of hunting for articles or trial and error.



After the tools the best three bits of advice I've got from my experiences:
1) Whatever bit of greenstuff you select for a job - cut it in half. In general less is more and its much easier to build up layers than cut out greenstuff once placed

2) Extension of point 1 - build up things in layers/stages rather than stating with a thick lump. Greenstuff, and others, are generally "sticky" when being worked with so its much easier to work them by adding than subtracting material

3) Water. Keep your tools wet. Water will create a barrier so that you can work the material without it sticking to tools. Regularly dip the tools/fingres into water to keep them wet and you'll be fine. It won't stop greenstuf sticking to itself, but it will stop you tools sticking to it.

I've read that you can use oil - such as cooking/olive oil - and that it will remain on the tool/greenstuff for far longer which gives you a longer working time before you have to wet the tool with oil again. However if you use oil you will have to wash the model just like a resin model (once the greenstuff is fully cured) otherwise primer and glues might have trouble sticking properly.
Note I've no idea, but would assume that if you use oil then working greenstuff against greenstuff will reduce the "stickiness" of it to itself (again because of the oil barrier). So this trick is likely best when working over a very large single surface where you want to keep working the material but not adding or subtracting material.




As for primer, it will take primer perfectly fine. You might find you need a second coat over it to fully cover the material, but it will take primer just fine.

Note also keep an eye out for materials like Delux Perfect Putty - this material comes in a tube and is a thick liquid when fresh from the tube. It is a bit more brittle, when dry, compared to greenstuff, but because its very smooth you can work it into very tiny gaps and smooth over them with wet tools; then sand/polish/scrape the surface clean once its dry. Basically giving you a material ideal for filling very tiny cracks and gaps in models.

A couple of thoughts from one beginner to the next...

1. Yes, you should always prime, and green stuff or other putties need a layer of basecoat too. That said, it soaks up paint pretty well, so if what you are asking is if it is more complicated to paint or if it is harder to get paint to stick to sculpted areas, then no. Actually I find I enjoy painting on GS.

2. You don't NEED dedicated sculpting tools, but they sure do help. I have been using mostly old dentist equipment, tooth picks and knifes for the last couple of weeks since I got back into the hobby, but yesterday I bought a set of Sculpting Tools from Green Stuff World and boy oh boy do I like them. I can tell you that already after having only one day to play with them. A set of 3 (comes with a specialized tip on both ends, so you get 6 functional tools) set me back around 8 euros I think. Well worth it.

3. Many advocate for water when working with GS, but I find that water can sometime stiffen GS up a bit, at times you want it smooth and soft, so I prefer to use a mild moisturizer creme, (one dedicated to face application and without perfume or other stuff should do), when working with GS. Just applying it on my hands and chosen tools before i kneed the GS together.

4. Try to source GS where the yellow and the blue side doesn't touch in the packaging. If you can't find it, then remember to remove the parts that touched when you cut out a portion for use. If you don't, then you will find hard, unsculptable pieces in your mix. Why every supplier doesn't sell it separated is beyond me, but there you go.

Also... Sculpting is great fun, try it for more than just repair work when you get that far you won't regret it!

Thanks for all the responses. I have ordered a set of 5 black silicone shapers to start with.

The primer question was because the model is already primed but I can give that area an extra cost of primer after sculpting if needed.

Will let you know how I get on.

Just a thought - if you look direct south of the part you've ringed you can see a small bubble in one of the spine-blades. That's the kind of thing that the more liquid material I mentioned can fill very nicely.

You can also fill it with greenstuff as well, the softer material is just (once you're used to it) easier to work with I find.

Silicone shapers for sure are the way to go for most things, definitely step #1 to having an easier experience. Other than that a few things immediately spring to mind:


Priming-wise you can always just use a brush-on primer to prime just that small area you've green stuffed - Vallejo's surface primer is what I've used for that in the past.

Water - Don't used too much. In particular when working with thin layers of greenstuff, but in general you need to make sure you aren't drowning your GS with water, just a tiny amount to allow your tools to not stick. If you have too much water: 1) you can affect the surface and get little bits pilling up and 2) you can stop the greenstuff sticking where you want it to stick. The amount of water needed it not an especially hard balance to master really, just bare in mind less is more - if you tools aren't sticking, then you don't need more water.

Glue - Don't get near wet greenstuff with any type of glue. If you are having trouble getting it to stick, you are using too much water. If you are worried the join won't be strong enough when it's cured hard, you can easily break it off and glue it after the fact. Glue and uncured GS is a recipe for a mess and you should avoid it if you can.

When trying to get a smooth finish - this can be difficult when the greenstuff is freshly mixed. One of the big advantages of GS is that it gradually hardens over time, going through lot of different stages that are all perfectly workable before becoming completely hard. Once you have the general shape of what you want to make, you might find that you are having difficultly making the surface flat and smooth, in which case just let it sit for and hour or two. Once it has cured a little, you will find it much easier to smooth flat, as the surface will deform much less when apply pressure, so you have much greater control and you won't accidentally make big gouges or impressions with your tool.

Break it down in stages - don't feel that you need to sculpt the whole thing with one application of GS. Sculpt part of it, let it cure hard, then sculpt another part. It's a much more forgiving way of working and you'll find it a lot easier if you break it down into stages.

For your specific job maybe look at it in two sections, as highlighted in the spoilered image:

...Maybe try sculpting that more smooth green area first, get it flat and level with the rest of the mini and let it cure. Then work on top of it to get the shape for the red part. If you are ever having trouble sculpting something, breaking it down into smaller and smaller pieces nearly always makes it easier


Lastly maybe an unhelpful bit of advice: Try milliput. I assume you already have some green stuff, in which case definitely give it a go, you can certainly get the job done with it. That being said, milliput I would say is more suited to the application that you are using it for. Milliput smooths flat very easily, and making it blend into an existing edge like there is where the bubbles end is also much easier than with greenstuff. Greenstuff has a little flex to it and can be worked back and forth repeatedly without it breaking, and it it excellent for sculpting detail and smaller, more fiddly parts as a result. Milliput is a much less useful tool for full on 'sculpting' IMO, but is very good for gap-filling and repair simple jobs. If greenstuff is giving you a hard time, try milliput - it'll also make fixing some of those tiny bubbles really easy too. Again, it can certainly be done with GS, but in my experience milliput is better suited for such tasks.

Not gonna add much, but you can also mix Gs will milliput in addition to the above post. Milliput it also better for general filler and you get a butt tonne of it in a pack.

Thanks again, this is all really useful info.

Love the suggestion of sculpting it in two parts of too, that never would have occurred to me but would probably help with the small ridge at the bottom of the oval.

Milliput seems cheap enough and I'm going to need to wait for the tools to arrive anyway so which colour milliput should I order? I am seeing grey, black, white and terracotta.

I’ve found Vaseline works better than water for getting a smooth finish, as it persists on the tools and the surface your smoothing, but it does mean you need to wash off the surface before priming. You don’t need a lot, I just dip the tool in and remove it so it gets a thin film.

And, yes, talk of dipping tools in Vaseline is a double entendre gold mine...

Yellow milliput is the standard one. I believe grey is a finer version for better detailing. I have no idea what the other colours designate.

I have a set of 'wax carvers' for sculpting:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rolson-59137-Wax-Carver-Set/dp/B001MJ0JPE/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=wax+carver&qid=1575553167&sr=8-5

Also to check for imperfections, rub the area with your finger. The oil on your finger will give the green stuff a sheen which will help see the bits that need work.

To smooth it after its set, scrape lightly with a new scalpel blade. Don't try to file it as the GS will probably end up tearing.

You can mix milliput with GS. This will file ok & will help bulk out the more expensive GS. Note that milliput is very sticky - lube with water not vaseline.

Don't buy it in strips, buy it in a tube like this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Stuff-Yellow-Epoxy-Putty/dp/B002MB61RQ/ref=sr_1_20?keywords=kneadite&qid=1575553456&sr=8-20
This one is badly priced IMO, you should be able to find it for around £12.

Finally, keep your GS in the freezer to keep it fresh. Snip of what you need as you go.

Thanks for the continued replies, had no idea this would be such a popular topic.

So it sounds like milliput will be better for the job, would the standard yellow referred to by QAR be best or the finer grey or white versions? I am assuming I will only need one pack as opposed to say a white and black that you mix together?

Jamie Shred wrote:
Thanks for the continued replies, had no idea this would be such a popular topic.

So it sounds like milliput will be better for the job, would the standard yellow referred to by QAR be best or the finer grey or white versions? I am assuming I will only need one pack as opposed to say a white and black that you mix together?

milliput can be a pain to work with. it sets like rock though. I always use white. it does age & I usually end up throwing most of it away.
I'd stick with GS due to being able to store it for ages with little or no deterioration. Plus it's easier to clean up and easier for a beginner imo.

I use bog standard yellow milli. It's fine and will be more than suitable for a gap filling job like that. Mix it with GS to get the best properties of both. Smoothness of GS with the hardness and file ability of milli


I've had a pack of milli I bought 4 years ago and it's still going strong. The grey part does harden a little on the outside but you just cut it up well and mix it up.

Had a go and I think it's come out ok, definitely looks much better than a big hole

Thanks again for all the advice.

Greta work man!

I would recommend magicsculpt as a material. I much prefer it to GS. It hardens much better IMO.

I use petroleum jelly Vaseline as a lubricant. Water works too but can dry quick and you might end up with some unforeseen drag/sticking.