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How do you guys remove mold lines from places that are delicate with details? Talking about hands/wrists/knuckles for example. Doing my very best with an exacto, but can it be done without losing details?

I just use a sharp knife.
Hold it vertical on the line and gently scrape it sideways.
Stops it gouging chunks from the part and clears the line well.

I use a scalpel as the blade ends are much thinner and pointier which makes it easier to get into smaller gaps. Otherwise its a case of practice and simply cleaning dozens of models and getting used to the movement of the blade.

Good lighting really helps a lot, a powerful directional light can be a big saver in spotting lines and keeping an eye on them whilst removing the line without hitting detail.

At times you're going to lose some detail or risk it at least. That's unavoidable and you have to make a call. Sometimes you can't easily remove a bit of line, but if you can clean the line lead too and away from it, the bit you leave simply appears like a minor bit of detail on the model.

some are also in recesses and tight spots where honestly they won't be spotted.

Training and more training.

The thinner and sharper the blade is, the harder it is to use imo, so i use a dulled down small folding knife and scrape more then cutting the mold line. Since it is the same knife i have used for the past 4 years, i know how it handles and how mutch force i need to apply.
Ofc that dont mean it is a pefect removal, but it is suitable for my painting level.

Files are too big for ouer minis, even needlefiles, so a blade is basicly the best option.

Posting on that thread because I do not feel like opening a new one (maybe a 'megathread' where you can drop a question without having to open a thread could be a good thing)

so I'm trimming down csm with a hobby knife, and just wanted to check if I'm doing something wrong or just being inexperienced as it takes me at least 40-60 min to clean up a model depending on number of pieces. those dang flash lines are hard to get on the power armor :/

Krylon wrote:

so I'm trimming down csm with a hobby knife, and just wanted to check if I'm doing something wrong or just being inexperienced as it takes me at least 40-60 min to clean up a model depending on number of pieces. those dang flash lines are hard to get on the power armor :/

Nothing abnormal with that at all. Once on the path to cleaning mould lines it seriously slows down your building speed. Experience, both in general and with specific models, will help you speed up. It should also be noted that once you can "see" mouldlines on models then more time spent cleaning before you prime can help save you a lot of time scraping at lines which appear when you put that first layer of paint on (which then requires scraping and then patching in the primer with white paint etc...)

One benefit is some areas of high detail, once you remove the majority of the mouldlines, any that remain can "vanish" into the general high detail once you lose that leading line effect.

I would say its a matter of practice.
The more models you do, the more of a better hand you'll get on removing certain between fine nooks and crannies without causing any damage to parts.

In the meantime, you can always utilize some green stuff to patch any chips or accidental cuts.

I recently cut off a heel-claw on a Genestealer I was working on. Green stuff replaces it and makes everything like it never happened.

 Tim 121RVC wrote:
How do you guys remove mold lines from places that are delicate with details? Talking about hands/wrists/knuckles for example. Doing my very best with an exacto, but can it be done without losing details?

https://excelblades.com/products/6-micro-stencil-blade

Or brand of choice/convenience. Maybe blunted a bit so it's less carvey, more scrapey.

I struggle with mould lines on ribbed cabling. Would love advice on the best way of getting rid of these.

Use a scalpel, or similar, and gently move it over the mold line. Repeat with more pressure again and again, you will peel away the mold line.

Has anyone tried Extra-Thin Cement to melt the moldlines?

I actually find sharp sculpting tools work quite well, similar in principle to the GW mould line removal. I also agree that it’s one of the few times when a dull knife blade is better; a sharp blade has to much risk of digging in or shaving off detail.

 Mothsniper wrote:
Has anyone tried Extra-Thin Cement to melt the moldlines?

Eh the issue is you'd likely get a bit of a "wave edge" effect from the glue. So you might deal with the single line, but you'd have a glue line either side of the area you applied glue too. It would also be very hard to do on anything that wasn't a very open and flat area and if you messed it up you could get in a lot of mess very fast (because basically if you mess up with plastic glue the only real solution is to leave it a day until its fully cured before trying to remove it).

 Overread wrote:

 Mothsniper wrote:
Has anyone tried Extra-Thin Cement to melt the moldlines?

Eh the issue is you'd likely get a bit of a "wave edge" effect from the glue. So you might deal with the single line, but you'd have a glue line either side of the area you applied glue too. It would also be very hard to do on anything that wasn't a very open and flat area and if you messed it up you could get in a lot of mess very fast (because basically if you mess up with plastic glue the only real solution is to leave it a day until its fully cured before trying to remove it).

Yeah, sharp knife is prob best option.
I just seen some folk use cement to melt tiny plastics shavings, and wondered if it will work for very thing mold-lines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmy5vk3fk3s (Jump to 10:16)

I’ve only been at this a few months. Here’s what I have learned.

If I agitate the mold line ... softly ... with sand paper stick ... it may come off. No scrape needed. If it does not, it does become easier to remove after a few light passes with the sand paper.

Sometimes a light scratch by the backside of the Exacto works. It’s just enough.

As was stated, this is an art/science sort of thing and more I have done better I have gotten.

Spoons71 wrote:
I’ve only been at this a few months. Here’s what I have learned.

If I agitate the mold line ... softly ... with sand paper stick ... it may come off. No scrape needed. If it does not, it does become easier to remove after a few light passes with the sand paper.

Sometimes a light scratch by the backside of the Exacto works. It’s just enough.

As was stated, this is an art/science sort of thing and more I have done better I have gotten.

I suppose sand paper could be of use in particularly tight cramped corners. Ive always managed to make it work with a fine tipped modelling file and finishing with an exacto in the tightest crevices I was unable to reach. To each their own I suppose.

Grab some fine-grit sandpaper or an emery board (the kind used for nails). They're less aggressive than an exacto knife and can help smooth out those lines without taking away too much detail. Just be patient and gentle in your approach, and you should be able to achieve a cleaner look without sacrificing the finer features.

This chat AI thing is becoming really quite clever, impressive - ingtaer

I like to use the following tools for cleanup (including mold line removal)
• A sharp exacto blade
• A dull exacto blade
• GW Mold Line Remover
• AK Sanding sticks
• AK Fibreglass pen

Kind of depends on the context which one I will reach for at any given situation. I prefer a dull exacto blade to a sharp one most of the time, as using a dull blade is more forgiving.

Sanding sticks can be used wet or dry, if you use a lower grit, I strongly recommend wet sanding in order to prevent "sanding rash".

The glass fibre pen can be a useful tool for dealing with cleaning up irregularly shaped bitz