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2023/06/13 21:17:32
Subject: Material for stamping/molding sculpted bases.
I'm wondering if there's a better/cheaper material than greenstuff for making bases with a texture roller or stamp. For a while I've been using a silicone texture stamp to make ruins/flagstone bases for my Sisters of Battle. I tried milliput, which was very messy and had basically no adhesion to the plastic base--the cured milliput would fall off and I'd have to super glue it back on.
Mostly I've been using greenstuff. It seems expensive when doing a lot of bases; and when I try to use a roller on it it tends to curl up onto the roller rather than lying flat. Are there other materials that might work better? Wondering about stuff like air-drying clay.
2023/06/13 21:26:02
Subject: Material for stamping/molding sculpted bases.
Hankovitch wrote: I'm wondering if there's a better/cheaper material than greenstuff for making bases with a texture roller or stamp. For a while I've been using a silicone texture stamp to make ruins/flagstone bases for my Sisters of Battle. I tried milliput, which was very messy and had basically no adhesion to the plastic base--the cured milliput would fall off and I'd have to super glue it back on.
Mostly I've been using greenstuff. It seems expensive when doing a lot of bases; and when I try to use a roller on it it tends to curl up onto the roller rather than lying flat. Are there other materials that might work better? Wondering about stuff like air-drying clay.
'Green Stuff' is just a colloquial name for one specific mixture of epoxy putty. There are literally hundreds of formulations of multi-component epoxy putties for all sorts of uses, and their characteristics can vary wildly just by changing the relation of the components to each other, and can be further influenced by adding fillers, curing agents, agents that alter the viscosity and other stuff and so on. If you take a trip to your local hardware store, you'll probably find a selection of stuff that could potentially be used for your projects, and if you want to do a lot of bases buying at hardware store bulk prices is much better for your budget anyway. The hobby stuff is not fundamentally different from the bulk stuff (other than being much more expensive), usually it's just coloured for convenience while the bulk stuff tends to be grey-ish to beige.
2023/06/13 22:46:03
Subject: Material for stamping/molding sculpted bases.
For the roller sticking, most household oils or even just water will work as a release agent for greenstuff. Like if you're spreading the greenstuff on the base first, try hitting with a spritz of water from a spray bottle before you use the roller on it. No real mess to clean up but does a fair job of stopping sticking. This is probably the simplest and quickest option though not the cheapest in the long term.
Another option might be to make a few 'master' bases then just make press-molds of them. Primarily this cuts down on the mess if you want to try milliput again, though you'll likely want to glue it to the base when it finishes curing. You might also try something like Plaster of Paris or another molding / sculpting plaster to make the base tops with the molds. I've been using the same carton of Woodland Scenics' mold-a-scene plaster for ages for adding base details. They're cheaper and while a bit more fragile than cured milliput I've never had trouble with it for this sort of thing. Though if you're worried about the plaster chipping I've found just brushing on some cheap PVA school glue before painting protects it well enough.
You can get a bag of re-useable thermo plastic (usually sold as beads or sometimes bars) from lots of places including amazon for fairly cheap. It works a treat for making simple molds like this and you can just reheat and make a new one if the mold is wrong or worn out or you just need it for something else. I frequently use it for casting parts or bases out of milliput and greenstuff.
For ruins it can also work great to make a big sheet of the tiled / flagstone texture in plaster then just break off bits to glue on your bases, complete with a few crumbled up bits or your typical flocking sands to add the more rubble-ish bits.
Hope it helps!
*Oh, and I almost forgot! You can also check out some sheets of textured plasticard for a tile base. I usually found those in the model train section or even for the new 'fairy garden' fad and they're also available online at amazon or hobby retailers.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2023/06/14 11:13:27
2023/06/16 21:56:00
Subject: Material for stamping/molding sculpted bases.
I mix green stuff and milliput together for mine. It's the best of both worlds. Not quite so firm as gs, smoother than milliput. A bit of talc on the work surface and on the 'pin and it all comes out perfectly.
I have used DazAirdry clay with (greenstuff) roller and it works buuuuut, the material can only go so thin, not good for bases only for terrain, longer dry time, and it dries as hard as packed cardboard. Get some, playground with it, its fun material.
Magicsculpt and other 2 part putties are pricy, but you can lay then on THIN with suuuuper crispy details!! Brush a dusting of Bagbalm into the roller texture to help it not stick to the putty.
Caulking is ok, but: can also be pricy, depending on what type it might have strong chemical smell, might have long dry times, also not all Caulking made equal, get some and test it to see how it dries to see if it works for what you need. I have used Caulking for molds, as a substitute for silicone material.
Try that Oven-Bake clay. You can roll it out thiiiin thin and it shouldn't stick into the roller details.
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