Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

G'day guys, Haven't had too much experience with Green Stuff, but was wondering about something.

1.I will be doing a LARGE wounded area I have to fill in with Plastic card/Green Stuff, and was concerned about the "curing time" that I have? Anyone know how long roughly I would have to stuff around when it comes to shaping and adding?

Brad.

Just keep the green stuff a little wet and your tools when working with it. I at least leave my GS overnight to cure before I start to paint it.

Hope this helps.

Greenstuff has a work time of about an hour so you should be fine.

Awesome Thanks fellas!

Good tip, coat your tool in either lip stick, or Vaseline while working with it.

Green stuff will give you about 30~40 min to play with it, before it 'sets' but it takes a full 24 hours to fully cure

And can I add to the Green stuff after the 24 hrs is up? Like to build things up for instance?

Wouldn't the Vaseline leave a shiny layer?

Thanks for the help fellas too

 Bradles wrote:
And can I add to the Green stuff after the 24 hrs is up? Like to build things up for instance?

Of course you can, you can add as many layers as you want. Plus you don't have to wait 24hrs in between layers.
I just let it cure for a few hours but then add some more. Haven't seen any problems doing that way.

Bonus tip.. Store your GS in the freezer once mixed. It will give you a longer working time..

And also worth mentioning as an option would be Milliput.
It's way more affordable and also has some different properties to GS. Milliput cures completely solid. Whereas GS flexes a little. This flex can be mitigated to a degree by altering the ratio of Yellow to Blue.
But.. There's also the option og mixing both Milliput and GS for something with a little bit of both properties..
Also. Milliput mixed with water makes for a better for most modelling applications in my book Liquid Green Stuff substitute.

There are many sources online from people who knows this stuff waaaay better than myself. And quite a few are here on Dakka..

And as for Vaseline.. I personally dont use it. I use my paintwater for lubrication of the tools..

I keep my un-mixed GS in the freezer.

I've worked a lot with GS. A 50/50 mix gives a reasonable 40 minutes of time before it gets too rubbery and starts holding creases etc. I have worked over previous GS as soon as 4 hours, but be warned, it will still flex. Be aware of room temp. I live in the Mojave, so GS cures faster. Cold slows it. If you are working over a flat area with a base to work on (say, on a Greater demons belly) you can work over it sooner,.If your GS is supporting itself (a cape, hair) wait the full 24 hours. More blue equals stiffer GS, generally good for sharp corners. More yellow equals softer GS, longer to cure etc.

I like chapstick on my tools ans GS as a non stick method. I place the GS, spread it with just saliva on the tool (yeah, yuck), then once ready to shape and sculpt, I open a chapstick (or any lipbalm, I realize Chapstick is an American Brand name) and rub tool across the balm. The tool glides easy, and this is the absolute secret to smooth results. Now, when it dries, wipe the balm off with something (again, I find saliva works great) before you apply the next layer of GS. Note, I use latex tipped tools for clay sculpting (its weird, but GS rarely sticks to latex), and then dental style metal for detail.

If you mix a big batch and think you won't have time to sculpt, you can gain an extra hour or two by sticking a blob in the freezer. The cold slows the reaction that hardens the GS. I have used this many times. Just breathe on the hard cold blob and it will come back to life. I will say I have never left it in the freezer mixed for more than an hour tops, so can't say how long.

If you want to speed up drying time use heat. A blow dryer can cut drying time massively, but it takes a little trial and error to figure out how long. A lot of pro sculptors use the heat trick to speed up the process.

I also tend to go to work as soon as I mix GS. Some people suggest waits of anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. Some of those people are MUCH better than I am at sculpting, so...
Check my gallery for my results, and make a judgement if I know anything.
And last, Good luck man!! Let us see some results!

Guys just wanted to say thank you very much! I will attempt maybe this weekend. Got work this morning....YAY! -_-

Will definitely post one I am happy with the results!

edwardmyst really nailed the GS basics there

Just to add my own two cents, here is my advice I gave to someone else asking a similar question.

Some small bits of advice when working with green stuff.

Use Vaseline, or some kind of oil to keep your GS tool lubricated so the GS does not stick to it (Saliva works well too as well as the natural skin oils from your nose/face).

If you're modeling a small piece it can help to put a tiny spot of superglue to stick the GS in place.

You can change the mix of blue/yellow to whatever suits your needs. more yellow tends to make the putty softer to work with. this can have advantages when working on flat surfaces but will be more affected by gravity (drooping) I think it also takes longer to cure and will cure softer (so good for twisting into ropes which you can later bend and attach at will.

More blue makes it much stickier and firmer to work with which can be good if you're doing smaller or protruding details as it will be less likely to lose shape.

You can also sculpt the GS into the general shape of what you're wanting, let it cure for 20min or so, and come back to it where it will be more resistant to your sculpting and allows for sharper corners, details, and edges.

As for what tools to use is completely up to you.
My favourite GS tool is a small metal thingie from a manicure set. I think it's to treat your cuticles or something.
My other tools are my xacto knife and a small set of interchangeable heads of various shapes that fit into a pin vice (this I got from some card making webstore)

Hope this helps you out in the future. Enjoy working with GS