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Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





UK

Hi, I have used milliput standard on my projects for a while now, specially to replicate bits and modifying on the go, or modeling stuff from scratch.
But, a few months ago I have develop a skin allergic reaction to it (I believe is the yellow component before mixing it), and even when using gloves and masks, and being super carefull of not directly touching the material... I am putting myself for a bad time for a couple weeks.

Thus, I am looking for an alternative with a different composition but same caracteristics. Preferable different brand all together. No clays that require hardening in an oven either.

What do I like about it? It's super cheap, is pretty soft when mixing it, takes only 3-4 hours to harden, and is quite strong, not too brittle or flexible.. It does have a little bit of a dusty behavior when scratched, but holds up really well for any modifications after hardened. It captures details in molds really well!

I have also tried milliput Terractoa, but I am not completely sure I can use it safely (same brand, and it does have half of the same composition still with the grey part of the mix). It is also much harder when mixing it, and a bit brittle when still soft, making modeling a little bit less ideal than milliput standard.
Green stuff is quite good, but is 3-4 times as expensive, really annoyingly sticky and for making big models is just impractical Takes almost a day to harden, and is annoying to modify post-hardening.. It will probably not break, but will bend a lot since is really flexible unless you add an steel armature inside. everything.

Any ideas?

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2021/06/07 22:05:08


Serve the Emperor today, for tomorrow you may be be dead.
Painting blog:
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/793314.page
 
   
Made in ca
Regular Dakkanaut





Oh Canada!

Apoxie Sculpt & Fixit Sculpt (both by Aves) is the other two-part modelling compound I know of that is smoothable with water and sandable when dry. However it may well use the same compounds as Milliput, I have no idea. I do know of individuals who have had allergic reactions to it after repeated exposures.
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





UK

Fire_Forever wrote:
Apoxie Sculpt & Fixit Sculpt (both by Aves)

Thanks for your response! I looked them up and seem to be much more expensive, right? By the looks of them they seem to have the same composition since they look and react exacly the same as milliput, but I will dig a bit into it.

Fire_Forever wrote:
I do know of individuals who have had allergic reactions to it after repeated exposures.

That sounds like what I got. I have used milliput before, around 1 and 3 months non-stop, around a year ago, without any issues. Then by the end of the 3rd month I had the first reaction. I did not make the connection then, since it seemed like a random thing, but now everytime I even get close to it I get some type of reaction, depending on how much contact I have, always same symptoms. I can control them to a manageable level with protection while using it, and I got the right medicine to stop the reaction to get any worse in case it sky-rockets.

You know anything about those individuals you mentioned? Tips, alternatives or any way to deal with it?

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/06/07 22:15:10


Serve the Emperor today, for tomorrow you may be be dead.
Painting blog:
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/793314.page
 
   
Made in ca
Regular Dakkanaut





Oh Canada!

Unfortunately the only remedy I've heard of is avoiding all direct contact with the putty, which tends to be difficult. There are other sculpting putties on the market but they're niche products and usually far more expensive than Milliput from what I've seen.

If Greenstuff doesn't set you off, that might be worth switching over to even though it's more expensive. Allergies are no joke, and they can get more severe from repeated exposures.

There's also plumber's putty / steel putty from the hardware store, but again, it's more expensive from what I recall. Also tends to have a terrible consistency and not great for detail, which makes sense given it's for home repair and not sculpting.
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut





Have you been to see a doctor to find out exactly what part of milliput you are allergic to?

There are several types, maybe contact milliput and ask if any are hypoallergenic.....
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





UK

mrFickle wrote:
Have you been to see a doctor to find out exactly what part of milliput you are allergic to?

There are several types, maybe contact milliput and ask if any are hypoallergenic.....


I did go to an specialist on that last reaction, and managed to control it much better due to the medicine I got for it. I was about to do some aleric tests but I had to leave the country (I was in Spain and now I am in the UK).

I believe I am alergic to milliput due to correlation, since for some time every time I use it the reaction shows up the very next day.
I have tested it myself by putting small amounts of the material on certain areas of my skin (similar to an alergenic test), although I had no results. I did the tests around my ankles (since its a really rare area to get in touch with anything else), but I got no reaction. This might very well be that the alergic reaction only triggers when in touch with certain areas of my skin, not all of them. I might repeat this experiment with my forearms, since its seems to be the area most reactive to it. (that and my face and neck, but I am not experimenting there XD)

Serve the Emperor today, for tomorrow you may be be dead.
Painting blog:
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/793314.page
 
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut





Do you wear gloves or use a lubricant when handling it? I’m just wondering if you have a latex allergy or some other chemical you are using with it.

I’ve used milliput mostly for DIY and it does make you skin feel a bit funny but I’ve never had a reaction.

That’s why I think contacting the maker of milliput might be a good idea as they might have had previous conversations with other people that have had reactions and might be able to advise better
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





UK

mrFickle wrote:
Do you wear gloves or use a lubricant when handling it? I’m just wondering if you have a latex allergy or some other chemical you are using with it.

I’ve used milliput mostly for DIY and it does make you skin feel a bit funny but I’ve never had a reaction.

That’s why I think contacting the maker of milliput might be a good idea as they might have had previous conversations with other people that have had reactions and might be able to advise better


I've been using gloves since I suspected that milliput was the cause of the alergic reactions. Since then the effects are mush smaller when they show up.
Contacting milliput is a good idea, I'll see if I get a response.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Sent a message to milliput and they responded in less than an hour.
Part of the response said "it might be something else rather than milliput, our products are safe", but for the most part they seem acknowledge that skin reactions are known with their products, and open to further discussion about the issue.
More importantly, they sent me a detailed letter about their products containing composition, health and useful information that should be great to show to a specialist.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/06/08 11:34:43


Serve the Emperor today, for tomorrow you may be be dead.
Painting blog:
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/793314.page
 
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut





Sounds like a good response from them. I don’t really understand how allergies work but maybe you can take that information to the doctor for some targeted tests
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka





Surrey, BC - Canada

Killatores,

Tamiya epoxy putties are an alternative...or similar two part epoxy putties found at craft stores. The craft store ones are cheaper than GW's Green Stuff. They are not as easy to sand afterwards, but if you use water on your fingers to can avoid the stickiness and they really hold detail with a sculpting tool before they harden.

Hope that helps,

CB

   
 
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