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Other Stuff => Workbench => Tutorials => Topic started by: Prof.Witchheimer on 19 September 2011, 12:25:53 PM

Title: How get rid of green stuff?
Post by: Prof.Witchheimer on 19 September 2011, 12:25:53 PM
Got a lead miniature, an old unsuccessful conversion with some green stuff in the folds. Any ideas how get rid of it?
Title: Re: How get rid of green stuff?
Post by: Mr.Marx on 19 September 2011, 12:31:30 PM
scraping or boiling in water might work.
Title: Re: How get rid off green stuff?
Post by: Heldrak on 19 September 2011, 12:32:48 PM
In my experience it can be chipped/chopped/gouged/peeled away. On a relatively soft lead figure, some pre-treatment with a chemical stripper (oven cleaner, etc.) may be advisable to loosen it up first. When stripping painted figures, I sometimes find that green stuffed additions will simply fall away quite naturally during the stripping process.

I'm not aware of any products that will specifically dissolve green stuff, although acetone may help (some professionals use it to get a smoother putty surface when they're done with their sculpts).

Title: Re: How get rid of green stuff?
Post by: Prof.Witchheimer on 19 September 2011, 12:38:10 PM
there are some quite ddep folds so scraping wouldn't work but I can try it with aceton. Thought of aceton already but wasn't sure if that would work.

Edit: though boiling sounds interesting too..
Title: Re: How get rid of green stuff?
Post by: Aaron on 19 September 2011, 02:00:07 PM
Boiling makes sense. I have seen composite figures (greenstuff over metal, etc) come apart when taken out of a newly-made mould. I wonder if freezing wouldn't work also.
Title: Re: How get rid of green stuff?
Post by: Hammers on 19 September 2011, 02:11:05 PM
Acetone has never worked for me.
Title: Re: How get rid of green stuff?
Post by: Commander Vyper on 19 September 2011, 02:56:46 PM
Freezing will work as will heat, (burn it off! :D), just watch the vapours! ;)
Title: Re: How get rid of green stuff?
Post by: Silent Invader on 19 September 2011, 07:24:58 PM
I've had good luck (well bad luck as I only wanted to remove the paint) with Dettol.  Depending on how much greenstuff is there it can take a while (maybe a few weeks or a month).
Title: Re: How get rid of green stuff?
Post by: FramFramson on 19 September 2011, 10:51:28 PM
There was a similar question asked only a few days ago, in this thread (http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=32492.0).

Looks like a good overnight soak in acetone seemed to work fine. Dettol seems to work too.

I'd avoid scraping too hard if you don't need to. Let the chemicals do their stuff and save yourself the effort!
Title: Re: How get rid of green stuff?
Post by: OSHIROmodels on 20 September 2011, 08:27:14 AM
Soaking it in said chemicals will probably be your best option. Heating and freezing alternately will work but it could also put the figure under undue stress and cause it to fracture  :?

cheers

James
Title: Re: How get rid of green stuff?
Post by: Prof.Witchheimer on 20 September 2011, 09:29:57 AM
Tried it yesterday with boiling. It works. 15 Minutes in the boiling water and I could remove the green stuff parts from the deepest folds using a sharp pin. No fractures. Thanks for the hint!
Title: Re: How get rid of green stuff?
Post by: dijit on 20 September 2011, 12:42:46 PM
I can also say putting it in acetone overnight works a treat too, the greenstuff becomes soft and peels off.
Duncan
Title: Re: How get rid of green stuff?
Post by: FramFramson on 20 September 2011, 03:57:36 PM
Tried it yesterday with boiling. It works. 15 Minutes in the boiling water and I could remove the green stuff parts from the deepest folds using a sharp pin. No fractures. Thanks for the hint!

Nice to know there's a non chemical option!
Title: Re: How get rid of green stuff?
Post by: Hammers on 20 September 2011, 03:59:00 PM
This is good advice. I am going to make this a... wait for it... sticky!  :)