OK....just went through my very first frustrating time of trying to make tarps with milliput.

From what I read on the instructions, and from what other people have told me, that I am to use water to keep it from sticking to me, and everything else while it is being rolled out.

Well it didn't work for me, I either had it stuck to everything, fingers, roller, glass I was rolling it on, everything, or the water made almost a slurry mess, and the milliput still stuck to everything.

Does anyone have any tips for using milliput for making tarps? I am almost to the point that I am going to give up on the idea and go back to tissue paper and thinned white glue.....but I think that the milliput will make a more convincing tarp in the end.

Any help would be much appreciated!

I've heard of using talcum powder to keep putty from sticking, but haven't heard of success using water.

Regards,

Rich

Scott,
Use talcum powder. Use your fingers to get the Milliput in the general shape, sprinkle a little talcum powder on both sides and then roll it out to the desired shape and thickness. Cut it to the final shape and you are ready to go.

Jesse

Thanks guys,

Yeah now I have people telling me Talcum poweder, baby powder, even flour! Not sure why I didn't think of that.

See this is a prime example of when to NOT read the included instructions with the stuff! LOL

For using Miliput, go to Miliput's site

http://www.milliput.co.uk/how.htm

Someone gave you a bum steer Scott. Water will make it stickier.

For milliput, as said, use Talcum powder or flour. For Green stuff use vaseline

Step one- get rid of the Milliput
Step two - get some Apoxie-Sculpt or Magic Sculp(t), both very similar. Milliput was fine for it's day but the newer types are much better IMHO.
Certainly a personal preference, once I tried Apoxie Sculpt I never went back. You can also try baby oil or vaseline to keep thing from sticking, but then you have to wash the piece real well before painting.

Jim

From the "old school peanut gallery"...

Have you tried placing your blob or pellet of putty - milliput, epoxy-sculpt, etc., between pieces of kitchen wax-paper and rolling it out?

Chilling your stuff in the fridge a little before rolling will stiffen it slightly without promoting chemical hardening - thus a little more time to play (oops! I meant "work" really!). This can be done with both the blob and with the rolled-out layer before you peel the paper off.

Combining wax-paper with talcum works, too.

Of course, being "O.S.", I actually like that tissue-paper and glue approach. I find most putty tarps to be way way too thick for scale, and to have a too-smooth surface (which, unless we are talking plastic tarps, is really off. Canvas and the like are rough). If you don't like tissue paper, what you may find more pleasing would be some harder, smoother paper- like plain copier white! It is less "hairy", yet moistens OK in thinned glue and will drape nicely when wet. Also try newsprint.

One advantage of the paper is that it is THIN- as real tarps are (remember; if your "canvas" is supposed to be as thick as 1/8th of an inch... a scale tarp would have to be around 1/275th of an inch thick! AKA, about 0.003 to 0.004 inch, which is just shy of standard printer/copier paper (about 0.005).

I can't seem to roll any putty that thin, myself, though I am sure some can.

It's just a suggestion and opine from the old school!

In my opinion Green stuff is way better to make tarps with.

Use a piece of glass to roll on, I use the glass out of a picture frame coat with Vaseline and all tools plus wear gloves.

Roll so thin hard to remove from the glass without a little prying up.

Add to where you want them to be I put a piece of Plastic Saran wrap down so I can remove when done.

Use lacquer thinner to remove all Vaseline or paint will not stick at all.

This learned the hard way.

Enough and can be stretched to make the straps to go around all these tarps also.

Water and Milliput a sticky situation.

I have to second Jim on this....Apoxie sculpt is the way to go for puttys. I also was a Milliput fan till I picked up some Apoxie-sculpt. I thought "heard a bunch about this stuff...well lets see what all the hype is about". There is NO hype..its MUCH better product!

also I have to agree with Bob in that sometimes the old school ways produce more realistic results. I like using teabag paper for my canvas tarps. There was a great article here on Armorama on making tarps by spreading caulking compound and folding them. I do the same with the teabags..using some acrylic paste or caucking to "smooth" out the tarp to my liking (use less for a more textured, worn canvas). Even modern plastic tarps have a plastic weave within them, so the teabag works very well. I then use a small needle to punch grommet holes, followed by a toothpick dipped in silver paint, when placed in the hole makes a perfect silver circle..instant metal Grommet!

enjoy and good luck!
Andy

Yeah that was one of the other options and using Aves. Problem is, I have none here, and won't get it in before I need it, so I am stuck with the milliput.

As far as someone giving me bad info about using water....I got that right from the Milliput directions:




So it is Milliput themselves that are mis-informing people. As I said...the one time I actually read the instructions, and this is what happens!

So moral of the story kids.....throw out the directions!!!

Hi Scott,

I use milliput a lot - and the advice is correct; to stop your tools sticking, moistening* the blade/point of your implement will do the trick. It's also v good when smoothing it or blending the milliput to another surface when it's still soft.

In terms of stopping it from sticking to my work surface though, I use talc.

I've not tried the other stuff and so am yet to be converted. However any putty that is responsive to water (as opposed to some kind of spirit) in it's soft state gets my vote. Water isn't smelly, greasy or toxic!


Hi Jim, Andy
I'd be interested to know why you felt Apoxie Sculpt is better - as much as I like Milliput I'm always open to new ideas...



A

*wipe it on a damp folded kitchen towel - too wet and it makes a mess of your sculpt.

I use the tissue paper method as well, using the kind of tissue that you buy to wrap shirts in. Looks good to me, drapes well and about the right thickness.

John