Melting Sprues to Recast as Warhammer 40k Parts - You Might Be Surprised

Will it work, watch the video to see, I was surprised at the result.
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*Disclaimer - I do not condone or endorse copying parts for financial gain or to replicate in full a figure/vehicle. I am purely demonstrating how a two part mold is made and all casts and molds are destroyed at the end of the video
Also included in this video warhammer 40k,warhammer 40000,games workshop,how i painted,warhammer40k kitbashing,40k scratch build,mould making,casting parts,liquid plastic,how to cast figures,Making Warhammer 40k Parts,Mould Making & Casting,Watch how I make,5 easy steps to making moulds,mold making,recasting warhammer 40k,recasting,Melting Sprues to Recast as Warhammer 40k Parts,melting sprues,You Might Be Surprised,Will it work,surprised,40k

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

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[@krlecool8445]

Is there a way I can get in contact with you? I would like to, per se, commission you for a special project.

[@YarDarkwood]

Another amazing video.

[@cthulhupacifico6008]

I have a hypothesis based on how smooth the melted stuff at the bottom of that jar was.... I hypothesis that if you form walls around the mold so the mold is at bottom of the "box". Then you add the plastic and acetone in the box so that the plastic melts into the mold you will end up with better results. your 24 hours later jar had no bubbles at the bottom because as the plastic melted the ooze went down as far as it could. I hypothesis that if the plastic is melting and falling into the details at the bottom of the mold box you will end up with a similar situation. The issue is going to be being able to seal the top of the box so that the acetone does not evaporate and also i don't know if your mold will be damaged by the acetone.

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

@@cthulhupacifico6008 hhmmm, I think I might leave some acetone on a test mould to see if it melts it, if it doesnt you might have something there which I will have to try =)

[@zakhaevshub4735]

Man I could use this warhammer tips are very useful for Gunpla kit too 😁👌🏼

[@Brokenansmokey5.99]

That would make a perfect "Chapel defiled by the blights of Nurgle"

[@timothymartin5538]

Exactly what I thought

[@erickpeterson8023]

Yup this☝

[@SlocumJoe7740]

Well there we go 100% GW Miniatures, take that tournament organizers

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Haha yup it is 100% GW so they cant complain but they obviously will =)

[@YarDarkwood]

@@MiniatureHobbyist when you vice it down for better detail you might need to shore up the sides of the mould or you might get distortion.

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

@@YarDarkwood yup Im going to make a hard mould and have it sandwiched between 2 pieces of wood =)

[@timothymartin5538]

@@MiniatureHobbyist did you consider applying oil or water to the knife to make application easier?

[@historyatwar6230]

Haha lol

[@dobbear]

Suggestion to anyone trying this, wear bloody gloves... And use in a well ventilated area.

[@ObliviousProdigee]

Luckily, acetone is quite harmless to touch, it mainly makes your hands go dry. Unless it's near fire, in which case it explodes, and dont drink it.

[@dobbear]

@@ObliviousProdigee with it being absorbed into the skin can have long term serious adverse effects to joints, muscles, and cause skin problems, not only to your hands but irritation to eyes and lungs if not in a well ventilated environment and or without further protection like a respirator and googles. So if you use it, don't forget to dispose of properly.

[@ObliviousProdigee]

​@@dobbear At the amount a hobbyist will be using acetone their should really be no problems at all. Skin absorption of acetone is really low, as it evaporates very quickly, and from personal experience a well ventilated area is not necessary (your hobby room should probably have all windows open anyway). But, I agree that you should ALWAYS PLAY IT SAFE AND WEAR GLOVES AND VENTILATE anyway, no matter the severity of the chemical. Source 1: Am chemistry graduate source 2: www.nhsggc.org.uk/media/236208/msds-acetone.pdf

[@teagancombest6049]

@@dobbear you realize women all over the world have been smearing this over our bare hands for years? Your advice is good... for industrial production. Not hobbyist amounts.

[@Dra9ontail2]

Please.. its acetone. I work in a lab and use this stuff daily. Ventilated area? Yes. Gloves? Not necessary, at all. Just... Don't drink it.

[@lokalnyork]

I actually have almost ALL sprues I've got in the last 20 years of collecting. Huge black bag, about 5 kilos (10 pounds?) in weight. I think I'll melt mine and use them to recast scenic bases. Sounds like perfect application.

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Wowser thats a lot of sprues, yup definitely melt and use for bases or kit bashing nurgles =)

[@alexhulea2735]

there was a guy on facebook who bought sprues from people and made scenery from the straight bits of them :3..... MASSIVE pyramid for a necron table i think

[@benwooding1311]

I just threw out my whole collection of sprue. Never knew acetone could be used for this. On the other hand, I've tried clipping down sprue into little chunks like that before, it is a lot of work and gets quite painful.

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

@@benwooding1311 ahh thats such a shame I would of had them =), I dont mind cutting them up whilst watching tv, the only problem is when they twang off then I step on the later lol =)

[@Charsiupao]

@@benwooding1311 Using Citadel clippers, I cut up half a sprue to make crystals for basing my Kairic Acolytes, and it hurt so bad I had to give up after making enough crystals for just 5 bases. Maybe a sprue a day, then I'll have enough after a month or so.

[@VersionsZ]

‘Meant to have a lot of fire damage’. So, it’s a perfect method to create scenic bases for Salamanders, then?

[@FacilityD20]

Yes.. salamanders are awesome

[@mgomez3314]

Try with trichloroethylene, I have used it many times for years and it makes the plastic liquid, perfect for cast one face pieces but also small 3D pieces as helmets, skulls, etc. You could control the viscosity of the solution adding more sprues or solvent. I will try also with nitrocellulose solvent, because the trichloroethylene is hard to find in Spain and very expensive, but useful.

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Thank you I may take a look and see if I can get any in the UK =)

[@starwolf7365]

This guy has the correct chemical mentioned from my memory. There are different plastics out there so gundam sprues might also be worth melting and testing.

[@naroe2001]

Trico is highly flammable and should not come in contact with your skin (thick dish washing gloves), and use in a very well ventilated area as its not good for breathing either.

[@Axquirix]

@@MiniatureHobbyist will be keeping an eye out for any results from that!

[@markusfrohlich1138]

@@MiniatureHobbyist As a chemist: don't... just don't. It's not flammable, but volatile and acts as a central nervous system depressant. So unless you want to knock yourself out (like with chloroform) I really wouldn't recommend it.

[@Nomad6763]

I believe what happened when you heated it is the acetone rapidly evaporated inside of the softened plastic ball, expanding and creating bubbles. The polystyrene then hardens as the solvent that dissolved it is no longer present.

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Ahh, okies cheers for the explanation =)

[@QUIRISS]

I was able to achieve same melted look on original GW sprues due to my super idea to remove paint with industrial acrylic thinner :(

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

They melted really well in the acetone and would make for a great nurgle figure or terrain =)

[@johnroberts981]

I use brake fluid, have done for years. In old jars, overnight ideally but a few hours if in a rush. Metal is unaffected. Vast majority of plastics are fine except very old GW plastic crumbled after a week 😕 Resin, no, no, no, definitely no. It swells up and goes rubbery but when taken out and left to dry it reverted to its original shape. I used old toothbrushes, carefully, but the vast majority did require a second session. A clubmate recommended Dettol, which I've yet to try. Certainly useful in the current health climate cos they smell of the stuff for weeks after apparently 😆 UPDATE: DETTOL! Lurrrve It, it's the best. I used it neat in a sealed jar, it cleaned some of the stubborn paint jobs that brake fluid was slow to act on. That just lifted right off! Now for the rest of 'em. DETTOL, DETTOL 👍☺ One thing, in some cases the lifted paint congeals into a soft, rubbery texture that just wipes off the figure but gets very sticky so you'll need to wash your hands afterwards.

[@TurbanCatMccoy]

@@johnroberts981 Was just about to mention dettol, it truly is a miracle.

[@irtehdar2446]

Problem with acetone+sprue is that the material will shrink abit due to acetone evaporation. It works better if you put the blob onto a surface and then push the mold onto it rather than trying to work the blob into the mold. The shrinking means its hard to do sharp clean edges as seen in alot of scifi bits but for anything organic it works wonders. Got a local tyranid player who swears by this material. It really depends what youre trying to achieve but Id encourage anyone to do experiments with it as its an excelent material once you get comfortable with how it behaves. Most gamers already have sprues, and acetone is a miracle liquid with so many uses from stripping metal minis to sculpting foam. Warning! If it still smells like acetone its not fully cured. And aslong as its not fully cured it can eat away at anything plasticcy it touches. But once it passes the smell test its basicly just another plastic piece. Small bits cure faster and shrink less.

[@Directo13]

Those walls look awesome! They can be used as terrain infected by the blight on Nurgle, like they said in BL books that "Even the metal looked infected"!

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Yup nurgle all the way =)

[@jonathantillian6528]

Great first attempt! 100% GW of course Love the novel idea of melting down scrap plastic and re-purposing it. I'm 100% waiting for the next video with this!

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Thank you, I have just ordered some things so will be trying it soon =)

[@ScratchBashing]

I like the look of the piece. As you say, great fire damage!

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Yeah I really thought there would be no detail but some areas were cool about 5% of it lol, will be trying again with a hard mould and clamps for more pressure =)

[@Bubbowie]

I love your approach! "I don't know what I'm doing, but let's try it" That's the way magic happens :D

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Exactly =)

[@HapaxLegomenon12]

A good start! I think you could probably get the plastic to be more pour-able if you decant off the now contaminated acetone, and fill up with fresh acetone. Based on my experience with IPA and resin printing, the liquid needs to be desaturated of the polymer to make it effective again, so just replace with fresh acetone to continue the dissolving further.

[@kurtgruber796]

Some "destroy" their parts to personalize them. You have created a perfect piece of terrain out of "scrap" (or Necron crystals for that I use them). Ingenuity at the highest level. You can be sure of my envy

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Thank you for the high praise, Im just making it up as I go along and pleased people can get something from these videos =)

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

@Paul Abbey not sure what you mean by your comment, luckily Im very content and not envious of anyone or anything =)

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

@Paul Abbey ooppssss sorry =)

[@kurtgruber796]

@Paul Abbey I collect WH for over 25 years and have never been a good remodeler to this day. Color schemes for Mini are no problem. Magnetizing? feels like an hour per model ^^. So I envy anyone who had so much ingenuity that with only half of it I would create such fantastic unique Armies. It makes a difference whether you guessed it yourself or saw it in someone else's Army.

[@AnotsoscruffyNerfher]

That looks perfekt for a Nurgle themed building or corrupted shrine.. Add some bits and pieces to support the glorious rot👍🏻 excellent test!

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Thank you and yes its perfect for nurgle terrain =)

[@VaSoapman]

TO: Hmm. That model looks a bit strange. ME: Oh... well it got a bit melted.

[@Charsiupao]

This looks like just what I needed to create a swirling vortex of energy strong enough to support my metal Oldhammer Discs of Tzeentch!

[@silviofoj]

This technique can be used to make dungeon tiles. Great idea!

[@Sammo212]

This seems like something I would try for creating destroyed terrain pieces.

[@PainPill189]

I have two 6” x 24” tubs full of sprues that i saved once done with because i figured i could recycle it again or turn em into my local gamestore for something as ive seen em do before, but this takes the cake, a clamp with a harder mold and its perfect for saving money on terrain or buildings even! Great video my guy!

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Thank you so much, yup sprues are worth keeping and melting and could be great for bases, rough terrain or kitbashing nurgles =)

[@Smilomaniac]

I have no idea if this works, but it seems to me that you should be able to: 1. Pour acetone into the mold 2. Pour the hard spruebits in 3. Put it in a sealed container 4. When melted, take the lid off and leave it outside in the sun, for the acetone to evaporate. Profit?

[@scottlock8584]

Dude you need a breathing mask and should also be doing that in a well ventilated area or outside

[@BullScrapPracEff]

Ventilation yes, but why a mask?

[@scottlock8584]

@@BullScrapPracEff the fumes are highly toxic and can cause hallucinations, lung damage etc

[@BullScrapPracEff]

A mask will not keep out VOCs... it's a sponge prophylactic. Everything is toxic. Back off, I'm a scientist.

[@gavincampbell2862]

Masks are really only good for particulates. Volatiles just pass through. If the filter was that fine you would probably suffocate.

[@eyepet2010]

@Everyone access THAAAANK YOU xD finally someone who doesnt take this so over the top

[@caedes5728]

I use a mixture of liquid poly cement (plastic magic) and chopped up sprue as a gap filler. That is completely liquid and it still dries as hard as the original plastic. I have never tried to cast something with it though.

[@foxtopuscreations6046]

It's amazing for casting rocks because of the texture when dry, and the plates you showed off in another video. The plates however work better for Orky stuff for sure and other ramshackle rough plating type materials.

[@primitive.notions4789]

Congrats mate, you have attained peak heresy

[@billysidness5907]

Fantastic!!! Definitely eating my words now, epic idea, failed when i tried but ypu did great! Looking forward to the next video XD

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Must admit I was surprised how ell it came out and Im sure if I did it with a vice it would add a lot more pressure and get a better result =)

[@Handles_AreStupid]

mix the melted stuff with talc. should fix your problems

[@GrasshopperKelly]

My advice, keep the bottle mixing, Or, leave closer to 10hours. Acetone is leaving the plastic near the bottom, and away for any contact surfaces, so the plastic is also constantly curing after its completely settled. As you saw with the heathen aswell, the new acetone bound to the polymer molecules still boils within the plastic.

[@whyisthereaholeinmybutt4274]

You’re a mad man and I absolutely love it haha Also! Try baby powered on your gloves, might help with it not sticking to your hands!

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Cheers and I will be wearing gloves next time, just brought a big box of the things =)

[@stockyphilb7663]

With the glob that's created you should almost consider using a piping bag to squeeze that stuff into a mold. Great video though! I'd call that nightmarish piece a success! xD

[@Transforming_Skyscraper]

Cool. The hot air produced an interesting texture, seen something similar when hot air was applied to milliput. I have been wondering how best to use my leftover sprues, got some more ideas now!

[@galan8115]

I hope its a no-heat version. Tired of looking for a sandwich press to make my own "plasticard" out of sprues.

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Yup no fire in this video lol =)

[@rosseatsleepjdm]

Plasticard is such a cheap material I don't see the point of ruining a sandwich press trying to make your own, plus they are different kinds of styrene anyway.. so just buy it online

[@Punisherfan123]

I've been saving my sprues just for this, and I even asked in the comments of your last video if it could be done. Only thing different is that I was gonna use a small homemade forge to melt it down with fire, so I was stumped on how to do it since that'd obviously be too hot for any molds. Thanks for the idea!

[@jexx2974]

now eldar players cant complain that their troops are in resin/metal /s

[@dionicius03]

that heatgun to it made some nice nurgle texture

[@Coproquim]

You over filled the mould, and that compressed the details

[@MrUltimategamer44]

The urge to make molds then bring these custom molded models to a GW store and go "Hey, I made it entirely of GW parts. I melted a bunch of sprue bits to make my warlord!"

[@rancidhotmail]

great video, i love that you shared with us the experiment with the heat gun. Also that you explained how you would do it better next time. thanks for the video and good job!

[@MrAirpumpkin]

In terms of safety, and practicality uses for styrene sprues that don't use heat, or solvents would probably be ideal for example rubble or cobble basing, fillers for casting plaster or resin, or to give some plasticard scratch builds some more internal structure, or heck just filling in hollow models cause you like your pieces to have a little more heft to them.

[@scottcarter4941]

You should try rolling it out between 2 pieces of wax paper then put in the soft mold reroll on the soft mold

[@jamiepetereit7828]

really interesting results, might be good for bases.

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Yup definently and maybe kitbashing nurgles =)

[@kalisthenes6650]

“Sticks to anything it touches”. Except the mold.

[@greenrena8503]

What you could try to do is to grind the plastic down, put the powder in the form and carefully pour aceton on it. I use this method to get mechanicus symbols from a silicon mould i made with my dice. Didn't try it with something bigger jet and simply dripped some revel glue.

[@BlueBoy0]

Final result looks like some Forge World parts I've seen.

[@drittz7840]

Thanks for the video. It’s given me ideas to do the same with my sprues but use the plastic for multibasing and scenery like boulders and rock surfaces. I hate throwing plastic in the bin to end up on landfill.

[@Mike_Jones1980]

I've used this technique for making putty. I keep a small jar of white on hand for filling gaps when building Gundam models. It works especially well if you can't or don't want to paint for some reason, you can use the sprue or even trimmings of it and have color matched putty.

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Yup its definently worth keeping sprues to melt for other applications =)

[@Stargate404]

I wonder if you try a diffuse heating method if you could just pour it. So, taking a pot of water and placing another pot on top of that, put the plastic bits in the pot on top. Then, crank up the heat on the pot of water and stir the plastic constantly to make sure it doesn't burn. This is similar to how you melt chocolate.

[@shadako2]

Acetone looks like it works pretty good. I would suggest mold release, so corn starch is one. Also helpful if the mold is harder than the substance, or you have to use pressure to get it into the mold. This will probably help me with less detailed necromunda spires, simple long shapes etc.

[@Makritsya]

Oh man! You make unbelievably wonderful "corrupted building"!

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Haha cheers, I didnt even need to set it on fire =)

[@a4266]

Try using a larger container with hot/boiling water in it to melt it. Pouring the acetone out of the jar and putting the jar in to a pot with boiling water is what I''d do. Just build the heat up slow to be safe. You should be able to get it runnier and be able to pour it in to the mold. It might boil out the remaining acetone, so good ventilation is a must.

[@OfARisenFall]

So glad you did this! Had the thought last month with the Indomitus box. Great to see it done.

[@nicolastousignant9160]

Methylene chloride is used in plastic cement and will turn polystyrene into a sludge that you can pretty much brush on or pour into a mold. I believe it can be found with paint stripping products. You can expect some amount of shrinkage though.

[@martinwinther6013]

The solid mold+vice is a really good idea. - the next thing that popped was to try to use a kitchen-quality vacuum-sealer to force the air out. This method, _if it works_ , would be useable for anything, even the parts that couldnt be put under even preassure in a vice

[@Josuegurrola]

I will try to use this to make some fire-shadows out of a rigid mold. Thank you for the ideas!!

[@freakyfishguy1692]

Looks good for a buried flattened wall

[@lilporky8565]

2:06 That's not a fail to me. I think you just found a new technique!

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Haha, yup I should have done that to the end figure to make him look even grosser =)

[@evilldead6824]

I really appreciate how you are thinking outside the box and experimenting with different techniques! keep it up

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Thank you so much, best way to learn is to have a go and see what happens lol =)

[@whiskymylove]

Maybe if you drain the old acetone ghat took on a blue color and add some fresh stuff might have got it a little more malleable? But idk

[@Seoz]

This way it would work nice for orky metal plates :D

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

yup definently or anything to do with nurgles =)

[@adriant1654]

Thanks for trying it out and sharing ! It looks like a rotted Nurgle-ed version.

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

It does and the more I see nurgles the more I love them =)

[@WarMongersWarhammer]

💪🏼💪🏼Good tutorial! Interenting to try and have some extra fun with the pile of sprues .

[@Karlmakesstuff]

That's really neat. Turned out a lot better that I thought it might :) Have you tried heating the plastic instead of melting it chemically? I've only done this with bottle caps to make blocks of material, but the viscosity is pretty close to what you had there, and a clamped mold should turn out ok. Not sure if it would take paint well though.

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Must admit I was surprised how well it came out and Im sure if I did it with a vice it would add a lot more pressure and get a better result =). Im not sure if this plastic can be heated to melt it but will try again using a vice =)

[@BioToa7]

Miniature Hobbyist it should be able to as it is polystyrene

[@LordAlvinhaze]

@@MiniatureHobbyist the GW plastic is just Polystyrene, but not expanded.. easy to melt with acetone, 'white spirit' (aquaragia in Italian, idk the chemical name) and other solvents.. i'm pretty sure u can find one who make the polystyrene more liquid and easier to cast. trichlorethylene should be good in that. heat will ruin the plastic's chemical structure making it more fragile when the work is done, i played with that many times when i was a boy. solvent is a better solution, it make the molecules move freely between themselves (same chemical mechanism who make the rubber 'flexible') and when it evaporates, the plastic mantain almost intact its own chemical structure.

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

@@LordAlvinhaze Dude, just... no. Ploystyrene is a thermoplastic, which means it will 'flow' (think lava rather than water) if it's temperature is raised to the correct point. IIRC it's about 100 degrees or so for polystyrene. This is how GW (and Tamiya, Airfix, Bandai and... well, anyone not specifically using resin) takes the bulk plastic pellets it buys and gets them into the moulds.

[@LordAlvinhaze]

@@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t my experiments were with many more than 100 degrees :P

[@paweplaczek2191]

You can try metal mould and heat it a bit. I would try some pipes throu a mold and put hot water throu it. Two piece mold that allow to put something heavy on top or clamp it together with a clip. Factories that make junction boxes use "plastic" that is just soaked and enough to be cut in to portions and shaped. Then heat and pressure do the rest. In well ventilated room and no open fire sources obviously it should be safe to do if you are very carefull with water.

[@nexzus1000]

Nice to see something that didn't work out ❤️👍💪 instead of all those perfect vids out there

[@indeliblemakes5359]

For this Christmas I am now thinking 3 purple worms.....a dragon body....and a bunch of this stuff! MAKING A NEW MONSTER BOIS. Thanks for the video man!

[@ChazCharlie1]

You could try adding sprues into a blender to make them small. This would be good for ground terrain. You could also use a circular cutter to make a disk for a base.

[@DeadlyAssets]

I have been doing this with spru goo and moulds made with blue stuff, easy peasy, just have to lay thin layers down, then I fill the bulk out with miliput. You needed more acetone & to leave it longer. Oh a more expensive way is using Tamiya Liquid glue or similar instead of acetone, it creates a more smooth liquid.

[@SheepWaveMeByeBye]

Tamiya airbrush cleaner is the same stuff as their super thin glue. That stuff melts plastic just right.

[@johnroberts981]

I was sooo excited to discover your video! I've been mulling the sprue reuse conundrum for quite some time. I've made moulds of and for metal casting and even made Goblin torsos from milliput in one such mold. But reusing sprue is the Alchemist's stone for me, I've got so much of the damned stuff! I don't know a great deal of the science yet, so your video is a huge step forward for me, thank you. My thought, like you, was to somehow melt the sprue with heat, but this only resulted in it catching light and stinking the place out 😲 Two thoughts if I may: Acetone, what and where from? I think the mould you tried with was brave - a little large and very detailed. I thought it was very good for a first attempt, the plastic seemed to stick to everything but the mould! I'm after making extra wheels, guns, heads etc for the models I have. Really getting the use out of all those spare/extra parts that otherwise would go in the bin with the sprue - Sacrilegious! Thanks again matey 👍😊

[@Servus-Dei83]

You should rename your channel to how to recast because there so quality and so helpful

[@mai2015]

I accidentally learnt that this also works with turpentine too.... Don't strip minis with turpentine it will melt the plastic into syrup

[@kathrynsmith3417]

Thanks for the warning, good to know.

[@skyarcher04]

I feel like resin would just be easier, wouldnt it?

[@NinjatoBlade]

Yes but I believe the idea is to recycle what would otherwise be waste

[@decepticonpecock]

You don't understand I have like ten years of blank sprue piled up and I don't know why THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING I CAN USE TO JUSTIFY THIS TO MYSELF.

[@I_Don_t_want_a_handle]

@@decepticonpecock Have you thought of putting the sprues into canvas bags and making a sofa?

[@lukehannon3894]

May also be helpful to add holes for the air to release through, with the consistency being very thick you end up with air pockets in places where the details should be.

[@Djr481]

I found blending the sprues in the actone more it effectively becomes more liquid the more you mix it

[@samliekens5433]

Hey, don't know if you tried this one jet: perhaps you can use your home made silicone molds and use them to melt your nobbly bits and cut up sprues directly in the oven. I've made some basic molds with silicone paste from Gédeo and used it to mold and bake oven baked Fimo clay. Worked super!

[@bungle1963]

Did it years ago. Used Plastic Weld to melt the sprue. Much more liquid. I only ever tried it in small latex moulds. I found that it would get the detail great but if trying a deeper cast, as the solvent evaporated, I was left with a dimple in the middle of the cast. Also tried a hollow cast. Did that in stages. I'd have the mould at an angle and pour a small amount in, leave to harden a bit then move the mould and repeat. Time consuming but reasonable results. Also found where there was little spillages, the resulting thin layer was a bugger to get off the latex. I'll have to try it again with a silicone mould. I think Plastic Weld is Methyl Ethyl Ketone (aka Butanone) based rather than acetone.

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Thank you for all the information, I will be giving this another go trying out a few different things =)

[@bungle1963]

@@MiniatureHobbyist I look forward to seeing the results 👍

[@Tinkeruk2010]

Bro you sound so much like the presenter of that TV show "The chase" (for anyone unsure, youtube Bradley Walsh)

[@johnroberts981]

I think he does McDonald's ads 😉☺

[@srainey255]

Seems like a good way to make your own sector imperialis board with the new game board sizes.

[@Kreated_by_khaos]

now theres a dude that has a process and makes goopy liquid and turns it into 3d print resin, that said i love your work too

[@john-rwhitehead3679]

Nurgle players would love that.

[@smelge]

The crusting might have been from heating too fast and directly. Something like the plastic blob in a bread tin, with foil over the top in an oven and slowly increase the heat until it goes more liquid. If you get it liquid, maybe some kind of vacuum pump to remove the bubbles as well? Rigid mold like you mentioned would help too, some of the issues was the flexible silicon stretching instead of letting the firmer plastic into the recesses.

[@rosseatsleepjdm]

We already saw how heat reacted with the acetone so I don't think the oven would help, plus if it was melted due to heat then it would surely cool down in a vacuum pump and solidify inside (ruining what are expensive bits of kit). The bubbling must have been the solvent escaping whilst the crust was the now solvent-free styrene reverting back to a solid state.

[@fordham366]

If a person is building a diorama or need basing material it's pretty good

[@Troph2]

A vice, a hard mold and an oven, I would try 2-300 deg at first not enough to melt the plastic but to soften it up.

[@DungeonMiser]

Get a hobby injection molder. You can make silicon molds for it and do your spruce bits properly.

[@justicar5]

Acetone is in nail polish remover, so no drinking the stuff, but it's fairly safe

[@Merlynn132]

Huh. Neat. I didn't know you could use acetone like that. I wonder if you could use injection molding with that. Or just load it up in a caulking gun and use that to push it into a mold. Just some thoughts.

[@AutisticWombot]

Aaah like spreading cold and elastic butter onto thinly sliced, stale bread😂

[@BullScrapPracEff]

Acetone is a fairly safe chemical. It is a component of blood. The big danger is how flammable acetone is.

[@thomasblitz3884]

I like it very good. Really fantástic excellent.

[@patrickd1968]

I was thinking of doing the same thing, to make bits. Very anxious to see the vice used. :-)

[@brandonsmith4102]

Doesn't look bad for something that has fallen onto the ground and stayed there for a few years. Great beginning process to a lot of experiments with it.

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Thank you, I cant wait to try a firmer mould and vice which should produce a better cast =)

[@brandonsmith4102]

@@MiniatureHobbyist I've attempted making moulds from hot glue and learned that the melted plastic doesn't stick to fingers if you keep doing them in water. That might help you get it in evenly a little more easily.

[@JacobCross17]

I plan on using Sprue-Goo to recast an entire army, just gotta make the goo and the molds, and at least using the sprues it's somewhat consider kit bashing too lol 🤣

[@toadmanager2724]

Love these sprues videos. Please keep it up!

[@Shrimpmakro]

Acetone doesn't dissolve polystyrene fully. Ethylacetate will do it. But you are not melting the plastic you are dissolving/swelling it. You can't cast something from this because when the solvent evaporates the mass will shrink quite a lot.

[@PandorasFolly]

Seems like the melted sprues would be the right consistency to use in some sort of homemade injection/vacuum molding system

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Yeah probably and it takes ages for it to re harden, so you have plenty of time to work with it =)

[@rerollgeek]

I hope more folk find your stuff they are good videos. It might be good for casting small details for basing?

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Thank you and yes it would work well for basings =)

[@christianhellicar3104]

You're the expert in this, & have a better feel of the material than I do; but from looking at it, it's not just sticky, but springy too. So I'd say that if you're going to use pressure to get a better outcome you'd need two rigid molds, one an inversion of the other. You need to exert pressure across all the fine detail lines at the same time. That's the only way I can see it working, if that makes sense?

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Thank you for that =), Im going to make a hard mould and have vents where hopefully the material will escape, Im going to have a go at sandwiching the mould and thick piece of wood together inbetween a vice =)

[@Jasonhernandez1]

Man this is cool! Thanks! I cant wait to see the 2nd pressure test with the vise.

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

Thank you, I have just ordered some things so will be trying it soon =)

[@NeoNaiche]

I make the paste using M.E.K. Substitute, and it gets the plastic far more malleable than the Acetone seems to have. (I also use the M.E.K. Substitute as plastic cement, so there is that too...)