Grimlock
10-15-2008, 05:50 PM
NOTE: This is a custom rant. It's a boring read, but it might save you from losing a HTF body part or two (like it did to me).
Why Extended Boiling Is Bad.*
By PMD
So I had this '05 TRU Greenshirt that I wanted to customize, right? I had his torso sanded down smooth and was attempting to build a "vest" around him out of sculpy.
Since I was doing this through trial-and-error, I wanted to keep my options open. So I decided that I was going to build-up the front and back torsos separately, then fit them together, just in case I had to go back a step or. . .something.
I rolled the sculpey out flat, cut the back half of the vest to size, and then I molded it around the back torso. But then I had no idea how to "cook" it to retain its shape around the figure. :eyebrow
If I put it in the oven, the plastic torso would melt. And hair-dryers take way too long. So I decided to boil it.
After about 15 minutes of rolling around in the water, the torso half fell away from the sculpy. I expected that. But when I fished the torso out of the water, I noticed it was warped.
It warped AND shrank. :lol I couldn't re-shape this if you paid me.
Anyhoo, long story short. I'm looking for a replacement greenshirt. :hi
. . .and now you know! :joe
*Of course, this is obvious to most veteran customizers, but I'm still just a beginner. Though I'd always heard this tip in the past, no one really explained it to me. :beat
Why Extended Boiling Is Bad.*
By PMD
So I had this '05 TRU Greenshirt that I wanted to customize, right? I had his torso sanded down smooth and was attempting to build a "vest" around him out of sculpy.
Since I was doing this through trial-and-error, I wanted to keep my options open. So I decided that I was going to build-up the front and back torsos separately, then fit them together, just in case I had to go back a step or. . .something.
I rolled the sculpey out flat, cut the back half of the vest to size, and then I molded it around the back torso. But then I had no idea how to "cook" it to retain its shape around the figure. :eyebrow
If I put it in the oven, the plastic torso would melt. And hair-dryers take way too long. So I decided to boil it.
After about 15 minutes of rolling around in the water, the torso half fell away from the sculpy. I expected that. But when I fished the torso out of the water, I noticed it was warped.
It warped AND shrank. :lol I couldn't re-shape this if you paid me.
Anyhoo, long story short. I'm looking for a replacement greenshirt. :hi
. . .and now you know! :joe
*Of course, this is obvious to most veteran customizers, but I'm still just a beginner. Though I'd always heard this tip in the past, no one really explained it to me. :beat