Tag: Geomfix

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Epoxy and the gnome: Geomfix Original used in the restoration of family heirloom gnome

Geomfix Original Epoxy Modelling Putty used in the restoration of a 90-year-old garden gnome

Weddings. Births. Lost loved ones. House moves. The fella standing 810mm and weighing six stone had seen it all in his near 100-years as part of the family. His age though meant he was now past his best and that left two sisters asking themselves a difficult question… how to carry out a gnome restoration?

Having contacted the popular BBC programme The Repair Shop twice but receiving no reply, Penny Turner began carrying out her own research. Her older sister had asked her to restore the concrete gnome, which had fallen into serious disrepair. That led Penny to the door of SylCreate via the discovery of Geomfix Original Epoxy Modelling Putty.

“I originally looked into restoring him with concrete,” says Penny as she takes up the story. “But I quickly found out concrete would possibly crack when drying and so would need to be constantly sprayed with water.”

“After trawling the internet, I came across Geomfix. Being a smooth, hard wearing epoxy putty which would not set too fast meaning I could take more time moulding it as I worked, it seemed ideal. I contacted SylCreate and asked for some advice.”

This is always the most fun part of our job here at SylCreate. Not only do we get to help formulate repair plans, but we also find out the reason why an item is being restored. And nine times out of 10, the story behind it is fascinating.

Penny’s gnome restoration was no different. The gnome had been bought by her grandparents at some point in the 1930s when they moved south to Essex. He soon had a central part of family life.

How central? Well, he appears in the wedding photo of Penny’s aunt. Penny’s cousins remember him fondly. When her grandparents passed away, the gnome was transferred into the care of Penny’s father.

The gnome had been in the family since the 1930s, witnessing numerous milestones and even popping up in the odd photo

The gnome was painted regularly by Penny’s father, ensuring he remained in tip-top condition. When the family moved to Suffolk, there was no question that the gnome was going with them.

His next destination was to Penny’s sister’s after their parents sadly passed away. Here, the gnome became somewhat damaged. The passage of time began to take its toll, and he also fell foul of an accidental clattering with a spade by Penny’s niece.

The biggest problem besetting the gnome, however, was concrete cancer. Concrete cancer occurs when steel reinforcements inside of concrete start to corrode. This causes the steel to expand, cracking the surrounding concrete and causing lumps to fall away and disintegrate.

A steel armature inside the gnome had resulted in him losing huge chunks of his legs through concrete cancer, exposing the metal frame inside. He was also missing extremities like fingers and thumbs, where concrete had again crumbled off the frame.

Time had not been kind to the gnome, with his legs in particular badly impacted by concrete cancer

There were other chips and damages across his body and much of the paintwork had flaked away. By the time the family decided to carry out a restoration, it was easy to understand why they felt they needed the help of The Repair Shop to bring the gnome back to life.

But with no help forthcoming, it fell to the skill and patience of Penny, 2kg of Geomfix Original and many hours of work carried out from her home in Wiltshire (another move for the gnome) to complete the restoration – starting with the preparation and running through to a new lick of paint.

“All the old paint had to be painstakingly removed along with any loose bits and dust. My father probably used lead-based paint, so I was careful to wear a mask whilst doing the preparation.”

Geomfix Original offers a high-strength bond to most materials, including concrete, metal, plastics, glass, stone, wood, ceramic, jewellery and fabric. It is this versatility which makes it so popular. To improve the putty’s adhesion to the concrete gnome, Penny sanded him down further to finish the preparation stage.

She then used Geomfix Original to rebuild the areas of damage caused by concrete cancer, starting with his legs. Part A and Part B were mixed together in equal measures, then moulded and shaped to replace the chunks of missing concrete.

Geomfix Original Epoxy Modelling Putty used in the restoration of a gnome
Geomfix Original rebuilt all the areas of concrete which had crumbled away, filled gaps and cracks and was moulded to create replacement fingers and toes

Because Geomfix Original is ceramic-filled and so hard-wearing, it offers excellent chemical and corrosion resistance. It is also waterproof. Not only was it rebuilding the gnome, but it was protecting it.

Applying it around the metal armature would prevent moisture coming into contact with the steel, reduce the chances of the metalwork becoming corroded, and significantly lessen the likelihood of future concrete cancer.

Once the legs were repaired, it was onto the rest of the damage across the body. For this, Penny received some technical help from our team. “The advice to add water to thin the putty was very helpful as it made it easier to smooth it into thinner cracks.” Lastly, Penny shaped and moulded Geomfix into new fingers and thumbs to replace the missing parts.

After successfully rebuilding the gnome using Geomfix, the final stage of the restoration was to repaint him. Cured Geomfix can be filed, sanded, drilled, tapped, screwed and directly painted onto – although in this instance Penny opted to use primer.

The full restoration of the gnome completed using Geomfix Original Epoxy Modelling Putty
White primer was used on top of the epoxy putty before the gnome was given a new coat of paint in keeping with how he originally looked

“I used a quick drying white primer and undercoat. Then a mixture of gloss and satin in the colours which my local hardware store had. The only enamel paint I used was grey for his beard. I wanted to reflect his fine old age.”

The result is a gnome unrecognisable from the tired, weathered and broken fella who Penny first started work on. “I have had a great time doing the project and the family and myself are pleased with him.”

“Due to his uniqueness and his sentimental value, he now resides by my patio doors, looking out into the garden.” There should be many more weddings and births yet for the gnome thanks to Geomfix Original Epoxy Putty.

If you have a repair or restoration project you would like SylCreate to advise on, please email sales@sylmasta.com or phone us on +44 (0)1444 831 459 to speak to one of our technicians.

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Epoxy modelling putty – Your guide to model making & sculpting putties

Selecting the right epoxy modelling putty from the large number available can be a difficult task with each model making putty having its own unique properties

Judging by our inbox, the world of epoxy modelling putty can be confusing. One of the most frequent enquiries we get is to explain the difference between the various model making and sculpting putties available and which one is most suitable for a specific application.

Green Stuff, Magic Sculp, Geomfix, Milliput… there are a lot of options. The rather unhelpful answer is that most of the time, choosing an epoxy modelling putty comes down to personal preference. Some will find the stickiness of Green Stuff easier to work with; others the smooth texture of Magic Sculp.

It is rather like pizza toppings. Everyone has their favourite and there really is no wrong or right answer…. even pineapple is acceptable. Before we end up talking too much about pizza and I end up going to Dominos for lunch, let us get back to the subject at hand – model making putty.

Whilst a lot depends on which putty you get along with best, there are some differences between epoxy modelling putties that you can take into consideration when deciding on your sculpting medium of choice.

Welcome to the SylCreate guide to selecting the right model making putty.

Green Stuff

Green Stuff is often the preferred epoxy putty of wargamers. It is flexible and gives a fine cut, making it ideal for adding intricate details to goblins, orcs, and other fantasy creatures.

For highly-detailed Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons and other fantasy work, it is perfect. Some of the world’s leading model makers such as The Goblin Master Kevin Adams and Alan and Michael Perry of Perry Miniatures are Green Stuff devotees.

Cats of Crumpton figure carved out of Green Stuff Epoxy Modelling Putty
Goblins made using Green Stuff Epoxy Modelling Putty
The Goblin Master Kevin Adams is one of the best creator of wargame models with his preferred material being Green Stuff epoxy modelling putty
A chest made using Green Stuff Epoxy Modelling Putty
A mangled tree made using Green Stuff epoxy modelling putty

When working with Green Stuff, it is noticeable just how sticky the putty is. It can take some getting used to. This stickiness allows the cured putty to retain a degree of flexibility, enabling the user to bend it into shape without it breaking.

These elastic properties make Green Stuff popular with scale model enthusiasts and professionals as well as wargamers. Whilst scale model makers will use a firmer epoxy modelling putty like Magic Sculp for initial sculpting or conversions, more detailed items can be made with Green Stuff, bent and then glued onto the other cured putty.

Award-winning AFV modeller David Parker deploys this technique for adding detailed insignia and supporting accessories such as belts and hair to his tank crew.

Green Stuff comes in two formats; a reel and a stick. The reel is pre-formatted with the resin and the hardener combined. To use, you simply cut off the amount of putty required and mix it together until it turns green.

One downside of the reel format is it does not allow the user much control over the mixing ratio of Green Stuff. That is not the case with the stick, where the resin and the hardener are separate portions.

The recommended mix of Green Stuff is 50-50, but in more specialist applications there are advantages to be had from adjusting these quantities. Professional model makers will sometimes go as far as to use four or five parts yellow to one part of blue hardener.

Less hardener means a longer curing time than the standard of 90 minutes to 1 hour and a much lighter consistency of putty, allowing for more time to work with a material capable of holding even more detail.

For more guidance on using Green Stuff, then Kneadatite have written a handy guide on their website with everything you could ever want to know about using the putty.

Magic Sculp

Magic Sculp has a finer texture and a softer consistency than Green Stuff, making it easier to sculpt in larger projects.

It is much more clay-like and once cured, it can be sanded, carved, painted… you could even attack it with a grinding tool and it would not break or lose shape.

Magic Sculp is an epoxy modelling putty used in scale model making
Magic Sculp epoxy modelling putty is used for building accessories in bulk

Whereas Green Stuff is used mainly by wargamers, Magic Sculp has multiple uses. It is popular in the scale model world for easily converting existing models, gap filling and sculpting new models and accessories.

Sculptors like it because of how easy it is to carve and the smooth finish it provides. They use it to repair and restore existing pieces as well as for creating new pieces.

In one of our favourite applications, it has even been combined with brick dust to create a coloured putty which seamlessly repaired a large hole in a brick wall.

Another reason Magic Sculp is popular for larger projects is its work time. At room temperature, it will not cure for two to three hours, offering much longer for model makers and sculptors to carve and shape the putty in larger projects.

Geomfix Original A+B Epoxy Modelling Putty

The best way to describe Geomfix Original A+B is as a cross between Green Stuff and Magic Sculp.

It can hold the finest of details like Green Stuff, allowing it to be used for intricate work. At the same time, it has a tough surface similar to Magic Sculp for building up bulk models and use in restoration work.

A highly detailed gnome created using Geomfix A+B Original Epoxy Modelling Putty
Geomfix Original A+B is a flexible modelling epoxy putty which can be used to create detailed artwork

Geomfix’s secret is that it is ceramic filled. This allows it to set harder than most other epoxy modelling putties, giving it a ceramic feel which makes it perfect for restoring china and other materials.

The list of users of Geomfix Original is pretty extensive. Scale model makers, wargamers, arts and crafts enthusiasts, china restorers, doll repairers and jewellery designers all use it.

Away from our world of creativity, a super-strength, industrial version of the epoxy putty known as Sylmasta AB is used in maintenance and repair tasks.

If you are unsure whether Green Stuff or Magic Sculp are the epoxy modelling putty for you, then Geomfix is a versatile, happy-medium between the two.

It has a two hour work time which can be accelerated using heat, is available in bulk quantities for the biggest projects and comes in three colours – standard white, jet black and silver grey.

Geomfix Coloured Epoxy Modelling Putty

The colour options do not end there. Geomfix is also available in a further 25 colours which match Swarovski crystals.

Originally, Geomfix Coloured was manufactured as a jewellery epoxy putty but the concept quickly grew into other areas including antique restoration, large design projects, and creating seasonal items sich as Christmas crafts and decorations.

Geomfix Coloured is made-to-order on-site by SylCreate. As well as the standard 25 colours, our technicians can customise an epoxy modelling putty to a specific colour.

When Donald Trump was in the White House, we were even asked by one customer to produce a Trump-coloured epoxy putty. The result was surprisingly accurate – although we never did ask what the putty was for…

Milliput

Millliput have been manufacturing epoxy modelling putties from their base in Wales since 1968, earning a deserved reputation as one of the best in the business.

All Milliput putties follow the same format – they come in two parts, 56.7gm of resin and 56.7gm of hardener. Mix the two together and off you go, whether your application is repairing a cracked toilet, fixing a leaking radiator, woodturning, or sculpting coal for a model railway.

There are six colours of Milliput available. Standard sets to a yellow-grey with the others doing exactly what they say on the tin: Silver-Grey, Superfine White, Black, Terracotta and Turquoise Blue.

Because Milliput is as much of a repair putty as it is a model making epoxy, it is not great at holding the finer details which most scale model or wargamers require when sculpting.

Where Milliput is good is in price – it is by far the cheapest epoxy putty around, making it a popular choice when it comes to packing out the body of large-scale models.

Surprisingly few model makers seem to know this, but you can mix modelling putties together to combine their properties. It is here where Milliput shows its worth.

For larger model making projects in which greater quantities of putty are required, Milliput can provide bulk in a more cost-effective manner.

Mix it with Green Stuff and you create a putty which can be used to build up a model and offers a degree of Green Stuff’s flexibility and ability to hold intricate details.

You can find out more about the benefits of mixing modelling putties in this article we wrote on the subject.

Superfast Wood Stick

Last but by no means least on our list is Superfast Wood Stick, an epoxy putty specially formulated for wood repair and restoration.

The putty is wood-filled and cures to the colour of wood, allowing it to be used as a damage filler. It repairs fences, furniture and wooden sculptures and the cured putty even floats.

Since bringing it into the SylCreate range, we have seen customers start to use it to carve brand new wood-like ornaments and creations.

Superfast Epoxy Putties do not stop with wood, either. There are specialist putties for the repair of other materials including concrete, which we have recommended to several customers carrying out restoration on stone materials.

If you have any projects completed using our modelling putties which you would like to share with us, then please email photos and a write-up to sales@sylmasta.com.

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The benefits of mixing modelling putties

Mixing modelling putties such as Green Stuff and Geomfix Original A+B together can help to create a unique putty for more detailed works

When a Michelin star chef is concocting a new meal for their award-winning restaurant, they will chuck all kinds of ingredients together in the search for perfection. Which is something the world’s leading model makers do too, mixing modelling putties to create the perfect material for the job at hand.

It is an obvious approach to take to model making when you think about it. Say you are working on a fantasy figure which required the detailing that Green Stuff provides as well as the stiffness of Magic Sculp. Such a putty may not be available to buy on the existing market, but by combining the properties of two existing products, you can tailor-make a putty with the attributes you need.

People have long been mixing the range of modelling putties that we sell at SylCreate. When Games Workshop was in its golden age with modellers such as Alan and Michael Perry and The Goblin Master Kevin Adams, it was often said that they would use nothing but Green Stuff to create their high-quality fantasy miniatures – although that was not strictly true.

Green Stuff is a firm modelling putty, which allows it to hold detail well. It is sticky and flexible, meaning that it can be bent even when cured, making it the ideal putty for creating accessories which can then be moulded onto existing figures.

But when Alan, Michael and Kevin were making hard-edged models, they would add some Milliput to the Green Stuff. The two modelling putties mixed together formed a stiffer version of Green Stuff, creating a putty for carving detailed miniatures but with less of the flexibility of pure Green Stuff.

Green Stuff and Magic Sculp modelling putties mixed together to create military rolls
Green Stuff and Magic Sculp were mixed together to create these military accessories by Paul Wade at Red Zebra

Going the other way, Paul Wade at Red Zebra Military Models adds Green Stuff to his preferred putty of Magic Sculp. On its own, Magic Sculp is a softer consistency putty which has just the right resistance for sculpting. It does not shrink or crack, even when formed in large structures and it provides an extra smooth finish when worked with water.

It does not easily yield when cured though, which is a problem for Paul who sometimes requires a putty which is less brittle. When creating his figures and accessories from Middle East conflicts, Paul therefore mixes Green Stuff with Magic Sculp so that very thin sections become more malleable.

Paul has another reason for mixing Magic Sculp and Green Stuff. The smoothness of Magic Sculp combined with it being a very light colour means it is not always possible to pick out fine details when working in bright conditions. Adding a small amount of Green Stuff to Magic Sculp turns the putty to a light green colour, making carving easier.

For bigger projects, mixing modelling putties together enables the creation of large scale models which are also easy to carve fine details into, as was the case for a SylCreate client who was working on a range of dinosaurs and dragons.

The client needed a putty which was easy to build up in bulk, but which could also hold a tremendous amount of detail when carved. They settled on mixing Geomfix Original A+B with Green Stuff. Geomfix is one of the hardest setting modelling putties available, making it popular for large-scale work. It responds well to tools without crumbling or breaking and cures without sagging or warping.

A large scale dinosaur sculpted with a combination of Green Stuff and Geomfix Original A+B
A Saurophaganax sculpted using a mixture of Geomfix Original A+B and Green Stuff
A fantasy dragon model sculpted by mixing Green Stuff and Geomfix Original A+B together
This highly detailed dragon was made by mixing Geomfix Original A+B and Green Stuff together

Geomfix was used to create the model and the top surface was then finished with the mixed putty of Geomfix and Green Stuff. The result was a highly detailed collection. The technique of combining the two putties together has since been advocated by Kneadatite on the section of their website which offers a guide for how to use Green Stuff.

Using Geomfix Original A+B to build up and bulk out models is something which The Goblin Master does. We spoke to Kevin recently about a project he was working on involving an ogre dolly in which he combined his favoured Green Stuff with Geomfix.

“I use Geomfix for making larger models, like the ogre I have been working on,” said Kevin. “It was a hot day and so the putty was quite sticky and pliable, more so than Green Stuff or Milliput, but after 30 minutes or so it was stiffer and easy to work.”

“As far as a modelling medium goes, I rate Geomfix very highly. It is great for muscles and cloths, with Green Stuff the best for items like chain mail due to its ability to stretch more.”

In view of the benefits that can be found from using mixing modelling putties together, SylCreate have decided to make the process even easier by releasing a new Modelling Putty Kit. The Kit consists of Green Stuff, Magic Sculp and Geomfix Original A+B at a cheaper cost compared to purchasing each putty separately.

Two sizes of Modelling Putty Kit are available. The Standard Kit contains a Green Stuff Reel 36”, Magic Sculp 250g and Geomfix Original A+B 250g, offering a saving of £8 on individual putties. The XL Kit has double the amount of products with 2 x Green Stuff Reels 36”, Magic Sculp 500g and Geomfix 500g for a saving of £13.90.

You do not have to mix the putties together to gain from purchasing as part of the Modelling Putty Kit. The putties included in the modelling kit can be kept separate and used to create a series of components which are then combined together to create a final model.

Award-winning modeller David Parker takes this approach to his model making. David’s putty of choice is Magic Sculp, which he uses to sculpt his main body of work including his internationally-acclaimed tank crew. For detailed insignia and supporting accessories such as belts and hair, David uses Green Stuff because of its elastic properties and firmness.

Magic Sculp and Green Stuff are used to create separate parts of this tank crew model
Tank crew sculpted by David Parker out of Magic Sculp, with additional Green Stuff used to provide straps
Paul Wade use Green Stuff to add the finishing touches to these heads sculpted from Magic Sculp

He then attaches the components made from Green Stuff to the components created from Magic Sculp, creating highly detailed models. Red Zebra also create their masters in this way. The intention is that the Modelling Putty Kit will provide a more cost-effective purchase for all model makers who use multiple putties in their creations.

Whether you intend on mixing the putties together or using them separately in one project, we would love to see your work created using our latest Kit. You can email photos and a write-up to sales@sylmasta.com and help us to tell the world more about the benefits of mixing modelling putties.