CDO Forums

Hello everybody. I need to ask a question. Right now I am using a  hobby knife to sculpt greenstuff. Do I need to get a sculpting tool? and if I do, can I get a cheaper one than the GW one?

There are plenty of cheaper and better sculpting tools than the GW one which I've heard in a few places isn't too good, i only use a hobby knife and tooth pick with a bit of water but its up to yourself

im using a sculpting kit that cost $40 and has a dozen tools.. I use 3 of the tools most of the time. Ive seen simialar single tools selling in a tool shop for a few bucks each. My sculpting has improved since I upgraded from just an exacto knife.

Some random web searches  on 'dental tools' provided:
http://www.hobbytool.com/index.asp?PageA...Category=3
http://www.indigo.com/tools/dental-picks-probes.html

Don't know where you are based, so this may be not be much use to you, but I use a set of sculpting tools purchased fom my local Hobbycraft store for about £10 (BTW, I'm based in the UK).

The tools are a little smaller than the GW one, but they are no less effective for that, and I can recommend them.

Okay, the way I see it, you need two things:
-Sculpting tools-Heresy miniatures does a great set with more than enough tools for your money - http://www.heresyminiatures.com/images/pages/htt01.htm
-Clay shapers-Absolute gold these things, essential when tackling smooth surfaces and whatnot, again, Heresy is your friend- http://www.heresyminiatures.com/tools.htm ,just scroll down and click on "clay shaper modelling tools", i'd reccomend picking up the set of 5 piece clay shaper sets (size 0), however, you can't get those untill the last week of october, so you may have to pick a few seperatly, I reccomend the flat chisel (for smoothing GS) and the cup chisel (for adding creases and grooves and whatnot), but if you can afford all five, then you should do that, as they all have their own uses.
Hope this helps .

If you're serious about sculpting those clayshapers are a real must!
I can't complain about the gw sculpting tool although it is a bit pricey yes and cheaper ones would probably do the trick just as well. You should also search the net because a lot of the tools are easy to make yourself too! I can look up some tutorials about that later if you wish.

Kobarf

i bought the ones off heresy, found the files are useful as well.

i also use a scalpel fr fine detail, indentations a sculpting tool is too wide to make.

Dentists' tools are very good if you can your hands on 'em.

Thanks for all the help.

I just use a stanly knife, a REAl mans tool

Serious, just use what you like and prefer, I've grown accustomed to using a big knife so thats what I use.

Or just get your hobgoblins to do it for you

I use dental tools, but that's only because i'm too cheap to buy the proper equipment.

I actually make my own I'm a bit of a cheapscate, so I take the assorted sprues after all the stuffs been removed, and I carve a few lengths out into the shapes I need; flats, a blade-like thing, and if I'm careful, I can get quite a thin needle-like bit.

Failing that, a toothpick and an x-acto.

Hey everyone,
I'm new to the board although have been painting/collecting GW minis since it's golden days in the early '90s. I'm still in the process of conceptualizing my CD army but probably will be converting the plastic CD's.

Anyway, I also had a question about sculpting tools. What size are best? #0 or #2? I'm sorry but I don't know what these numbers mean or correspond to in centimeters

I picked up mine off ebay, you can pick some up for reasonable prices.

I just use a roundheaded pin, because i am a cheapscate and dont want to pay! Many-a-time when i am sculpting in my local store they try and sell me a sculpting tool,but i refuse!

Okay! those "sculpting tools" that gw sells are bogus, those are manicure tools, My sister has one. go to shopper's drug mart or something. they're like 6 bucks and they are the exact same thing. gw is such a ripoff. it hurts me to buy their sets.

I use straws!    No seriously!

The straws you get with drinks cartons.  I find they have to be a certain sort.  Some are coated in a thin plastic that frays after a while, others are just that little bit too wide.

Pictured below are the tools I use for 90% of my sculpting.


The bottom straw is cut sharper than the one above.

I struggle with certain things only using these (flowing cloaks etc), but generally they are all I need.

Well with the results you get Grim maybe straws are the way forward! I've found the GW tool works wel for my level as a beginer with greenstuff, and isn't too expensive at £4 either. Only issue is that when I progress, I'll probablly want to invest in a decent set of clay shapers

I find that just for basics you need:

what shall be described as pokers. (needle, toothpic ect)
blendering/smoothing tools (knife ect)
somthing to create sharp lines and detail (knife of some kind)

so really all you need is a toothpic and a bog standard hobby knife, Although I often feel more confident if im using some proffesional tools just because if I paid X amount for a tool it better make me X amount better!

Yeah,  I'm the classic "all the gear, no idea" bloke.  I paid a fortune for a good set of golf clubs and the little round bugger just wont go straight for me!

Still, it looks like I know what I'm doing when I get to the 19th hole!