Sprue ?

heating a piece of it and stretching it makes great antennas.

I will have to check into that , thanks very much.

Mark

Yeah, markiii, there's a lot more to know about plastics than I ever thought.

The book is one that I picked up when I was in college about 7 or 8 years ago and it served me well in artwork and even better in modeling, in many ways it has changed my entire aproach to how I do things in this hobby.

The book is entitled: "Health Hazards for Artists" mine is the third edition and I understand there has been a fourth edition out for a couple of years.

Author: Michael McCann Ph.D., C.I.H.

Publisher: Lyons & Burford

ISBN: 0-941130-06-1

This is one of those books I think every modeler should have, I'd call it the "Bible" of art material safety.

There are increadibly enlightening sections on working with various plastics (what I learned about casting resin and RTV materials has kept me from taking up that activity), metal casting work, adhesives and paints.

If you like to say "ignorance is bliss" yes it is, after you read this book, you'll realize that you'll find a similar bliss in the grave. After reading that book, and reading in FSM what some modelers use to get there projects done, I'm surprized more of us in the hobby haven't put ourselves "six feet under"

Its scary, but we must face up to the fact that our hobby includes working with toxins and exercise a level of maturity and responsiblity that reflects that.

Happy (and safe) modeling

Hey upnorth, that's pretty good information. Keep it up !

Mark

This is for Bayonet Recon:

I'm not a plastics expert by any means, but if what I've read about the transition of plastics from raw material, to finished product (polymerization) I'd have to to say melting it down and remolding it is probably a long shot at best.

The way I understand it, polymerization fundamentaly changes the chemistry of the raw material from an unstable element to a stable finished product.

As for the fumes, yes they are a concern, I'd say research your plastic type. Some plastics incorporate carcinogenic compounds in their chemical makeup, and while they may not be a concern in a solid cured piece of finished plastic, remelting it could release residual amounts of such compounds into the air.

I have a safety manual for artists at home that has an excelent section on working with plastics, I'll post its title and other information here tomorrow.

I have read tips in FSM and Scale Auto you can cut sprue into small pieces, put them in a bottle and cover with liquid cement. The sprue will melt and you can adjust the consistency with the amount of cement you use. The tips centered on using this for putty to fill seams, holes, etc. I suppose you could try casting with it, but in my experience it takes forever for it to dry.

quote:

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Originally posted by Bayonet Recon

I honestly never gave much thought to using sprue. It seemed like such a waste having all of that extra plastic and not doing anything with it besides throwing it away. Now I know better.

The one thing I'm curious about, is it possible or practical to melt it down into liquid form and pour into a mold? Or is it not considered re-useable in such a manner. Or is this considered too dangerous due to toxic fumes, etc.?

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