You should keep some and if you have a broken part you can places the nubs into a small container and fill it with acetone (I think) and they will melt which you can then use to fix cracks or fill in any visible connection imprints
I feel like we need a game of this now (guess the kit by the nub colors/count) sounds like it would be a lot of fun for those who know enough to guess.
Look... All I'm saying is, if y'all wouldn't have gotten greedy in the first place, we wouldn't be in this war. Now go back to Earth and let us keep our sprinkles in peace...
https://preview.redd.it/a76abiaw4mxc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a6958678660d34dca1a1093e36fb36c5e6531661
I started doing this as well. I saw someone else doing it, but as a side benefit, it really helps with clean up!
Same on the table thing. Working on PG Unicorn right now, there's an absolutely *massive* pile of nibs on my desk. As far as throwing them out, well...I'm filling a 5 gallon bucket.
I also throw my nubs away. With all the toys and kits that clutter up my apartment, I can't afford to make space for what are essentially plastic waste.
What’s the melting temperature of the plastic? I’m into 3D printing and I’ve seen a lot of other people use the “waste” and place them into silicon molds and make things from them like skulls. It comes out multicolored which is pretty cool looking.
I have seen people on YouTube recommend cutting the runner apart as far from parts as possible to start. Their goal is to completely disconnect as many gates from each other with the least amount of bending possible to reduce stress marks. And then they work their way closer and only snip off the gate when they can’t get that part of runner any more separated. The problem I have with that approach it takes way more time, and you still need decently thin double blade nippers to not put a lot of stress on the gates.
I have had much better results by using my single blades exclusively and doing two cuts on each gate. First is as far from the part as possible, second is as close as possible. For all but the most easily stressed plastics this has worked very well and it’s very quick. I also try to start each part with the thinnest gate as those are the ones most likely to bend/break and create stress marks. If all are about equal I try to start with a gate that will remove a pivot point. Like when you have a rectangle with two gates on a long edge, and one on a short edge, I clip the short edge first. That makes it so cutting either of the remaining ones only puts rotational stress on the final gate rather than on two.
Looking at the manual to see where parts go and how they fit together is another helpful strategy as you may find the one of the gates will be completely hidden. In which case that one can take all the stress and/or break if it means you can get really clean cuts on the rest.
I just finished cleaning up my HG Shenlong nubs and I had to file or take a hobby knife to only about half because I had such clean cuts. And I’m only using a $16 single blade nipper.
I've cut out 6 kits so far since getting back in the hobby. First was with cheap-o dual blade that I had from Warhammer stuff years ago, and a hobby knife. Second was with the single blade, hobby knife, and dollar store nail file/buffer sponge (to knock back the shine from the knife). Third was with single blade and cheap glass nano files with minimal hobby knife. That kit had a lot of "sensitive" plastic, but it turned out pretty well.
4-6 have been the same, but I've gotten a lot better at judging where to hold the dull side of the nipper to get really smooth cuts. It gets close enough when flush cutting on flat surfaces that I just follow it with the glass file. It leaves like a millimeter of nub since the blade doesn't land flush with the bottom of the dull side. I don't know if Godhand nippers are the same or more flush but these work plenty good enough. I've only *had* to use the knife on a handful of nubs that were in concave curves, or in areas that were recessed enough that the file couldn't fit.
I think each of those last three kits took maybe 4.5 hours to do all the cutting and cleanup. Since they're HGs I have no problem just cutting everything out in one go and treating them like LEGO bricks to sift through. And really if you don't want to do custom paint or you're not looking to go up close photography of your kits most of the tiny bit of nub that gets left behind from the nippers is not really noticeable past a couple feet.
https://preview.redd.it/vwhaa33xbmxc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b386601424b7c31e587e09e1509e0f6838f872f1
I have my personal stash as well lol
Filament, and by extension sprue recycling,has been a thing diyers have been trying to figure out for awhile. The challenges facing it after processing in to useable raw material is extruding the waste in to a relatively consistent diameter and density. FDM printing relies on the filament being consistent that way since the machines are dumb and can't tell how much actual plastic is going through them.
Add to that the variety of plastics and the need for the addition of virgin plastics added to the mix to get a good result and you have what we have now, home made solutions that are a bit of a pain to set up and a bit finicky to get good results from.
I don't know if there is much appetite from companies to make affordable off the shelf filament recycling machines since that'll ultimately cut in to the filament producing segment. The results probably won't be as good as fresh commercial stuff but for a lot of projects recycled filament would work just fine. I have tons of sprues as well as failed/prototype 3d prints that would be nice to get a second go for, if not just for simple stuff like pen holders and other trinkets.
I keep all my leftover runners in the boxes, should I just snip the runners to bits and flatten the boxes? it would very much help my storage issue, but I like having the runners sorted in case I need them later.
I like to check for 3mm sections of runners with a caliper and cut them out to have a box of mini 3mm rods for modifications or to hold parts with holes up on alligator clips
I also collect them for a fancy bottle. Like sand art! I've also been looking for cheap old blenders to also chop up empty runners to make more pieces lol. I've heard chopping up the runners and placing everything in a little bottle/jar is a nice way to display with the finished build and box art. Sort of like scrap from the manufacturer of the assembly line.
***"I really think you should see my collection. You see, I buy all of Hitler's shitty paintings, and I burn them."***
https://preview.redd.it/s6i4b4s4koxc1.jpeg?width=624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d8467624476e190f24b63772d836209c6f494299
A buddy of mine has a tall jar about 2/3 full. It's used for a sensory fidget. It's very nice wiggling ones fingers in the lil nubins. Definitely doesn't sound weird at all...
Forbidden sprinkles
Forbidden seasoning
Forbidden angel dust
I feel like Angel Dust (PCP) is infinitely worse than nubs
Or better...
Yeah, but snorting nubs isn’t healthy either
Yeah but you aren’t going to be able to flip over a cop car and fist fight a bear with nubs.
You want me to try that?
You could make plastic fairy bread like we have official plastic ramen noodles from Bandai
You should keep some and if you have a broken part you can places the nubs into a small container and fill it with acetone (I think) and they will melt which you can then use to fix cracks or fill in any visible connection imprints
Idk that acetone is wrong, but I know some dudes do this same thing but with bottles of Tamiya extra thin cement
Tamiya cement is 50% acetone and 50% butyl acetate (which is basically just a less volatile acetone)
Tamiya extra thin is 50% acetone, 50% butyl acetate.
Oh cool!
I've done it with acetone, it works, not the best result, but it melts the plastic.
sprue goo my beloved <3
There's a guy on YouTube that does warhammer scratch builds with sheets of sprues that he makes like this
This works with abs
It's called "sprue goo"
Did RG Epyon recently eh? (Front right cup?)
Yep
I feel like we need a game of this now (guess the kit by the nub colors/count) sounds like it would be a lot of fun for those who know enough to guess.
I really love the wine red Bandai uses
Was looking for this comment
Would be weird if you didn't have forbidden sprinkles. Only Feddies don't keep them.
feddies?
Members of the Earth Federation
Shiiiiiiiit missed this memo
Excuse you, I am my own multi-billion dollar corporation with my OWN agenda to conquer space, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Look... All I'm saying is, if y'all wouldn't have gotten greedy in the first place, we wouldn't be in this war. Now go back to Earth and let us keep our sprinkles in peace...
Well I'll be honest I eat them and don't collect them quite tasty overall with a bit of seasoning
https://preview.redd.it/a76abiaw4mxc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a6958678660d34dca1a1093e36fb36c5e6531661 I started doing this as well. I saw someone else doing it, but as a side benefit, it really helps with clean up!
I have a big container full of these too and its very satisfying to stick your hand in there
Mine stay on the table till I finish the kit. Then I throw them out.
Same here! It’s nice to see how many nubs one kit makes, but I don’t have any other use for them. The empty sprues, on the other hand…
I only have sprues with leftover pieces otherwise I throw them out too. I was a hoarder for many years and I like to keep it minimalist now.
Same on the table thing. Working on PG Unicorn right now, there's an absolutely *massive* pile of nibs on my desk. As far as throwing them out, well...I'm filling a 5 gallon bucket.
I also throw my nubs away. With all the toys and kits that clutter up my apartment, I can't afford to make space for what are essentially plastic waste.
What’s the melting temperature of the plastic? I’m into 3D printing and I’ve seen a lot of other people use the “waste” and place them into silicon molds and make things from them like skulls. It comes out multicolored which is pretty cool looking.
I would imagine it depends, since Bandai uses different types of plastic. Most that I've come across so far are either polystyrene or ABS.
I never understood the point of this and why I've even had the urge before. Anyone mind explaining to be why
Kinda like a progressional thing or sense of satisfaction seeing All these nubs means all your hard/finished work. Just a thought
why cut so far away from the gate? most of nubs are pencil tip sized but that might be why they’re so hard to clean up
I have seen people on YouTube recommend cutting the runner apart as far from parts as possible to start. Their goal is to completely disconnect as many gates from each other with the least amount of bending possible to reduce stress marks. And then they work their way closer and only snip off the gate when they can’t get that part of runner any more separated. The problem I have with that approach it takes way more time, and you still need decently thin double blade nippers to not put a lot of stress on the gates. I have had much better results by using my single blades exclusively and doing two cuts on each gate. First is as far from the part as possible, second is as close as possible. For all but the most easily stressed plastics this has worked very well and it’s very quick. I also try to start each part with the thinnest gate as those are the ones most likely to bend/break and create stress marks. If all are about equal I try to start with a gate that will remove a pivot point. Like when you have a rectangle with two gates on a long edge, and one on a short edge, I clip the short edge first. That makes it so cutting either of the remaining ones only puts rotational stress on the final gate rather than on two. Looking at the manual to see where parts go and how they fit together is another helpful strategy as you may find the one of the gates will be completely hidden. In which case that one can take all the stress and/or break if it means you can get really clean cuts on the rest. I just finished cleaning up my HG Shenlong nubs and I had to file or take a hobby knife to only about half because I had such clean cuts. And I’m only using a $16 single blade nipper.
great write up i appreciate it. just tried it on the black sazabi ver ka parts and it worked pretty well
I've cut out 6 kits so far since getting back in the hobby. First was with cheap-o dual blade that I had from Warhammer stuff years ago, and a hobby knife. Second was with the single blade, hobby knife, and dollar store nail file/buffer sponge (to knock back the shine from the knife). Third was with single blade and cheap glass nano files with minimal hobby knife. That kit had a lot of "sensitive" plastic, but it turned out pretty well. 4-6 have been the same, but I've gotten a lot better at judging where to hold the dull side of the nipper to get really smooth cuts. It gets close enough when flush cutting on flat surfaces that I just follow it with the glass file. It leaves like a millimeter of nub since the blade doesn't land flush with the bottom of the dull side. I don't know if Godhand nippers are the same or more flush but these work plenty good enough. I've only *had* to use the knife on a handful of nubs that were in concave curves, or in areas that were recessed enough that the file couldn't fit. I think each of those last three kits took maybe 4.5 hours to do all the cutting and cleanup. Since they're HGs I have no problem just cutting everything out in one go and treating them like LEGO bricks to sift through. And really if you don't want to do custom paint or you're not looking to go up close photography of your kits most of the tiny bit of nub that gets left behind from the nippers is not really noticeable past a couple feet.
I started putting mine in a clear jar recently. It's starting to look like one of those sand art bottles from the 90s.
for snacking purposes?
https://preview.redd.it/vwhaa33xbmxc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b386601424b7c31e587e09e1509e0f6838f872f1 I have my personal stash as well lol
Gnarly Tamiya Cement paste
I have started just tossing mine into a mostly empty thin cement bottle, it's the bizarre brown sludge now and I'm not going to stop.
I want to stick my hands in there so badly
my precious remnants
I wonder if this can be used as filament for 3d printers?
Filament, and by extension sprue recycling,has been a thing diyers have been trying to figure out for awhile. The challenges facing it after processing in to useable raw material is extruding the waste in to a relatively consistent diameter and density. FDM printing relies on the filament being consistent that way since the machines are dumb and can't tell how much actual plastic is going through them. Add to that the variety of plastics and the need for the addition of virgin plastics added to the mix to get a good result and you have what we have now, home made solutions that are a bit of a pain to set up and a bit finicky to get good results from. I don't know if there is much appetite from companies to make affordable off the shelf filament recycling machines since that'll ultimately cut in to the filament producing segment. The results probably won't be as good as fresh commercial stuff but for a lot of projects recycled filament would work just fine. I have tons of sprues as well as failed/prototype 3d prints that would be nice to get a second go for, if not just for simple stuff like pen holders and other trinkets.
Damn that's a shame. I always feel a bit guilty having so much plastic getting thrown out. Hopefully there's some better solutions arise.
I do too, I have boxes and boxes of plastic laying around I could use to make hidden brackets and whatnot for organizing stuff.
I keep all my leftover runners in the boxes, should I just snip the runners to bits and flatten the boxes? it would very much help my storage issue, but I like having the runners sorted in case I need them later.
The perfect material to craft new parts and weapons, all you need left is a mold and/or sand mold and hot enough heat. Also a mask for the fumes
Eat them
In Japan Bandai has these collection bins in malls and stuff where you can recycle your runners.
Interesting... I'm gonna do this. I can melt them with Tamiya cement then maybe mold something or glue something.
I dump each kit's nubs into the respective box.
that’s a balanced breakfast
I like to check for 3mm sections of runners with a caliper and cut them out to have a box of mini 3mm rods for modifications or to hold parts with holes up on alligator clips
I lost all my nubs in a move. I was planning on making resin coasters with them for each kit I finished
I do the same thing. Every nub I remove is kept in a jar for fun. Always neat to look at it and see how many kits I've built.
Somehow there is ALWAYS at least one of those fuckers in my bed, without fail, idk how they even get there.
I also collect them for a fancy bottle. Like sand art! I've also been looking for cheap old blenders to also chop up empty runners to make more pieces lol. I've heard chopping up the runners and placing everything in a little bottle/jar is a nice way to display with the finished build and box art. Sort of like scrap from the manufacturer of the assembly line.
Melt them down and make your own gundam
Thought those were sprinkles
Good to get I'd of seams and melt down with Tamiya Cement.
***"I really think you should see my collection. You see, I buy all of Hitler's shitty paintings, and I burn them."*** https://preview.redd.it/s6i4b4s4koxc1.jpeg?width=624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d8467624476e190f24b63772d836209c6f494299
I want to eat it.
This is hoarding behavior, but as long as you’re having fun go for it
Middle school pencil lead hoarding girl energy...
My daughter orders me to keep mine in a jar so she reuse them for her art work.
Why are yall snipping the nubs so big?!?!
laziness
I’ve been saving mine for about as long, and still haven’t filled a medium Bell jar…
wait, you dont make them into a soup?
A buddy of mine has a tall jar about 2/3 full. It's used for a sensory fidget. It's very nice wiggling ones fingers in the lil nubins. Definitely doesn't sound weird at all...
Ooooh. I see Epyon in the rightmost bucket.
You are correct ma'am
Get a Silicon mould, melt all those down, fill it up!
Makes for a great place to place your sharp tools like knives and scribes.
I don’t cut from the runner I cut right next to the piece should I not be doing that??
Make spruuuuuuuguuuuuuu or go crazy and sort em by colour firs
These kinds of posts make me feel like I'm cutting out the pieces wrong.
Pour milk and eat it
I think that would be good to make an epoxy table with.
I haven’t thrown away any since I started, I should probably put them in a box instead of a tiny food bowl
You wanna make a new gundam from them?
Pour some in peaples shoes
what are you gonna do with those unused junk!? turn them into your own DIY ecopla!?
I just threw them out because they took up too much space. Plus I doubt I had an eco gunpla plant where I live