Dead Sprues !

[tigersteve]

Any good use for these , or good ways of disposal? I like to recycle wherever I can and it seems bad to just chuck them, to end up in landfill ...
Thanks for ideas !

[rtfoe]

Hi Steve, melted stretched sprue make good antennas, thin poles. I use sprues with blutac to hold bits and pieces for airbrushing. On emergencies I have used them to stir acrylic paint. Test paints by airbrushin them rather than on my finger nails to get thin lines. Use some to prop interiors that have no wall support. Sharpen sprues can be used to clean painted edges of a clear part canopy.

Instead of it ending up as landfill, the cut pieces can be uased as bulk for dio base landscapes...miniaturised landfill. :smiling2:

Cheers,
Richard

[Ian M]

it seems bad to just chuck them, to end up in landfill ..

A land fill! Do you still have those. lol
Here we have recycling centers! Any how.
A cut the long sprues to use for painting holders. A crocodile clip clamped on the end os some, others just as sticks. The smaller bit can be cut up and put in a jar with cellulose and turned into filler. Whats left gets put in a box or a bag and taken to the recycling center once in a while.

[Guest]

A land fill! Do you still have those. lol

There was a short series on BBC last year (I think) about landfills in Britain. I was amazed that they still put a large part of their non-recyclable waste into one, rather than burning it for energy.

[Guest]

As a bit of an add-on to this, what do you guys do with the rest of the left overs?

I'm planning to keep any spare parts and decals, but do you usually keep them in their boxes or just group them all together in a spares bin?

Do you keep the boxes for posterity? I reckon I'd run out of room pretty quickly if I start doing that.

[minitnkr]

After 60+ years of modeling, I have a lot. I cut off the box art if it shows details or a finish I may use again & file it w/the instructions I may use again if I decide to make a conversion or wreck in the future. It's also helpfull if you want to get/purchase an extra sprue or specific part from the maker. The spares are sorted by type & country/period, like wheels, tires, ammo, clear, tools, spare parts, hooks, supplies, hvy weapons, MGs, hand weapons, kit, figs & fig parts, etc. for US, German, WWII, postwar, & modern. Decals are sorted similarly in plastic zip bags, but in an old humidor w/silicate to keep them dry and safe from damage. I primarily work in one scale (1/87) and the two countries mentioned, so this is simplified. PaulE

[langy71]

I've known Sci-fi modelers to use empty sprues for building the pipe work on a Borg Cube from Star Trek..

[Guest]

As a bit of an add-on to this, what do you guys do with the rest of the left overs?

I'm planning to keep any spare parts and decals, but do you usually keep them in their boxes or just group them all together in a spares bin?

I keep all leftover parts from kits I build in old kit boxes, in little sets of drawers (the kind people put screws etc. in in their sheds) and some of those containers with separate compartments.




There is already a thread about this, BTW, which is where I posted the above pictures earlier

Do you keep the boxes for posterity?

I tend to keep one of each model I build — any duplicates go into the waste paper. You can save a lot of room by folding boxes flat (if they open on the sides, rather than being top-and-bottom as separate pieces) and putting them inside others.

[Ian M]

I used to magpie every and any spare parts but after awhile I found that I never used them. The only bits I save now are decals, (saved my skin on many a build). Weapons, wheels and figures.
Oh I do have one box with spare wings and the like for Spitfires and mosquitoes.... Just in case. There are at least three mossies you can build via cross kitting to make an un modelled mk.