This weekend I realised that I kept all the remaining sprue from about each model I ever made. That is quite a large amount of plastic.

Have any of you plastoholics discovered a useful purpose for leftover sprue beyond the classical heat stretching it for making antenna?

Have a look at my brief tutorial about halfway down the page HERE in the recent Me 262 Campaign.

Cheers, D

Making putty with Tamiya cement and sprue. Amazing!

That is at least one very good idea!

I've also used to make what we called Goop back in the 70s with sprue and liquid glue. It works best where the top surface is directly exposed to the air. Enclosing it will trap the vapors, causing all sorts of issues such as the plastic becoming soft, and the surface becomes a series of dimples. Can takes months for it to really dry out. Even when exposed to the air, curing times can be days to weeks depending on the amount you use. The least amount the better.

I've used and still use stretched sprue for filling long seams where there is s slight gap.

I keep a plastic container with cut pieces of sprue. I do throw out the vast majority of it, as there is always more then enough with every new kit.

Joel

I also have all the scrap flat stock left from all the vacuform kits I've built.

Hi Drabslab

I never throw sprue away that's in unusual colours or cross-sections - it's essential stock for future projects. I'm still using 30+ year old runners for coloured wiring etc. I guess the motto should be "Why paint it, when you can simply stretch it?".

Melted sprue in styrene cement - I first came across the technique in Scale Models magazine back in the '70s (I know, I'm showing my age! ). It's great stuff... but, as Joel says, to be used with caution.

All the best

Rowan

I keep a small supply but for the most part it goes into the recycle bin. Just want to do my part to stop global cooling (oh wait what year is this) sorry I meant global warming. Don't want all the trees in the Amazon to disappear and my beloved country of birth Canada to become a wasteland from all that Acid Rain (is that still in vogue ?)

Cheers

The sorters have no way to identify odd bits of plastic.

Chucking it in the single stream recycle means it goes in the tip with all the other unidentifyable rubbish so don't waste their effort.

JClapp - How come that does not surprise me