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Rescuing cutting mats?


RobL

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Hey all

 

I have 2 or three self healing cutting mats.  They all look similar to this -

 

IMG-20210913-145023809-HDR.jpg

 

 

Is there a quick way to remove the superglue, paint, etc. and restore the mats back to something cleaner looking?

 

 

Thanks in advance.

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Personally Rob @RobL I'd say leave well alone and sell it to the Tate modern! That way, you'll have loads of money and never have to worry about where the next cutting mat will come from....:whistle:

 

Alternatively, try knocking a bottle of extra thin all over the mat, don't know if it'll shift CA but the paint and the sizing grid will just be a memory, ask me HOW I know......

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I just hammered mine with a detail sander, going down the grades.

 

You lose the grid lines. You'll also lose something else if you do it on the kitchen worktop like I did without realising the green dust would go everywhere and I didnt stop hearing about that for days.

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8 hours ago, Sharknose said:

I just hammered mine with a detail sander, . . . 

I use a hammer for hammering and my detail sander for sanding.  :giggle:

 

Cellulose thinners or acetone will clean off all that gunge.

But . .. you're spending more on cleaning stuff than you can buy new mats for

You can get an A4 for as little as £1.99, or A3 for about £6 - less than the cost of thinners and time

 

For general modelling desk protection I now use Ikea kitchen cutting mats. £1 for two. 

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/finfoerdela-bendable-chopping-board-dark-grey-dark-turquoise-30335898/

They'll suffer modest cutting and paint or glue spills and clean up well

 

When I do any resin casting I put a piece of card, usually from a cereal packet, down for drips or spills.

 

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Waste of time and resources cleaning it up. Afterwards, it will be like a surgeon saying "The operation was 100% successful. Sadly, the patient died".

 

Dave

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Thanks guys.  I guess I won't bother and go seek a new A3 mat.  I have a The Works in my local town centre (as far as I know it's still there).

 

  

4 hours ago, Mark Harmsworth said:

OK, I'll ask. Why paint on a cutting mat?

 

 

 

All of what you see on that mat is from where I paint miniature figures.  I don't use a wet palette all that often (although I probably should), and whatever the mat is made from (rubber?) is a good surface for putting paint on to thin/mix and then apply to a model via a brush.  I get the feeling that using anything on top to protect the mat would either a) not be as good a surface for the paint or b) leech through onto the mat anyway and c) the mat lasts longer than anything I'd put down on it and doesn't need replacing as frequently thus saving money.

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4 minutes ago, RobL said:

I don't use a wet palette all that often (although I probably should), and whatever the mat is made from (rubber?) is a good surface for putting paint on to thin/mix and then apply to a model via a brush.

That certainly explains the impressive expressionist painting. If I may suggest an alternative - I've got an artists ceramic palette which I cover with kitchen foil. At the end of each project I start with fresh foil - and that avoids cleaning the palette. I wish I could remember where I saw the idea. Like this :

4XCAqc9l.jpg

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2 hours ago, ckw said:

You can also get pads of waxed paper for palette use. £2 for 30 sheets at The Works

mmmm, a thought.

When I'm working with a paper pattern on my leather work, to keep the paper from soaking up water and dyes and acrylic paints I spray the paper, standard printing paper, with household furniture wax polish

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On 9/13/2021 at 5:09 PM, PhoenixII said:

Personally Rob @RobL I'd say leave well alone and sell it to the Tate modern! That way, you'll have loads of money and never have to worry about where the next cutting mat will come from....:whistle:

 

Alternatively, try knocking a bottle of extra thin all over the mat, don't know if it'll shift CA but the paint and the sizing grid will just be a memory, ask me HOW I know......

 

Been there, done that... twice 😆

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When I am doing my figures, or anything that requires small amounts of acrylic paint, and don't want to use a wet palette, I lay out a couple of strips of masking tape and put my drops of paint on them. Not the Tamiya tape but good quality decorators tape (3M) and put the drops of paint on them, you can then thin the paint and mix and have a few different colours on them. Then when finished just peel the tape away and bin it.

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