Hi folks,

How many of you have seen that Green Stuff World have released a collection of clear acrylic rolling pins for transferring texture to appropriate surfaces?

Textured Rolling Pin

Back at Xmas 2016 I managed to get my hands on some for around £10 each to use on my Blood Bowl Stadium project (on hold). Now – whilst I haven’t got around to using them for that purpose yet, I have managed to use them to create some cracked earth bases for my 40k Ork army.

This is Wot I Think.

Green Stuff World are based in Spain, and I’m in the UK – so expect a week or so delivery time if you live near me. When the package arrives it’s fairly small, about as long as a thumb to index finger span (assuming your hands are the same size as mine!), and well protected in bubble wrap.

Once you’ve torn it free, you’re left with a fairly weighty, sturdy clear acrylic rolling pin that has had texture etched into it by laser. It’s very robust, I dropped mine onto a concrete floor from chest height and saw no damage to the tool.

For the purpose of making textured bases, take a fingertip sized blob of green stuff, wet it, and spread it evenly across the surface of your base. Set your base down on your work table.

Next wet your rolling pin (I found that if you use it dry, the green stuff had a tendency to stick to the rolling pin) and whilst holding the base steady with your thumbs, roll the rolling pin (applying firm even downwards pressure) across your base. When you reach the other side, try to remove the pin cleanly without smudging your work.

Like me, you should find that you’ve been left with a nifty textured impression on your base. I’ve done a couple of dozen so far and whilst none of mine have turned out perfectly, practice is paying off and I’m getting better. I’m more than happy with the outcome of my original ones, but if you’re not, don’t forget that you’ve got a fairly large window of opportunity to splodge down your putty and roll it again.

One thing I will point out here, because of the laser etching process (I assume) the ‘smooth’ portions of your textured rolling pin have a series of thin lines on them  where the laser has burned the acrylic away in strips. This faint texture has transferred a couple of times onto my green stuff (You can see them in the image above).  However, I think this problem can be mitigated by controlling the amount of downward pressure you apply whilst rolling, and also by what putty you use.

In fact this brings me on to my next point.

The rolling pin can be used with epoxy resin putties, but it can also be used with modelling foam! Watch Mel the Terrain Tutor use one on some blue Styrofoam to create a cobblestone road! Notice that modelling foam doesn’t capture those laser imperfections at all.

As you can see, pretty cool huh?

Overall, I’m well impressed with this product and I think it makes a worthy contribution to any serious hobbyist’s tool box. When you factor the quality against the low price, I think it’s a clear winner.

What do you think?

Jimmi

If you enjoyed this product review, check out my others for this MDF Paint Rack, and Deep Cut Studios gaming mats. Alternatively, how about guides on how to use Quickshade Dip, or how to make a wet palette?