heysawbones

[heysawbones]

Out of all the Monster High customizers on YouTube, I think Catmelon has the highest taste level, possibly the highest skill level, and the hardest to watch videos lmao

*beautiful soft pastel face-up*

“it was ok i guess. I didn’t like it”

(me howling NOOOO as she wipes it off)

*beautiful soft pastel face-up #2*

“I tried to be ok with it. I had to do it again. I took 100% acetone and-“

NOOOOOOOOOO

[heysawbones]

Earlier today, I asked Google about removing the ink from a gel pen cartridge. Google thought I meant, “how do you revive a dead gel pen?” No. See. Sometimes, when you’re using gel pens in ways they were never meant to be used, you find the ballpoint inadequate. In my case, it was too big to get into tight spots on the doll shoe I was detailing. Gel ink is water soluble. You should be able to paint with it. Right?

But how do you get it out? Is the coverage okay? Folks,

the coverage is excellent.

You can learn how to free the gel ink from its tiny prison, plus the pros and cons below the cut.

Here’s the tools I used, except the hobby/model drill. That turned out to be unnecessary. A syringe, some kind of needle OR stiff catheter of similar dimensions, and scissors will do the trick.

I cut the pen above the stopper and below the ink/air bubble. If a gel pen is old enough or you have enough patience, sometimes you can wiggle the stopper out of the bottom of a gel pen instead. If that’s an option, I’d recommend it for reasons I’ll touch on later.

The tip of a Sakura Gellyroll has two notches in the plastic where the ballpoint head is seated in the grip. I used the eye end of a fat yarn needle to wedge into that notch and loosen the tip and cartridge until I could remove them from the grip. I think you could get away without removing the tip and cartridge, but I found it easier/neater to do it this way.

This shows where I cut into the cartridge: between the end of the air bubble, and the end of the ink. The more ink your pen has, the smaller - and possibly harder to identify - this area is.

Unfortunately, my syringe was not made to be used with a needle. To compensate, I used sticky-tac to cover any air gaps - vacuum is essential to a syringe. I used artist’s tape on top of that to stabilize the connection. You probably don’t need to do this, but if you do, there you go. I bet heavily chewed bubblegum would work, too. Or clay. Or lots of things.

I really didn’t think this would work, due to bad luck with past attempts. It does work.

Here, I’m using a kolinsky sable to pick up the ink but any pointed brush meant for acrylic, watercolor, or ink should do the trick.

THE OPACITY. THE PIGMENT LOAD. THE ABILITY TO DETAIL TINY AREAS

—

PROS.

-Incredibly opaque for something water-soluble and relatively low viscosity

-high pigment load

-very smooth finish

-accessible

CONS.

-If you bought gel pens with the intent of breaking them open for the beautiful ink inside, it would be expensive - especially for decent ink like Gellyroll

-Coverage is not as even with brush as it is with rollerball. This is easy to get around, but noticeable. Build up the coat until it’s opaque and smooth. Do not allow it to dry between coats. Once you’re done, put the item away to dry for as long as you can stand. DO NOT APPLY TOP COAT BY BRUSH

-Slow-drying on many surfaces if applied heavily enough for a smooth finish, but concerningly fast-drying in the syringe. It’s also unclear if recapping the original pen and sealing the cut end will preserve the ink, or if gel ink harvesting is a one-and-done where you will need to take all you can at one time, then store it in an airtight container. I’ve stuffed the cut end of my cartridge with sticky tac and put the cartridge back in the grip/recapped the pen, but it remains to be seen if this is sufficient for storage.

-Your gel pen will never be the same again: even if the ink can be preserved in the original cartridge, breaking the vacuum causes the ink to blob out of the roller ball. There’s a real possibility that this will just leak everywhere out both ends, which is why I recommend preserving the stopper at the bottom of the grip if plausible.

CONS 2,

continued (of detailing models, etc. with gel ink generally, not specifically the brush application thereof)

- Gel ink requires a porous surface. Do not expect to put pen to plastic without primer or Mr. Super Clear. The ink will consolidate centrally (proximal to heaviest application), gapping away from edges.

-Slow-drying: this takes forever, and it is easy to ruin a finish in the meantime.

—Durability: essentially none. Wait at least a few hours after you think the gel is dry, then apply a clear coat. SPRAY ONLY. Do NOT go back over it with a wet brush, as you risk reactivating the ink and ruining all your hard work. Spray works because it is ruining the finish evenly, and therefore, not at all. Wait and then apply the top coat again. These top coats will be your durability.

[heysawbones]

what a lovingly drawn collar. I mean. that's *gestures at the whole thing* aside even

I just gotta respect all of it

Some drawings of the City of Mist version of Mahadi 8)

Already almost died in intro session, he's doing great \o/

[heysawbones]

it does get a bit better about 3 hours in or so. Not great, but less expository and less “narrating the environment to you, for unclear reasons” though so it is inherently less bad

24 hours in: Lucanis is decent, I actively like Taash

*Veilguard companions, entering a town where it is clearly raining*

1: Wow, it is raining!

2: Yes, rain!

1: We will surely get wet!

2: Rain causes us to be wet!

1: I have never seen rain like this in x.

2: I’ve never seen anything like it!

1: Rain!

[heysawbones]

Okay!!! okay, okay,,,

[heysawbones]

This is what playing Monster Hunter Wilds Beta is like on PC right now:

[heysawbones]

*Veilguard companions, entering a town where it is clearly raining*

1: Wow, it is raining!

2: Yes, rain!

1: We will surely get wet!

2: Rain causes us to be wet!

1: I have never seen rain like this in x.

2: I’ve never seen anything like it!

1: Rain!

[heysawbones]

holy shit this ad

[heysawbones]

You ever see some insider baseball shit that you totally get, but the idly thoughtless way it’s been tossed out there into the void like “everyone Must get it, surely!” just, you know, it rankles for some reason??? sometimes not even a good reason, not even a little bit

I just fought off the urge to ask a post requesting that proshippers “not interact” what a proshipper is. Congratulate me. respect the restraint

[heysawbones]

since louis is Heavily Referential of reinhard, I found myself wondering who would win. usually reinhard wins stuff, it’s kind of his thing

unfortunately, louis also wins stuff and is a mage? but he seems somewhat less rational and maybe not a great judge of character, comparatively. Also, louis ain’t know shit about space or how to prepare his anus for space battle. he only has an airship. that’s not nearly as impressive.

that’s all cope, though. it hurts me but I’m pretty sure louis would win. he can probably breathe in space or something stupid like that

lineage!!!

[heysawbones]

lineage!!!

[heysawbones]

[heysawbones]

I wish this wasn’t a Trump shirt. Stripped of context, it remains a delightful nonsequitur.

[heysawbones]

I'm fucking dying someone please make a Pink Panther-style crime comedy about this

[heysawbones]

I learned of a mysterious new occupation today!

[heysawbones]

Please enjoy this seemingly inexplicable image from STS 51-A.