PDA

View Full Version : So I may have %&#$ed up my new GameScience dice.



Âmesang
2016-11-20, 10:09 PM
So I decided to pick a set of 'em, but while I would have preferred white (which I couldn't find on Amazon) I went with black instead. Well, I was lazy, so instead of using my figurine paint to fill in the numbers I used a liquid paper pen. :smalltongue:

First I considered filing off the overfill with a nailfile, but then I had the brilliant idea of trying to wipe it off with a acetone-soaked cotton swap.

Now, technically that worked… in a way, it does leave the dice with clear white numbers on "black" dice, very easy to read even from a distance… "black" being the operative word, since it's also left this foggy residue on the sides. :smallfrown:

Any idea of what I can do to try and clean 'em up (hopefully while leaving the numbers filled in)?

ComradeBear
2016-11-22, 08:39 AM
So I decided to pick a set of 'em, but while I would have preferred white (which I couldn't find on Amazon) I went with black instead. Well, I was lazy, so instead of using my figurine paint to fill in the numbers I used a liquid paper pen. :smalltongue:

First I considered filing off the overfill with a nailfile, but then I had the brilliant idea of trying to wipe it off with a acetone-soaked cotton swap.

Now, technically that worked… in a way, it does leave the dice with clear white numbers on "black" dice, very easy to read even from a distance… "black" being the operative word, since it's also left this foggy residue on the sides. :smallfrown:

Any idea of what I can do to try and clean 'em up (hopefully while leaving the numbers filled in)?

You don't use acetone on black plastic, is the lesson you just learned that I learned back when I was an auto detailer.

Acetone dissolves certain plastics and makes them look weird. This effect is more noticeable on black plastic. So the issue is not that there is residue. Rather the opposite. The dice have been acid-burned.

In the future, don't use Acetone on plastic unless you've made sure that kind of plastic can take it.

Stealth Marmot
2016-11-22, 09:45 AM
You don't use acetone on black plastic, is the lesson you just learned that I learned back when I was an auto detailer.

Acetone dissolves certain plastics and makes them look weird. This effect is more noticeable on black plastic. So the issue is not that there is residue. Rather the opposite. The dice have been acid-burned.

In the future, don't use Acetone on plastic unless you've made sure that kind of plastic can take it.

I remember dropping acetone in my middle school science class on my calculator. Luckily it was just on the case sleeve so no real damage, but I asked the teacher about how I could get the "gunk" off and remove the residue.

He explained to me that there was no residue, the plastic was melted. Pretty much exactly what happened here.

GungHo
2016-11-22, 10:30 AM
Yes, this reminds me of the time one of the friend's girlfriends spilled nail polish remover on the table and it got all over the dice. They didn't understand why I said "NOOOOOOO" until they witnessed SCIENCE!

Reboot
2016-11-22, 11:40 AM
Also, it probably wouldn't a huge deal generally, but since you apparently paid a premium for "Precision dice that will role true every time....Edges are sharp, as these dice are not tumbled like most brands", you may have distorted things just a wee bit....

JAL_1138
2016-11-22, 12:39 PM
Yeah, the acetone has eaten into the surface. That stuff is hard on plastic.

If you decide to get more GS dice in the future for another try, I'd suggest looking on www.gamesciencedice.com, their retail website, rather than Amazon. They tend to be out of stock on a lot of stuff because of small production-scale relative to demand (Lou Zocchi recently bought the company back from a larger retailer called Gamestation due to quality issues and still hasn't gotten to quite the same scale), but you might be able to find white dice there. The dice direct from Gamescience's site tend to be better about having the sprue pre-trimmed than the Gamestation-era dice and have fewer molding flaws. On Amazon you don't necessarily know whether you're getting new dice with the better quality control, or old stock from the Gamestation era.

I recommend using a grease-pencil (also known as a China marker) to fill the numbers on Gamescience dice. You can use crayon, but it's not as durable because the wax is more crumbly. You'll occasionally have to refill the numbers on them as bits of the wax come out over time.

To fill the numbers with a grease-pencil, you bear down pretty hard and rub the grease-pencil over the entire face of the die until the number is solidly filled. The face of the die will usually be completely covered in wax. Clean off the excess wax with paper towels or old rags. May take a couple of passes per die face. It's time-consuming and you will almost certainly get hand-cramps, but you get really solid, legible numbers out of it.

For really light-colored opaque dice, you can use the finest-point Sharpie you can find, but it will take a few coats and will still wear off relatively easily.

If you need to trim the sprue, an emory board works but is time consuming and you have to be really careful to leave the edge alone. An Xacto knife can work too, but is also tricky and takes a long time. I haven't found an easy way to do it. Maybe a Dremel tool, I dunno. Fortunately the dice from the newer site tend to be much better about not needing to trim down the sprue-mark.

Jay R
2016-11-22, 02:57 PM
You don't wipe paint off plastic with something that dissolves plastic for the same reason that you don't wipe paint off wood with a blowtorch.

And isn't it lucky that you learned this lesson with cheap dice instead of a house?

ngilop
2016-11-22, 04:29 PM
You don't wipe paint off plastic with something that dissolves plastic for the same reason that you don't wipe paint off wood with a blowtorch.

And isn't it lucky that you learned this lesson with cheap dice instead of a house?

I am pretty sure that this is a story that I need to know.

Reboot
2016-11-22, 04:50 PM
You don't wipe paint off plastic with something that dissolves plastic for the same reason that you don't wipe paint off wood with a blowtorch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flDgl_1BpM8

Jay R
2016-11-23, 08:46 AM
I am pretty sure that this is a story that I need to know.

It's a parable, not a chronicle. Just an equivalent that was more obviously stupid, to make the point. But I have faith that somebody has done it somewhere.

You can't make things foolproof. The fools are too clever.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flDgl_1BpM8

That works on metal. Don't try it on wood. Really.

ngilop
2016-11-23, 09:01 PM
It's a parable, not a chronicle. Just an equivalent that was more obviously stupid, to make the point. But I have faith that somebody has done it somewhere.

You can't make things foolproof. The fools are too clever.



That works on metal. Don't try it on wood. Really.


ANd now my heartbreaks....

Jay R
2016-11-23, 10:31 PM
ANd now my heartbreaks....

Then my work here is done.

:)

Mystral
2016-11-24, 04:34 AM
So I decided to pick a set of 'em, but while I would have preferred white (which I couldn't find on Amazon) I went with black instead. Well, I was lazy, so instead of using my figurine paint to fill in the numbers I used a liquid paper pen. :smalltongue:

First I considered filing off the overfill with a nailfile, but then I had the brilliant idea of trying to wipe it off with a acetone-soaked cotton swap.

Now, technically that worked… in a way, it does leave the dice with clear white numbers on "black" dice, very easy to read even from a distance… "black" being the operative word, since it's also left this foggy residue on the sides. :smallfrown:

Any idea of what I can do to try and clean 'em up (hopefully while leaving the numbers filled in)?

There is propably no way to repair your dice. Buy new ones. Consider it education expenses.

Âmesang
2016-11-24, 12:08 PM
A lot more replies than expected! Thank you!

So after close inspection I can't find anything physically wrong with the dice aside from the acid burn discoloration (and it's not even a cool looking discoloration, just some faded fogginess). In hindsight I used too much liquid paper in an attempt to fill in the numbers and should have, at least, dabbed up the excess with a paper towel instead of waiting for it to dry before cleaning it off with the acetone-cotton swab (and I suppose because I was using a cotton swab, the damage wasn't as bad as it could have been).

The sprues I attempted to remove with a mix of sandpaper and a nail-file; not perfect, but it lessened it enough to not be too noticeable expect up close. Either way, I won't know how well these dice'll work now until I play next Thursday (if I can; my last character died and I haven't gotten around to writing up a new one, though the last has enough funds to pay for a raise dead).

All things considered things don't appear to have turned out as bad might be expected, and while the discoloration prevents the dice from looking as jet-black as before, the liquid paper still stands out allowing the dice to be readable even from 5'-6' away, which is all I really wanted; function more than fashion.

I only grabbed 'em from Amazon as part of a series of purchases, so it was more for convenience than anything else (actually got 'em next day, much to my surprise, since I typically opt for the cheapest delivery). It's also what I get for being lazy and using a liquid paper pen instead of my miniature paint or even just walking to Staples for some kind of light-colored Sharpie. Ah, well… we'll see… :smallsmile:

Hamste
2016-11-25, 10:08 AM
If you want to test how fair the die are before the game, fill a small container with water and mix in salt. Put your dice in and see if it floats. If it doesn't you need more salt, if it does roll it about a bit. If it is unfair it will naturally roll towards one side. The faster it rolls to the side the less fair it is.

GungHo
2016-11-28, 12:59 PM
If you want to test how fair the die are before the game, fill a small container with water and mix in salt. Put your dice in and see if it floats. If it doesn't you need more salt, if it does roll it about a bit. If it is unfair it will naturally roll towards one side. The faster it rolls to the side the less fair it is.

You didn't hear this from Uncle GungHo, but you could always have another "accident" to make it go the way you want to go.