Types of filler

[colinlp]

Hi, I'm new to modelling, I will be building the Airfix Saturn V in the new year and would like to know what fillers may be recommended for completing this kit? Also and possibly more useful is if there may be a good tutorial thread or web resource about fillers and their uses

[Graham Boak]

You are likely to get a wide range of answers here.  I would recommend Mr. Dissolved Putty for filling unwanted grooves, join lines that didn't quite, etc.  If you want to build up some significant volume that then needs shaping then Milliput White is the best, but I doubt that this is what you are looking for here.  If you have trouble getting any particular brand then the common Humbrol or Revell fillers are perfectly capable but will shrink when drying and clog your files something rotten - but then most if not all fillers do that!  I find Squadron Green Stuff inferior to the Humbrol or Revell brands.  I also find that all fillers dry in the tube/pot far more quickly than I can ever use them up.

 

Putting Mr. Dissolved Putty into Google will bring up a lot of links to videos for this and other options - I find Mr Surfacer (500 or 1000) too thin for most applications.  You can use these for filling/smoothing excessive file scratches.

Edited December 19, 2017 by Graham Boak

[Dads203]

Tamiya Basic putty is probably the best of the bunch, it shrinks less than Squadron Green / white, Humbrol etc etc,  It's also easy to sand 

out and feather.   I did read that the Squadron putties still shrinks up to 3 months after application.

I also use Mr Dissolved putty and can give a thumbs up the same as Graham.

[colinlp]

Thanks guys, what sort of practical drying time would you allow to show maximum shrinkage?

[Dads203]

Most of the hot type fillers take up to 24 hours to dry, this again depends on how much you use. 

Epoxy fillers like Milliput take 24 hours to cure and harden, if you need a quick fix then CA glue is good 

but you need to sand it almost immediately, the longer you wait then the harder it cures. Has the benefit 

of almost not shrinking but it's limited in the depth you can apply it.

 

[Skodadriver]

In my experience with stuff like Green Putty you're talking maybe six months until there is absolutely no risk of further shrinking which is the main reason why I never use it nowadays!  Milliput takes about eight hours to dry to the sanding stage but once it's set it won't shrink any further.

 

I find ordinary liquid superglue (i.e. not gel) applied with a pin very useful for filling small imperfections but you must sand it as soon as it dries otherwise it will become harder than the surrounding plastic

[Uncle Pete]

1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

clog your files something rotten

A related question... When drilling and using various Dremel-type filing gadgets on plastic I find my bits end up with an immovable coat of plastic welded in place.  Is there a fix for this or is it just a matter of buying cheap bits and tossing them after one use?

[colinlp]

Right, I'm thinking it will be mostly just the seams/joins that will be filled for now but who knows once I progress

[Graham Boak]

Uncle Pete:  I remember getting this when drilling out holes for rigging wires in a Po2 wing, when I realised that the holes were getting progressively larger.  The problem is that the drill rpm is too fast and the plastic is melting rather than just being cut away.  I found that scraping a modelling knife along the length of the drill bit cleared away the plastic, but the longer-term solution is to fit some kind of resistance between the power input and the drill to slow the rpm. 

[Gorby]

@Uncle Pete, I rarely use my dremel on models these days due to the speed of the tool melting the plastic. For drilling you are probably better off using a pin vice. With decent drill bits, it normally takes only seconds to go through plastic.

[Gorby]

@Uncle Pete, I rarely use my dremel on models these days due to the speed of the tool melting the plastic. For drilling you are probably better off using a pin vice. With decent drill bits, it normally takes only seconds to go through plastic.

[Uncle Pete]

Thanks, Graham and Gorby, you've given me food for thought.. My dremel is not a Dremel, btw, it's an old jeweller's pendant drill with a fader footswitch so I think I'll try a bit less welly before going the route of drilling by hand.  (Bit lazy, what can I tell you!)

[Kev The Modeller]

For most applications I use this stuff https://www.emodels.co.uk/vallejo-20ml-plastic-putty-401.html  its water soluble making it really useful for areas that are difficult to file/sand or you want to save having a lot of sanding. It doesn't shrink of if it does it's extremely little.

 

For larger areas I use Miliput, comes in various colours and grades.  Again it's never as yet shrunk for me, you can and both within an hours or so, although I leave mine overnight. 

Edited December 19, 2017 by Kev The Modeller

[Steve Noble]

I never really use any 'model' fillers, only stuff intended for the auto body trade. Model fillers tend to shrink quite a bit and Milliput takes a long time to dry and I just find sanding it hard work. I mainly use two part polyester auto body filler such as David's Isopon or similar and also a one part acrylic glazing putty such as 3m for filling any fine pinholes  that remain in the first filler layer. They dry quick and are easily sanded but mostly there is pretty much no shrinkage, unlike model fillers...

[PhoenixII]

Uncle Pete and anyone else that's 'melting' plastic with a Dremel type mini drill, get yourselves a speed controller 'box'.

The normal speed of the 'bit' has a very high rpm, when I use mine, through the 'box', I tend to use the minimum speed,

so you drill through rather than melt through.

It also helps when using a 'cut off' disc, in giving you more control and less shrapnel!

 

HTH

Paul

[Graham Boak]

I couldn't find anything suitable, because typical model railway controllers should be between the transformer and the drill, whereas the drill tends to have an integral transformer.  I discussed it with a guy at Maplins, but he couldn't offer anything very helpful (it might have helped had I taken the drill set with me, to be fair).  So if you have any advice on where to obtain such a speed control box, preferably with brand names, please pass it on.

[PhoenixII]

Hi Graham,

 

it appears that Dremel no longer make / market in the UK, a speed controller.

Only ones I can find are U.S. imports, on e-bay, fitted with a two pin mains plug, and working off 110v.

The one I purchased was an 'in-line' piece of kit, it's plug went to the mains socket,

then the drill was plugged into the unit, with the 'restrictor' in the line, you can slow the chuck down to a speed which won't melt plastic.

I'll pull my drill and controller out and see if there's any item codes on the boxes.

 

Paul

 

[Kev The Modeller]

2 hours ago, PhoenixII said:

Hi Graham,

 

it appears that Dremel no longer make / market in the UK, a speed controller.

Only ones I can find are U.S. imports, on e-bay, fitted with a two pin mains plug, and working off 110v.

The one I purchased was an 'in-line' piece of kit, it's plug went to the mains socket,

then the drill was plugged into the unit, with the 'restrictor' in the line, you can slow the chuck down to a speed which won't melt plastic.

I'll pull my drill and controller out and see if there's any item codes on the boxes.

 

Paul

 

If you want to go the Dremel route this is what you want https://shop.dremeleurope.com/gb/en/productlist/dremel-4000--7737 goes from 5 - 35k rpm and they're cordless,  they're not cheap but you can use them for all manner of things.

 

Here's one being used for duffing clear coat I do it all the time, key is no pressure.  I've also used it on filler on bad seems same principle, start watching from 15.15

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWSCjWladqk&list=PLtJxTGlaUbtYdv2RCWiZAKWKQnJ2X9GLX&index=6

 

It's real time saver and for buffing it's amazing.