Advice on filler/putty

[plasmahal]

HI,

As I'm trying to return to the hobby and actually build something rather than let it sit in the stash, I would appreciate some advice on fillers and putty.

When it comes to seams, is there a filler or putty of choice at the moment?

Cheers.

[mrcooljules]

i use squadron green, humbrol, revell. all are pretty cheap so get one of each lol see which you prefer.

[Paul Brickles]

Try Vallejo Plastic Putty - i find it wonderfull for small areas and joints -

find it here

Paul

[gcn]

I find I don't get on with putty at all so for small seams and gaps I use super glue and talc and for the larger gap I fill with stretched sprue and then level with super glue and talc

[Dads203]

Filler of choice for me is the Tamiya basic filler, I find it much better than Squadron green,

And as Paul said the vallejo plastic putty for small areas such as wing roots is really good

As you can wipe any access away with a cotton bud soaked in water.

Regards

Dan

[Mike]

Here's a few from me (might as well).

Squadron green & white putty are horrible and grainy. They also suck paint in, as they're porous initiall. Avoid them if you value your sanity and want a good smooth finish - some would disagree, but they're WRONG!!!!!

• Skinny hairline gaps, there's no substitute for a tube of Vallejo putty. It has a pointy applicator which helps with getting it into fiddly places. Wipe excess off with a moist fingertip.
  
• Large flat areas, try Milliput Fine (white). It's a 2-part epoxy putty that you cut from two sausages, mix up roll out, squish, roll out and repeat a few times. Then you smoosh it onto the area you want to fill with a metal spatula (or knife blade), smooth it down as well as you can, then apply a little water. That allows you to smooth it very neatly, reducing sanding to a minimum. It takes 4-8 hours to cure though, but it's worth it.
  
• Big gaps - try superglue (CA) and styrene strips/chunks to bulk fill the gap, sanding back almost immediately the glue is touch dry. That clogs up any small gaps with glue and dust, and once you've sanded it back fully, you can use another filler on any small inconsistencies with any of your favorite fillers.
  
• Other jobs, Tamiya Basic Putty. This is the only solvent putty I use, and it's only really to be used in thin layers, because it shrinks as it dries a little, so you could end up needing another layer or two. When you use this stuff be aware that it attacks the plastic onto which it's applied to get a grip and bond with it. Protect detail around it by masking either side of your join, and you'll be very glad you did.
  

I think that's me done

[Pielstick]

There's quite a few choices available for fillers, and all have their advantages and disadvantages:

i) Humbrol Filler, Revell Plasto, Squadron Green/White Putty - all are very similar. These are a solvent based putty in a tube. Pretty cheap and widely available. They're good for general purpose filling and sanding but come with a few caveats - they have no strength so if you use them in a joint which might flex then they will crack and crumble. They start to dry rather fast so you have limited time to work with them before they start to harden. They also shrink somewhat when drying. Some people apply them to the area to be filled and then smooth over with a cotton bud or cloth soaked in acetone, which will remove the excess filler and leave a smooth finish which requires very little sanding. Beware though the acetone will melt the kit plastic if you get too much on it. For larger gaps you will have to apply several thin layers, allowing them to harden before applying the next. You can't scribe over these fillers as they will just crumble.

ii) Tamiya Basic Putty - Again very similar to the above in appearance and application. The only difference is the Tamiya stuff seems to be a bit finer and of higher quality. It doesn't shrink so much when drying. Also a bit harder to get hold of in the UK.

iii) Milliput - a two part epoxy putty widely available. Some people love it, some hate it. It has an extremely long drying/curing time so you can work it for quite a while before it starts to harden, use a finger soaked in water for smoothing. It's commonly used for sculpting thinks like cushions on cockpit seats.It dries very hard, albeit a little brittle. It sands and smooths very well indeed. It can be scribed if you are careful.

iv) Superglue - use a thick or high viscosity type superglue for filling small to medium sized gaps. The big advantage of superglue as a filler is it's strength, it will create a very strong bond and isn't as prone to cracking or crumbling as the solvent based putties. It can also be scribed. The disadvantage is if you leave it too long before sanding the superglue becomes harder than the surrounding plastic and this makes it difficult to sand smooth.

v) Vallejo Plastic Putty - It's like a very thick white paint. Good for filling smaller gaps but like the solvent based putties it has no real strength to it. Apply it to the area and then remove the excess and smooth with a wet finger.

vi) Tip-Ex - Haven't used it for a long time but it is good for filling smaller gaps and seams. It's prone to cracking and crumbling so be careful with it. Once dry it can be sanded smooth. From what I remember the original Tip-Ex in the red bottle is the one to go for. The solvent free stuff in the green bottles was nowhere near as good for filling, and I have a feeling the Health & Safety Gestapo have banned the red bottles.

vii) Gunze Sangyo Mr Surfacer 500 - If you can get a pot of this stuff it's great. It's a thick grey lacquer based paint and is superb for filling small gaps and seams. You can sand and smooth it very well and it dried to a good hard finish which doesn't crumble or crack very easily. You may need a few applications to fill the gap but it's very good indeed. Mr Surfacer 1000 and 1200 are also excellent primers and can be had in glass jars or aerosol rattle cans.

viii) Gunze Sangyo Mr Dissolved Putty - Like Mr Surfacer it's not widely available in the UK, and everyone seems to sell out rather fast when they do get some. It's quite similar in use to Mr Surfacer but it dries faster and can be sanded a little easier, although it's a wee bit more delicate when dry.

Hope this helps.

[Madam I'm Adam]

Just to add my tuppence worth to a lot of good information, and not really wishing to admit to very occasionally looking at other model forums......... there's a pretty good thread over on Aeroscale, part of the Kit Maker website. If you put in a search for Reading the Seams and have a peruse. Although it is American, the techniques are good and well illustrated.

I quite like Mr Surfacer & revell plasto and milliput for larger areas. What I will say is beware using a lot at once, I did try to fill a large area in a fuselage with loads of filler and it melted...

I learnt my lession

Cheers

[plasmahal]

Thanks for the prompt replies.

Vallejo Plastic Putty goes to the top of the list and I like the idea of the applicator, which must mean it's somewhat runny for a filler, which is good for me.

I have used the Squadron green putty in the past and did not really get on with it, maybe it was the speed at which I worked at, but it kept drying out before I could get it to stick into the gaps properly.

Milliput I have used before and already have some in the toolbox, but I'll get some fine Milliput as well.

I've heard nothing but good about the Mr Surfacer products, so I'll look into those too.

I'm sorting out some stuff this afternoon, so I have some old kits to start soon that will help my skills get back on track.

Did build one kit this week, but it was cheating slightly as it was a Revell easy-kit of the Republic Gunship.

My 9 yr old daughter helped out as she is very keen with craft and creativity stuff, so I think I'll get her an easy 1/72 kit to do.

[mideast-mover]

I've just bought some Vallejo putty and some Milliput off eBay. Surprised how cheap it is on there! Free postage too, if you're not in too much of a rush...

[EricB]

Usually depends on what I’m filling. Super glue (thin & gel) works nicely for small gaps as does Mr Surfacer 500.

For larger long gaps (fuselage seams etc) stretched sprue works well with some sort of poly weld glue. Basically stick the sprue in place and then add the poly weld to the sprue with a thin brush. When the sprue softens, use a thin screwdriver tip and meld the sprue in place.

For resin pieces I use ultra fine body filler. Just make sure you don’t leave clumps of it as it is difficult to sand off.

[mick b]

Gents,

I use a number of the filling mediums described above for injection moulded plastic kits but I was wondering what people use for complete resin kits?

Is it a case of mixing talc and super glue or is there a more readily available alternative? I only ask as in the current issue of MAI it is said that all commercially available fillers are useless on resin.

Cheers

Mick

[Murdo]

Gents,

I use a number of the filling mediums described above for injection moulded plastic kits but I was wondering what people use for complete resin kits?

Is it a case of mixing talc and super glue or is there a more readily available alternative? I only ask as in the current issue of MAI it is said that all commercially available fillers are useless on resin.

Cheers

Mick

I don't see any particular reason to treat resin any differently to plastic in relation to fillers. I have even used plastic sprue (aka "Runner") melted in liquid glue to fill gaps. It will stick, just not as well as to plastic as it doesn't bond so well.

Just make sure the resin is fully cleaned of mold release agent with washing up liquid.

I find that "Gorilla" Super Glue which can be found in Tesco and Asda is an excellent bonding agent for resin to resin, resin to metal and resin to plastic. It seems to have some kind of rubber "bits" in it which gives added strength compared to "normal" CA glue.

[Paul-H]

Hi

For a very fine grained putty its also worth giving Holts Cataloy Knifing Putty a go, I get mine from halfords, the New Formula ones are now Acrylic, just dont over use it as it goes very hard.

Note: the New Formula stuff is not to be confused with the old stuff as that was Cellulose based, the new stuff is Acrylic.

Paul

[ship69]

I need to fill the gap between quite thick (3mm) pieces of HIPS styrene (Plasticard).

 

Do any fillers exist that:
A. Are low viscosity and so can penetrate small gaps effectively

B. Do not shrink as they dry
C. Give a good strong, semi-flexible bond
D. Result in material that is of about the same hardness as the stryene itself and so can be sanded without leaving ridges.

Thanks

 

J
 

Edited February 5, 2019 by ship69

[Stalker6Recon]

On 2/19/2011 at 7:01 PM, Mike said:

Other jobs, Tamiya Basic Putty.

Are you talking about the white puddy like this? If so, then I am in trouble as I ordered two of these from Japan. I also heard that autobody filler is good for models as well, but was scared off by another member who warned about the heat autobody filler creates. Is there a specific body filler type that is safe for plastic? I can find lots of paint supplies for automotive applications at very good prices, just need to sort out what is both good to use and safe on plastic models/resin and works with an airbrush.