I've been filling seams on my models with Squadron's putty forever, but I've heard of people using super-glue for this. Now, I have "Zap-a-Gap" and was wondering (again - I do that alot) if this is the stuff they use? Is it? , and how do I go about it? I'm a little nervous about pouring or spreading glue into a seam. Does it work better than putty?

Zap-A-Gap is the stuff most modelers use to fill seams (when they use superglue for it). It is thicker than normal superglue. In fact, almost any thick or gel-type superglue will work fine for filling gaps. You can apply it to the seam directly from the bottle or use a toothpick or your favorite superglue applicator for delicate work.
You can use accelerator to set it faster, but be sure to sand it within half an hour or so or it will become to hard to sand. It has advantages over putty, one of them being the fact that you can polish it to a glass-like surface (great for natural metal finishes on aircraft). It is more difficult to sand than putty though. However, if you mix some talcum powder into the superglue to form a paste, it will be a lot easier to sand. I used it to fill some motorization holes on a Tamiya T-34 that I'm working on and that works great! :-)
Don't throw away the putty just yet, i still use that a lot too. Superglue works best on large gaps and holes (like the motorization holes) and on seams that need to be strengthened.
HTH.
Bluefalcon47

Thank you. I thought I heard of using talcom powder with the super glue, suspisions now confirmed. Gonna mix a test batch now. :-)

Hey Guys,
I use both methods you all mentioned, but my favorite is TENEX 7R. Its a solvent. By pressing the parts together really tight, you get a bead of plastic. Sand the bead down and there you have it. Of course you still have to use putty or super glue for those stubborn situations.

Do you mean when you press the parts together, you have a little extra glue or solvent on the pieces or just a normal amount? Just afraid I might break them if too much pressure. Does that Tenex R7 also a glue for plastics like super glue or like Testors that actually "melts" the pieces together?

Quote:

---

Do you mean when you press the parts together, you have a little extra glue or solvent on the pieces or just a normal amount? Just afraid I might break them if too much pressure. Does that Tenex R7 also a glue for plastics like super glue or like Testors that actually "melts" the pieces together?

---

It welds the pieces together.

Like the Major said, it welds the pieces together. For small, delicate parts, I dont apply to much pressure. I mainly use it for the large parts that has noticable seams.
BE CAREFULL THOUGH!!!!! When you use Tenex, it softens the plastic. if you get any solvent on the plastic other than the seam and you touch it, you finger prints will show.

In an "online" modeling magazine I read about filling seams with streched sprue. I haven't tried it myself, but it is something I'll give a whirl when the need shows up.

I use the stretched sprue method most often. Just add a little liquid cement and the styrene melts into the gap. Sand it smooth.

Hey, hot diggity dog! I just tried that last night as an experiment. I read about in God only where, but I figured what the heck. It works nice as today I sanded it to reveal a seemless mold!
Thanks for all the help guys!

Hi!
I´ve been using superglue for a time and I don´t have any problems, I use both types the gel for big holes and the regular (more fluid) for thigh holes, the point is you can wait too much to sand it because it hardens like rock (and of course, harder than you plastic kit).
HTH
Cheers!
BETO/br

I have been using Elmer's glue-all to fill small gaps. I just apply it to sthe seam, and wipe off the excess with a wet q-tip. Sometimes I need to apply it more than one time, but it all but eleminates sanding.

I like to use Zap A Gap and the stretched sprue technique. They both seem to work well. It all depends on the size of the gap. And that's just my two pennys worth. It's all about trial and error. You just have to practice a little to see what you like the best. Hope that helped. Chris (Tiger 1) Carney. :-)