My wife's taken a few chemistry classes and now I'm getting grief about my Squadron putty and it's toluene.

Is there any non-toxic putty that is a good filler?

Thanks,
Paul

Use a two-part epoxy putty, like Milliput. No fumes and you can wear rubber gloves to keep it off your skin, if you're sensitive to it (I'm not).

I used some last weekend for the first time for some weld seams and I almost threw myself on my x-acto knife out of frustration. Sticks to everything else but where I wanted it to go.

Does it dry faster in smaller quantities?

Paul

The secret is to keep water or talc powder on everything you don't want it to stick to. I normally use my fingers or small tools to manipulate it. I dip my fingers or tools in water from time to time to keep smoothing the putty.

Another trick to Milliputt is to mix and use very small portions. I wasted lots of it before someone told me this one that works well for things smaller than sandbags.:

Cut a disk off each stick, approximately the thickness of a coin.

Cut the disks into quarters.

Mix one quarter from "A" to another from "B" -- it should give you a piece about the size of a small pea.

Work the "pea" until it is thouroughly mixed.

Roll it out or flatten it -- make your part or fill your hole/gap.

Wet your finger or tool and smooth the putty into shape.

When in place, texture it if necessary.


... Play with a few small pieces before you try something big. Once you get used to working with it, epoxy putty is preferable to Squadron-type solvent-based putties, which stink and shrink!

If you give Milliput some time to cure, say ½ - 1 hours, it shouldn't stick as much (says that in the instructions). Also, the comments about lubricating the tools apply. I've even fixed a few household items with Milliput. I found it does dry a bit faster in smaller quantities.

Speaking of toxic putties, stay away from the Testors putty (it's red and in a tube), smells horrible and has xylene in it. They even say "This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm" on the packaging. I don't know if low exposure like modeling actually has any harmful effects or why Californians are particularly susceptible but the smell alone is enough to put me off (and it did make me dizzy).

Also the thinner seems to gather in the middle so you have to drain some out each time before getting to the goo itself.

Try using those surgical masks. I use the white puttys which are great, but they all say flammale. I love Mr Surfacer 500 all the writing is Japanese which I can't read, but I'll bet one of the lines has a flammable warning on it as well. Just be careful DoN"T EAT IT !!!!