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Modeling in General: Advice on...
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Putty Recommendation
jazza
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Singapore / 新加坡
Member Since: August 03, 2005
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Posted: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 - 11:33 AM UTC
Hi guys,

Need some recommendation on the filler / putty that you guys use. Im currently using the Tamiya putty but am not exactly enjoying the experience with it at the moment. Applying the putty is not a problem but it seems to take more than 2 days to completely dry. Once done, there are a lot of pockets of bubbles so when trying to sand it down, these bubbles show and you end up having little pot holes in place of the one i filled.

I would like to change to a better one and would like to hear your recommendations.

Sandy
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England - East Anglia, United Kingdom
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Posted: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 - 02:51 PM UTC
Hi Hve you tried stretched sprue , to fill in gaps . If you use a different colour and lay it into the gap then as you sand you can se if you have taken off too much . Remember the tapered end is used to plug holes just push into and glue , leave to harden off and cut and smooth as usual cheers ian
wampum
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Tekirdag, Turkey / Türkçe
Member Since: August 21, 2002
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Posted: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 - 02:57 PM UTC
I didn't use the Tamiya filler. But many modeller use it and I never heard a negative opinion about it.
I'm using Humbrol's model filler for years. It is just a tradition passed from my father to me.. I'm happy with it. If it is necessary I'm diluting it with tamiya's green head thin adhesive. It hardens in a couple of hours. But I do finish the job 24 hours later when it gets hardened very well.
One thing to remind; if you apply a thin layer it hardens quick, if it is a thick layer it will harden more lately.
jazza
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Posted: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 - 03:38 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi Hve you tried stretched sprue , to fill in gaps .



First time ive heard of this suggestion and certainly sounds like it could work. Did you actually melt the sprue and drip it into the gaps? I didnt quite get what you meant when you said "Remember the tapered end is used to plug holes just push into and glue "


Quoted Text

But many modeller use it and I never heard a negative opinion about it.



It probably is the specific tube that i got. I have had it for about 2 years. 24 hours certainly sounds like a reasonable drying time as oppose to the 72 hours that it takes for this specific Tamiya putty that i have. Incidentally, it wasnt a large amount that i placed. It was probably a gap no bigger than the diameter of the usual sprues and it wasnt even deep. Will certainly check out the Humbrol range.
jlmurc
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England - East Anglia, United Kingdom
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Posted: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 - 03:46 PM UTC
Hi Jeremy, I must admit that I always swear by Squadron Green/White stuff and have done for a great many years, it dries well, can be thinned and painted and sands well.

However for smallish gaps I also use Gap filling thick Cyano, which when used with a tad of accelerator is really good.

Hope this helps,

John
Pedro
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Wojewodztwo Pomorskie, Poland
Member Since: May 26, 2003
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Posted: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 - 04:04 PM UTC
I like to use Revell's Plasto putty. It aplies well and when I'm in a hurry it can be sanded after about one- two hours with no problem. At least when youre not going too thick with it

HTH
Pedro
Tarok
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Victoria, Australia
Member Since: July 28, 2004
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Posted: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 - 04:06 PM UTC
I've had my tube of Tamiya putty for close on 12 years now (yeah, I know! :-) ) and I can't say it's spoiled over all this time... still dries relatively quickly... More recently though I've started using Miliput - admittedly for metal figures though. It works well - I just hate mixing the damn stuff :-) - hard as stone in less than 24 hrs!
salt6
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Oklahoma, United States
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Posted: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 - 07:12 PM UTC


Drys fast and 10USD about 4 yrs ago and still ok.
propboy44256
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Ohio, United States
Member Since: November 20, 2002
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Posted: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 - 10:03 PM UTC
Squadron White putty is the way to go
tankmodeler
#417
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Ontario, Canada
Member Since: March 01, 2004
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Posted: Thursday, January 05, 2006 - 12:01 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Hi Hve you tried stretched sprue , to fill in gaps .


First time ive heard of this suggestion and certainly sounds like it could work. Did you actually melt the sprue and drip it into the gaps?


No, you heat the middle of a piece of sprue over a candle and as it softens, but doesn't catch fire or actually melt, you pull the two ends apart stretching the sprue between. There is a bit of a technique to this and depending upon how soft the plastic is when you start to stretch, you can get either thick or thin lengths of stretched sprue.

Once you have some lengths of an appropriate diameter to fill the gap, you cut them to length, fill the gap and use regular liquid cement to secure them. The diameter should be large enough to stick up out of the gap a bit so that filing/sanding will give you a smooth surface.


Quoted Text

I didnt quite get what you meant when you said "Remember the tapered end is used to plug holes just push into and glue "


If you are looking to fill a small hole (like a bubble in resin or other filler), you take an appropriate diameter piece of stretched sprue, put some glue on the tip and push it into the hole. Once it's dried, cut it flush to the surface and the hole is plugged. The reference to taper is because stretched sprue pieces have a taper at each end that you can successively cut down to get the diameter you want to plug the hole.


Quoted Text

I have had it for about 2 years.


For most of us old farts that are building 1-2 models a year, a 2 year old tube of putty is an absolute baby. :-)

Also, older putties go "bad" by drying up, so they are really stiff and hard to work with. In fact, old putties take much less time to dry. If your putty is still soft and pliable, then it's still good.
[/quote]24 hours certainly sounds like a reasonable drying time as oppose to the 72 hours that it takes for this specific Tamiya putty that i have. Incidentally, it wasnt a large amount that i placed. It was probably a gap no bigger than the diameter of the usual sprues and it wasnt even deep. [/quote]
The problem with any of the solvent based putties is that the thicker the application, the longer they take to harden, which is by evaporation of the solvent. If the plug you are making is about 4mm in diameter and, say 2mm deep, then this is indeed a thick plug of putty and I would not be surprised that a) it takes 72 hours to completely harden and b) you end up with shrinkage holes or internal voids when it is finished. Thin, in putty terms, is like .5 to 1mm in thickness. More than that and you are looking for trouble. For anything near 1mm thick or more, I use 2-part epoxy putties that do not dry by evaporation, but harden through chemical reaction. That way I can build up sections inches thick if I want with no shrinkage and no increase in hardening time. 24 hours and it's done, no matter how much or little material I am dealing with.

HTH

Paul
jazza
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Singapore / 新加坡
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Posted: Thursday, January 05, 2006 - 02:03 AM UTC
Thanks for all the recommendations guys. The one thing that bugs me about the putty that i have is that even when its dry, the pockets of bubbles sorta makes things worst when sanding it down. I might try venturing into the Humbrol and Revell putty.

Thanks again!
Part-timer
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Georgia, United States
Member Since: April 11, 2003
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Posted: Thursday, January 05, 2006 - 02:20 AM UTC
I use 3 things to fill gaps, in ascending order of the gap size: 1) Mr. Surfacer 500; 2) Squadron White putty, thinned with model cement (usually Testors); and 3) sheet styrene.

The Mr. Surfacer is great for small gaps. Just apply with a brush. If you put on thin layers, it dries pretty quickly.

The Squadron putty is usually too thick and chalky for me out of the tube, and often has air bubbles in it. But I drop a drop or two of testor's plastic cement into the end of the tube, give it a mini-stir with the tip of an exacto blade, and that gives a nice consistency. It also dries very fast, though you do have 20-30 seconds to work it into place. Using a flexible exacto blade like a putty knife, you can get the putty almost flush with the joint surface, which limits the sanding time.

For big gaps - especially long, straight ones - just get some thin sheet styrene. Glue in some strips between the gap; don't worry about getting them flush to the surface. Once the glue dries, go back and trim the strips flush to the surface with a blade (or micro saw) and then sand. This method maintains the same structural integrity as a gap-less fit.
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