I need help with seam filling putty.

I stopped using hobby specific stuff a while ago. I tried the same stuff you use and hated it. I started using bondo glazing and spot putty not too long ago and havent looked back. Goes on easy, sands easy, doesnt shrink and it bonds to the plastic. I recomend wet sanding it though, the dust smells bad. A tube is $8 or so at the local auto parts store but last a long time. I recomend!

You say that like the squadron putty doesn't stink as well.

Does that bondo stuff mix with thinner?  I love using the technique of putting the putty in thinner till it dissolves and liquifies or whatnot and then using a brush or a sponge to apply it to a kit to get a really nice texturing.

B-17 Guy

I stopped using hobby specific stuff a while ago. I tried the same stuff you use and hated it. I started using bondo glazing and spot putty not too long ago and havent looked back. Goes on easy, sands easy, doesnt shrink and it bonds to the plastic. I recomend wet sanding it though, the dust smells bad. A tube is $8 or so at the local auto parts store but last a long time. I recomend!

I have used auto body putty for a long time.  However, lately I am having a hard time buying smaller tubes.  Latest buy was a huge tube at over twenty bucks.  And, it dries out in tube even faster than the model putty.  However, so much in those big tubes I think I spend less on putty than when using the model putty.

I recently cracked open an already-open tube of Squadron Green that is at least 3-4 years old. Still works fine for me. I also have a tube of Tamiya white that hasn't suffered any drying yet. Maybe the maritime humidity helps me?

Like Don, I've noticed that Walmart doesn't carry the smaller sized tubes any longer. I tend to use it or Squadron Green Stuff. Likewise it hardens in the tube after use and I have to dig out a bit of hardened putty to get to the good stuff.

I also use Testors liquid cement to dilute it while covering a seam.

I also use Testors liquid cement to dilute it while covering a seam.

Ditto, but I use Bondo Red... I also put a blob of putty into a small cup and add cement to it too.. Note: Thinned this way, the putty will shrink as it dries, so be ready to cover the cracks again... Plus side, it dries much faster...

I'm using Tamiya gray putty and the tube I have is about 3 years old.  I just keep the cap tight after I squeeze out a little onto a piece of glossy paper.  I have also used both red and green auto body glazing putty with very good results.  I found keeping the tubes of putty in a large glass jar with some  lacquer thinner would keep the putty fresh a lot longer...

Best of luck,

Ray

I'm not saying it dries out after one use, just every use causes more and more to try.  I had one I used then forgot about, grabbed it a few months later and it was fine except the stuff at the top was dried out, like always but it was useable.

I wish they would come up with a better way to do this.

So, using the glue to fix seams, can you do it without anything else added?

smeagol:

Maybe you've got a bad batch, just thinking out loud. I've been using Squadron White and Green since I came back to the hobby in 2009. No problems at all with dryness or shrinkage. In fact, I used this morning the green one and it is as good as the 1st time I opened it. A mm or 2 a bit hard on the beginning but it flows out good.

3M Acryl Blue Glazing putty is all I use.

Have had the same problem with Tamiya putty but think I have come up with a solution, for me anyway. I put it in a small lock bag and keep it in the vegetable / fruit compartment of my fridge. I live in Singapore with a hot and humid climate 

Nah taino, its not a bad batch, I ahve always had this issue.  I have started to put the cap on INSTANTLY I didnt before and I thought that was the problem, but it still gives me that issue.

Probably an enviromental issue Smeagol. Something in the air in Philly. I have a tube of Squadron Green stuff that is way old ( many many years) and it still woks great and my tube of White stuff is few years old as well. No similar issues with either one with mine. I dont use putty too much anyways preferring super glues for most of my gap filling and seam work.

Ray Marotta

I'm using Tamiya gray putty and the tube I have is about 3 years old.  

After trying a few other types years ago, I also settled for the Tamiya gray.  It works better for me than any of the others and I haven't had any bad experiences with it to make me consider trying any others.

Could have something to do with the climate, but nothing I can do about that

I use squadrons white putty, ive actually had the lid off for around an hour (because silly me forgot to put it back on) but it didn't go hard. 

Ive had no troubles with it, but I would like to try something new, what is this "thinning technique"? 

the one I said I use?

I take a small platter or the inside of a lid for something, that kind of thing, something small.  I get a few globs of the stuff in it and then I put a small pool of thinner.  I use a junky brush or a toothpick or something and stir it untill the putty starts to dissolve.  You then take a junky brush (again) or a sponge and start to tab the dissolved putty over your kit.  You do this BEFORE even a primer coat.

I did it on this kit here, please ignore the horrible job I did when I oversprayed on the dullcoate and got it on the visor. 

You can clearly see the texturing on it.  I wouldnt suggest using this method for cars and aircraft and whatnot but it has it's uses.

I shouldn't need to tell you that you can use sand paper to lessen the effects that this causes.

I am also going to attempt putting a bit of paint inside of this mixed putty/thinner mix, to see if I can tint the putty a different color to allow for sanding to simulate wear and damage.

If you can get your hands on it, Mr. Surfacer makes excellent seam fillers of different thicknesses.  I've become accustomed to using it along with Squadron Green, depending on the job at hand.  Rick.

I, too, am having issues with the Squadron White.  Just like Smeagol, mine seems to dry out from the top down to where I have to dig the dry stuff out each time.  I'll definitely be switching to either the 3M White  (I heard the Blue is no longer available), or Aves Apoxie Sculpt, or the Mr. Surfacer range if I can find some.

dirkpitt77

I'll definitely be switching to either the 3M White  (I heard the Blue is no longer available)

Do a Google search. There is a lot of it out there still apparently. 

I have become a big convert to gel super glues for most of my gap filling. I only use putty for the small jobs or for zimmerit these days.

On a side note, after reading this thread, I went and checked on my green stuff. I cross threaded the lid putting it on after the last use and did not have an airtight seal... so my old tube of green stuff is now oting more than a paper weight...  just being sentimental about losing another old piece of modeling gear that is easily replaced I suppose... Also today I used up a bottle of old Polly S paint, that can not be replaced, on a school project for my youngest daughter but that is another story...

I got some of that gel superglue, the dollar store has a crap load of the stuff for some reason, I'm liking it better then the liquid kind.  Does it actually work to seal up gaps?

To prevent your Squadron putty from drying in the tube....

1: Build more kits
2: Build faster

smeagol the vile

I got some of that gel superglue, the dollar store has a crap load of the stuff for some reason, I'm liking it better then the liquid kind.  Does it actually work to seal up gaps?

Yes it does. The gel stuff works great for gap filling. And it does not chip like putty can. If you use an accelerator, you can sand it smooth within minutes. And it can be sanded and polished to a mirror smoothness.

I will have to give it a try!  It seems like it would be a lot more useful for filling seams on parts with a lot of small details as well

I agree with Stik on the CA for filler. I've got a tube of Squadron white....(could be green I suppose), in a drawer somewhere. Haven't used it in over five years...probably hard as a rock now! I use CA on nearly every fuselage seam (after regular cement has dried) as a filler. For larger gaps, I'll cut strips of styrene or use stretched sprue and CA. After covering the seam, work on something else for a few minutes, then sand. Let the CA set too long, it gets harder to sand.

I like CA for gap filling as well but it is difficult to sand sometimes at least that was my experience with Zap-A-Gap CA+ in the past. I like the 3M Acryl Blue putty that I posted a picture of. It costs about $25 a tube but will probably last for many years. I put the cap on good when finished using it and then put the tube in a large ziplock bag.

have had the same problem with Squadron Green but think I crossthreaded the top once. Anyway, I find that I can somewhat rejuvenate it by dipping my finger into 90% isopropyl (and not drink it!    ). Seems to thin and keep the putty more malleable for longer.

pathvet9

have had the same problem with Squadron Green but think I crossthreaded the top once. Anyway, I find that I can somewhat rejuvenate it by dipping my finger into 90% isopropyl (and not drink it!    ). Seems to thin and keep the putty more malleable for longer.

Interesting. I didn't think isopropyl alcohol would thin that putty. I thought lacquer thinner would be needed since that putty contains Toluene.