puttty

I'm really not sure what of if you're doing anything wrong Mate. i've had little or no problems using Perfect Plastic Putty  or Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty though.  I've also tried Squadron green and white putties which I found them hard to work with and too grainy and not to my liking .  Do you prime the model before you paint ?  A good primer like Tamiya's might hide/cover the puttied areas better than just an overcoat of your final color.

I use Bondo Automotive spot putty with great results.If you post pics of the model we can probably help you better diagnose and solve the puttty or sanding problem.

I use Mr Surfacer 500 Liquid,I just brush it it or on  a seam,I clean the excess with a q-tip and Lacquer thinner,sometimes it shrinks into the gap,so it might take more the one application.

I've heard many good things about Perfect Putty. You should try it. $7 for a tube can go a long ways.

You do know that after you think you are done filling and sanding, you want to shoot a coat of primer, right? It'll show imperfections that need more work and once your done provide a more uniform substrate for your next color.

Tamiya isn't my favorite putty anymore, but since you have it have you tried mixing in a bit of acetone? It makes it more malleable and easier to work with IMO.

Perfect Plastic Putty has been mentioned a couple times. My experience with it is very limited but I like it a lot and agree you might want to give it a try.

PPP is what I use now. You can lay a coat on, let it dry then use a moist QTip to wipe most or all of it as in a wing fillet gap. It sands out very smooth but you should shoot some Tamiya  primer or Future over the puttied area to get a smooth finish.

UGHH!! I can't believe all the CHEMICAL based fillers out there! Haven't any of you guys tried, or ever even thought of trying Emers' brand wood filler? I use this with excellent results!! I've never been disappointed with it. It goes on smooth, and if you need to you can add water to it to fill tiny seams without the need of primer, and you can use this right away even after the putty has dried (for fifteen minutes) without worrying about it softening up again if you need to go over a spot twice. It leaves no strong odor, it dries super hard the longer it sits, and it's cheap, plentiful in supply and you can get it at Wally world, or your local hardware store. It won't mar plastic, and you can clean your mistakes easily with WATER and cotton swab. Soft, maleable, easy to use, and it adheres easily to any surface; hard, or porous. I use this for ALL my models, and I have yet to complain, except that I wish I could get this in a one gallon bucket instead of a 4 Oz. tube.

~ Cobra Chris

Another option that you may want to consider as a filler is gel super glue. The stuff works great and can be polished up to glass smooth. Its' only real drawback is if you let it sit too long (days) to cure before sanding, it is very hard to sand. Use of accelerators/kickers can remove the wait time for drying and allow you to sand it before it cures to super hardness.

Oh, yeah! I too use this (superglue) for filling gaps before priming, or painting. But I don't use this as an all around filler since it's so expensive!

~ Cobra Chris

Your comment  was eye opening Cobra.

I never thought about using Elmer's wood filler on plactic models. As a carpenter/wood worker I have plenty on hand and thinking about the properties of it, it is very similar to working with PPP and a whole lot cheaper. I have a nasty seam on my current F-111E build where the nose cone/cockpit join with the rest of the fuselage, and am gonna give it a go there. I'll put it in a large Hypodermic syringe with out the needle and shoot it in like a mini caulking gun.

TY for the tip Mate.

I've never used Tamiya putty,and until you try some of the alternative suggestions I'll only add that in general tape out the area you are filling to a minimum reasonable working space, fill,dry, and sand. Wash the area after sanding, and re-prime and check for any touchups needed, repeat for you fixes until satisfied.

Stuburbia

Hello all,

Im working on my second model now a strike eagle. Im looking for some tips or advice on using filler right now i use tamiya putty and it seems no matter how much i sand and polish i can not get rid of that look of putty after paint. any advice would be greatly apreciated.

Thanks

 

I'd like to chime in about Cobras white glue suggestion. I have used white glue as well and with really good results. It is nice when you have adjacent detail that you are trying to preserve, and I especially like the ease of application. You don't have to worry too much about how you apply it. A dampened swab takes care of any mistakes that you make. And, I had no need to do any sanding after application. 

White glue has moved to the top of my list as a seam filler.

Bondo

GMorrison

Bondo

 

Didn't he get banned from here a few years ago ??

Cobra 427

Oh, yeah! I too use this (superglue) for filling gaps before priming, or painting. But I don't use this as an all around filler since it's so expensive!

 

~ Cobra Chris

 

It's only a few bucks (under $4) for a few ounce bottle at the local shops. Way better bargain than the stuff you get at the market in the tubes. And they sell it in differnt viscosities.

I never got that knack, same as stretching sprue. I end up with harder glue than plastic and it just won't go away.

GMorrison

I never got that knack, same as stretching sprue. I end up with harder glue than plastic and it just won't go away.

 

LOL! it's all in the timing. And good sanding materials/sticks. Sand too soon before the stuff has fully dried and you risk gumming up your sanding tools with pockets of undried CA. But wait more than a day to begin sanding and if the stuff has cured it is somewhere between sanding metal and rock. it still will sand, but requires much more effort and risks more loss to the surrounding area plastic.

[quote user="GMorrison"]

I never got that knack, same as stretching sprue. I end up with harder glue than plastic and it just won't go away.

Seconded.