Diluting Squadron White Putty

Not the same. Lacquer thinner is a cellulose based solvent, much hotter than mineral spirits. I don't think its distilled from oils either.

Does anyone know if mineral spirits is the same or close to the same as lacquer thinner to be used???

Thanks for this tip! I dabbed a few drops of Tamiya Extra Thin cement into a small blob of Squadron White Putty and mixed it up with a toothpick. Just the right consistency I'd been looking for to fill some small gashes.

garyj,

Pros & cons of everything:

Thinning with Testor's liquid plastic solvent works well yet takes a long time to cure & may not sand well.

If you can apply the putty and swipe off excess quickly with Acetone (nail polish remover) Use a Q-tip dipped in Acetone with a rolling motion to keep the contact area clean of putty filler.

White glue will fill ease when diluted with water or isopropyle alcohol. It tends to shrink after its dry, a second application may be required. It will not sand well and any outside the seam will be trouble.

Styrene stock or stretched sprue works well if strength is needed. Allow to fully cure before sanding. It can be softened to the point of almost becoming liquid but caution as details outside the seam can be lost in the process. Best to dry fit the length and then add liquid plastic solvent to secure. All plastic is not created equal, styrene is 'softer' Any plastic used besides sprue from your kit or other manufacture may behave different using this technique.

Hercmech

Have you tried acetone? I have not tried it but I know it works to take off excess from seams. Has anyone tried it?

Acetone (nail polish remover) like a charm-you can mix the putty/acetone to get the viscosity that you want.  And as Hercmech wrote, acetone alone is good for smoothing out dried Squadron white.

I've read that good old Elmer's white glue can work pretty well for filling seams. Been thinking about trying it with my Dauntless in a few places...

Lacquer thinner.

Mark

Have you tried acetone? I have not tried it but I know it works to take off excess from seams. Has anyone tried it?

I ran across this subject while I was looking for something else besides Squadron White Putty to use as a seam filler. I didn't have any Testors cement to use, but I did have Tamiya's liquid cement. It worked great. Filled in the seam and left very little residue to sand off.

I'm building a Saturn V with white Squadron mixed with Testors liquid cement. Takes only 2-3 drops from the brush to melt the putty.

I thin alot more when I am going for fine detail.  1/3rd testors gives me a paint that brushes nicely.

Thanks!  I'll give the Testors cement a shot.

Both Iso and Enamel thinner are incompatible with Squadron putty, as is denatured alcohol.

You can thin it with nicely with a liquid cement such as Testors "pink" label (more expensive, but faster drying) or general purpose lacquer thinner (cheaper, but slower drying and more at risk of melting the plastic underneath). Always apply in thin layers and allow the solvent to flash off before applying more.