Noob needs help

The best method of applying putty I have found is to use an artist's palette knife. I used a curved exacto blade for years and was always bothered that I couldn't do much smoothing of the putty with it because of the angle at which I had to hold the handle. A palette knife is like a tiny trowell, with the head dropped lower than the handle. It allows you to hold the blade exactly parallel to the model and smooth the putty very well before sanding. You can get one at any art supply store in the oil painting section.

N.

Albertsponson, great tip with the tape, I had never heard of that. I can't wait to try it. Thanks.

If you're filling gaps, say the wing to fuselage joint, put masking tape either side of the gap, then fill. let it dry, & do the sanding until you hit tape. That way you'll lose less detail on the parts. After that sand carefully or scrape smooth with a curved blade. Have you tried milliput?, a two part epoxy filler, it smooth's down nicely with water (though spit works better). I think it's expensive in the states, it's not cheap in England. But a little goes a long way & I find it's better & harder than the tube fillers, it won't shrink either!

With some brands, like Tamiya's, the excess putty can easily be removed with Q-tips dipped in nail polish remover.

Well, here are a few pointers to get you started.

1. Rough up the seam/area with a sanding stick to allow the putty to 'grab' better.

2. Don't apply the putty too thick. It's better to put on a couple of thin coats than one thick coat. You don't want to go more than 1/16" thick.

3. Use an old Exacto knife blade to apply the putty and smooth it out before it sets.

4. Depending on what type of putty you use, make sure you let it sit and cure for an appropriate length of time so that you don't end up with it shrinking after you've already painted over it.

Hope this helps.

Ray