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Sprue 'n Glue Filler??

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  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: Maryville Tennessee
Sprue 'n Glue Filler??
Posted by oleander13 on Monday, February 18, 2008 3:00 PM

Hey guys I have a quick question,

  At our last IPMS meeting in Knoxville, I overheard a fella telling some other members he was purchasing a cheap bottle of Testors thin cement so he could empty half the contents and fill the bottle with spare sprue.  He claimed the sprues would eventually dissolve and create a somewhat semi-plastic filler used for seams and the like.  Have any of you guys ever heard of such a thing or can you confirm that it works?  I may have heard the story wrong as I was sort of eavesdropping.

 

Thanks.

Things could be worse. Suppose your errors were counted and published every day, like those of a baseball player. Life will always throw you curves, just keep fouling them off... the right pitch will come, but when it does, be prepared to run the bases.
  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Neenah, WI
Posted by HawkeyeHobbies on Monday, February 18, 2008 3:14 PM

I've heard of guys making plastic filler goo using a pint of MEK and a ton of sprue. Can't say I would recommend it. You might want to read my article on how I fill with sprue here.

Which would you prefer...a classic car restored with metal or one filled with tons of bondo? Metal for metal...plastic for plastic...anything else just isn't as strong or as long lasting.

Gerald "Hawkeye" Voigt

http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/

 

 

"Its not the workbench that makes the model, it is the modeler at the workbench."

  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: Maryville Tennessee
Posted by oleander13 on Monday, February 18, 2008 3:32 PM
 HawkeyeHobbies wrote:

Which would you prefer...a classic car restored with metal or one filled with tons of bondo? Metal for metal...plastic for plastic...anything else just isn't as strong or as long lasting.

 Good point.  I was just more curious as to the process as I'd never heard of it before.  The guys in the IPMS group here tend not to speak with or let me in on things.  I'm not sure if they look down on my because I'm so much younger than them (I'm 25, average age is probably 45+).  Most of them just comment that I'm really young and then they kind of ignore me.  Either way....thanks for the response, but the link you provided isn't working.

 

Thanks again Gerald!

Things could be worse. Suppose your errors were counted and published every day, like those of a baseball player. Life will always throw you curves, just keep fouling them off... the right pitch will come, but when it does, be prepared to run the bases.
  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Peoples Socialist Democratic Republic of Illinois
Posted by Triarius on Monday, February 18, 2008 3:34 PM
Yes, you can do it using almost any of the solvent cements. I tried it, and the biggest problem was that this tends to make bubbles in the "filler." And it takes quite awhile to dissolve the styrene, unless you chop it up very fine. Finally, depending on the styrene used and the solvent you choose, the properties of the filler will never come close to what you would get using another filler. Not worth the effort, IMHO.

Ross Martinek A little strangeness, now and then, is a good thing… Wink

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Neenah, WI
Posted by HawkeyeHobbies on Monday, February 18, 2008 4:16 PM
 oleander13 wrote:
 HawkeyeHobbies wrote:

Which would you prefer...a classic car restored with metal or one filled with tons of bondo? Metal for metal...plastic for plastic...anything else just isn't as strong or as long lasting.

 Good point.  I was just more curious as to the process as I'd never heard of it before.  The guys in the IPMS group here tend not to speak with or let me in on things.  I'm not sure if they look down on my because I'm so much younger than them (I'm 25, average age is probably 45+).  Most of them just comment that I'm really young and then they kind of ignore me.  Either way....thanks for the response, but the link you provided isn't working.

 

Thanks again Gerald!

We were all young once...then we grew out of it. Some of our younger modelers at both clubs I'm a member of do fantastic stuff...better than me without a doubt. I think you should knock some heads and get them into sharing the wealth of knowledge...they might actually learn something too! It is all a mindset on their part...if membership doesn't benefit the entire organization...maybe its time to start another chapter. One that is more open minded towards younger folks. Our group here ranges from individuals who are in their 80's down to those in their 20's, an occassional teen too...of course they grow older in a blink of an eye...hell I was 18 just yesterday...errr well a whole lot of yesterdays! 

Gerald "Hawkeye" Voigt

http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/

 

 

"Its not the workbench that makes the model, it is the modeler at the workbench."

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by namrednef on Monday, February 18, 2008 10:27 PM

Well Mark.......their ignoring or not sharing with you is about the stupidest and silliest......ugh!

Shame on the pompous idiots! 

  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Glue and paint smeared bench, in La La Land
Posted by dahut on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 12:08 AM

The old sprue-in-glue trick is as old as many of us here. I cant say I ever tried it, but I've heard about it for a long time. I did mix some sprue with liquid cement once, but it made such a noxious, frightening mess that I tossed it without trying it. I gotta agree with Ross and Gerald (a pretty good idea, most all the time) - there are so many other options for filler that it hardly seems worth the effort. I use:

Regular model fillers - Tamiya and Testors

Epoxy putty - rarely

Super glue and baking soda - little mentioned, works good

Auto glazing putty - dries out before you can use it!

MOST IMPORTANT: Steady filing and fitting in order to minimize the need for fillers.

 

Cheers, David
  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Peoples Socialist Democratic Republic of Illinois
Posted by Triarius on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 12:16 PM
 dahut wrote:

Super glue and baking soda - little mentioned, works good

Yes, it works—until the bicarb starts migrating to the surface, and your model gets a case of the fuzzies—Had a T-rex do that, looked like he had the creeping awfuls! 

Ross Martinek A little strangeness, now and then, is a good thing… Wink

  • Member since
    December 2002
Posted by tyamada on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 12:38 PM

I tried exactly what you described to make a seam filler, what a disaster.  Once the plastic is dissoulved and you apply it, the mixture will casue the surrounding plastic to melt and take over a month to harden.  Even after a month the area will shrink due to the evaporation of the solvent. 

The shrinkage happens with any type of solvent based filler.  I quit using the solvent type filler and started using  CA and talcum powder.  It sets up faster and won't shrink.

  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Peoples Socialist Democratic Republic of Illinois
Posted by Triarius on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 1:21 PM
tyamada, what brand of talcum powder do you use, and is it really talc? Most body powder manufacturers have switched to cornstarch.

Ross Martinek A little strangeness, now and then, is a good thing… Wink

  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Glue and paint smeared bench, in La La Land
Posted by dahut on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 6:28 PM

I havent tried the talcum podwer thing, but I will. Baking soda/CA has been a trusty standby and I haven't had the 'fuzzies' develop as Ross suggest. But, that doesnt mean they wont, nor do want them to! DO tell us your talc brand.

QUESTION: Isn't talcum just powdered gypsum? I have a ton of drywall I could sand down for talc!

Cheers, David
  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Peoples Socialist Democratic Republic of Illinois
Posted by Triarius on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 9:15 PM

No, talc is not ground up gypsum!!!

Talc and gypsum are both minerals, but the similarity ends there. Talc is hydrous magnesium silicate, {UGLY WORDS! paste from Word doesn't work! I can't give you the proper formulae!)

and gypsum is calcium sulfate dihydrate. Talc crystals and fragments are thin plates, like mica but much smaller. Gypsum is tabular to acicular crystals. Put gypsum on  your skin and leave it there and all you'll get is a case of dermatitis. Talc, at STP (standard temperature and pressure: sea level and 68°F) is chemically inert.

The reason not to use talc in talcum powder is that many natural deposits of the mineral are associated with (WARNING: BUZZ WORD! FOOLS, IDIOTS AND MEDIA CRETINS ARE TO HAVE HYSTERICS!) asbestos minerals. Pure talc (last I checked) is harmless.

Ross Martinek A little strangeness, now and then, is a good thing… Wink

  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Glue and paint smeared bench, in La La Land
Posted by dahut on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 7:21 AM
Thanks for your hard work and resarch, Ross. Too bad I cant use sanded out dry wall powder, though. (You know I'm gonna try it, right?)
Cheers, David
  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Peoples Socialist Democratic Republic of Illinois
Posted by Triarius on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 10:42 AM

You're welcome, but no hard work or research was involved. I'm a retired geologist—got the rocks right here in me head, matey! Pirate [oX)] Har!

No reason you couldn't use gypsum as a filler. Just don't use it as body powder! 

Ross Martinek A little strangeness, now and then, is a good thing… Wink

  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Glue and paint smeared bench, in La La Land
Posted by dahut on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 10:59 AM

See there now. Just when you thought you had someone pegged, you learn something new! All this time I thought you were just an old pirate.

I used to roam the deserts of AZ in search of agates and geodes, shooting my .357 and generally having a high old time sleeping under the stars and all. 'Used to have to know a few things about the area geology in order to actually find anyting besides snakes! No specialist, for sure, but that you are/were is very cool.

Gypsum it is.

Cheers, David
  • Member since
    December 2002
Posted by tyamada on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 11:29 AM
What I'm using is generic baby powder, I got it years ago.  I don't know if baby powder has corn starch in it now or not.  I've heard that baking soda will get the fuzzies or start oozing after awhile.
  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Peoples Socialist Democratic Republic of Illinois
Posted by Triarius on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 11:33 AM

Well, we've got plenty of corn starch in the pantry. I'll see how it reacts to CA. 

Ross Martinek A little strangeness, now and then, is a good thing… Wink

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Mist086 on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 3:32 PM
I use this regularly!  I call it my liquid plastic.  Go look at my A-10 build in the In My Stash Redux thread.  i had some SERIOUS canyons to fill and the liquid plastic filled it perfectly.  I just chopped up spare sprues into realy small pieces and added them to a small glas jar half filled with testors glue.  Let it sit for a couple of hours and stirred it. Then i added more sprue and stirred unti; the jar was mostly filled to the top.  Works great and the plus side is that is plastic so it sands easy just like the model.
  • Member since
    December 2002
Posted by tyamada on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 6:10 PM
 Triarius wrote:

Well, we've got plenty of corn starch in the pantry. I'll see how it reacts to CA. 

 Sorry if I mislead you, the stuff I use is Baby Powder that has talc in it not corn starch.  The label indicates it is talc.  You might check your drug store for baby powder with talc.

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Central USA
Posted by qmiester on Thursday, February 21, 2008 8:52 AM
Something else you might consider is Micro Balloons and CA. Sands much easier than straight CA and a little lasts a long time (I've had a small can of the Micro Balloons for several years, use it on a regular basis and there is still quite a bit left).  You should be able to find it at an LHS that leans towards RC'rs.  The brand I have is SIG (the balsa people).
Quincy
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Weymouth, Dorset, UK
Posted by chris hall on Friday, February 22, 2008 2:42 PM

The sprue'n'glue was in fairly widespread use in the 1960s, before the widespread avaiability of model fillers. Even the earliest solvent-based fillers worked better than sprue'n'glue, and that's saying something!

Generally, it seems to me that the best approach is to minimise the need for filler n the first place, by careful test-fitting and trimming to shape. If gaps remain, try to fill them as much as possible with plastic strip or scrap plastic, then fill the remaining gap with CA and acelerator, and sand to shape before the CA has hardened fully. For areas where you don't want to have to use abrasives, epoxy putties work well for large areas, typewriter correction fluid for small gaps.

Cheers,

Chris.

Cute and cuddly, boys, cute and cuddly!
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