Just curious as what everyones preference is, I'm thinking about switching from wood filler so something else like bondo or milliput.
Shas B)
I use Humbrol filler, dries quickly and sands easily (too easily sometimes <_< )
I'm using Squadron Green at the moment. It really sticks well, but also does a number on the plastic if you're not careful, I wouldn't recommend it on thin sections. It seems to clean off fairly easily with a 9/1 mixture of elbow grease and rubbing alcohol.
Bondo red spot and glazing auto putty. Gave up using the squadron greens and white when I found this stuff, sandable in about an hour. I use superglue for filling alot too.
QuoteBondo red spot and glazing auto putty. Gave up using the squadron greens and white when I found this stuff, sandable in about an hour. I use superglue for filling alot too.
I've used Squadron Green for as long as I can remember, but I've read some good things about Bondo red glazing putty and I'm thinking of trying some. Any hints or tips for someone switching Leigh?
Tamiya putty in the tube or me, but I also have taken a shine to Mr Surfacer 500.
Allan in Canberra
I've read Mr. Surfacer mentioned in reviews and build reports quite a bit, but had no idea what it was until my LHS had a single bottle on the paint display for $3, so I bought it. It's Mr. Surfacer 1000, but apart from the words "Mr Surfacer" and "Made in Japan" there aint a lick of English on the bottle, so I'm a bit in the dark as to what to do with it. I assume you brush it on the seams, let it dry and sand it. Am I missing anything?
Aeroplanedriver: yup, it's essentially a thick paint that has a strong tendency to self-level (so no brush streaks to worry about). You'll need lacquer thinner to clean the brush, and it stinks enough that I always use my respirator mask when working with the stuff.
It dries quickly.
As for putty: I use Mr. Surfacer, Tamiya putty (although that dries too quickly for my taste), and Milliput.
My current filler of choice is good old Polyfilla. It's chemically inert sand's in about an hour, quicker if you're only using a small amount. The best thing I find about it, is that it's very easy to work with, and it costs the same for a kilo tube of it as it does for a small tube of Milliput or Humbrol stuff
bondo glazing putty for the big stuff, squadron green for the smaller bits, and Mr. Surfacer for the fine. Do have a tube of squadron white, but I hate the grainy texture, but when you are doing a white model, you need it.
Tamiya Putty for me, I do have some Bondo stuff, but I find it too fine, it shrinks alot too. I'm searching for 3M Acryl Blue putty, which is supposed to be the best ever. Scott van Aken only uses that thing on his models.
:mellow:
I like that stuff too...can't do as wide of a seam as bondo, but as long as you avoid airfix kits, it's fine. LOL...
Call your local auto body repair shop...if they won't sell you a tube, they can tell you where to get one. One tube lasts years, too.
Been there, done that Greg.
Even the autoparts do not carry it around in tubes, they only sell those lousy tins.
I even asked them to get me some with the P/N, but they sent me the can.
Meh.
won't these guys ship to you??? if they won't, let me know...I can pick up a tube and send it up.
http://www.midwayautosupply.com/detailedpr...ption.asp?11516 (http://www.midwayautosupply.com/detailedproductdescription.asp?11516)
I have finished my old (very nice!) Humbrol tube :) , and started an old Testors tube: rather bad :( , smelling like a French cheese (I hate, no matter what my nationality is) and with 2 parts flowing : like-syrup liquid and gel, bad :( ... I wanted to order another Humbrol but the mail shop had none, and I got a Tamiya one. I have not tried it yet but I am glad that some of you appreciate it, meaning it will be better than the Testors... :)
Call me old-fashioned but I've always used Squadron White. Since I work in peewee scales of 1/144 or 1/72 it seems to do the job. Greg's right about it being a bit on the grainy side which is why when I'm making wheel spats, I cover them with a layer of CA after the putty cures. I'll have to try that 3M Acryl Blue. Does it shrink much?
Brian da Basher
Once you've used glazing putty, you'll glare at your squadron tubes. (the squadron white has it's uses though, if you are building a white vehicle/craft, and don't want to put on a thousand coats of white primer) Acryl blue is wonderful stuff, a bit pricey, but goes a long way. I use bondo glazing the most...mine never cracks at all or shrinks. Could be something due to the humidity out here though, too.
At last, I have finished my Testors tube and tested the Tamiya putty (Basic type). And I am disappointed. Too much liquid, not enough matter, too much "tearing along" ("trop filant" in French)... I strongly regret my Humbrol putty, that was much better.
This is a bit of a Lazarus job, raising a thread from the dead I mean...........
While doing a few Whiffs over the last few weeks it's brought me to the conclusion I don't know what I'm doing with the various putties I have. And this after 45 odd years of modelling too :lol:
I've got four sorts of putty on the go, the standard Tamiya stuff, some German Presto Finish, some Movk Stucco from Italy and my old standby Polyfilla Fine Finish.
The Tamiya is OK if I sand it early, leaving it too long makes it as hard as nails. It also doesn't like any other putty underneath or on top of it, both of these procedures results in wrinkles that take WEEKS to stop being chemically active and I can sand them off.
The Presto, which is khaki in colour, is great for structural puttying, where you have big gaps to fill that need some strength. When it's set it's like re-inforced concrete, but it does sand if I use a very coarse paper first and then 320 afterwards.
The Movk Stucco (!) is pale grey and as far as I can see it's pretty useless. It won't bond to the plastic so if I sand it large chunks fly off and I have to do it all again. I bought it from a model boat show when I couldn't find any other sort.
Polyfilla is great, dries very fast, and sands beautifully with water, but takes umpteen layers to fill big gaps or steps, and isn't very strong.
I've taken to using Presto first and then Polyfilla to finish off for normal work, and resorted to Milliput Grey for anything that really needs some depth. #
What are anyone elses recommended techniques?
Hya Kit,
I too have been experimenting with different putty/filler call it what you will, and find that squadron white filler is ok for most applications where you can't see it to easily, and I am also using Revell plasto. This can be a pain to use as it seems to separate then go all gummy when you try to put it on the model. I hated this stuff and threw it back in the tool box, until recently, when I found it went into smaller gaps better than Squadron filler, and sands down better and easier than squadron.
For bigger jobs that need a bit of structural work and support, I use Miliput fine white, it is dearer than the other kinds of Miliput but it is much easier to work with, and unlike other modelling putties, you can mould it with water and your fingers, which can be better than trying to get that shape you need without it going off in minutes. Plus you can carve it much easier than other stuff, and it doesn't stink!!
Cheers,
Chris.
Elmer's Fill 'n Finish putty, for about the last 20 years. I've also recently taken a liking to spackling. Also the auto red spot putty, but mostly the formers.
Tamiya Putty when it's gotta be glass-smooth (and he's right: sand it within a day of application or good luck!), Bondo red glazing putty when it's in a tight spot or very delicate, and Aves Apoxie Sculpt when you've got to actually reshape something major.
Aves Apoxie Sculpt and Aves Apoxie Paste (http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=75) for me. Non-toxic two-part epoxy, smells like corn chips, thins with rubbing alcohol or water, smooths out to a glass-like finish with care, cures to the same hardness as styrene. Honestly, Aves is where it's at. Since I started using Aves, even glazing putty seems too coarse. I still use red Bondo glazing putty for 1:1 car stuff, but it doesn't come anywhere near my models anymore.
There's even a great thread about it at Starship Modeler: The Abbey of Aves (http://www.starshipmodeler.net/talk/viewtopic.php?t=59848).
Already I can see a trend developing, and it's as wide as the Atlantic.........
Most of the stuff we use on the east side of the Atlantic is not available on the west side, and vice versa. Either that or they exist under different names.
I've heard of this Bondo stuff before but it doesn't exist over here, or if it does it's sold by very specialist suppliers.
Well good old Humbrol or sometimes Revell Plasto (I don't seem to have a problem) for general work. For major stuff on some resin kits then it's Miliput (I hate the kneading process) for small gaps/blemishes Valleojo Plastic Putty (can be smoothed with water before it dries and the nozzle is ideal for seams and wing roots etc). Mr Surfacer for pin-holes and as an overal primer on rougher resin kits.
I have Squadron Green but don't use it that much
I'm with Chris & others, Humbrol for the usual PSR & Milliput for anything heavy duty, partly because they're both so widely available. Tried Squadron White once, I found too grainy & I didn't like it's sanding characteristics although that's purely a personal thing.
Not putty as such, I've used correction fluid for filing panel lines & such. It dissolves in white spirit (I've heard it shrinks less with isopropyl alcohol/rubbing alcohol), I simply put some on a cloth & rub at it. Depending on how much you rub, you can leave some of the line showing which is great for over deep trenches. Saves sanding & removing raised detail, I might experiment to see how useful it is as a standard filler.
The other 'filler' I've used recently is PVA glue. Someone on here (sorry, forget who!) mentioned it was useful for blending in canopies & I've found it works well as long as you don't need to sand it.
Quote from: PR19_Kit on April 01, 2009, 01:45:23 AM
Most of the stuff we use on the east side of the Atlantic is not available on the west side, and vice versa. Either that or they exist under different names.
.....or, like in Venezuela, they do not exist at all :banghead: :banghead:
Quote from: PR19_Kit on April 01, 2009, 01:45:23 AM
I've heard of this Bondo stuff before but it doesn't exist over here, or if it does it's sold by very specialist suppliers.
We have bondo. The thick stuff. For glazing, we have other local brands. So-so.
I have been experimenting with filling my foam scratchbuilds with wall crack-filler and plaster :wacko: :banghead:
Not tried them on plastic, though, for fear of having them falling off......
Rafa
OK, so here I am in SW Scotland, and I have never heard of most of these putties that you are talking about.
I have been using, for years and years, Humbrol and (on very few occasions) Milliput.
So how about one of you out there, who knows, puting together a list of what putty's are best for what jobs, and which part of the world they are available in.
Please, pretty PLEASE.
For all of us.
JayBee, if you have trouble getting hold of Milliput you can often find it in DIY shops as well as Model shops. There are some coloured versions & a white superfine version, I've never used these, just the standard.
Aves Apoxie can be bought in the UK on the internet, it's around £12 a tub, but you do get a pound of the stuff. Apparentley it's good for building up over larger areas. When it goes on, it looks an utter mess, but sands down beautifully. Not used it myself, going on others accounts.
Squadron White, Green & Red is available ad hoc at many Model Shops. I don't like the white perosnally, very grainy & just not keen on the way it sands, not used the green or red but I think they just differ in colour?
Green Stuff is a two part epoxy very similar to Milliput, except it's more specific to sculpting & pretty much only reccomended for that. Games Workshop do it under their own brand, but it's available cheaper on the net. Again, never used it myself.
Putties/fillers I use
Milliput Two part putty, mix equal amounts. Fully hard in around 12 hours, but can be set quicker with a heat source. Pros, Easy to judge mixing amounts. Able to be moulded/prefinished with wet/oily tools or fingers before setting. Can be carved roughly an hour before fully set. Once set has great strength and sands to a glass like finish. Cons, It`s strength makes it hard to sand but can be worked with motor tools easily.
Davids Isopon P38 two part auto repair putty, sets in either five minutes or forever depending how much hardener added. Pros, Soft consistency so easily forced into gaps etc. Very easy to sand/carve and as it dries in minutes, reapplications are easy. Cons, Hard to decide just how much hardener to add and produces a gentle heat on setting. Also it`s pink!
Tube Puttie/Fillers I`ve not found much difference between the various makes except for price. Squadron Green Stuff gives a nice finish. Revell and new Humbrol are easily worked and I lean towards Humbrol as my local shop carries it. Both of these seem to have a softer slightly porous looking surface easily cured with a coat of liquid glue. Pros, Easy to apply straight from the tube and `welds` itself to styrene. Cons, Takes overnight to dry and even longer in `thick` layers. Will shrink and chip, crack if not careful.
I`ve listed these in hardness with Milliput being the toughist. Also I tend to use tube putties by dipping a brush loaded with cellulose thinners straight into the tube and mixing the two until a suitable gloop arrives. This lets me put the filler to where its needed rather than smeared in the general area. It reduces shrinkage and cracking and is very easily worked. Also detail can be be `painted` on the model with a small brush and the slip from the mix. Really useful on figures I`ve found.
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,22461.0.html
Hope this is of some help
Cheers :drink:
G
Magic Sculpt for most things. Less than $15US got me 5 lbs of the stuff, infinite shelf life, sands to a high shine. No shrinkage, adheres better than Milliput, can be scribed without chipping. Ordered direct from manufacturer. Smells like amonia when first opened up.
Mr. Surfacer 500 for the rest.
I've formally divorced Squadron Green putty.
Daryl J.
Epoxy putties:
Aves, Magic Sculpt, Milliput etc (the first epoxy putty I ever used, around 1982, was the Duro blue & yellow ribbon type, you mixed the
ribbons together until you had an even green colour).
Polyester two-part fillers:
Bondo (the bog standard bog ;D ) and my preferred type, Evercoat White Marine Filler for fibreglass boat repair.
Acrylic lacquer glazing/surfacing putties:
3M Blue Acryl and my favorite, Spies-Hecker Permacron Fine 7715, a golden beige in colour and hands down the best I've ever used.
Jon
Bump..........
Re the Presto stuff I mentioned on page 2 of this thread, it seems it's German but I can't find a UK distributor, so where I got it from I have no idea.
Does anyone in UK recognise it who could give me some pointers, or is there one of our Euro members who might know a dealer who'd sell it to me from over there please?
This is what the tube looks like.
(https://www.whatifmodellers.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg33.imageshack.us%2Fimg33%2F2503%2Fprestofiller.jpg&hash=8043ac4cd02be1156851abe5eaacf8076344cab8)
Still the "Old Standard", Green Putty in a tube is my preference because I can "thin" it with lacquer thinner or liquid cement either before it goes on, or afterwards. I also use a wooden drink-stirrer (like a very wide, flat toothpick) soaked in lacquer thinner to spread it (the lac-thin helps keep "friction" down so the wooden tool glides smoothly over the putty). I have taken to use plastic card or other solid filler for all but the thinnest top coat so that there is no "soft", uncured putty anywhere underneath when I begin to carve/sand.
Its Aves for big fills, Squadron white for dings and seams. I'd like to try the 3m Acryl blue, but haven't been able to find it locally.
Since I last posted here, I've changed my preference to Mr Surfacer 500, occasionaly using Mr Surfacer 1000 for those little bits the 500 can't reach.
Plastic models, Tamiya Grey putty.
Resin models, Tamiya or Squadron green.
Wooden models, Squadron green or the white.
Card models that will be painted, Squadron white or Liquid Paper correction fluid, and for reinforcing edges or making able to sand - CA glue.
Small pinholes or rivet fills - Mr Surfacer, CA slow drying, or Liquid paper correction fluid.
Recently I've been using Tamiya white putty. This seems to work better than the gray Tamiya putty I had before: the white stuff is a nice consistent paste, while the gray variant was more grainy. That may have been caused by the tube drying out, though.
Doesn't ANYone use that Presto stuff, apart from me that is?
I'll email the manufacturer and see if they'll sell direct. With my luck they'll probably want to sell me a dozen boxes minimum!
Newsflash!
Today it was reported that a famed plastic modeller, Kit speckman, creator of the infamous spoof Meteor PR.19 was hurt when several hundred kilograms of Presto modelling putty fell on him from on top of the wardrobe in his modelling room... ;D ;D
My preferred choices ;
Revell Plasto ( I know it sometimes separates but, putting some on to a bit card & giving a wee mix will take care of that!)
Humbrol
Milliput or, if you cannot get it, try plumbers two part epoxy putty. It's similar stuff with similar properties & I get mine at B & Q or Homebase. Price is similar to milliput
Mr Surfacer 500/1000 ( if you can FIND it!!)
Gunze Sangyo Mr Dissolved Putty
The latter two I apply using a cotton bud & wiping the excess off with another cotton bud dipped in Isopropyl alcohol. That's medicinal alcohol of the type used to swab your skin clean before an injection
I also find that Mr Dissolved Putty doesn't shrink as much as Mr Surfacer
You pays your money, you takes your choice!! ;D
I've tried two part car body filler but, I didn't like. I don't use polyfilla either. Doesn't adhere well to plastic & it crumbles too easily.
Oh, I nearly forgot - Tippex (type writer correction fluid). Water soluble & very good for small gaps. I just wipe off the excess while wet using a damp cotton bud ( Great modelling tools cotton buds!!) ;D
I emailed the manufacturers of my fave Presto putty some weeks ago, but no reply. :banghead:
So, for our European members, could one of you see if you could buy me some of this stuff from a local auto sales outlet please? Perhaps six tubes would see me through my potential modelling life and I'll gladly pay over the odds for the stuff and the postage.
This is what the tube looks like.
(https://www.whatifmodellers.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg33.imageshack.us%2Fimg33%2F2503%2Fprestofiller.jpg&hash=8043ac4cd02be1156851abe5eaacf8076344cab8)
I'd be very grateful if anyone could help out.
And no, there isn't a gross of tubes on top of my wardrobe, I checked....... ;D
I've been using the Valejo putty for some time now. I find it easier to use than Milliput. Big jobs, I still use Milliput, most other jobs, its multiple layers of Valejo. All works well, filling in surfaces which have been scoured by sandpaper.
Pratley Original putty & last night I used Milliput Superfine for the 1st time. Pleasantly surprised ;D
I find Testors Shaping Putty to be pretty good for small jobs, but you have to be careful sanding it because it isn't the hardest material in the world.
Has anyone in the UK tried the relatively new Deluxe Materials 'Perfect Pastic Putty' yet?
I got a tube of it last week and tried it today on my 'Virtual Herk' and it works just fine. It's smooth, dispenses easily from the tube, dries quite fast, and sands nicely too, but..............
I'm not convinced that it's not Fine Surface Pollyfilla in a different dispenser!
I've been using the latter for YEARS now, and in my whole modelling life I've only ever used three tubs, and I didn't use all the stuff, it went solid during modelling breaks on my part. The crux of the matter is the price, the Deluxe stuff costs £4.50 for a 40ml tube, and the Polyfilla costs £4.49 for TEN times the amount!!!! :banghead:
(https://www.whatifmodellers.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg502.imageshack.us%2Fimg502%2F5623%2Fputtyx2.jpg&hash=55cf324c3f86831dd00579071316827a28cba24c)
Not seen the Dulux "Perfect Plastic Putty" yet Kit, but wouldn't be surprised if it was the same stuff as Polyfilla. Used that myself as well. The price differential between DIY & hobby use seems about "right" to :banghead: I'm still waiting for Johnson Wax to bring the now discontinued old formula Klear out in a tiny bottle labled "modelling clear varnish" at 5 times the cost :banghead:
It's rumoured that Humbrol are doing just that, they had a product listed in their new releases that sounded very like Klear. It's called 'Clear' and comes in a 125ml and if their simillar sized thinners are anything to go by, it'll be £4-5. Klear is around the same price for a 750ml bottle. To be fair, a lot of the price difference is to do with economies of scale, Johnsons will probably fill tens of thousands of bottles in a batch, Humbrol a few thousand.
http://www.humbrol.com/2012/
Luckily I've probably got enough bottles of the original Klear to see me through the rest of my modelling life. :)
Johnson's changed the formula because of some EU law didn't they? So how would Humbrol get around that?
Just a suggestion, there is a product marketed by S.C. Johnson, to the commercial market
(5 Ltr. bottles, just over a gallon for us that were educated correctly! ;D)
Very silly, they market it for cleaning / polishing floors??
Might be worth a punt for a club, if you know of any janitorial suppliers, just bring yer own bottle,
if these are in short suppy, speak to Trev, i'm SURE he could help!!!! :wacko:
That sounds like the same stuff as Klear to me, but is it the OLD Klear or the NEW Klear???
Quote from: PR19_Kit on July 09, 2012, 10:00:40 AM
That sounds like the same stuff as Klear to me, but is it the OLD Klear or the NEW Klear???
Should I use NEWKlear on the V force and Trident submarine I'm thinking of building. Sorry, Kit, but you set that one up so well I couldn't resist........!
Quote from: Rheged on July 09, 2012, 11:30:07 AM
Quote from: PR19_Kit on July 09, 2012, 10:00:40 AM
That sounds like the same stuff as Klear to me, but is it the OLD Klear or the NEW Klear???
Should I use NEWKlear on the V force and Trident submarine I'm thinking of building. Sorry, Kit, but you set that one up so well I couldn't resist........!
:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: ;D
For a number of years I used the filling putty from Squadron and also tried Tamiya's putty but was never really happy with the results so I tried a tube of Bondo red putty from the local Wal-Mart and have been using it ever since. The Bondo putty is easier to sand down to a feather edge and is not nearly as fragile as the Squadron puttys, the biggest advantage to the Bondo is it dries quicker. Like any putty its best put on in thinner coats if you are filling a larger gap or you will see some shrinkage over time.
Lately I have been using super glue for filling any gaps on the edges of wings or similar parts that are easy to sand down. I like the super glue method because its actually very quick to do and there is zero chance of ghost seams appearing later.
Like with the Bondo putty wet sanding gets the best results but you MUST sand the super glue down before it fully sets up or it will become too hard for the sandpaper to remove. Apply the super glue only on the seam line itself and then put on the accelerator and start wet sanding right away, start with coarse sandpaper to knock off the high spots and then switch to finer grades of sandpaper to polish and remove any scratches. I only fill small sections at a time with the super glue and sand it down instead of trying to do the whole leading edge of the wing in one shot so I will have plenty of time to sand down the super glue before it gets too hard to work with.
Matrixone
After testing many things I ended up with an NC putty which I found in a local DIY market and later also in a car accessory store - it is actually stuff for car body finishing and sold under the label of "Presto" here. In handling, it is similar to Revell's infamous Plasto stuff, just without all of its flaws. Color is s greenish grey, the stench is apalling of you are not used to enamel colors and thinner. But the stuff is easy to handle, bonds well with polystyrene, shrink is almost nil (just when you apply really thick coats), surface can easily be sanded and even polished.
Quote from: Dizzyfugu on July 11, 2012, 03:32:58 AM
After testing many things I ended up with an NC putty which I found in a local DIY market and later also in a car accessory store - it is actually stuff for car body finishing and sold under the label of "Presto" here.
AGGGGHHHHHHHH! :banghead:
See my post on the previous page near the top!
I got a tube of that Presto stuff in Berlin a few years ago but NO-ONE sells it in the UK and two emails to Presto themselves have gone un-answered.
What's the chances of you getting some for me and shipping it to UK please? I'd be VERY !willing to pay the rate and then some! As you say, it's great for our type of modelling.
Oh, you are the first one to be as enthusiastic about that green stuff as me!? Finally, another member of "The Order of Presto"! ;) Sorry, I did not read through the previous entries.
Well, the tubes are actually hard to hunt down, normally you only get a tin can with 250g as a minimum - much too much for modelers, and nor practical due to the can lid.
A couple of years ago the tubes were listed out at DIY retail, but now or then I was lucky to find some specimen at car specialty stores. There's a car/tire chain in Germany called ATU ("Auto Teile Unger") where I found some tubes and stashed them away. The sourcing conditions are shaky!
I could take a look or ask when I get there - how many tubes would you need/like?
Payment could be done via PayPal, that should be no problem?
PM en route Dizzy. ;D
Answer already sent :wacko:
Quote from: matrixone on July 10, 2012, 10:40:55 AM
Lately I have been using super glue for filling any gaps on the edges of wings or similar parts that are easy to sand down. I like the super glue method because its actually very quick to do and there is zero chance of ghost seams appearing later.
Like with the Bondo putty wet sanding gets the best results but you MUST sand the super glue down before it fully sets up or it will become too hard for the sandpaper to remove.
Next time (or on a junk kit) try making superglue putty. Mix a small amount of superglue with talcum powder (do
not use baking soda - it causes a chemical reaction). You can make the putty thinner or thicker by adding more or less talc. The putty dries in a few seconds and the thicker mixtures stay at about the same hardness as styrene... forever.
I just googled this well illustrated tutorial: http://s3.zetaboards.com/locate_and_cement/topic/744332/1/
The person is using an accelerator, but I never need to - the superglue will harden in a minute or less.
OUTSTANDING! :cheers: :drink: :party: :bow:
Thank you Thomas, you're all sorts of a good guy. ;D
Many years ago, when Humbrol putty and Squadron Green Stuff were the only decent putties you could get (and even that was questionable in the Humbrol product's case!) I used to use Fine Finish Polyfilla, which only came in largish tubs, but could also be used for filling in cracks in your walls at home.......... ;D
I've moved on since then, and as you can see above I use 'Presto' these days, but only when I have my model tool box with me, which I haven't at the moment. :(
After a long and fruitless search for ANY modelling putty around these parts, I was in B&Q buying a medium sized flat file, and came across the aisle where they sell wood filler etc. and in one of the racks were various Pollyfillas. I looked at them, thinking 'I wish they still did the Fine Finish stuff' when I came across a tube of 'Pollyfilla Advanced' which Id never seen before. It seemed to be all things to all men, so I bought it to try. After all, I could use it to fill the VAST cracks in my walls at home if it didn't work on models. ;)
I've just tried it on the trenches in the M'Box Canberra fuselage of my Tu-13, and it works a TREAT! :thumbsup:
It dries enough to sand in 15 mins or so, goes on nicely, and apparently fills holes up to 2" (50 mm....) deep in one go, although I haven't tried it that deep so far. They say it's for inside use only, but it'll be buried under umpteen layers of primer and paint in our case anyway.
It's looking good................ ;D
Interesting info' Kit, thanks :thumbsup:
Thanks Kit, might be worth getting hold of some, probably way more cost effective than model putties. It might be worth getting the big tub, it'll probably go rock hard even at Dizzy's build rate but you can use it for any repair jobs around the house.
It's looking pretty good on the Tu-13 so far Mossie. It does say on the tube that you can't drill it, but how often do we need to do that?
For seriously 'structural' work I'd use Presto or Milliput anyway.
If it's Polyfiller, it'll be water soluble and won't key into the plastic. I wouldn't use it for anything major or anything underneath masking tape.
Sounds like Perfect Plastic Putty.
Beyond the nitrous-compound car body finisher "Presto" mentioned by Kit I also use a second putty. Not certain about its ingredients, I assume it's an acrylic material and locally sold as "Malerspachtel", a fine putty for painters to repair dents and fine scars on/in wood, e .g. on furniture or on wooden doors. It's softer than Presto, white and slightly more viscous and a bit "grainy", even though it's easy to apply with a palette-knife. It's the "Kunststoff-Spachtel" from a company called Albrecht, sold at OBI DIY markets:
(https://images.obi.de/product/AT/414x414/172617_1.jpg)
The stuff bridges wider gaps more easily than Presto, even though it shrinks slightly, and it dries quicker. However, when you sand it down, it tends to clog the sandpaper or file, even when you add water to the PSR process. It is, though, a good addition to Presto, at least for me.
Quote from: kerick on September 01, 2022, 07:43:27 PMSounds like Perfect Plastic Putty.
True, similar at least. Probably cheaper though.
It's much stronger than Perfect Plastic Putty and nowhere near as powdery as it dries too.
I'm starting to like it a lot.
Quote from: The Wooksta! on September 01, 2022, 02:44:59 PMIf it's Polyfiller, it'll be water soluble and won't key into the plastic. I wouldn't use it for anything major or anything underneath masking tape.
Vallejo's Plastic Putty is water soluble and works well. I think it's plaster based, with some extra polymer ingredients. The beauty of is it you can clean it up with a damp finger or cotton bud when wet, or let it dry and sand it normally.
You can do that with PollyFilla Advanced too.
In my never ending search for a PEREFCT putty, and I've yet to find anything that suits me more than Presto, I sometimes have a need for a finer finish than I get with the heavy duty Presto, and while the Polyfilla stuff I mentioned above does the job, the tube that it comes in is HUGE!
I've never tried Revell Plasto before, although I've always been aware of its existence in many hobby shops, and today bought a tube while in the local Hobycraft, and I'n trying it on the Stretchorde for the fine stuff around the various fuselage joints.
I'll report back on my findings, but in the meanwhile what does anyone else who uses it think of it compared to other putties?
In line with this I've junked my tube of De Luxe Prefect Putty, which to my mind is anything BUT perfect. :banghead:
I genrally use Mr Hobby, Mr.White Putty. I have both the Blue Mr Hobby labeled kind and the Red Mr Hobby llabeled Mr.White Putty R. I think the R stands for runny as it is far more runny than the other one in the picture
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52646395397_2584da27e3.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2odbxbn)
Gondor
I quite liked the Revell Plasto for the finer finish stages of the Stretchorde, it went on easily, was quite a bit more 'runny' than my Presto was, and sanded very nicely. It wouldn't do for heavy duty structural work, the Presto is ideal for that, but its small tube size makes it more portable than the Polyfilla stuff.
I think it'll become a permanent part of my tool box now. :thumbsup:
I have tried Revell's Plasto several times in the past and came to hate and reject it. While the putty itself is not bad, no tube I ever used was thoroughly mixed - thinner goo was pouring out haphazardly, and the resulting putty quality was so uneven that using it was Russian Roulette for me. In the worst case there was so much thinner in the putty that it softened the plastic, and the putty never cured properly. On the other side, the putty would dry up in the tube early, so that much of it had to be thrown away. IMHO not a convincing product; at the moment (and this has lasted for years), Presto and Malerspachtel are my favorite combo, plus a 2C putty for really tough construction cases.
I tend to use Aves Apoxy Sculpt 2-part water-based acrylic putty for big jobs (although it works quite well for some small jobs, doesn't shrink & can be smoothed with a damp anything, once partially cured, to give a very good finish) its biggest weakness is that it doesn't grab onto smooth surfaces very well but is great for going over areas built up with styrene pieces, where there are nooks & crannies to hook into,
Tamiya Fine White or Grey putty for medium fill jobs, where plastic melting won't be an issue, usually where the Aves won't grab, or to give the Aves something to grip to, or to fill any gaps in an earlier Aves application.
Perfect Plastic Putty for a super-fine finish, to fill in any tiny holes or gaps; sands easily but I've given up on smoothing it with anything damp, it just rubs off when I try that.
Oh, I almost forgot! Liquid styrene! Does many things but can melt styrene models, can be used fairly successfully on resin.
I'll keep an eye on my Revell Plasto as I use it, thanks for the heads-up Thomas. :thumbsup:
[Later] Hmm, I see what you mean, there doesn't appear to be any consistency in its content. Sometimes it's very water and at other times quite stiff, and no amount of tube shaking mixes it up. Very odd.......... :(
Yup, eactly what I mean. Not certain if you can use a thin stick to stir the content of the tube - but I do not think that this (mess) should be part of the "product expecience"?
Have to admit I rather like Revell Plasto and, Humbrol Model Filler. These have been my "go to " fillers for years. I was very underwhelmed by "Perfect Plastic Putty".Not only is it less than perfect but, it crumbles far too easily once dry and, has virtually zero bond strength , i e it just falls out of the joint if you so much as look at it! Very poor product in my experience and,, hopelessly overrated.
I tend to use Gunze Mr Surfacer liquid putty for for fine gap filling.
I'm with you Mr. Beermonster58 on the Perfect Plastic Putty, and I've dumped my tube of it, only half used.
Sadly I may be doing the same with my almost new tube of Plasto too. As Thomas says, it's just too inconsistent, and sanding it compared with my fave Presto is like night and day! I'll have to re-PSR the wing roots of the Stretchcorde after trying to smooth them off with Plasto. :(
Tamiya putty Basic type. It's grey and smells, but as long as we're filling more than sculpting, it works fine. Then again - it's the only putty my LMS carries, so... 🙄
As I've mentioned before, I use Milliputt for structural work and perfect plastic putty for fine work. I have used vallejo, plasto and Mr.Putty in the past. I found the latter ones were expensive and came in too smaller quantities to be useful. The others come in sufficient quantities to be useful. :thumbsup: