putty sanding question

BERT aka MODEL MAKER · Wed Feb 09, 2005 11:39 pm

i just puttied 2, inch long holes in the polar lights jupiter 2 where the bench seats used to be the putty is a year old tube of squadron white, and backed the floor from underneath, it took a lot of putty , but i really packed it down and around the shallow holes to make up for shrinkage. is this putty supposed to come out of the tube grainy then afterwards ooze out liquid from the tube ? the next squeeze of putty was a lot wetter maybe thats normal for this putty. it says 30 minute dry time but i am going to let it dry overnight to make sure. what grit of sandpaper works best to smooth this squadron white , i have the hobby pack of sandpaper from coarse to 600 and ultra fine.

Mr. Badwrench · Post by **Mr. Badwrench** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 1:06 am

Next time squish the tube back and forth a few times to mix the putty. It sounds like it seperated a bit. Good idea to wait a day for it to cure. I know it says it dries in 30 minutes, but it takes a lot longer to cure.

Depending on how much you have to sand off, start with the coarser stuff, then move up to finer grades for finishing. Wetsand if you can, it keeps the paper from clogging and looks better when you're finished.

BERT aka MODEL MAKER · Thu Feb 10, 2005 4:15 am

thanks mr badwrench, i hope the putty will still be as strong, i put the wetter stuff on top of of the first stuff and mixed it all around in and around the holes and pushed it firmly into the holes mashing it down and using my finger and a popsicle stick smoothed it out and mixed it around untill it started to dry around the edges next time i will mash the tube. after the first drier stuff came out {a small dab or two} the rest was a lot wetter

think i will have any problems with this stuffcoming out a little dry at first ?

Mr. Badwrench · Post by **Mr. Badwrench** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:29 pm

It ought to be ok. I mean, the worst that can happen is that it will shrink a little, or not dry properly, and you'll need to add a little more putty. That happens to me all the time, no mater what.

BERT aka MODEL MAKER · Fri Feb 11, 2005 4:00 am

it seems to still be soft under the crust, the holes are the same depth as a popsicle stick it's been 24 hours and i can press down with my thumb and it kinda sinks in, the putty around the surface on the sides is hard, so how long does this stuff take to be hard enough to sand,? i used this same tube a year ago and it got hard fast maybe the way it came out last nite grainy then liquid oozed out of the tube while it was sitting on the bench wondering if i should dig it out and start over. someone said it is best to mash the tube back and forth to distribute the mix in the tube

big-dog · Post by **big-dog** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 2:34 pm

I think you went a wee tad too thick boyo. You need to apply putty in a series of thin layers, otherwise you get what you got. I'd punch it out and start again. With Squadron, Tamiya, Testors? Nope. I use Bondo spot putty from any department store (Walmart here). While it don't remove with acetone (as in nail polish remover) as easily as Tamiya putty, it also aint 12 bucks a tube. And it does remove with acetone, just takes a bit longer. You get Bondo in the auto department. And Bondo applied thin does dry in 20-30 minutes. Love the stuff, though it's not real tastey.

BERT aka MODEL MAKER · Sat Feb 12, 2005 2:41 pm

yeah, i redid the whole job, layered it and slowly built it up and it looks a whole lot better

max142 · Post by **max142** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 6:30 am

I agree with big-dog....bond glazing putty rules. I got a tube about 2 years ago for $3.00, and I've I've still got about 75% left. Sands easily leaves and nice surface. And it's very tasty

BERT aka MODEL MAKER · Sun Feb 13, 2005 6:21 pm

max142 wrote:I agree with big-dog....bond glazing putty rules. I got a tube about 2 years ago for $3.00, and I've I've still got about 75% left. Sands easily leaves and nice surface. And it's very tasty

what flavor did you get

yeah, i am finding out how economical supplies are when you buy them somewhere other than a hobby shop, different choice of materials, but still need to support our hobby shops, too many of them disappearing

max142 · Post by **max142** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 4:57 am

Check out you local Walmart in the auto section (if you have one) or a Big Lots, K-Mart, any box store, or auto store. The stuff is called Bond Spot Putty and Glaze. It comes in a big toothpaste tube.

Itcomes out a nice dark red. I usually use a thin bladed artist knife and stick it in the tube to get what I need and lay it down in layers. There is little shirkage and it smooths easily. after drying just sand, with paper wet works well when down to smoother finishes.

And a tube will last quite awhile. And at 3.00$ if it dries out, you are not out a lot of money.

BERT aka MODEL MAKER · Mon Feb 14, 2005 12:12 pm

thanks Max 122

BERT aka MODEL MAKER · Mon Feb 14, 2005 12:13 pm

thanks Max 142

Mr. Badwrench · Post by **Mr. Badwrench** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:18 pm

I agree with Max and Big Dog, Bondo Spotting & Glazing putty is some pretty good stuff. Better that Squadron, and seriously cheaper. But it isn't really for filling in larger areas. If you need to build up or fill in large areas, (more than little seams and pinholes), Use Bondo's main product, Bondo Auto Body Filler. This is a genuine two part epoxy putty, so shrinkage is not generally a problem. It cures harder than the spotting & glazing putty, closer to the consistency of styrene. (Spotting & glazing putty is a lot softer than styrene and most resin models, and requires care when sanding). You can also use Bondo body filler to make large scale details with. Bryan Krueger spells it out much better than I can in his Bondo article on his website, well worth reading.

The short side of Bondo body filler is that it has a coarse grain, and can only be sanded so smooth. Bondo's body filler and spotting & glazing putty are really intended to be used together. For anything larger than minor surgace imperfections, fill it in with Body filler. Sand smooth, repeat as necessary. Then for your final coat, use the spotting & glazing putty, and wetsand with fine grade paper, 600 grit and finer.

BERT aka MODEL MAKER · Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:25 pm

thanks for the very helpful info. and thanks

for the bondo link !!!!

d_coombes · Post by **d_coombes** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 2:23 pm

If you have a big hole to fill quite often the best thing to do is to cut a piece of strene sheet to fit.... This is especially true of round holes... Its easy to take a piece of sprue and heat stretch or file it to make a tapered plug that you can then push through the hole till its a tight fit and then hit it with liquid poly... sand it flush.. no filler needed.....

I like using thick super glue to fill holes... I squirt some zap a gap out onto a post it and then apply it to the crack or gap with a tooth pick and then zap it with accellerator... One thing is that super glue gets harder over time, so you really want do the sanding straight away.
I doesn't shrink or crack out like filler does and it feathers really nicely.
I do like using bondo filler to do contouring and stuff though....

Dave

Warped Speedster · Post by **Warped Speedster** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 8:02 pm

I agree with Dave's suggestion about using plastic to fill holes or sections too. Nothing sands like plastic as good as plastic.

For anyone using Squadron putty. When the putty dries and you've sanded it a little, flood it with CA. Sometimes it's easier to feather sand that way. You may have to do it a couple times.

But I still don't like Squadron much except for creatures or a biomech type thing where, if it does shrink a little it's no big deal. It's actually great for that stuff.