Mr.Surfacer questions

[sci-fi-bldr]

I've never used it.....but heard alot of stuff about it.....

I need to fill a few light scratches on a model.....is this what I need??....does it need to be sprayed....or brushed.......

Any other tips for it's use........


Thanks...

[Kylwell]

You can brush it on, thin it with lacquer thinner, smooth it with lacquer thinner. Depending on the depth of the scratches you'll want 500 or 1000. Lower the number, thicker the goop.

[TER-OR]

It's kind of a primer. Don't sand or rub it all away, but leave a uniform coat. You don't want to see gray lines where your scratches used to be, but an even smooth gray coat.

[sci-fi-bldr]

So........you shouldn't sand it?

[Kylwell]

I think what Ter-or is saying is sand it smooth but if you sand down to plastic it's best to prime it again (with say 1200) to ensure and even finish. You can polish it but there can sometimes be a slight textural difference between the primer & plastic.

[TER-OR]

It's softer than the plastic or resin around it. So, if you sand down to what you think is smooth you'll actually be sanding down into the scratch again. What you want to do is apply to a larger area, and buff smooth. You should have nice, shiny, smooth, uninterrupted gray when done.

[Wug]

Hi sci-fi-bldr,

It's always nice to meet another KY SF builder.

It will depend on the scratches. If the scratches are very light, priming with Mr. Surfacer might cover them.

Tip:

Always mix the Mr. Surfacer thoroughly. Putting screws, nuts or BBs in the jar helps a lot. Make sure the lid is screwed on tight and shake the bejezus out of it.

Thin Mr. Surfacer to the same consistency of any paint you're airbrushing. You can thin Mr. Surfacer with hardware store lacquer thinner. I used lacquer thinner for years until I tried Mr. Thinner. Now I use Mr. Thinner because it won't etch plastic and cause ghosting. Other modelers recommend Mr. Thinner with Mild Retarder for an even smoother finish. I haven't tried it yet.

Tip:

Only spray it in a well-ventilated area away from flames. Wear a good respirator.

If the scratches are a little deeper, apply the unthinned Mr. Surfacer to the scratch with a toothpick or a paintbrush you don't care about. Let it dry. You can sand it off like other primers and fillers. If your scratches have raised edges, you'll need to sand a little.

You might not need to sand. You can remove dry Mr. Surfacer by wiping it with 91 % or 99% isopropyl alcohol. You can buy it in the medical section of Wal-Mart or Meijer. Regular 70% rubbing alcohol isn't strong enough.

For big open areas, pour some alcohol on a coffee filter and wipe. Exam gloves are good idea here. This removes the Mr. Surfacer from surface but leaves it in recesses. You'll probably need to repeat the process for bad areas. Q-Tips are good for smaller areas and can wipe around details.

Once you've filled your scratches, prime the model with Mr. Surfacer. It airbrushes beautifully.

If this exposes more flaws, fix them and repeat the process until you have a perfect primer coat of Mr. Surfacer then paint your model.

If you have any more questions, just ask.

HTH

Mike

[sci-fi-bldr]

Thanks for all the help guys......

Going to go to my LHS and try to find some ..........seems like a really good product

Thanks for the intro Wug....

[Devin]

Another question about Mr. Surfacer:

It comes in grades, 500, 1000, 1200. I had been operating under the assumption that the 500 was thick, 1000 was thinner, etc. Someone mentioned that was the case, but ALSO the 1000 is finer grain pigment than 500, 1200 a very fine pigment. Is that the case?

[Kylwell]

Another question about Mr. Surfacer:

It comes in grades, 500, 1000, 1200. I had been operating under the assumption that the 500 was thick, 1000 was thinner, etc. Someone mentioned that was the case, but ALSO the 1000 is finer grain pigment than 500, 1200 a very fine pigment. Is that the case?

In a word, yes.