Air drying modelling putty/clay help...

[homechild]

Hi all.

Okay, I seem to be in a bit of a jam here.

I’m putting together a miniart building (bit of a pain really) and I’m having trouble getting the parts to go together.

What I need is some sort of air drying putty (or something similar) that I can use to stick the parts together and fill the gaps with.

In the dim and distant past I would just have used blu-tack and glued over it to hold it but I want to do it right this time.

As my cutting wasn’t as neat as I’d hoped it would have been I will be putting the putty along the edges of the parts then squishing (I believe that’s a technical term) the other part on to it, thereby filling the gaps and sticking the two pieces together.

Any help would be greatly appreciated because my build has come to a standstill as the figures that I ordered before New Year (and that the seller assures me were posted on the 31st of December) have still not arrived.

[spanner570]

Drew, I had a similar problem a while ago.

I solved it by using Humbrol Model filler. It comes in a toothpaste type tube and is not expensive.

I put a thin bead down the join, pushed the join together and ran my fingers down the join to even out and fill the cracks. Then I put a couple of pieces of masking tape on to hold the joint. This stuff goes off quickly so there is not too much hanging about.

Although not neccessary, I put a thin bead of clear silicone mastic on the inside just to be sure...

That's my way, I'm sure other people will have different methods, mind!

I seem to remember Scott's (Noble) wife Carrie built one of these recently. Why don't you P.M. them?

Ron

[Guest]

Drew, typical model filler is a product called Squadron Green putty, available from most hobby shops and suppliers. There is also air drying clay, one name of which is Das. I have used it in the past to make diorama items. The trouble is as a filler Das does not fuse to the plastic so it can come adrift easily.

Squadron Green has a polystyrene based solvent so it does fuse to the plastic surface and forms a strong bond with either side of the gap.

[homechild]

Hi Richard.

Do you know if Squadron Green is similar to the Games Workshop "Green Stuff" (blue and yellow parts that you mix together)?

I've used that before (to varying degrees of success) and think I have some lying around. I did find it quite hard to work with though as it seemed to get tacky pretty quickly.

I did think of using that but thought I should consult the experts first.

[Guest]

You can get Squadron Green from our online forum shop here

[Guest]

If your "Green Stuff" it is a two part compound it will probably be an epoxy putty. Squadron Green is in a tube and a lot thinner than epoxy putty and only a one part compound.

This is how it comes:

SQUADRON GREEN PUTTY - Accessories - Figures and Busts - Frontier Models

[Guest]

Sorry crossed paths with Graham there.

[Guest]

No worries Richard, a lot cheeper in the forum shop to :-)

[homechild]

Okay, I'll have a look in the shop tonight, got a few other things I need to order too - better get them before I actually "need" them or I'll have to stop mid-build again!

[stona]

I've used the Squadron putty as well as the Humbrol and Tamiya ones. To be honest they are all much the same and they'll all bond the plastic. Some are coarser than others but that won't be relevant for what you're doing.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

i have some games workshop green stuff,bought it a few weeks ago and maybe its just me but it is almost unusable for filling gaps as it is too stiff and does not seem to stick to plastic when filling.when i try to drag it across a surface (for want of a better word) it seems to stick to itself and just pull of the surface and is too stiff to do much with.maybe i had a bad batch or am doing something wrong but i will not use it again.i am having much better sucess with MILLIPUT(WHITE).get it were you want and just wet your finger and smooth off,a lot less sanding.

[homechild]

Thank you Phalin, I thought it was just me!

Whenever I've used it as a filler it's never worked, when I used it to make small items for models/dioramas it was okay.

I'll only use it again if I want to make things (which I'll be doing for a diorama later in the year) so it's lucky I've still got some in one of my modelling tool-boxes.

[Guest]

It is difficult to get an epoxy putty to adhere to polystyrene plastic because it doesn't disolve the surface like Squadron does. It's probably better for large gaps and ultimately stronger but limited by its inability to fuse with plastic models.

[homechild]

Well, Squadron Green, ordered - along with some other kits that I won't need for another few months at least, thought I should get them while I was ordering other stuff...just to save on the P&P costs of course...and you can't tell because we're all in this together... :shhhh:

[stona]

It is difficult to get an epoxy putty to adhere to polystyrene plastic because it doesn't disolve the surface like Squadron does. It's probably better for large gaps and ultimately stronger but limited by its inability to fuse with plastic models.

Exactly! Horses for courses.

Steve