discussion Filler Putty

[Guest]

My thoughts are try it Curtis. In the 18 months I have been constructing models I think I have tried most things but none which are not original to making models. I assume that we are talking plastic models.

Like to think that most fillers are designed & for the purpose they are intended. Builders caulk is for plaster & wood although they may work for other materials.

Also I have found that you need more fillers to your bow for a variety of reasons. Thin gaps to horribly wide gaps where perhaps a stretched plastic sprue would be used. I use Mr Surfacer for thin joints but only usable on the original plastic. Seems to have a similar hardness to plastic & sticks to plastic plus it sands exactly like plastic without breaking away. Doubt if the builders fillers do this but are first class for wood & plaster. Also caulking or decorators filler in the tube is a one chance get it right first time as you cannot sand it.

I was a great fan of Vallejo filler which I still am but I use that now for difficult filling around curves & difficult areas to get into then use B & Q decorators wipes to clean & smooth the joint before it dries. Then there is no requirement for sanding as it does not sand all that well but with this method gives a good clean filled joint. Also use Vallejo on primed areas. Some fillers I have found will act as paint strippers. Fillers I have found are very personal to the way you build & the materials you use to finish your model. One persons magic is another persons poison. I have a couple of fillers I have only used once & never again.

One thing I have learnt is to give more attention to fitting as this can remove a problem or make it a very minor one. Have a look on Flory models where he has a demonstration of using fillers which is first class but then adapt to your own needs & methods.

Laurie

 

[Guest]

I've got a tube of decorators caulk in the cupboard so I might attempt using that before I try more expensive model fillers!

Squirt some on a piece of card and apply with a cocktail stick perhaps for the smallers gaps?

 

[Guest]

Curtis I would try putting in more than you need into the gap. I would then, as I do when home decorating, wet my finger & carefully drag it down the joint. Then get a piece of soft cotton fluff free. Wet it & drag it over the filler & joint to clean it up & smooth.

Hope it works. Problem is once it goes off you cannot sand it as it will be plasticy. As mentioned I use the B & Q decorators wipes which do a first class job as they are coated with some water based liquid. If the filler shrinks you have a problem as you have to fill again.

Laurie

 

[Guest]

I've got some stuff from work called Siroflex trade strength mighty strength, and it will bond to pretty much anything, even when wet so that definitely worth a try too I think, will be fairly hard to sand down though because of the plasticity as you mentioned before Laurie, so itll be one of them things that need perfecting whilst still wet.