Using Acrylic Nail Filler As Putty

cthulhu77 · May 08, 2007, 07:51:09 AM

Jason came up with a great way to fill small seams using an inexpensive and easy to get nail filler.
"kiss" brand acrylic powder filler is sold at almost every drug store, etc around. I haven't tried it out yet, but will be in the next few days. If you want more info, he has a whole post on Swannysmodels.
http://swannysmodels.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1177723948

I've seen it in action, and darned if it doesn't look like the bee's knees for tight seams !

Mossie · May 08, 2007, 08:01:23 AM

Hmmm, sounds good, I'm off to the Pharmacy later today so I'll look out for something similar, it'll probably be under a different name in the UK. I'll let you know what I find.

frank2056 · May 08, 2007, 11:13:12 AM

I've used acrylic nail powder for years. It's simply fantastic stuff :
- it dries quickly, uncured material washes off with water (or alcohol)
- the solvent will glue the acrylic to styrene.
- the uncured acrylic can be feathered into the styrene and molded like a putty
- The hardened acrylic is about as hard as styrene, so it' sands and polishesbeautifully[/b]
- the clear acrylic (they type used for nails) is crystal clear in thin (2 - 5mm) sections., so it makes fantastic windows.
- since it's pretty soft in the uncured state, it can be pushed into RTV molds.

Unfortunately, it also has some huge drawbacks:

- the solvent stinks. A lot. Even with good ventilation.
- the acrylic does set very quickly, so the work time is limited to a few 10s of seconds. No huge castings...
- Cost The acrylic powder and solvent are incredibly expensive. The nail care stuff has a modest markup, but I've looked at dental acrylics (exactly the same stuff) and it doesn't get any cheaper in bulk. The white and pink dental versions are often used for special effects and Halloween costumes.

For general filling of large gaps, i use super glue and talcum powder. Cheap and almost as good as the acrylic powder.

Dental Acrylic google search
Nail acrylic google search

Frank

Mossie · May 08, 2007, 02:28:10 PM

I couldn't find any at the pharmacy, but my wifes cousin does nails & beauty stuff so I'll ask her when I see her soon.

You can buy acrylic fillers from DIY/hardware shops, I wonder if this works in a the same way? It's likely to be much cheaper as it won't need all the regulation that comes with cosmetics & especially medical/dental products.

frank2056 · May 08, 2007, 02:53:13 PM

QuoteYou can buy acrylic fillers from DIY/hardware shops, I wonder if this works in a the same way? It's likely to be much cheaper as it won't need all the regulation that comes with cosmetics & especially medical/dental products.

Are you thinking of acrylic spackle? The dental/nail acrylic is different - it's a very fine powder and a stinky liquid solvent. The resulting plastic is as hard as styrene (or... acrylic).

Mossie · May 08, 2007, 03:06:34 PM

I'm not sure what spackle is I'm afraid! I know there's several variaties of acrylic fillers, from decorators caulk to those you use to repair plastic baths & the like & some are clear. It'd need some investigation, but we might be able to find something useful. I'll have a look in a local DIY shop tommorow, see what might work.

frank2056 · May 08, 2007, 03:20:50 PM

QuoteI'm not sure what spackle is I'm afraid!

In American English, it's a filler used to repair walls (like stucco).

There's an acrylic caulk that I've used (for its intended use - to fill a small hole in a wall) and it's definitely not very useful for filling in models, since it shrinks as it dries and it's pretty brittle and "sandy" once dry.

The closest I've come to finding an equivalent to the acrylic powder (Methacrylate Copolymer ) and the acrylic liquid (Methacrylate Esters and other nasties) is a 2 part epoxy putty from 3M that's designed for plastics. It smells the same as the acrylic powders but looks like very yellow-green snot.

cthulhu77 · May 08, 2007, 03:59:15 PM

I guess I am missing the "high cost" bit...I was just at walgreen's, and a package large enough to do several models was 4.99....that's about the same as other fillers, and, it works faster and better.
Planning on still using bondo body filler for the large gaps...but this stuff works wonders on thin seams.

frank2056 · May 08, 2007, 04:39:27 PM

QuoteI guess I am missing the "high cost" bit...I was just at walgreen's, and a package large enough to do several models was 4.99.

It's expensive if you want to use it for large areas, or if you want to cast something in clear. I guess build up can be done with something like Magic-Sculp or Aves. The acrylic powder stuff is just so good that it would be great if it were cheaper.

If you're careful, this stuff works well for fairing or repairing clear canopies, too.

Most of the nail kits I've seen only include a small amount of actual, usable material - maybe a tablespoon's worth or a little more.

Frank

cthulhu77 · May 08, 2007, 05:03:13 PM

well, I wouldn't use it for any but the finest seams...bondo paste or acryl blue still work just fine for larger gaps.
It's kind of like wanting to use a scalpel to cut a 2x4...yep, it's sharper...but wouldn't a saw be easier?

BlackOps · May 27, 2007, 09:35:14 AM

I picked up some yesterday and hope to try it out today or tomorrow.

matrixone · May 27, 2007, 08:58:15 PM

Just be careful with this stuff, I learned the hard way my first time I used it when I took too much time to smooth it out and the filler dried with a very uneven surface that took a long time to sand down. Next time I will work much more quickly now that I know the very limited time available before this stuff sets up.
Plan everything out in advance and there should be no problems

Matrixone