Prefered putty?

[Brian da Basher]

Call me old-fashioned but I've always used Squadron White. Since I work in peewee scales of 1/144 or 1/72 it seems to do the job. Greg's right about it being a bit on the grainy side which is why when I'm making wheel spats, I cover them with a layer of CA after the putty cures. I'll have to try that 3M Acryl Blue. Does it shrink much?

Brian da Basher

[cthulhu77]

Once you've used glazing putty, you'll glare at your squadron tubes.  (the squadron white has it's uses though, if you are building a white vehicle/craft, and don't want to put on a thousand coats of white primer)   Acryl blue is wonderful stuff, a bit pricey, but goes a long way.  I use bondo glazing the most...mine never cracks at all or shrinks.  Could be something due to the humidity out here though, too.

[Tophe]

At last, I have finished my Testors tube and tested the Tamiya putty (Basic type). And I am disappointed. Too much liquid, not enough matter, too much "tearing along" ("trop filant" in French)... I strongly regret my Humbrol putty, that was much better.

[PR19_Kit]

This is a bit of a Lazarus job, raising a thread from the dead I mean...........

While doing a few Whiffs over the last few weeks it's brought me to the conclusion I don't know what I'm doing with the various putties I have. And this after 45 odd years of modelling too 

I've got four sorts of putty on the go, the standard Tamiya stuff, some German Presto Finish, some Movk Stucco from Italy and my old standby Polyfilla Fine Finish.

The Tamiya is OK if I sand it early, leaving it too long makes it as hard as nails. It also doesn't like any other putty underneath or on top of it, both of these procedures results in wrinkles that take WEEKS to stop being chemically active and I can sand them off.

The Presto, which is khaki in colour, is great for structural puttying, where you have big gaps to fill that need some strength. When it's set it's like re-inforced concrete, but it does sand if I use a very coarse paper first and then 320 afterwards.

The Movk Stucco (!) is pale grey and as far as I can see it's pretty useless. It won't bond to the plastic so if I sand it large chunks fly off and I have to do it all again. I bought it from a model boat show when I couldn't find any other sort.

Polyfilla is great, dries very fast, and sands beautifully with water, but takes umpteen layers to fill big gaps or steps, and isn't very strong.

I've taken to using Presto first and then Polyfilla to finish off for normal work, and resorted to Milliput Grey for anything that really needs some depth. #

What are anyone elses recommended techniques?

[chrisonord]

Hya Kit,
I too have been experimenting with different putty/filler call it what you will, and find that squadron white filler is ok for most applications where you can't see it to easily, and I am also using Revell plasto. This can be a pain to use as it seems to separate then go all gummy when you try to put it on the model. I hated this stuff and threw it back in the tool box, until recently, when I found it went into smaller gaps better than Squadron filler, and sands down better and easier than squadron.
For bigger jobs that need a bit of structural work and support, I use Miliput fine white, it is dearer than the other kinds of Miliput but it is much easier to work with, and unlike other modelling putties, you can mould it with water and your fingers, which can be better than trying to get that shape you need without it going off in minutes. Plus you can carve it much easier than other stuff, and it doesn't stink!!
Cheers,
Chris.

[famvburg]

     Elmer's Fill 'n Finish putty, for about the last 20 years. I've also recently taken a liking to spackling. Also the auto red spot putty, but mostly the formers.

[John Howling Mouse]

Tamiya Putty when it's gotta be glass-smooth (and he's right: sand it within a day of application or good luck!), Bondo red glazing putty when it's in a tight spot or very delicate, and Aves Apoxie Sculpt when you've got to actually reshape something major.

[rallymodeller]

Aves Apoxie Sculpt and Aves Apoxie Paste for me. Non-toxic two-part epoxy, smells like corn chips, thins with rubbing alcohol or water, smooths out to a glass-like finish with care, cures to the same hardness as styrene. Honestly, Aves is where it's at. Since I started using Aves, even glazing putty seems too coarse. I still use red Bondo glazing putty for 1:1 car stuff, but it doesn't come anywhere near my models anymore.

There's even a great thread about it at Starship Modeler: The Abbey of Aves.

[PR19_Kit]

Already I can see a trend developing, and it's as wide as the Atlantic.........

Most of the stuff we use on the east side of the Atlantic is not available on the west side, and vice versa. Either that or they exist under different names.

I've heard of this Bondo stuff before but it doesn't exist over here, or if it does it's sold by very specialist suppliers.

[NARSES2]

Well good old Humbrol or sometimes Revell Plasto (I don't seem to have a problem) for general work. For major stuff on some resin kits then it's Miliput (I hate the kneading process) for small gaps/blemishes Valleojo Plastic Putty (can be smoothed with water before it dries and the nozzle is ideal for seams and wing roots etc). Mr Surfacer for pin-holes and as an overal primer on rougher resin kits.

I have Squadron Green but don't use it that much

[Mossie]

I'm with Chris & others, Humbrol for the usual PSR & Milliput for anything heavy duty, partly because they're both so widely available.  Tried Squadron White once, I found too grainy & I didn't like it's sanding characteristics although that's purely a personal thing.

Not putty as such, I've used correction fluid for filing panel lines & such.  It dissolves in white spirit (I've heard it shrinks less with isopropyl alcohol/rubbing alcohol), I simply put some on a cloth & rub at it.  Depending on how much you rub, you can leave some of the line showing which is great for over deep trenches.  Saves sanding & removing raised detail, I might experiment to see how useful it is as a standard filler.

The other 'filler' I've used recently is PVA glue.  Someone on here (sorry, forget who!) mentioned it was useful for blending in canopies & I've found it works well as long as you don't need to sand it.

[Rafael]

Most of the stuff we use on the east side of the Atlantic is not available on the west side, and vice versa. Either that or they exist under different names.

.....or, like in Venezuela, they do not exist at all

I've heard of this Bondo stuff before but it doesn't exist over here, or if it does it's sold by very specialist suppliers.

We have bondo. The thick stuff. For glazing, we have other local brands. So-so.

I have been experimenting with filling my foam scratchbuilds with wall crack-filler and plaster
Not tried them on plastic, though, for fear of having them falling off......

Rafa

[JayBee]

OK, so here I am in SW Scotland, and I have never heard of most of these putties that you are talking about.
I have been using, for years and years, Humbrol and (on very few occasions) Milliput.
So how about one of you out there, who knows, puting together a list of what putty's are best for what jobs, and which part of the world they are available in.
Please, pretty PLEASE.
For all of us.

[Mossie]

JayBee, if you have trouble getting hold of Milliput you can often find it in DIY shops as well as Model shops.  There are some coloured versions & a white superfine version, I've never used these, just the standard.

Aves Apoxie can be bought in the UK on the internet, it's around £12 a tub, but you do get a pound of the stuff.  Apparentley it's good for building up over larger areas.  When it goes on, it looks an utter mess, but sands down beautifully. Not used it myself, going on others accounts.

Squadron White, Green & Red is available ad hoc at many Model Shops.  I don't like the white perosnally, very grainy & just not keen on the way it sands, not used the green or red but I think they just differ in colour?

Green Stuff is a two part epoxy very similar to Milliput, except it's more specific to sculpting & pretty much only reccomended for that.  Games Workshop do it under their own brand, but it's available cheaper on the net.  Again, never used it myself.

[HOG]

Putties/fillers I use
Milliput  Two part putty, mix equal amounts. Fully hard in around 12 hours, but can be set quicker with a heat source. Pros, Easy to judge mixing amounts. Able to be moulded/prefinished with wet/oily tools or fingers before setting. Can be carved roughly an hour before fully set. Once set has great strength and sands to a glass like finish. Cons, It`s strength makes it hard to sand but can be worked with motor tools easily.
Davids Isopon P38    two part auto repair putty, sets in either five minutes or forever depending how much hardener added. Pros, Soft consistency so easily forced into gaps etc. Very easy to sand/carve and as it dries in minutes, reapplications are easy. Cons, Hard to decide just how much hardener to add and produces a gentle heat on setting. Also it`s pink!
Tube Puttie/Fillers    I`ve not found much difference between the various makes except for price. Squadron Green Stuff gives a nice finish. Revell and new Humbrol are easily worked and I lean towards Humbrol as my local shop carries it. Both of these seem to have a softer slightly porous looking surface easily cured with a coat of liquid glue. Pros, Easy to apply straight from the tube and `welds` itself to styrene. Cons,  Takes overnight to dry and even longer in `thick` layers. Will shrink and chip, crack if not careful.

I`ve listed these in hardness with Milliput being the toughist. Also I tend to use tube putties by dipping a brush loaded with cellulose thinners straight into the tube and mixing the two until a suitable gloop arrives. This lets me put the filler to where its needed rather than smeared in the general area. It reduces shrinkage and cracking and is very easily worked. Also detail can be be `painted` on the model with a small brush and the slip from the mix.  Really useful on figures I`ve found.
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,22461.0.html

Hope this is of some help
Cheers 
G