help with filling gaps

[Wildthingbg]

Hey All!

I'm working on a Eduard P-39 (the older one) There was a substancial gap between the left wing and fuselage. I have never filled before but for this i had to (it looked horrible). I used testors putty. Scraped it with a hobby knife so that it was good and level. Then i sanded it until it looked very smooth and flush. After my paint was airbrushed on i noticed that the Gap looked like it was puttied crappily and painted over. It looked worse then a blank gap??? how do i fix this. did i putty wrong? how do i make it appear as smooth as the plastic?

thanks guys

[madmike]

Sounds like the filler shrunk as it cured. For large gaps, use some scrap sheet styrene of a piece of stretched sprue to get rid of the bulk of the gap. Sand down flush and you will have rid yourself of the gap.

If you need to fill allow the filler to cure for a couple of days before sanding. This gives the filler time to shrink down. I always add a little more filler than normal to allow for shrinkage in large gaps.

HTH

MikeJ

[Wildthingbg]

it is the white stuff in the grey tube...........

toss it ehhh?

if its gotta go its gotta go!

what should i use instead

i have some squadron white putty but i read into it and it is extremely toxic (contains touliene) and was hoping to avoid it

anything else out there?

btw thanks madmike!

more advice is always welcome

[madmike]

the stuff to use is TAMIYA putty me lad......

comes highly recommended, sands well and polishes beautifully and does not shrink much!

My Rotodyne loved it!

MikeJ

[FilipM]

Never use the Testors white putty, it is a very poor model filler. Throw it away.

The Squadron putty is a lot better, and Tamiya putty is even better than that. I wouldnt worry about the chemicals, as long as you dont eat it.

However my favorite filler is medium thickness superglue set with accelerator. The key advantages of this are instant drying and no shrinking so you can sand right away and that superglue sands a lot like plastic so the surface will be smooth and look like the plastic.

[I.Illes]

As the guys said before: neer use TESTORS putty...it´s crap...

If you want high-quality, try Tamiya.

[Wildthingbg]

thanks guys!!!

this gives me a new question

i have flash CA that i use to join parts (and i love it)...i used to use testors tube glue (pure crap)

it dries hard in about 15 seconds or so.....do i need an accelerator to use it for gap filling? it is like a gel

how long do i need to wait before i sand it?

it dries rock hard... won't the plastic sand off around it before it sands smooth?

[urloony]

There's a great little system to "build-up" those pesky gaps. If you decide to use only putty, which is what I typically do, I seldom use sprue or styrene. First you can fill your gap with Tamiya putty as mentioned. If it does shrink, you can add Mr. Surfacer 500 it's a thinner version of regular putty, it works really well for filling in the pitting you can get from using the regular putty. If you still have small areas that need filler, or you have surface that just wont become smooth after sanding, you can add Mr. Surfacer 1000, which is thinner yet. Most guys also use nail polish remover instead of sandpaper to "sand" down the puttied seem.

Mr. surfacer is a great product, hard to find, but works really well.

[FilipM]

Accelerator is a liquid and it come in little spray containers. This is the brand I use and I have never had problems with it attacking plastic in my kits...

http://www.bsiadhesives.com/Pages/hobby/accel.html

In my experience good quality freshly cured CA set with accelerator is very close to plastic in hardness so it sands the same. However I feel it does get harder after a while, so it’s best to sand it right away.

Another thing I do is to cut away as much excess CA filler as possible with a sharp #11 blade or chisel, this way you reduce sanding to a minimum. Most of the time I just need a few passes with 600 grit wet dry sandpaper and I'm done, this really helps preserve details and contours that you would lose by sanding a lot. Fresh CA is very "plastic" and resilient so it cuts very well.

[Wildthingbg]

Do i have to use an accelerator?

Flash Ca is just the brand name

It dries in 15 sec....do i really need and accelerator?

THanks Guys!!!

[madmike]

no you don't, it just allows to "get down and dirty" with sanding quicker

MikeJ

[Nick P.]

I guess Im just adding to the confusion here. I really like that Testors grey tube putty, it doesn't stink all that bad, and it works really great with the "sanding-less seam filling". After I rub the putty flat on the gap, I use a thick coat of paint on top of that to fill in the small amount of shrinkage, and to check the seam, then I polish. I only ever use CA when I need to fill a major gap, where the surfaces aren't even close enough to be cemented together.

[FilipM]

Do i have to use an accelerator?

Flash Ca is just the brand name

It dries in 15 sec....do i really need and accelerator?

THanks Guys!!!

Accelerator makes CA dry instantly and when you experience that conveniance for the first time the old 15 seconds will begin to feel like a very long time and you will notice how it slows down your work.

[MikeV]

Accelerator also makes the CA harder in my opinion.

I prefer to put it on, wait until it just starts to dry and then sand.

Mike

[General Grievous]

As the guys said before: neer use TESTORS putty...it´s crap...

If you want high-quality, try Tamiya.

The "Testors white putty" you all are referring to... is that "Testors Countour putty"?

[Thommo]

To add to the confusion, I have tried:

1. Stretched sprue to fill gap, then go over with CA or putty & sand

2. Straight putty (Tamiya - smooth away excess with acetone on q-tip or Revell putty) & some sanding

3. Mix Tamiya putty with acetone or Revell putty with turps to make them a creamy consistency & paint on (for small gaps) then minimal sanding

4. Straight CA then sand.

5. Revell or Humbrol liquid glue (small gaps), let dry & sand.

But the one that always causes me grief is steps between fuselage halves - always need heaps of repeated puttying & sanding (hope my just arrived flex-i-file will ease the sanding process).

I too have made that Eduard P-39 and don't recall having gap problem in the wing? I thought it was a beautiful kit and my hobby skills at the time did not do it justice!

Thommo

[billbuccaneer]

Hey there,

Have you read the article entitled "Filling and Sanding, Without Sandpaper!" by Will Hendriks in the "Tools 'n' Tiips" section of ARC? His technique works marvelously (Thanks Will!). I use it with my filler of choice "Bondo," a very inexpensive product that you can get at any auto parts store. And conveniently, it dries in about 20 minutes .

[Thommo]

Hey there,

Have you read the article entitled "Filling and Sanding, Without Sandpaper!" by Will Hendriks in the "Tools 'n' Tiips" section of ARC? His technique works marvelously (Thanks Will!). I use it with my filler of choice "Bondo," a very inexpensive product that you can get at any auto parts store. And conveniently, it dries in about 20 minutes .

Yes - I use this technique with Tamiya putty and full strength acetone (though Will says not to use the full strength stuff cos it eats plastic, but I did not find this on my last kit - perhaps it varies with the kit?). It saves heaps of time though I do not always end up with the perfect seam and sometimes need to repeat.

But acetone will not work with all putties (eg Revell putty must be made of something different).

Thommo

[JohnCeglarek]

Hey guys...which Squadron or Tamiya puttys do you use? The basic puttys, or the epoxy ones, or what?

Thanks,

John

[midnight_mangler]

guys - just so that i got this straight - seems like everyone is saying you can use the acetone trick with tamiya putty. is this correct?

Cheers,

Mangler

[WW2ace]

Get a tube of auto body glazing putty for about $2.00. This is a lifetime supply for you and your entire hobby club. Thin it with good old Testor's brush-in-cap cement #3502. Apply with a detail brush, sand and recoat as necessary. For really nasty gaps, coat with CA which will wick into the porous putty and stop shrinkage.

When you discover how well this stuff works, you will find yourself filling everything with it. Stab seams, pin marks, canopy frames, etc. You will not find anything cheaper or better.

[Chuck1945]

Just about all options have been covered so far :huh:

I use CA, and do not use accelerator - the fumes are very annoying to me. On the rare times when accelerator is needed, I try to apply a drop or so with a brush, touching near the CA and letting it wick into the CA - keeps from also making the brush CA hard :P

I have also used CA debonder applied to either a pipe cleaner or Q-tip to rub down a CA filled seam.

As mentioned before, auto body putty, 3M Acryl Blue is another choice here, will also provide a lifetime supply and will dry relatively quickly in small amounts. Mr Surfacer is also good, I have had best results with that when applied to an already filled seam or join.