Mr. Surfacer: Canuck-style

[Browning]

So if I were a bottle of Mr. Surfacer (1000 or 1200).......and let's say I'm located somewhere in Canada......and I'm available for sale, trade, bartering and/or theft.....where would I be found?

Really, I've had a good deal of trouble finding this stuff commercially - at least in Ottawa. Does anyone know of a super-secret stash which the English label police haven't yet raided?

Better yet, is anyone willing to part with a few bottles at fair market price?

Help? Bueller?

Thanks for looking!

Don

[Big Kohona]

Try Rick at Unce Bills Hobby in Calgary (403 277 2762). He always seems to have that stuff kicking around.

HTH

[hawk-eye]

I bought mine here http://robot4less.com/modeling-supplies/surfacer

of course living in ON I have no problem with the bill 101 insanity, but then I can't buy my beer in a grocery store either. Win some loose the rest

[smithery]

Really? The last time I was in The Hobby Centre a few weeks ago, they had some.

[Netz]

If worst comes to worst, you can go to an Auto Body Store and buy a quart of Primer, it's very thick and will need to be thinned, giving you control over what type of coverage you need, a poor-mans surfacer.

Curt

[MoFo]

It's in stock at Lucky Model. Shipping is probably comparable to ordering anywhere in North America (may even be faster, actually), and price will be cheaper. One of my LHS' shows it as in-stock, $9 a bottle (plus shipping), so $7 delivered is a good deal.

Alternatively, check out Alclad's Grey Microprimer Filler(also comes in Blackand White). It's widely available in most Canadian hobby shops (anyone that has Alclad, anyway), and is pretty much identical to Mr. Surfacer; a little thinner so it's more or less airbrush ready, though I like to thin a tiny bit more it with a couple of drops of Gunze Levelling Thinner or retarder, just to help it flow. I wouldn't use it as a substitute for Surfacer 500 in terms of filling and seamwork, but as a primer, it's fantastic stuff.

Barring that, there's always Tamiya's spray primers and Liquid Surface Primerin a bottle; again, not too hard to find, and pretty much the same as Surfacer 1000/1200.

Edited April 8, 2012 by MoFo

[EX_Birdgunner]

I saw 2 bottles of Mr. Surfacer 1000 at Leading Edge Hobbies in Kingston last week. Unfortunately I am not there anymore. There was also some at the LHS in Quebec City. However, I have had a hard time finding Mr. Surfacer 500.

[Browning]

Thanks for the suggestions! I keep forgetting about the Hobby Center for some reason....failing that, I'll have to branch outwards geographically.

Alclad's grey filler is great stuff if you're spraying their metalizers directly over top. It coats like a charm. Unfortunately, I've had difficulty getting MM enamels (which I mainly use as my finishing paints) to adhere properly afterwards. Any thoughts on what I'm doing wrong? The MM coats evenly and cures in a day or two, but peels off VERY easily with Tamiya masking tape. I don't have that problem with Mr. Surfacer.

As to the Tamiya fine surface primer, it's FANTASTIC. I use for for large main body priming, but it tends to go on crazy thick when priming smaller parts like gear doors, ordinance, etc. The other option is to hold the spray bomb can much further back but then I lose a lot to overspray. I haven't seen the fine surface primer in bottles anywhere though and the regular variety tends to clog/spit quite a bit when airbrushing (again, could just be my inexperience with it!).

I'll have to ask Luckymodel if they ship solvent-based products cross-border. I know that SprueBros outright refuse to along with most other retailers.

Once again, thanks everyone for the quick and helpful replies!

Don

[MoFo]

Lucky Model does ship overseas. That's where I get all my lovely Gunze solvents. :)

[is it windy yet?]

If leading edge hobbies still has some in stock, they due a huge mail order business for their RC stuff. So they would be able to put a bottle or two in the mail for you.