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Filler and Sanding


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I make model airplanes and I really have hard time with filling wing roots.

I tried Tamiya Basic Putty(gray). Applying it to the wing root is very messy and cleaning it up nicely is impossible. I found that using fine files and sanding sticks causes more damage, no matter how careful I am. Also, I can never re-scribe the panel lines or other shapes that were lost during this process.

I prefer a water soluble putty and no sanding. Is this possible at all? Could someone please help me out here?

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Try using Mr Surfacer 500 fill the seam using a brush to fill the seam let it setup for 5-10 minuets then with a q-tip and Isopropyl Alcohol remove the excess surfacer depending on how wide the gape is you may have to do this more then once as the saves aMr Surfacer will sink into the seam, 91% Alcohol works better then 70% but 99% works best if you can find it. Most important is that their is NO sanding involved at all thus no detail lost no re-scribbling involved been using this method since I found Mr Surfacer about 6 years I think try you'll like it saves a lot work.

Paul

Edited by happy1
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There's a couple of things you can try. With some putties, you can use denatured alcohol to smooth it out. I use a cotton swab to blend it. Works well for wing roots and tight areas. I use this method a lot with Mr Surfacer.

Citadel (Games Workshop) makes Green Stuff. It's on their paint rack. It sands and polishes up well. It is water soluble, wet sanding does not work well. I have not tried blending it, but I think it should work ok.

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Another alternative is AvesStudio Apoxy Sculpt for larger gaps. Press into place, tool with a wet metal spatula (or your wet finger), and allow to cure overnight. I recommend the SuperWhite. Aves Studio.

But for the smaller stuff, I agree completely that Mr. Surfacer 500 is the best I've used. I sometimes apply a finish coat of Mr. Surfacer 1000 and sand with fine grit, but most of the time this isn't necessary.

Note that the fumes from Mr. Surfacer are toxic and it should only be used with adequate ventilation. If you can smell it, the ventilation is not adequate.

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I second the Perfect Plastic Putty, I use that and Mr Surfacer pretty much exclusively. The thing is that Mr Surfacer works as described above by happy1, but so does Perfect Plastic Putty to a large degree, but with water instead. You can get very clean filling of larger gaps with that, and it's quick drying. Mr Surfacer is more self-leveling though and very good for the finer things.

If it's larger gaps or "body work" I use a swedish putty called Plastic Padding "Finspackel". I assume it is similar to Aves or Bondo, multipurpose but very fine two component putty for car body repair and whatever else similar.

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this isn't a simple question to answer. For starters, some older kits may require a great deal of filler/putty to properly blend in the wing root area. For that layers of Squadron Green Stuff wet sanded until you're satisfied with the results is the usual method. Lost recessed panel lines is a by product of that procedure. You can use masking tape close to but not right next to seam when applying the putty, as well as sanding and polishing. But leave enough room to blend it in.

For small seams, scratches, etc. I prefer Vallejo White Acrylic putty. You just apply it, then lightly wipe it off with a damp Qtip or cotton rag. It shrinks, so a few application are usually necessary.

Rescribing in any putty isn't an easy thing to do, as the putty is usually brittle and can chip.

Careful dry fitting, and working the parts for the best fit as possible prior to gluing, then putting will min. the amount of putty work that will be needed.

Joel

Edited by Joel_W
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Since you have the Tamiya Basic Putty (I think one of the best fillers on the market) why not stay with it?

Go get a bottle of fingernail polish remover from the .99 cent store, Q-tips, then apply the putty with a smearing motion using your finger, if you want to keep it tight tape off the seam 1st. Remove the tape, dip the Q-tip in the remover and work the seam to where you want it.

Any gaps wider then a fracture should be filled with plastic, never filler, the filler should be used to only blend the surface of the plastic.

Curt

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Where do you get the 99% alcohol???

Thanks,

G.

The strongest Isopropyl Alcohol you can easily buy from a local drug store, super market, big box store is 91%. It's almost always located in the 1st aid dept.

Joel

Edited by Joel_W
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If you live by a Safeway Market they carry it,... I Think but not really sure that denatured Alcohol is 99%. CAUTION DO NOT USE 99% ALCOHOL TO THIN ACRYLIC PAINTS IT WILL TURN IT INTO SILLY PUTTY!!!! ask me how I know.. go ahead ask me, well ask ask me :rolleyes:

Edited by happy1
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Around here, the highest alcohol content can be found at the local liquor store - just wander in and ask for some Everclear - comes in pints, 5ths and quarts and is 190 proof (95% alcohol)

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Around here, the highest alcohol content can be found at the local liquor store - just wander in and ask for some Everclear - comes in pints, 5ths and quarts and is 190 proof (95% alcohol)

That's sure an expensive way to cut paint. :beer4:/>

Joel

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Who in the hell wanna cut paint after drinking that or even be able to see to be able to thin said paint or even find the damn stuff or even care about said paint or even remember what it was he was going to do in the first place or where he's at at the moment he's at now or anything else :thumbsup::jaw-dropping:

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Hmmm… "Multiquote" doesn't seem to be working. Several

You can use any 90+% isopropyl alcohol to thin Tamiya and Gunze only. Use it on anything else and you get goo, as Happy1 mentioned. The 99% stuff tends to be significantly more expensive than the 91%, in my experience. Both work very well to remove, or even thin, or reduce (as in reduce viscosity) Mr. Surfacer, though I haven't tried it for airbrushing.

Everclear is grain alcohol, or ethyl alcohol, and an entirely different chemical from isopropyl alcohol. It is a marvelous and safer cleaning agent, but is so hydrophilic that it cannot be used to thin paints containing a water solvent, and evaporates too rapidly to be useful as a reducer for airbrushing. With paint, it is best used as a co-solvent with isopropyl or water as the main solvent. In this application, it speeds evaporation—useful if it's very humid. Not outrageously expensive, in my experience. I use a lot of it for cleaning.

It does not do well as a solvent with Mr. Surfacer. It works, but poorly at best.

"Denatured alcohol" is either methyl alcohol (highly toxic) or ethyl alcohol with some methyl alcohol. It sometimes contains an agent to make it taste bad as most people cannot tell the difference from smell or taste of the pure chemical. Avoid prolonged skin contact, and NEVER taste, sniff, or drink it.

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I just use leaguer thinner to thin Mr surfacer and use 99% to remove it the 91% to thin Timaya Acrylics tried to thin the Timaya with 99% once and got silly putty ended that mostly now I use home brew 2/3rds water 1/3 99% Alcohol works good also tried using nail polish remover on scrape plastic and didn't like it so I stuck to using Alcohol 99% removes it a little faster that's all.

Paul

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I've seen the 70 or 90% (and have both) - I've just never seen the 99%.

Also, there seems to be questions on the Isopropyl vs. Denatured alcohol properties, and their most appropriate applications.

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I've seen the 70 or 90% (and have both) - I've just never seen the 99%.

Also, there seems to be questions on the Isopropyl vs. Denatured alcohol properties, and their most appropriate applications.

Isopropyl and denatured alcohol are different. Denatured or methyl alcohol has very similar properties to grain or ethyl alcohol for modeling purposes, other than it's toxicity.

Methyl alcohol: CH3OH; density: 0.7925 g/cm3; boiling point 64.7°C(148.5°F); vapor pressure 13.02 kPa; flash point (open) 11.3°C(52.3°F); toxic

Ethyl alcohol: C2H5OH; density: 0.789 g/cm3; boiling point 78.37°C(173.07°F); vapor pressure 5.83 kPa; flash point (open) 16°C(61°F)

Isoproyl alcohol: C3H7OH; density: 0.786 g/cm3; boiling point 82.6°C(187°F); vapor pressure ~53.3 kPa; flash point (open) 11.7°C(53°F); toxic

The above are in order of decreasing evaporation rate. Note especially the low flash points—all are highly flammable.

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