Guest Neilster Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 I am having a nightmare time filling seams.. I have tried miliput but it is a bit of a pain mixing it each time and if it is only a tiny crack you are filling then I tend to have to put loads in to make it stick (then sanding is nightmare) I have tried zap a gap and kicker.. unless you sand really quickly its almost impossible to do.. and sanding quickly normaly involves removing every but of detail in sight.. I have also tried ink correction fluid (Tipex) that isnt bad for small cracks but can chip out quite easy.. I would like to try Gunze mr surfacer or tamiya putty but cant find any in the UK.. Any other ideas? TIA, Neil. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MaRiO FDZ Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 Try sprue from the same kit.... There's an Article in the Tools N' Tips Section that explains how-to HTH Take Care Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ricardo Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 My favorite's Mr Surfacer. It's a sandable primer. You may need several applications but it sands very easily and smooth. Other 1A type products are Squadron's White and Tamiya Putty. HTH, Ricardo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Filak Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 I use styrene strip to fill most large gaps, and it works great. Simply stuff a piece of strip into the gap, glue it into place, and when the glue is set, trim away the excess and sand smooth. I've found that styrene is the best filler for large seams, as it's the same material that the kit is made from, the bond is permanent due to the nature of the solvent cement, and it's easy to trim and shape once the seam is filled. Give it a try - it really does work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
madmike Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 I would inmagine that you should be able to get Tamiya filler over there in the mother country, I personally find it the best to use, along with white out correction fluid for shallow flaws. HTH MikeJ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MickeyThickey Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 I have tried zap a gap and kicker.. unless you sand really quickly its almost impossible to do.. and sanding quickly normaly involves removing every but of detail in sight.. De-bonder. It'll remove any excess, no matter how long it's been sitting. Use it along the lines of the "filling without sanding" technique in the Tools/Tips section. Milliput can be thinned/smoothed/cleaned up with water, which might alleviate your problems with it in fine gaps. As for Mr. Surfacer, any store that sells Gunze SHOULD be able to get Mr. Surfacer. Barring that, HLJ and Rainbow 10 have it, if you (or someone you know) is mail ordering from them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Old72s Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 I highly recommend Bondo or the equivalent automotive spot glazing putty. It smells nasty (an organic vapor respirator is a very good idea) but it binds styrene with kung-fu grip, dries in about 15 minutes, does not shrink, leaves a glass-smooth surface and sands very easily. It can also be smoothed out with acetone as described in T'n'T on this site. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tibu Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 De-bonder. It'll remove any excess, no matter how long it's been sitting. Use it along the lines of the "filling without sanding" technique in the Tools/Tips section. Hi Wouldn't debonder destroy styrene? The only time I tried it was very quick to react with the plastic and soften it. I had to sand a lot to get rid of the desturction Regards Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MickeyThickey Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 Nope. At least, not any of the ones made for hobby-shop CAs that I've tried. It's possible whatever you used was a more potent/concentrated product. Acetone will also harm plastic if ysed neet, but as it's sold in most nail polish removers, it's pretty plastic-safe. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dimsh2000 Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Tamiya putty is the best! It sands off really easily and gives a smooth finish. It also does a great job when filling in the gaps. I think you can order some from a website if you guys dont have it in the UK Quote Link to post Share on other sites
madmike Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Tamiya putty can be polished smooth as silk and will not show under NM paint, which makes it pretty darn fine in my opinion! :o MikeJ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pete Wenman Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Neil hi According to this months (Dec) issue of SAMI MDC are now offering the Mr range MDC check here for detail and prices HTH Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BZZBZZ Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Guys, I've given up using tamiya putty or squadron green putty, sine afterward they can't resist the rescribing technique, they'll crack along the way :blink: :o Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stephen Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 I use bicarbonate of soda and superglue.This gives a rock hard finish that can be sanded smooth as glass. HTH Stephen Quote Link to post Share on other sites
madmike Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 I do not think there is a magic bullet for ALL filling operations... It is important to have a range of products that can be used to suit a given situation. Tamiya Putty suits me fine, most putties do not take scribing well, so perhaps in some circumstances CA/baking soda or plain CA would suit. Steve Filak's excellent stretched sprue method or plasticard packing is an excellent way to fill gaps. I use it myself on areas that require it. Scribing is easy too as it, afterall, is made from the same material as the model you are rescribing! Choose and use an approriate solution for a specific task I reckon. :o Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul T Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 C`mon guys ,don`t you remember I mentioned Fixit 2 part epoxy putty ? Roll a ball of A & B together ,knead them until uniform in color (gray) and apply to wide seams or gaps.Bonds like a bast&*# to styrene,dries rock hard in 8 hours,sands great.No smell,no gloves,no mess.What more do you want for large gaps or making fillets ? Leave the arm& hammer in the fridge :o HTH Paul T Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 I am having a nightmare time filling seams.. I have tried miliput but it is a bit of a pain mixing it each time and if it is only a tiny crack you are filling then I tend to have to put loads in to make it stick (then sanding is nightmare) I have tried zap a gap and kicker.. unless you sand really quickly its almost impossible to do.. and sanding quickly normaly involves removing every but of detail in sight.. I have also tried ink correction fluid (Tipex) that isnt bad for small cracks but can chip out quite easy.. I would like to try Gunze mr surfacer or tamiya putty but cant find any in the UK.. Any other ideas? TIA, Neil. Use Humbol Model Filler- this does a pretty good job, it is what I use for gap filling, althought I am tempted to try using Steve's method with strip styrene. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Filak Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Use Humbol Model Filler- this does a pretty good job, it is what I use for gap filling, althought I am tempted to try using Steve's method with strip styrene. Hi Alan- I do use putty for small surface imperfections, but the nice thing about using styrene strip to close up gaps is that it makes for a much stronger joint, and you never have to worry about the filler shrinking. I use it all the time for filling large gaps - it's easy to do, and it seems to work the best for me. Give it a try, I think you'll be happy with how it works. :o Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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