What are a few prefered methods of thinning Squadron White Putty?
Ouch[:I], I’m embarassed to have to ask that question. I spent hours last night going through old postings on the Armor, Aircraft and Techniques forums. I did decide that I will use Squadron Green for large rough work, and Squadron White for smaller areas and finish layers. The prefered agents seem to be nail polish remover, liquid plastic cement, alcohol, or Tamiya acrylic thinner. But after three pages of notes I didn’t have a clear conclusion. I will be sealing it with something then applying enamel as primer or base coat.
After the Squadron White Putty dries 12 to 24 hours please confirm that it is OK to wet sand with soapy water.
I will be using Model Master oil base enamel as the first base coat of paint. What would be a good way to seal the putty before that 1st full coating of paint?
Would alcohol be better than warm soapy water to clean the parts before working with them? I want to be sure the cement and 1st coats of paint adhere well.
Please note that I am having fun with this first model. Working on my very own tank in a warm and dry shop, it doesn’t get any better than that. No blowtorch and sledgehammers, no welding slag or grinders. And no mud.
I like to thin it with liquid cement, but any of the above will work. It s really personal preferance.
Yes, it will be as hard as rock by then. I usually only give it a few hours of drying time before I start working on sanding it.
No need to seal it before priming and painting. As I said above, it will be as hard as a rock. MM enamels will adhere to it great.
Soapy water will do just fine. The alcohol could affect the putty or clear parts. Truthfully, I don’t even worry about washing mine before painting them. Works fine every time.
I’ve used Testors liquid cement. I bought a huge can of Methyl Ethyl Ketone at Home Depot and have been using that for my cement needs. It cuts Sq putty fine too.
It depends on how much you put down. Like putty on your drywall, the less you have, the quicker it dries. The converse is true too. 24 hours seems right for sure, though.
No need to seal the putty unless you’re concerned about it’s surface not matching the surrouding plastic. If so or you’re using mulitple media parts, get Krylon or PlastiCote grey auto primer. Cover the whole model. Fix what you need, then reapply primer. Some people don’t use primer. I sometimes use it, sometimes not.
Alochol is ok but the soapy water eliminates dust as well as grease. Alocohol won’t do that as well. I usually use a warm water bath with a bit of dish detergent. I swirl the model in the bath for a bit, ensuring every surface is well drenched. Shake the suds off, and dip in clean water. I’ll pour clean water over themodel to clear off all the suds, too. Shake again (or use air from your airbrush) and set aside on paper towel to dry. Cover it with a lid or box so new dust doesn’t get onto it. Unless its a really greasy kit, you don’t need to wash the kit before you start painting it. Assemble what you want, then wash before painting. (I tend to complete about 98% of the model before I apply any paint unless it’s a particulary complex subject)
I know it is simple stuff to most modelers but it’s all new to me and I want to do the best I can even if it is my first project. My next milestone will be posting some photos after assembly (and figuring out how to post a photo). It sure won’t be anything like K-dawg’s Jagdpanther, but hopefully you will be able to see improvement in my modeling skills during the next months as a result of your assistance.
Acetone-based nail polish remover works great at smoothing out Green Putty. Never tried their White Putty, but I’ve heard it dries even faster (YIKES!), so I would assume the NP remover would work as well.