Hey guys,
Where can I get a hold of some modeling putty? I went to Michaels craft store to look for some and they looked at me like a deer in the headlights (had no idea what I meant). Sheppard Paine uses it often in his diorama book he published and I was trying to get a hold of some as well. Any help is greatly appreaciated! If there is an alternitive out there that would also work. I am trying to make my own buildings…
Perry Lockhart
Shell Point, FL
I am pretty sure you mean seam filling putty and there a bunch of different kinds.
Some can be found at auto stores, some can be found on sites such as www.greatmodels.com and www.squadron.com.
In your auto store you can find these kinds:
Bondo- A lacquer based putty which gives you a lot of working time.
3M Blue Acrylic- An acrylic based putty that is quick drying. Hard to find.
In the sites you can find these kinds:
ModelMaster- Similar to Bondo by quicker drying.
Squadron White- Fine grain putty that is plant based. Dries very quick and very little working time.
Squadron Green- Rougher grain putty.
Tamiya- Similar to Squadron White.
Milliput- ??? (Never used it)
That covers the most popular ones. There are some other ones, but I wouldn’t recommend them. I prefer to use ModelMaster putty because it gives you lots of working time, but still dries in under half an hour. It also can be thinned with liquid cement for small cracks and it is red so its easy to see where you put it. Never dry sand a lacquer based unless your outside and protecting yourself from the dust (gloves, mask, something over clothing.) If you wet sand it, be sure to wear gloves aswell. Lacquer putty can be pretty dangerous.
Milliput is a 2-part epoxy putty. It is more of a sculpting putty than a seam-filling putty in that is isn’t usually as thin as Squadron or some of the others. Once it cures it is hard as concrete.
If you want good stuff at the lowest price, ebay is your best bet. I just got two tubes of Kneadatite for 7.50 each. The lowest I’ve seen it in a store is $15.99.
Actually, laquer putty is probably a lot safer than some of the liquid cements that you are using to thin your MM putty with. And if you’re dry sanding any putty, whether laquer or acrylic, you need to take precautions not to inhale it. By the time a putty becomes a solid, the problem changes from damage from fumes (especially bad from laquer or enamel based liquids) to damage from solids. And your lungs don’t care if it’s a solid that had a laquer based or an acrylic based carrier or for that matter just plain old dust. It’s a solid and your lungs will react to it in large enough amounts in some very nasty ways. Just use some common sense and a respirator if you intend to dry sand any thing including just plastic.
a simple dust mask would be perfect for that job, they will filter out particles that are much smaller than dust from sanding. Just make sure you get the good ones, some cheap ones are not very effective.
Perry;
All of the above are great ideas. However if you venture back in to Michaels. Ask for DAS modelling clay. I comes in a foil wrapped stick. It also comes in various colours. The store by my house stocks the white and the terra cotta colour. Each is easy to use.
I discovered this after reading. MODEL BUILDINGS MASTERCLASS. Great book. Get a copy and you’ll see what I mean.
With the DAS modelling clay you can make your own individual bricks or make an entire wall. To make a wall: Use a good quality plywood and spread the DAS evenly over the surface. Scribe in the detail i.e. brick or stone etc. while wet or wait and do it after it hardens. Then paint with your choice of colour.
It works really well and it looks great when done.
Hope this helps
Cheers;
Gregory
gburdon:
The DAS clay cannot be used as a putty, or am I missing something?
RemcoGrob;
DAS can be used to cover the entire front to make the complete wall. What I do is build the basic structure from plywood and then cover the surface with DAS. I then sculpt the stonework, brickwork etc. into the DAS while it is wet. I then leave it to form up overnight and it can be painted the next day. It is wonderful stuff. You can’t get any better texture than a product that looks and feels like real stone.
If this still isn’t clear, I apologize. If you pick up one of the following books.
MODEL BUILDINGS MASTERCLASS - Roy Porter
ARCHITECTURAL MODELLING 4mm Scale - (U.K. Publication) Swan Publishing
Each describes the method with photos and detailed articles better than I can. Each are worth the cost to have on the reference shelf. I have over the years found numerous books in second hand shops cheaper than I can find on eBay and they are great references. I like using the “older” skills of modelling instead of picking up a pre-made kit that looks like every other diorama at the competition. Verlinden and the like are nice but you don’t get the satisfaction of saying “I made it myself”
Cheers;
Gregory
Putty seems to give off a lot of heat as it hardens. Plastic melts if you use more than a little.
The lable says it contains “toluene”, is it a hydrocarbon based substance?