If you haven’t figured it out already, I am indeed new to forums and to model building. Therefore bear with me if this is too silly of a question, or if it has been asked elsewhere.
What is Mr Surfacer?
Why the different numbers, 500, 100, 1200 etc . . .
When is which used?
Are there comparable products or substitutes to Mr surface?
Mr. Surfacer is a lacquer-based primer/paint produced by Gunze Sangyo. Simply put.
500, 1000, and 1200 refer to different levels of thickness. 500 is thicker and better at filling small seams and such. 1000 is thinner than 500 and has the consistency of thick paint. 1200 is closer to paint.
It’s used to fill small seams and scratches, or to “coat” putty to fill and cover up cracks and pitting. 1000 or 1200 can be thinned and sprayed through an airbrush as a primer. It has more uses, as well. I believe Swanny has a fantastic write up on the stuff over on his site. 1000 also comes available in rattlecan form.
Personally, I like Mr. Surfacer for priming, but I’m kind of falling back in love with good ol’ Model Master primer. It seems to go down the smoothest of any primers I’ve tried. But hit Mr. Surfacer with a quick swipe of very fine sandpaper and it goes baby butt smooth.
Tamiya Liquid Surface Primer is comparable, and soluble in denatured alcohol vs. lacquer thinner.
Think of the numbers as sand paper grit…the lower the number the larger the particles.
Thanks for the insights. Can you please send me a link to swanny’s article; I’d like to read that.
Also, I hear you say to thin MM primer with enamel thinner and Tamiya with alcohol. What do you mean to “coat” putty. (Forgive my ignorance.) What is your favorite method to fix seams and gaps - still Mr. Surfacer?
Here’s the LINK to Swanny’s article.
Coating putty is pretty simple, really. Some putties can shrink or crack or exhibit pitting as they cure. Mr. Surfacer fills those little cracks and holes for a smooth, uniform surface.
Personally, what I use depends on the problem. If it’s a very small seam…say the fuselage line on a top-notch Tamiya kit like their Mustangs…I may not even have to use anything. Tenax welds the halves together, then a quick sand with progressively finer grits erases any sign of anything.
For small seams, I use Mr. Surfacer 1000 or Tamiya LSP.
For large seams and gaps, I use 3M Acryl Red putty thinned with acetone. It doesn’t shrink or crack, and sands down really well. I usually don’t have to put anything over it. Just sand progressively and then prime as usual. Only thing I don’t like is how fast it starts to dry out…I’ve got a tube of 3M Super Red that’s supposed to be longer curing, but haven’t tried it yet. But the Acryl is worlds better than the Squadron putty I tried using earlier. Consistency of crumbled feta cheese, that stuff.
My P-47 WIP got both Tamiya LSP and the 3M putty…as you can see once it’s all sanded down and smooth it’s close to invisible.
What is the advantage of a product intended for models as opposed to a general purpose primer such as Krylon primer?
I think you are refering to the Testors brand putty. That crumbles very badly, the Squdron green works very well. I thin it with laquer thinner and keep it in a small jar. I had a large tube of spot putty by napa that was good also but the cap craked and it dryed out. That why I dont like those huge tubes because the caps are terrible.
Bill
Hello;
I might think that the primer intended for models may have the pigment ground finer. Im not sure but floquil always touted that there pigment was micro ground I think. Just a thought.
Bill
I like Mr. Surfacer for small areas and pre-priming a part of a kit to see if I have any flaws, especially when I have done extensive putty work. But for overall priming, it is more work than it’s worth for me. I still prefer Duplicolor Sandable auto primer. Very fine spray pattern, sticks well to metal, resin, plastic and putty, and is sandable.
$4.99 a can at your local auto parts store, comes in black, white, grey, and red oxide. I love the stuff!
Chris
I can only speak for myself, but control and consistency.
I’ve had rattlecans sputter crud. I’ve had them “surge” and completely coat surface detail. I’m also, admittedly, pretty terrible at wielding one effectively.
I’ve also had bad experiences with decanting. One time the decanted paint behaved so strangely I think I might have actually created antimatter somehow.
So I stick with bottle primers. Mr. Surfacer or, increasingly, good old Testors gray. But then I seem to have been falling back in love with Model Master stuff of late.
Thanks for y’all’s input.
I’ve got the materials, picked the test plane and am off to try it all out this week/weekend. I Will mask large fuselage seams, use plastic welder applied with fine tipped applicators to weld seams; follow with squadron green putty thinned with acetone; lightly wet sand with increasing number sand paper (800-1200) wash thoroughly and then prime with Tamiya grey liquid. I can’t wait until I have some pearls to share with y’all.