Hi Everyone,
I have been using Tamiya putty almost exclusively to fill gaps and seams, but was wondering what other brands out there work well also.
I find that it doesn’t have much work time before it turns tacky. What other products have you used or can recommend that work well, with a balance of working time and the ability to apply it easily.
Thanks!
I feel ya. I bought a tube of Tamiya, but threw it out without using half of it. I use Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty that I bought from the local auto supply store. It’s pretty good. I’ve heard good things about 3M Spot Putty, also available from auto supply. In the past, I’ve used Squadron green, and Dr. Microtools (very much like Squadron’s, only red).
I like Vallejo putty. It’s soft and flows well, and is water soluable, so you can wipe off the joint with a wet fingertip and hopefully end up will a filled seam that needs no further sanding.
One problem is “Putty” can include a wide range of products.
You have the “paint-like” Mr. Surfacer to the “clay-like” Milliput et al.
I believe what most people mean by “putty” is the “toothpaste-like” products.
I dunno, maybe its a nomenclature type thing!
In general the putty you use depends on the size (L,W,D) of the gap or seam.
Products like Mr. Surfacer for hairline seams, Milliput for large (as in you could get the handle of a paint brush in the gap) and Tamiya for gap sizes in between.
I have the following by groups:
Mr Surfacer
Mr Dissolved putty
Styrene dissolved in acetone (home made)
Tamiya
Mr White Putty
Squadron Green and White
Bondo
3M Blue glazing putty
Evercoat
Milliput
Apoxy Sculpt
Magic Sculpt
Green Stuff (you mix the blue and yellow parts till it turns green!!)
I’ve been using these for years and cannot honestly say that within each group I have a favorite
This is by no means a complete list of what is now available.
What I would suggest is to buy 5-ish of the products and try each of them until you find the one YOU like the best. Fortunately most of these are not expensive.
Do a Google search and you will find almost as many nays as yays for any of these products.
I’m partial to auto body “glazing putty”. It used to be called spot putty. It also has a limited working time, especially for smaller gobs. But, it comes in very large tubes and hence the cost per ounce is a lot less than most small tube “modelers” putties.
Thanks for all the replies! Ive never tried anything else but milliput which I find is more of a larger scale gap filler or sculpting material. Im keen to experiment with other brands. The vellejo putty sounds good. I may try these out soon.
Ok so there are two versions of the vellejo putty online, one in a small bottle and the other in a tube. Whats the difference if any?