As well as some other things, I’m going to start practicing to improve my puttying skills. More specifically in tight areas or areas that I don’t want to remove panel line or details. What brands are best? I’ve used Squadron green and the old Testors stuff.
Anyone care to spill their guts? [:)]
Dana
Dana,
One technique that I’ve used a lot with good effect is to put the putty down where it needs to go, and then wipe off the excess with a Q-tip dipped in nail polish remover. More detail can be found here:
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/TnT_Archives/Filling.htm
Look under “Filling Without Sanding”
Regards,
-Drew
P.S. Oh, I use standard Testors putty. 
I’ve just tried the nail polish trick with Squandron green putty and it works great. It’s the easiest technique I’ve tried. Unfortunately I learned about it after I spent two days working on just two small seams with sandpaper. Live & learn.
John
I was just reading the technique using stretched sprees. I’m a bit confused. Did they lay the spree in there while it was still warm? And then keep doing this continuosly follwed by sanding? Or was it glued and thus melted in with liquid cement?
Bones,
Thin sprue is melted in with liquid cement; I used to have a small bottle of melted sprue and liquid cement sludge for just that purpose, especially if you’re using a metal spray finish that you are polishing later on. I have also used the testors putty thinned with alcohol and wiped down with alcohol after filling instead of sanding. The squadron green I’ve wiped down with paint thinner; it seems to work well with a good q-tip.
Bones,
All these tips have worked great for me. I’d like to add one more snippet to it all as well. Along with with above techniques, try using making tape to “fence in” the area where you’ll be puttying (is that a word?). For example, along a fuselage seam. Rather than having a wide swatch of putty running along the seam, place two strips of tape,one on each side, of the seam. Apply the putty, wipe it down using the alcohol or thinner, then remove the tape. Now you’ll have a very narrow putty line left to deal with rather than a wide one. It will help minimize your sanding. Good luck and have fun!
Eric
All these techniques sound great although I’ve found it easier working with Squadron white instead of green. If you have to sand, its not quite as hard.
Eric, good tip on ‘fencing’ in the putty area. I do this too and it works really well!!
Personally, I use Bondo spot/glaze putty and it works quite well too. I find that it dries a bit faster than the Squadron stuff and I can feather the edge a whole lot nicer than the Squadron stuff.
Murray
Has anyone thinned the putty (Squadron White for example) to make it more liquid? I remember reading not too long ago about a technique that used putty thinned with liquid model glue as an alternative for Mr. Surfacer. Is this a good idea (chemically)? In general I have found limited fair results with the sprue sludge (works great for specific needs). I would love to thin the putty for welding marks and general use of filler but I’m afraid of what to use and types (chemical reactions gone bad).
Thanks
Dmod
Dmod.
Try nail polish remover with Squadron putties. I use the Cutex brand in a salmon colored bottle. It works well with Squadron green and with Bondo Spot/Glaze putty so I assume it’d work well with Squadron white.
Murray
Thanks so much Murray. I will give it a try.
Note: What technique do people use for weld marks on the seams of armor?
Eveyone says the nail polish remover works great. My question is why doesn’t the acetone (which is in a lot of polish removers) melt the plastic and screw the whole this up?
Randy
Hi Randy,
The answer is that nail polish remover is actually diluted acetone, so it doesn’t hurt the plastic. This is especially true because you’re just using it to wipe off putty, so it’s actually not on the model for very long.
Regards,
-Drew
I tried Squadron White putty and wiping it off with Tamiya Acrylic Airbrush thinner and it attacked the plastic on my A-10. I guess that was a bad combo. I’ll try the Cutex nail polish remover next.
In principle this is a great way of filling. I just have to stop using my tamiya thinner! [:)]
Evercoat Company makes a GREAT body putty called Metalglaze —cures VERY fast and machines and sands nicely. I rolled the rear pan on a 32 Ford 3 Window using Evergreen tacked in place as a mold/form, them mixed and spread the metalglaze in place. Perfection. Cost is approx $20.00 per quart w/ hardener.
Here is the best way that I have found to deal with seams. It does not eliminate sanding 100% but it sure helps and saves a heck of a lot of detail.
This is a five-step process that moves along at about three inches at a time.
Step 1: Cut thin strips of masking tape and place along both sides of the seam leaving about a three-millimeter gap.
Step 2: Using a trowling tool (I use a potters detail tool for clay) lay on a coating of white putty.
Step 3: Immediately remove the tape pulling it away from the wet putty.
Step 4: Use a good quality cotton swab (I’m using a Q-Tip) dipped in acetone-based fingernail polish remover and wipe down the putty.
Smooth out the seam. This will greatly reduce the amount of sanding required.
Step 5: After the putty has had ample time to dry, sand the seams with a fine sand paper.
And this is what the finished product looks like…
What should I use to clean Testor’s Contour Putty? Will acetone do that, or should I use something else? I’m really getting tired of filing away at plastic, and having to reclean my needle-files every minute or so!
Don’t use acetone. Use nail polish remover (the kind that contains acetone) as described in Lufbery’s link above.
Sure beats all that sanding and filing.
I just tried this fencing technique or whatever with masking tape. I am so proud of myself. I used it on a seam on a Tamiya ME262 I am building. Absolutely incredible how easy it was. I was a horrible puttier, if that is the word. I made messes all over the plavce with excess putty. Now, a thin line is all I get. Remove the tape and wallah, sand it down. What a great idea!
try thinning your putty with laquer thinner - I use automotive pinhole putty (Dupont - the red stuff), its laquer based and I believe the Squadron puttys are to - The sprue/glue combination works well but always seems to have a lot of bubbles in which become pin holes when you sand it down -experiment and find out what works the best for you