Putty Shrinkage

What are the best ways of avoiding shrinkage when puttying gaps? It's rather annoying to see a "ditch" in the paint when your primering showed none...I've had this happen a few times in the past and can't see a pattern. Is it making sure to leave it a certain amount of time? Use a certain type? Something else?

FYI, I have used both CA and Tamiya (not epoxy) putty.

Thanks for the help!

Daniel

An epoxy putty will most likely cure your shrinkage problems. I prefer using automotive 2-part puttys that don't shrink at all. Evercoat Glazing Putty is one. It is fine textured and sands like plastic. There are many different types that I'm sure will be posted.

I also use one part Bondo Spot putty for small, quick jobs. You just have to only use for thin coats and it is satisfactory.

Sweet. Thanks!

Another tip I highly recommend is to fill all gaps etc. with as much plastic as possible before using putty. I keep all sizes of Evergreen plastic strip including .010" X.010" and use agood liquid glue to melt and weld it all together. I also use .005" thick sheet to fill voids and depressions. Tamiya's putty is about the best 1 part there is but sometimes a 2 part is necessary. Dynatron PuttyCote is a very good 2 part putty that sands beautifully and is much finer grained than Bondo 2 part. Dynatron is a subsidiary of BONDO. BONDO does make "Ultimate" that appears to be the same as the PuttyCote, both use a blue hardener.