Putty - what am i doing wrong.

Alright,

So i had had acouple of bodies now that have needed larger amounts of putty, However when i apply it first time i tried Testors Contour Putty waited over night for it to dry and then went to sand it and pretty much all of it just peeled right off.

Went and picked up some Tamiya Light curing putty and applied it after washing and sanding the body and it was sanding nice but then chuncks came off on me..

Both times i was using 800 grit paper.

Can we have some descriptions and pics of what you're trying to do?

Details man, details....

If it came off, it means it hadn't keyed into the plastic properly.

Did you rough up the plastic beforehand? Did you not apply it in too thickly all at one go?

well,

I am still working on that camaro body :D and i did sand it down and applied the paste i guess rather thick enough to fill the void and leave enough to sand clean.

This is what i had to deal with after my brother tried to help by washing off the old paint with Throtle body cleaner, Warped the hell out of the body and melted the paint into it.. So with lots of prep work i have it looking decent again, minus all the details :D

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/damage2

Here are a couple of pictures of when i applied the paste i will have to take some after shots tonight i guess when i get home.

You can see in this picture a chunk came off where the door panel was.. Due to losing most if not all the detail i have been using the putty to fill in the lines that have not been taken out from the body disaster. I am only trying to make the body smooth and clean.. lol

http://www.michaellambertphotography.com/model/camarobodyrebuild3

Are you using 2 part putty?

No i am using both the Testors stuff in the tube and the Tamiya light curing stuff also in a tube. Both seem to apply farily easy the testors stuff dries much faster.

Is there a easier / Cheaper alternative to use?

Is there a easier / Cheaper alternative to use?

Yep, it's called NewBody, and it's made by Revell/Monogram. :grinyes: It can be purchased online from their replacement parts service.

Puttywork is something that takes some patience and practice. Even when dry, it's often more fragile then the plastic it's applied to.

If adhesion is the big problem you're faced with, try thinning the putty as you put it on. I don't know what will work with Testors (haven't touched that stuff in years), but Tamiya basic putty cuts very nicely with Tamiya (or Gunze) lacquer thinner. You can mix it to a paste of whatever consistency you want and apply it. It may shrink as it dries and it will definitely require multiple applications, but it should adhere pretty well. Use plenty of ventilation- but you should be doing that with puttywork anyway.

Now my wife stopped and picked me up some more putty on the way home but managed to bring home this stuff its a polyester filler two part by Tamiya, She was told for any major jobs this is best and that its easy to work with and they found hardens alittle more than the regular putty which seems to go chaulky.

For what it's worth,I've been using white putty from Squadron,and have no complaints...

Dunno about the testor's stuff, but tamiya's needs to be prepared with 400 or lower grit sandpaper.
For the light curing stuff I use 240 grit and wad it on to about 2mm if needed.
But for body work like that... I would use either polyester putty or 2 part epoxy putty depending how much sculpting work is planned when the putty hardens and I prep it with 400 grit and it works fine.

When using polyester putty put a bit more than enough to the part and wait around an hour (it should be dry in 15 minutes but not fully cured) to be safe. Then slice the extra off with a x-acto.
2 Things to keep in mind:
1. You will have to reputty the poly putty due to air bubbles in the putty. (Its nearly impossible to not get bubbles when mixing the stuff)
2. Edit: This stuff is like..slightly watered toothpaste when wet... then it dries study and light but easy to cut/sand...definately sand and cuts better than any other type of putty I know.... so go slow when shaping.

HTH
Steve

I use 3M Acryl Blue, you can buy it at auto body supply shops. It basically acts like squadron green putty, but for some reason it seems to bond better and not flake off. And a huge tube will last you your entire modelling life for around $15.
The trick with putty is patience in sanding( start with a high grit like 400 and lower only if needed) and bonding. If it isn't bonding to the body , you are wasting your time.

I use 3M Acryl Blue, you can buy it at auto body supply shops. It basically acts like squadron green putty, but for some reason it seems to bond better and not flake off. And a huge tube will last you your entire modelling life for around $15.
The trick with putty is patience in sanding( start with a high grit like 400 and lower only if needed) and bonding. If it isn't bonding to the body , you are wasting your time.

are you sure that stuff is good on plastic? cause I am looking forward to using this stuff too. I dont want the whole body to melt :P

I remember this disaster from quite some time ago. I honestly believe this to be a lost cause, even as a rat rod or a "krazy kustom." It's like trying to re-build a burned down house using the original wood.

You could have had a fine finished model for all the effort you've put into this derelict. My advice is to tell your know-it-all brother he owes you a new kit. If he doesn't buy you one, get one anyway and start over from a solid foundation.

Ddms