Zap-A-Gap for resin kits

[CrateCruncher]

Squadron putty is garbage as far as I'm concerned. I got a crack running right down the center of a cycle fuel tank that didn't appear until months after it was built. Never again! I use thin CA, Milliput or epoxy mixed with microballoons now.

CA glues react with moisture in the air and surface to cure. I think that's why there is so much variability in the cure time. I keep my CA in the fridge when I'm not using it because of the low humidity. It'll last forever in there.

I mentioned earlier I use fast cure epoxy for 75% of assembly tasks now. After trying what seems like a million different brands I like this stuff the most:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92665

It's cheap, comes in small tubes, and is strong enough for any job, yet weak enough to remove in the event of a disaster. The best thing is the rate the stuff sets up. It starts to thicken shortly after it's mixed allowing me to vary the viscosity depending on where it's going: Thin to flow into a joint, thick to stay put on a vertical surface, etc. The precision is on a different scale than CA and there is no danger of fogging. I call it 2.5 minute epoxy because it reacts much faster than 5 minute. One package will build about 2-3 1/24 models. If you watch the Harbor Freight fliers you can pick the stuff up for $1 a pack. That is a bargain!

[Didymus]

Originally Posted by CrateCruncher

Squadron putty is garbage as far as I'm concerned. I got a crack running right down the center of a cycle fuel tank that didn't appear until months after it was built. Never again!

Yep. I've had exactly the same problem. I have a couple of tubes that I need to throw away!

Can't say too much good about Tamiya Basic Putty or Mr. White Putty, either. The Tamiya dries almost instantly, so there's no chance to shape it before it gets very, very hard. MrWP has very little surface adhesion, so you have to press it down to make it stay put - but that spreads it all over the place. In other words, it's weird stuff and messy as hell.

Today I used some Bondo Glazing & Spot Putty to fill some 1/16" holes. I've heard about it for a long time, but haven't gotten around to trying it. Wish I had - it's the first putty I've actually enjoyed using. It comes out soft and sticky, so it stays where you put it. It's got good body, so you can easily mold it into a rough shape. It takes about 20 minutes to dry, so you've got time to do some shaping and remove any excess. I don't know how it works long term - it may crack like a dry-lake bed in two weeks - but so far, very, very good.

BGSP comes in a 4.5 oz / 127.5 g tube and costs about $5 at auto parts emporia like Pep Boys and Chief Auto Parts.

So my new filler/putty "arsenal" consists of:

1. Medium-thick Gorilla Super Glue for pinholes, nicks and building up edges.
2. Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty for larger holes and gaps.
3. Tamiya Surface Primer (from the bottom of the bottle) to fill shallow depressions, cover uneven paint edges, etc.

Ddms