How Do You Fill Those Seams On Your Models ?

[schooner]

Hi Guys (Newbie Here)

 

Well I just finished putting my first 1/72 P-51 Mustang together and painted it. Decals will come later.

But first, we got a problem Houston . . . lo

Seriously, guys I filed the seams on both side of my plane figuring that I've got a good strong seam WRONG

 

The stuff I bought being new at this modeling deal was; TAMIYA PUTTY WHITE stuff is rough to work with.

LUMPS that's what I got. Putting it on and then sanding it, i still had a problem.

 

I figure after I painted with the silver paint it would cover up the LUMPY area - WRONG !

Please see the attachment.

 

Guys what can I do to improve with using putty. I order MULLIPUT I think that's the way you spell it ?

I read I can thin it out and smooth it on the seams better. I let you know I it turns out on my next project.

Meanwhile, how can I CORRECT what the nose looks like now. I can sand it down, re-sand it and putty it up again with the new putty that's coming in the mail.

 

O.K. guys I'm in your hands and I'll wait upon you suggestions and DO THEM !

 

i remain A NEWBIE 4 NOW

 

[ghodges]

Looks like you have a few problems there, but your putty did a better job than you think.

 

First, what kind of glue did you use to put the fuselage together? The reason I ask is because it looks like you may have used too much in spots. If you look closely, especially close to the windshield, you can see where the plastic appears to have low spots or divots. This is a sign of the plastic sagging in after getting too soft due to too much glue. This is easy to do, especially if you use tube cement, which dries slow and will soften the plastic from within days later. So, use just enough cement to get the job done. Also, I strongly suggest switching to a "weld" type liquid cement. It involves an entirely different technique, but works to your advantage in many other ways.

 

Second, it appears your seam was actually filled very well, except at the very front near the prop. The seam looks completely erased except for a gap there. So, even though the putty was harder to use than you thought, it actually did it's job except for that spot. Many putties can be "thinned". For your white Tamiya putty, I'd try using alcohol first. Put a dab into a bottle cap and then add a little alcohol and try to mix them together. IF they mix smoothly, then you can mix it to the consistency that makes it easy for you to use, and get the lumps out. If the alcohol doesn't work, then try some lacquer thinner instead. If that doesn't work, then try some Testor's liquid cement or thin Tamiya liquid cement. The point is; find what thins it and make a paste mixture that handles better than squeezing it from the tube. Lastly, be sure to immediately RECAP any putty tube after you use it. You'd be surprised how fast the putty at the end of the tube dries, making it prone to being lumpy.

 

Third, your sanding was extremely heavy handed, resulting in the heavy scratches you see. Whatever grit you used, I suggest starting with the next finest grit and then going up (finer) from there. Also note that you actually sanded the top of the cowl flat in spots, losing the original (and correct) contour of the parts. You want to sand enough to smooth the seam, but not so heavily that you make more work for yourself or destroy contours. This takes a bit of experience, so don't feel bad! It's truly a learning curve! I tried using a common emery board the first time I ever sanded a seam, and had to learn to buy some better sanding materials more suited to modeling than woodwork!

 

Fourth, many people will first apply a piece of tape about 1/8" on either side of the seam BEFORE filling and sanding. This does two things. First, it limits the putty getting onto and into surface details close to the seam that you want to preserve. Second, it helps guard those same details when you sand, as you can tell when you're sanding too far on either side of the seam by tape wear.

 

You can still "save" the work you've already done by doing the following:

Apply a THIN coat of putty or VERY thick paint (or some #500 Mr. Surfacer, IF you happen to have bought any of that) over the entire nose. The idea is to fill the divots and scratches there now.

 

Next, start sanding gently with a finer grit paper or stick. Sand in a circular motion, which will help keep you from over sanding in one direction. Also, try wet sanding, which reduces the friction and helps avoid over doing it too.

 

Hit it with another coat of silver and see what's left to be done. Chances are you'll need another primer coat and more "smooth" sanding to polish it all out.

 

Silver is the TOUGHEST finish to sand seams for! As you see, it shows EVERY scratch. However, this also makes it a very good primer for your models, as once it looks smooth under a coat of silver, it'll look good under anything else. Hope this helps!

 

GIL :smiley16:

[schooner]

Hey Gil

That was GREAT !

I like everything you said and I'm going to take your suggestions

I like the tape on either side of the seam also.

You think its a good idea to sand down the nose and start over again. Thinning the putty, sanding with very fine sand paper in a circular

motion

Then hit it with primer sand that lightly, then silver paint.

 

Let me know what you think of this.

Thanks so much Gil 4 trying to correct my modeling mistakes.

[Nick Filippone]

Tamiya White Putty is an excellent basic filler. But as with any putty, it has to be carefully sanded as smooth as possible with higher, finer grades of "grit." That means, perhaps starting at 320, then moving to 400 and then at least continuing with 600. These higher grades will work better if applied with a wet sanding technique. This helps to remove the sanded residue and makes the process more efficient. But now you are only just getting started. Now you must apply a finer filler. This could be Mr. Surfacer as Gil suggested. I also like Mr. Dissolved Putty, depending on the size and depth of the defects. Tamiya also makes a White Primer that works well for this second stage. At this stage, I would not start lower than 400 grit and then move on to 600 or higher. When this stage is completed, most modelers would prime the surface with a grey primer- the Alclad Grey Primer is very good. Not only does this provide "teeth" to grip the subsequent paint when applied, but will also expose remaining defects- at which point you take one or two steps backward and address each defect using the above steps, until they are gone. This, to me, is the most tedious and dispiriting tasks in modeling, but it is usually the difference between a mediocre and a good model! I might add a piece of advice given to me by one of my fellow chapter members. Don't expect heavy gross applications of putty to make up for poor basic assembly of components. Careful adjust of fit and alignment of parts where they meet will minimize the amount of filling needed-especially in a well molded kit! Nick Filippone

[ghodges]

Nick's quite correct in that it often takes multiple steps and several attempts to erase a seam or blend it with its surroundings. It can be drudgery, but if you want a competition grade model, it has to be done. If you're building just for your shelf, you can (of course) stop the work when YOU are satisfied with what you you see!

 

GIL :smiley16:

[Eaglecash867]

I'm definitely no expert on filling seams, but I've recently pretty much perfected my technique. I'm trying the Mr. Surfacer 500, 1000, and 1200 for the first time on my F-14A and I love the stuff. For my primer, I like to use the Model Master automotive lacquers...the grey primer is working really well. The thing I like about the lacquers is that they attack the plastic a little bit, so the primer gets a good "bite" on the plastic. Something that's critical to completely invisible seams, which has already been mentioned, is the sanding step. Get yourself a few good sets of sanding sticks and use progressively finer grits to smooth the filler. I've been using the Squadron sanding stick set, and the final polishing with the "extra fine" stick gives everything a little bit of a shine. What I've found is that if you get the seam to have an even shine on it, you'll have no low or high spots, and the surface of the left-over putty will be "sealed" so it won't absorb paint. You just basically follow the fill, sand, polish, prime steps over and over again until the seams disappear. Once they no longer show through the primer, you can go about re-scribing the area to replace any panel line segments that might have gotten erased. Prime again to check your scribing...and once you're happy with it...then paint, clearcoat, decal, clearcoat, weather, clearcoat, then...WHEW...you're done. The F-14A I'm building is mostly of excellent fit, but the large panel on the underside of the fuselage was TERRIBLE...had to cement and clamp in stages, and work and work on the seams, but its almost done and looks awesome. Did all that using the techniques laid out in this thread. Just takes a whole lotta patience...I've just been working one seam at a time...seems to make the entirety of the project a little less intimidating to just take it in small chunks.

 

Eagle