Putty Recommendations?

Hi folks,

I'm looking for a recommendation for some decent putty. I'm finding recently that doing the body work to get ready for paint is one of the most exasperating, time-consuming processes of building the car, and I'd like to eliminate this frustration if possible.

I've been using the Squadron green and white putties along with the Tamiya white putty and they are just hopeless: they shrink and crack and will not fill smoothly in one application. It's putty, sand, putty, sand, putty, sand, etc. and it's wearing me out!

I've heard people say that anything except two-part putties will always shrink, so I applied at my LHS for some Tamiya two-part putty and they said they couldn't order it here in the US?

Does anyone have a recommendation for anything obtainable in the US that is easy to sand and work with and won't shrink or crack? I've also read about talcum powder and super glue, but I'm not too crazy about experimenting with that actually...

Any automotive products, or something specifically for the hobby that will work better than what I've been using? Really getting frustrated here... Thanks for any help,

ianc

I use Isopon automotive 2 part fillers and they are great. No shrinkage at all, easy to sand and shape. Much, much better than any model putty I've used. I also use superglue, the thick gap filling kind and set it either with an activator or by sprinkling baking powder onto it. Try it, it sounds silly but it works a treat. Once I've done the main filling, I prime, then apply 3m Acryl Glazing putty, which dries very fast and takes care of any little pinholes left behind that the first filler missed.

My favorite two putties are Milliput 2-part epoxy putty and tamiyas polyester putty. The polyester putty worksgreat for small and fast projects like seems, gaps and irregularities. Milliput i use for extensive body work, takes a while to dry. But this allows you to shape it. Both putties are 2-part so you haveto combine them together, a little more work but worth the effort and money.

Tamiya basic putty and mr.hobby putty are also good but more like squadron style.

I have used Milliput 2-part epoxy putty and while it works well, it was a bit tedious to get the portions and parts mixed IMO.

I have since found Aves 2-part epoxy putty that comes in two equal containers. It works almost the same as Milliput, but it is easier to scoop out in equal amounts and is very soft and pliable.

Here is a Youtube of someone using the putty. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpxoOJtWBAg

Two part automotive putty is one of the best and least expensive body putties you can use. bondo professional glazing & spot putty (http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_professional-glazing-&-spot-putty-3-0-oz-6-per-case-bondo_7100031-p) (2-part) is available in small tubes just right for modeling. It's fine and sands similar to plastic. Most automotive putties come in containers way to large for our uses.

I do also use one part Bondo. The key is using the right product for the right job. For thin coatings and small repairs one part is more convenient and works just fine.

I just bought some 2 part stuff from the auto paint store the other day called dolphin glaze. I think it's great.

I´m from the oldschool too.
Milliput (standard and superfine) is always the best. And I deadly love its oldstyle british carton little box, never changed since 40 yrs :)

i still use tamiya putty (gray) for the surface work (filling in small gaps). if i do need to fill a large area or make things like extended fenders, what i use is either epoxyclay wood* (2-part epoxy that you mold like clay and is used for woodwork - http://www.usoriginalhardware.com/products/fastening--joining-2/epoxy/pioneer-epoxy-clay-wood-28g/) or the regular epoxyclay* (can't find a pic, but it's similar to the wood one). they dry solid in about a few hours and are easily sandable, though the latter is better when wetsanding (the wood one tends to absorb the water for a bit). i also use a cheaper one, which is bostik 2-part epoxy mixed with some talcum powder, though you have to reshape this once in a while during curing this as this can get runny and distort (especially if there's not enough powder to thicken it). it is easily sandable though once dry and is as rock-hard as things can get.

*these are available in the philippine market, not sure what your local equivalents would be :)

Back when I was in Toronto I just used generic 2-part glazing putty sold in hobby shops. They worked like a charm and I have had no shrinkage with them.

Now I use mostly Tamiya and Modeler polyester putty for large area works, and Gunze Mr Surfacer for sink marks and small scratches.

Milliput Standard (Yellow-Grey) is definitely my favorite putty. It has great adhesion properties, it's very strong, yet still easy to sand into shape after it has cured. Also, if you have a dehydrator you can speed up the cure time from 6 hours to 45 minutes.

I use primarily Miliput for shaping putty like for making flared fenders and I use Tamiya "white" putty for smoothing out pin-holes etc - I let miliput and Tamiya putty dry for 24 hours before I sand on them. Both of these give excellent results.
John

Thanks for the recommendations guys! I asked about Milliput at my LHS and the owner said that he had tried some, but it had already hardened on its journey over from England so we wouldn't order it anymore. The automotive products, particularly the Bondo in the small tube sound interesting, so I'll be investigating them at Pep Boys soon. Thanks again,

ianc

Thanks for the recommendations guys! I asked about Milliput at my LHS and the owner said that he had tried some, but it had already hardened on its journey over from England so we wouldn't order it anymore. The automotive products, particularly the Bondo in the small tube sound interesting, so I'll be investigating them at Pep Boys soon. Thanks again,

ianc

That's an odd comment on the Milliput from your LHS owner. I've been using the same box of Milliput, in the same terrible little plastic bags, for six years, with no problems. Same ugly yellow-green stuff. Great results every time.

I'll post in this thread for a similar question.
I have a build where i will attach a resin fender to a swing arm made of plastruct parts.
After that I want to fill and shape the area inbetween the parts, which will be a bit fragile. I therefor want some sort of putty that is easy to fill with and shape and doesn't dry unsandable. A lot of you mention Milliput but on the contrary I find it pretty hard to sand

I'll post in this thread for a similar question.
I have a build where i will attach a resin fender to a swing arm made of plastruct parts.
After that I want to fill and shape the area inbetween the parts, which will be a bit fragile. I therefor want some sort of putty that is easy to fill with and shape and doesn't dry unsandable. A lot of you mention Milliput but on the contrary I find it pretty hard to sand

Did you let it dry for the full six hours? I've tried using a dehydrator to speed up its curing rate, but that didn't work for me. Even at five hours, it doesn't feel right to me. I've had great luck with it, but never without the full six hours of drying time.

I've left it for days... It turnes out to be very hard, not easy to sand at all. This particular area will be a bit fragile so I can't put too much preassure on it when sanding.

I use only Evercoat Eurosoft and I've never used anything better. It sets quickly, cuts and sands like resin, never shrinks and it's harder than the gates of hell when it's fully cured. Great stuff.

Milliput has a shelf life. Over several years it dries hard and becomes discolored. From my experience trying to use old Milliput can be a disaster because it doesn't mix thoroughly leaving unhardened pockets in the cured material. It's obvious with the yellow stuff but that fine white stuff is difficult to know until it's too late.

Basically, if your Milliput is turning brown or getting dry make sure to knead it thoroughly. If it's hard and chalky or dark muddy brown better to toss it! I suspect LHS's don't like it because of the shelf life problem. If it sits around for a while it becomes discolored and customers return it.