Cheap Alternative to Modeler's Putty?

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Morty Seinfeld
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Cheap Alternative to Modeler's Putty?

Post by Morty Seinfeld »

Anyone know of an alternative to the 3-dollar-a-small-tube standard modeler's putty? I've used plummer's epoxy for the heavy duty stuff, but does anyone know of an alternative that works most like modeler's putty but isn't ridiculously marked up like, say squardon or testor's putty?

thanks
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Lt. Z0mBe
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Post by Lt. Z0mBe »

Bondo in the tube is nearly the exact same stuff as Squadron and Testor's putty. The Bondo in the can, with the hardener, is a different formulation.

Get the one-pound tube at Autozone or Wal-Mart. It's also a finer grain than the hobby stuff.

You can also try 3M ACryl Blue putty. It's a different formulation, but a lot of people swear by it.

I hope this helps.

Z0mBe

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Woody
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Post by Woody »

I use a homemade putty quite a bit that is cheap to make.
http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/ ... C_ID=21787
Last edited by Woody on Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by macfrank »

Woody wrote:I use a homemade putty quite a bit that is ceap to make.
http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/ ... C_ID=21787
I have a couple of bottles of this stuff - regular sprues in MEK and clear styrene in MEK. I used an empty square bottle of Testor's Metalizer thinner for each, and filled each half way with MEK. I then started to drop in the styrene. It eventually melts and evens out. I now have about half a bottle of styrene goo. I keep about 3-5mm of MEK above the surface, and obviously, seal the bottles tight.

The styrene putty skins quickly, but it can take a while to completely harden. One drawback is that if you use too much "putty" on a styrene kit, the MEK in the styrene will soften the underlying plastic. Just about any amount is too much for 0.005" thick white Plastruct styrene, although the 0.010" and 0.015" can take quite a bit.

If you have a big gap or large surface to cover, it's best to apply in thin layers, allowing each layer to thouroughly dry before sanding.

I recently made a small scratchbuilt that started out as thin styrene cross sections filled in with Magic Sculpt and skinned with 0.005" styrene. Well, i screwed up, and ended up sanding through some of the 0.005" styrene. I fixed that with some of the styrene goo, and sanded that... I think the model is now almost 100% Magic Sculpt and styrene putty.

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Post by USSARCADIA »

I started a jar of the "goo" a few months back and I'm using it right now on a scratchbuild. Works just like Macfrank is saying. Super cheap to make too. Many thanks to Woody for passing the "formula" along.
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Woody
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Post by Woody »

No problem. I started using a similar putty 20+ years ago. The only putty that was easy to get was that crappy white Testors putty(anyone remember that stuff?). Back then I used toulene based liquid cement to dissolve the styrene.
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Post by Andrew Gorman »

ACK! "Contour Putty"! That horrible stuff really made me doubt my 12 year-old abilities. I don't think it ever stuck to anything. And then came Squadron Green, which was a revelation then. I think it's a useless abomination now, since I found out about automotive putties. I'm still churning through a 1.5 pound tube of Acryl Green I got three years ago, and with the lead sleds I build that's longevity.
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Morty Seinfeld
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Post by Morty Seinfeld »

Thanks for all those replies, I knew there had to be an inexpenisive alternative
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Post by Morty Seinfeld »

I just got some MEK and tried the recipe contained in that link. however, it hasn't done anything to the plastic forks it cut up and put in the jar with the MEK (and thev'e been in there for about 18 hours or so).

Has anyone else had this problem? How long does it take (the link says overnight)?
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Post by macfrank »

therefit wrote:I just got some MEK and tried the recipe contained in that link. however, it hasn't done anything to the plastic forks it cut up and put in the jar with the MEK (and thev'e been in there for about 18 hours or so).

Has anyone else had this problem? How long does it take (the link says overnight)?
Carefully take out one of the pieces. If it doesn't have a soft/gooey surface, then the plastic isn't styrene. You can also try pooking the plastic in the bottle with a small metal screwdriver. If the bits are still... well plastic and springy, it's not styrene. MEK should only take a few hours to melt styrene, and small bits of sprue take less than an hour.
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Post by USSARCADIA »

Patience is a must with this concoction. My jar was mostly gooey about a day after starting it, but it took a month or so for it to reach the "creamy peanut butter" consistancy that is needed. I also went out yesterday and bought a respirator to wear when working with it.
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Post by Morty Seinfeld »

thanks for that advice. I just took out those plasticwear pieces and chopped up some left over spruces from old models (since i know they are styrene), and after a few hours, I had my goo!
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Post by rocketrider »

Z0mBe wrote:Bondo in the tube is nearly the exact same stuff as Squadron and Testor's putty. The Bondo in the can, with the hardener, is a different formulation.

Get the one-pound tube at Autozone or Wal-Mart. It's also a finer grain than the hobby stuff.
I picked up some of this stuff last night from Wal-Mart and tried it on a scrap piece of plastic, and this morning I found out it shrunk and cracked along the area being fixed. And it wanst applied to thick either.

So other thatn the bondo, Testors, and the MEK method, which is the best tube stuff?

Glen
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Post by Lt. Z0mBe »

williamson wrote:
Z0mBe wrote:Bondo in the tube is nearly the exact same stuff as Squadron and Testor's putty. The Bondo in the can, with the hardener, is a different formulation.

Get the one-pound tube at Autozone or Wal-Mart. It's also a finer grain than the hobby stuff.
I picked up some of this stuff last night from Wal-Mart and tried it on a scrap piece of plastic, and this morning I found out it shrunk and cracked along the area being fixed. And it wanst applied to thick either.

So other thatn the bondo, Testors, and the MEK method, which is the best tube stuff?

Glen
It could be the tube settled a little. I've had that happen before, and what I do is put the cap back on, and knead the tube. That usually fixes it.

Also, was the plastic you tried it on "glossy?" The reason I ask is if the plastic is solvent-resistant, the putty can't grab the plastic, making it retreat as it dries. It's kind of similar to writing with a marker on really glossy plastic. Make sense?

I hope this helps.

Z0mBe

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rocketrider
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Post by rocketrider »

The plastic was a back seat from an old model kit. Ill try kneading it a bit, and then give it another go.

thanks
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