How to putty prefabricated scale models? Modeler's notes: Putty Putty for plastic models

Dmitry Ignatychev is back in touch with you - your guide to the world of large-scale modeling!

Any large-scale modeler one way or another faces the task of puttying the joints of the parts to be glued, repairing scratches and chips. And sometimes you have to deal with the restoration of a large or small part lost as a result of some kind of “accident”.

IN GENERAL, PUTTY IS INEVITABLE AND FAITHFUL FRIEND OF THE MODELIST

But in order for her to become your friend, she needs to be understood. Just like everything else in this world. It is necessary to acquire initial knowledge about the puttying process itself, the types used, to create prefabricated scale models of product samples. And, of course, gain long-term practical experience. Practice is the only way to knowledge.

PUTTY FOR ASSEMBLED SCALE MODELS WHAT IS THIS?

In scale modeling, two types of putty are used

Two component epoxy
One-component "plastic" formulations

First type compositions are used to seal "big holes" - deep cracks, chips, breaks in parts. Their distinguishing feature is uniform hardening throughout the volume. True, this is possible only if the correct proportion is created. They are also much more durable than the "plastic" types of putty. They are inferior in this characteristic only to the very plastic of the model.

The most common putties for large-scale prefabricated models of this type are English MultiPut and Japanese Tamiya Epoxy Putty.

If you want to achieve an effect comparable to the action of these putties, you can look into shops for motorists. Ask there "cold welding". There are many of these on sale now.

BUT THEY HAVE THEIR FAULTS

It is required to pay special attention to drawing up the proportion when mixing. In case of an error, it will either “stand up” very quickly, but will crumble heavily during further processing; Or it won't freeze at all. Then you will have to pick it out of the recesses, and repeat the whole process again.
Often they have a long drying period. Something like a day. Although you can “stir up” a quick-drying solution - in everyday life we call it “five minutes”.
Applying it in a thin layer requires a lot of practical experience. In this application, they do not adhere well to plastic, and all the time they strive to break off at the most inopportune moment.

Tamiya Scale Model Putty

Second type putty compositions for prefabricated scale models are a dense homogeneous mass. When it hardens, it turns into a kind of model plastic. These putties, in my deep conviction, are the most common among plastic model and chemistry manufacturers. These are Japanese Tamiya Basic Putty, Italian Italeri, German Revell, American Red and Green Putty from Squadron and many, many others. Many well-known experts in Russia advise using the Japanese putty Mr. White Putty - drying, it forms a good, fairly strong white mass. It doesn't flake and works great. It is not always possible to find it in the online stores of our Motherland. But this issue is always completely solved with the help of. Of those that are almost always available, Tamiya Basic Putty is good.

THE MAIN DISADVANTAGE OF THIS TYPE OF COMPOSITIONS

The main disadvantage of this type of composition is the uneven drying. It happens that the top layer has already “stand up”, but not yet deeper. You have to wait. A simple test by practice will solve all your questions.

There are also problems in the form of fragility of the surface created by the putty. It can crumble and interfere with further processing.

Revell Scale Model Putty

OLD FOLK RECIPES

Russian modeler is akin to a real entrepreneur. He is always looking for opportunities to use what is at hand. Then, when it is not possible to get specialized preparations. Or they are not effective enough. Then a variety of folk recipes come into play.

The most common version of homemade one-component putty is created using a small bubble of model glue, and big the amount of plastic shavings, and the sprue crushed into shavings. It is infused like wine - for a very long time and carefully. Stir regularly to achieve a uniform consistency. If necessary, a new portion of plastic chips is added. The result is a viscous jelly-like substance. She putty well a variety of defects. Not great, of course. This method came to us from the distant, Soviet past. When everything was needed get. Now he has lost his former popularity. Although modelers with experience often use it, and recommend it.

MINUSES OF THIS METHOD OF PUTTY OF ASSEMBLED MODELS

Extremely long preparation time. It also dries out for a long time. Gives a strong shrinkage along the profile. You will have to putty your site more than once. When dry, bubbles may appear on the surface.

THE SIMPLE RECIPE FOR HOME PUTTY MODELS

On the area that we want to put in order, we drip a little ciacrinum. Then we take soda or, at worst, talc. And we fall asleep them in glue. It is advisable to drip this area again with cyacrine. When the mixture dries, it will become a dense, solid mass. Excellent adhesion to the surface. Fairly tolerant polished. Tolerable because it is harder than plastic.

And finally..

A LITTLE PUTTY Trick

Now, with the development of the production and design base of manufacturers of scale models, we increasingly have plastic with an excellent degree of parts fit. But there is a small gap when connecting them. Like when creating a model. And since we have a surface with a carefully designed jointing, we highly undesirable polish it!

And then we do this...

We take out a tube of sulfur Tamiya Basic Putty. We ask our spouse (sister / mother / friend) for nail polish remover. A mask is applied to the gap along the edges of the joint. Then it is puttied (for example, with a toothpick or a dental spatula). Let the putty dry a little (but not completely). Then dip a cotton swab into nail polish remover, and carefully We erase excess putty from the surface of the plastic. Since the liquid is not aggressive to plastic, the surface of the parts remains intact. Slightly dissolved putty comes off, however, with some effort. As a result, we get a smooth joint surface.

I think I have told you in detail the basic knowledge about puttying prefabricated scale models. If you have any questions - write. In comments. Join our groups on social networks.

And that's all for today. Good luck to you. And great models!

P.S. What putty do you use? Write in the comments!

Hello. The preparations for the holidays have been successfully completed, so I decided to break the silence. Moreover, there are at least 11 more articles in the drafts.

Not so long ago, we analyzed some methods of assembling a model, which allow, if not avoiding, then at least minimizing putty work.
Probably, I will not be mistaken if I call this work the most tedious stage.

Many (but not all) will find something unnecessarily simple and has long been known.

Let's try to cut some corners.

Let's start

There are rules as old as the world:

1. Take your time

2. The better (more often and more expensive) the materials used, the faster and better the result.

I met a lot of people who expressed some kind of special opinion regarding this or that model putty in the form of a paste in a tube. Experienced at the time Humbrol, Revell and Tamiya, a few more cheaper and little-known analogues. I was not satisfied with the quality of any of them.
At the moment, completely and completely switched to:

In the beginning, we will try to get rid of unnecessary work with the subsequent restoration of the jointing. I protected the seam lines with the first quality duct tape I could find.

Next, apply a layer of liquid putty with a thin and flat brush. The layer is applied with a small slide, based on the shrinkage of the material.

It is necessary to wait until the putty begins to dry out a little - the signal will be a matte crust. Then, with a cotton swab dipped in a solvent, we remove the excess chemically. It does not damage the plastic, washing off excess putty.

Consistently, without strong pressure, we “smooth out” the joint.

At this stage, a major drying of 10 hours and a revision of the work done are required. In most cases, re-puttying is not required, but if necessary, everything can be repeated.
The seam is cleaned first with emery with a grain of 1000-1200, then 1500-2000, depending on the circumstances. I draw your attention to the fact that the skin MUST be wet and washed regularly. Otherwise, instead of sanding, you will just make more scratches.

As you can see, even such tedious work as putty can be creatively approached.

In past articles, once we talked about the use of putty for a very narrow and specific purpose - it’s probably worth telling you and using it for its intended purpose - for sealing joints.

In general, this very puttying of the seams is a tedious, long and dusty task and the post is quite large, so make yourself comfortable, pour yourself some tea and delve into it.

At a certain moment of creativity, any modeller asks the question: what putty to choose, how to putty the cracks correctly, what kind of sandpaper is better to use?

With all the obviousness and seeming simplicity of the answers, not everything is so simple. Often, with a close look, even at the work of experienced modellers on the net, or even live, at exhibitions, you notice not puttied seams, shrunken or underskinned putty and other delights. And just picking up your old models, which previously seemed normally assembled, you understand that you can realize that there are a lot of pitfalls.

Firstly, the more large gaps and seams on the model, the worse it is assembled. A fair part of them can be eliminated at the gluing stage, adjusting and undermining the details. And yes, a good seal will help. So collect models without haste wisely. Then you will have to mess with putty and sandpaper many times less.

And let's start with the most important thing - the necessary consumables. In addition to the victim itself in the form of a model, we need putty and an abrasive. Do not use construction consumables as putty for models. Water-soluble putty on wood seems to be a very attractive option, but in fact it does not adhere well to plastic, does not tolerate cutting jointing and is afraid of moisture. And it can ruin the finished model.

The main nitro putty, the best is finer-grained, the best option is the finishing (white) putty from Tamiya or Hansa. This putty is suitable for filling most small gaps, smoothing ledges, sinkholes and other small surface irregularities. It dries fairly quickly (2-3 hours before processing), does not crumble, and is easy to process. But! Do not apply it in a thick layer or try to close up large holes and ledges with it. Putty shrinks a lot, but a thick layer can eat plastic and not harden inside.
From the shortcomings of conventional putty, the need for a second one follows. Large gaps, of course, can and even need to be sealed with strips of plastic (we select a strip of plastic according to the size of the gap, paste it there, putty with a simple putty on top), but it will not always work out. Where the junction is too intricate in shape, where just a ledge goes along a curved surface, and so on. Here a two-component putty comes to the rescue. A good choice is Tamiya's two part epoxy. Such putty does not shrink and it can close up any holes. To make it convenient to work with epoxylin, we read the instructions. It needs to be wetted with water. And in order for it to stick well on the plastic, you can simply apply model glue to the place where we will glue the putty. Then she will not strive to move away from plastic. In addition, it is worth noting that after drying, such putty is harder than plastic and it is worth starting to process it with large numbers of sandpaper (400). After sealing the gap with this putty, it is worth the usual putty to display the surface at the finish. In addition, various unfinished parts of parts, wing edges, and so on can be fashioned from a two-component.
It often happens that after sealing the cracks or cutting the joint on the surface of the model, after priming, small scratches, shrinkage and other very small, not deep, but noticeable problem areas appear. Especially for such finishing work, it is worth buying either a liquid putty or a liquid primer.

In addition, an ordinary nail polish remover, without acetone, or a primer solvent from Tamiya will be useful.

What for? They can wash the usual nitro putty by simply soaking a cotton swab in it. This can be very useful if you put putty on some relief parts of the model, work with cabin lights and other delicate places. If there is just a gap at the junction of parts in such places, without a ledge, it is enough to apply putty, wait about an hour and wipe off all excess with a cotton swab dipped in nail polish remover / solvent. As a result, the surface of the model will not be touched by sandpaper, and the gap will be sealed (this will be especially useful for BTT lovers on models with a lot of rivets - you can close the gap and save the rivet).

The sandpaper with which you will skin the seams is better to take waterproof. It is worth starting processing with rough numbers (how rough - depends on the situation) 400-600 and finishing with smaller 1000-1500 numbers. It is worth skinning with water, so that the skin does not clog, in a circular motion. At the same time, trying especially not to wave the sandpaper and not damage the surface of the model around the place of puttying.

Now a few words about the process itself.

There is a gap / seam / ledge. And we must overcome it. Degrease the surface. We take putty. Spatula / match / toothpick. And put it in the right place. Try to press the putty into the seam. At the end, you can smooth the putty along the seam with your finger, if you are not too lazy to wash your hands. If the seam / ledge is large - we apply putty in several layers, with intermediate drying, or we take a two-component.

If there is a lot of embossed surface of the model around the seam and you need to save it, glue the adhesive tape along the edges of the seam, with a border of a couple of mm, as in the photo.

If the docking of the model is very lame, then upon completion of the putty application, the model will look rather untidy. But do not be afraid of heaps of putty. It is better to mess with sanding it than to get a clumsy seam. We wait until the putty dries, skins. Let's not forget about water. Notice how little putty ended up left on the model and what the sanded putty looks like. It should remain only in the seam / ledge itself, but not on the surface of the model.

Remember, one application / processing of putty is not enough. This is a common mistake. On the seam, it would seem, brought to zero, there will be small shrinkages and other jambs that will come out at the primer stage.

The sanded seam should be examined from different angles, in different light. Then problem areas will become visible. It is better to do this after priming and be prepared for the fact that the seam will have to be puttied again. Moreover, it is better to let the seams dry for at least a week, so that the putty sits down and does not bring any “surprises”. It will not be necessary to putty clean so much, and it may be possible to get by with liquid putty. For example, the joint on the center section of the Su-2 was puttied in two passes, with drying for about five days between them.

After priming, the joint is not visible despite the fact that the light falls exactly on it. One can only guess where the seam was from the white putty that is slightly translucent from under the ground.

Priming is a mandatory step. It not only improves paint adhesion, but also reveals putty jambs and evens out the surface color. After all, not every paint will paint over white putty on black plastic well. And you need to be prepared for the fact that you will have to prime the model a couple of times. First all, and then the places where the putty was sanded.

We remind you that it is worthwhile to approach the process of sealing seams carefully and without hack-work. A shrunken or unsealed seam kills a beautifully painted model. It is better to sit an extra day with a skin in your hands than to kill an otherwise excellent model with inaccuracy.

And of course - look what you putty! Often there should be a seam at the junction, and sometimes the necessary gaps and joints fall under the hot hand of beginners. So be careful, do not turn the model into a one-piece blank without seams. And do not forget to cut the affected jointing lines along a new one.

Good luck and stay with us!

Next time we will finish the story about putty by talking about the use of superglue for these purposes.

IN GENERAL, PUTTY IS INEVITABLE AND FAITHFUL FRIEND OF THE MODELIST

PUTTY FOR ASSEMBLED SCALE MODELS WHAT IS THIS?

In scale modeling, two types of putty are used

Two component epoxy
One-component "plastic" formulations

First type compositions are used for sealing "big holes" - deep cracks, chips, breaks in parts. Their distinguishing feature is uniform hardening throughout the volume. True, this is possible only if the correct proportion is created. They are also much more durable than the "plastic" types of putty. They are inferior in this characteristic only to the very plastic of the model.

The most common putties for large-scale prefabricated models of this type are English MultiPut and Japanese Tamiya Epoxy Putty.

If you want to achieve an effect comparable to the action of these putties, you can look into the shops for motorists. Ask there "cold welding". There are many of these on sale now.

BUT THEY HAVE THEIR FAULTS

It is required to pay special attention to drawing up the proportion when mixing. In case of an error, it will either “stand up” very quickly, but will crumble heavily during further processing; Or it won't freeze at all. Then you will have to pick it out of the recesses, and repeat the whole process again.
Often they have a long drying period. Something like a day. Although you can "stir up" a quick-drying solution - in everyday life we call it "five minutes".
Applying it in a thin layer requires a lot of practical experience. In this application, they do not adhere well to plastic, and all the time they strive to break off at the most inopportune moment.

Tamiya Scale Model Putty

Second type putty compositions for prefabricated scale models are a dense homogeneous mass. When it hardens, it turns into a kind of model plastic. These putties, in my deep conviction, are the most common among manufacturers of plastic models and chemistry. These are Japanese Tamiya Basic Putty, Italian Italeri, German Revell, American Red and Green Putty from Squadron and many, many others. Many well-known experts in Russia advise using the Japanese putty Mr. White Putty - drying, it forms a good, fairly strong white mass. It doesn't flake and works great. It is not always possible to find it in the online stores of our Motherland. But this question is quite always solved with the help of eBay. Of those that are almost always available, Tamiya Basic Putty is good.

THE MAIN DISADVANTAGE OF THIS TYPE OF COMPOSITIONS

There are also problems in the form of fragility of the surface created by the putty. It can crumble and interfere with further processing.

Revell Scale Model Putty
OLD FOLK RECIPES

MINUSES OF THIS METHOD OF PUTTY OF ASSEMBLED MODELS

And finally..

A LITTLE PUTTY Trick

Now, with the development of the production and design base of manufacturers of scale models, we increasingly have plastic with an excellent degree of parts fit. But there is a small gap when connecting them. And since we have a surface with a carefully designed jointing, we highly undesirable polish it!

And then we do this...

I think I have told you in detail the basic knowledge about puttying prefabricated scale models. If you have any questions - write. In comments. Join our groups on social networks.

And that's all for today. Good luck to you. And great models!

Now, during the assembly to order of the An-12 from Roden, the model has to be puttied a lot, and with putties of various types. Therefore, I decided to write a short review on putties for models.

In the mid-80s - early 90s, when I was engaged in a ship modeling circle, the most popular putty for models was nitro putty of the NC brand, gray. Everything was puttied with it: fiberglass hulls, brazed superstructures and wooden blanks, because there was nothing else in the public domain. Then I began to deal with plastic models and again, during the assembly process, I had to putty them somehow, if anyone knows about NOVO-FROG products and vacuums, he will understand what I'm talking about. In the early 90s, our modellers, with rare exceptions, didn’t even see, didn’t even hear about overseas chemistry for modeling. All available means at hand were put to work. For plastic, they tried the same "NC", but it was not possible to cut seams along it, it crumbled and did not adhere very well to the plastic surface. The most acceptable results were obtained by dissolving the sprue in . Now, with the advent of all kinds of chemistry for models, you need to clearly understand what is what, and how to use it. Putties, conditionally, can be divided into two types.

1) one-component nitro-based
2) two-component epoxy

The first type includes compositions from various model manufacturers: Tamiya, Revell, Humbrol, Italeri. In my opinion, of these, the Tamiya product gives the best results.

It dries fairly quickly and after processing gives a good surface. The stitching cuts well on it. At one time, I tried Humbrol putty, but there were chips when cutting the seams. When working with one-component compositions, I encountered one unpleasant moment: after priming, and then painting the surface with nitro enamels, shrinkage appears. So, when sealing the gap, with one-component Tamiya putty, on the Me-262 model, after painting, a gap appeared as a result of shrinkage. It is possible that this type is designed for white spirit or water based paints. By the way, when communicating with colleagues who also use nitro paints, it was not possible to collect clear statistics. Some had a shrinkage effect, others did not. Quite possibly, this depends on the area to be puttied, the thickness of the layer and the type of thinner used to thin the paint. So, when working, you need to be careful so that after painting there are no unpleasant surprises. It is worth adding that automotive putties can be used as putties for models. Fortunately, there is now a large selection of them, there are also quite good one-component ones. To be honest, I didn’t use these myself, but judging by the reviews of colleagues, some very successfully use this type of automotive chemistry for modeling.

The second type includes two-component putties, consisting of the mass itself and a hardener. The preparation of the working composition occurs by mixing the components in the desired proportion. This must be done very carefully, after reading the instructions. For example, let's take a two-component putty for Tamiya models.

It consists of two identical plates, and is mixed in a 1:1 ratio.

You can mix its components by kneading with your fingers. After that, it turns out such a mass of sand color.

The working mass is quite rigid and applied with spatulas, by smearing it will not work. It is good for her to close up large gaps, you can also sculpt something out of it. This is how the puttied parts of the An-12 engines look like. In the gap, the working composition, it is better to stuff with a spatula dipped in water.

And here, on the model F-86F Saber from Academy, by sculpting, I built up the tail section.

And this is how the installed and fixed stern tubes on the S-100 radio-controlled torpedo boat look like.

As in the case of one-component putties for models, automotive chemicals can also be used here. Good results are obtained when using Body Soft automotive putty.

It also consists of two components and is mixed in a ratio of 1:100 (100 parts of putty are taken for one part of the hardener). Increasing the amount of hardener reduces the curing time. This putty has a strong smell, and it is best to work with it in a well-ventilated area. It is easily applied with a spatula, by smearing. With the help of Body Soft, I closed the weights on the An-12 model.

Separately, it is worth noting home-made putty, based on glue for models and sprues. Today, even with a huge selection of specialized chemistry, I personally did not refuse it. I use it to repair small scratches, chips, and sinkholes. Over the years of using it, I came up with my own recipe. To prepare homemade putty for models, I use: dichloroethane, white polystyrene (cut polystyrene sheets or sprues from Revell ship models), and I use a little talc as a filler so that there are no bubbles.

To do this, you can use ordinary glue for models, for example, from Zvezda, instead of dichloroethane, but I liked working with it more, although this substance is more toxic. It is possible to process the part, depending on the thickness of the layer, in about a day.

In conclusion, I want to say, like everything in modeling, the puttying process is creative and requires experimentation. What and how to use is selected empirically, there are only basic recommendations. There is no one universal putty for models, it is better to use several different types that are most suitable for your tasks and operations.