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[chris gillespie]

Having done my fair share of sanding and filling im wondering what you guys use.

I have used Quick Sand and P38 for larger areas

For a finer finish I use dolphin glaze

Then I will use 3m glazing putty for very small scratches and holes

Dolphin glaze is great on flat surfaces as its quite self leveling, really nice to sand and work with ( not good at vertical or sloped areas )

The 3m glazing putty is excellent in many ways, as it goes really thin and feathers great, however its drawback is maybe it goes too thin, not good for minor scratches or holes as it sinks

Is there a product that is easily workable like 3m that feathers well, but a bit stodgier as it can take out minor blemishes....

I noticed Stavros recommending easylite is that more like the quicksand p38, or is it perhaps closer to dolphin glaze ?

[Subculture]

I use Upol fantastic, and have used easy lite in the past. Easy lite is thicker than dolphin glaze, but easier to sand than P38. Fantastic comes in a bag, so stays fresher than the tinned products.
 
I sometimes mix Dolphin glaze with fantastic to provide a slightly runnier main filler, which works well. i use 3M acryl red for pin holes and minor sanding scuff marks before priming.
 
So a similar process to you.
 
I've seen this stuff, which the seller reckons is much better than Dolphin glaze for stopping, but haven't tried it yet.
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Finish-Flag-Finishing-Glaze-NOT-DOLPHIN-GLAZE-FF3-SELF-LEVELING-PUTTY-FREE-POST-/331337662486?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4d25438016

[chris gillespie]

Now then.... that stuff looks real interesting Subculture, I will need to buy some ( as im the experimenting type guy )
It sounds exactly what im looking for a middle ground type stuff, of course I will need to try fantastic aswell.

 

ive used some knifing putty from Halfords before, it flatters to deceive it acts like the missing link, but I found it crap to sand and make a neat finish with, it has the stogyness but not the feather finnish.

I ran out of 3m and guy in my local shop didn't have any....he said the closest he had was carplan fine surface filler, I tried it, a little bit worried its like the knifing putty...ill maybe find out tomorrow...3m is ordered anyway...I think I will panic in future if im doiwn to half a tube 

[Subculture]

3m acryl red is easy to find on ebay.
 
Well, I hope you can give some feedback on Finish flag glazing putty, if you get some.

[chris gillespie]

I have ordered the other 2 waiting for delivery.

I want to comment on the carplan fine surface filler....it is pretty reasonable and at £ 4.99 a tin, good value, it sands well ...goes off quite quickly....not as good as 3m for feathering, but ive seen worse. It fills deeper holes pretty good.

[Brian60]

I'm a bit late to this but I'd be interested to know what you guys use for deeper gouges/build up. I currently use P38 for its build up quality, ie gob a load on let it set and then sand to the shape you need.

For a finer quality product I use Squadron green or white putty's, these are great for this sort of thing as they are aimed at the plastic kit modellers where detail is paramount. They are cellulose based and go on very thinly and feather nicely, even feathering from spreading alone without sanding. The drawback is they will not set up if applied in thick layers.  However for the amount you get in a tube they are not cost worthy- a 65gram tube is close on £5.

So to sum up, what's a decent replacement for the P38 and a cheaper equivelent to the Squadron products? I'm in need of a new tin of P38 in the next week or two so I may as well try a new product.

[Mark T]

UPOL easy lite all the way for me - great stuff and sands down very easily. 

[chris gillespie]

Brian

I would think 3m glazing putty is what you would be looking for, it sticks and welds to styrene/plastic , it is just £ 12 for a large tube 409 grams or so...it cleans up with acetone....I to doesn't like to be put on thick

The car plan fine surface filler....allows you to fill thicker than the 3m, still not really thick.... dolphin glaze allows you to go thicker again, but is self leveling...then for very large areas you are better with an easy sandable filler, then slowly going up through the finer products...towards the finished look....

[Subculture]

I also mix dolphin glaze with fantastic or easy lite to create an 'inbetween' mix of filler, and that works very well for me.

[chris gillespie]

* My comment about 3m...is a better value and an alternative to squadron putty.....incase you were thinking it was for deep holes....

It didn't seem to be clear on a read back

 

[Subculture]

How are you getting on with the finish flag ff3?

[chris gillespie]

I have it here........waiting for an opportunity 

The bag it comes in seems very liquidy not much stodginess to it

but we will see, I will comment when I have a shot

 

[Brian60]

* My comment about 3m...is a better value and an alternative to squadron putty.....incase you were thinking it was for deep holes....

It didn't seem to be clear on a read back

 

3m would be a damn big hole to fill

[Stavros]

Ive kept out of this thread for various reasons but I will NOW give my advise after 25yrs in the body trade.
 
Products have come and gone like the wind....gone are your fine scratch stoppers..........99% of the trade WILL NOT use these anymore due to the need for speed so to speak,due to the long cure time of a single pack product which is reliant on air drying and not chemical........
 
Need for speed ???? YES most definatly...........single pack stoppers such as Dolphin Glaze,3m Acryl red,Squadron Putty are very much OLD hat and have a NASTY habit of shrinking,not only do they do this but by their nature and constitution can be attacked by the thinners in the aerosols and THIS will cause the shrinkage.
 
Even for fine scratches and even fairly deep filling and lets face it,it is Model Boats we are talking about here not your average car dent,there are 2 products that I have personally used in my garage for well over10 yrs now and that is TOP STOP and EASY LIGHT....to be perfectly honest with you I can find NO difference at all in either product.......maybee I am Biased here when I say I prefer Easy Light.
 
Reasons for using this product......ask ANYONE who has used it ........it is SO SO EASY to rub down....doesnt give you pin holing at all.......doesnt crack ....doesnt shrink............Everyone raves about Isopon P38 car filler.....using it first then using Squadron putty etc afetwards.....WHY bother when 1 product does the lot for you.
 
This product will do Every job on a model that you need from Wood/GRP /Plastic/Abs Hulls it is fine enough to do the job and the MAIN advantage is ........ it will Dry hard in less than 10 mins...unless of course you have mixed it wrong.......and you can simply rub it down straight away........This product can ALSO be used straight on top of original paint and will rub down smooth and not show up by causing a ring effect around the blemish.
 
The ONLY thing this product does not like is to be rubbed down with wet/dry used wet....Mind you NO filler should be rubbed down wet anyway as it absorbs water...........Filler work has changed so much in the last number of years it is about time WE in the model world caught up with progress......Fillers these days are designed with the need for speed and ease of use,fillers should ALLWAYS be rubbed down Dry and then overcoated with a primer filler and then YET AGAIN rubbed down dry....it is only the FINAL colour coat that is rubbed down Wet to get rid of any blemishes prior to buffing.
 
It would really shock me to walk into a body shop that these days rubbed any filler down wet.
 
End of SERMON
 
 
Dave

[Rottweiler]

Dave cant find easy light,but can find Easy One,is this the same stuff,or could you give us a pointer please? Easy 1 varies between 46 quid and 114 quid for 3.5 ltr drum?
Cheers Mate
Mick F

[Subculture]

Dolphin Glaze is a catylised filler.

I have used Easy lite (sic) amongst other fillers. I use fantastic now, which is basically the same as easy lite in consistency and use, but is available in a bag rather than a tin. This keeps it fresh as a daisy, handy for model use where you use smalller quantities over a longer period of time.

However no matter how carefully I apply it, I always end up with a few areas that need a very tiny amount of stopper afterwards. Perhaps in the automotive trade the thick filler primers do a good job of filling those areas in, but with thinner paints used for models, the defects show up.

Therefore I like to use a second product to correct those areas. Dolphin glaze is okay, but tends to be harder to sand than is ideal for a correction putty. Really what I'm after is a two part equivalent of the 3m acryl red.

Having said that acryl red works pretty well for very fine filling, and a tube lasts a very long time.

[Stavros]

Mick Easy light available in halfords or even ebay...if you cant get it top stop just as good



Dave

[Stavros]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/U-pol-TOP-STOP-GOLD-Extra-Smooth-Stopper-1-1L-UPOL-/130495318159
 
 
Just as good as easylight....used it dammed good stuff
 
Dave

[Rottweiler]

Thanks Dave, that page gave you a choice of other suppliers,one of which was cheaper so have ordered from them!
Mick F

[chris gillespie]

I tried the finish flag

It is pretty nice to work with in all honesty.

 

[Subculture]

How did it compare with dolphin glaze. Easier to sand?

[CaptTex]

I've found squadron green works well, the key to thick layers brian56 is appliying in tight layers where you apply pressure and feather as necessary and then giving it ample time to set up (a guessing game considering room temp). Then you sand and you're ready to rock and roll, on some parts of you catch it at the right time, you can cut and mold into what is necessary. My two bits 




Tex