Squadron Putty Formula Change?

[crowe-t]

I recently bought some Squadron White Putty and it's not the same as it's always been.  It's now almost like a glue consistency.  It seems like they changed the formula.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Is Tamiya putty like Squadron(how it used to be)?

[High octane]

Hmmm, I haven't used Squadron putty for awhile and don't think that I have anymore in my workshop. I've been using Bondo Professional Glazing & Spot Putty the last few years for all my work and it seems to work good for my use.

[martinfan5]

16 minutes ago, crowe-t said:

Is Tamiya putty like Squadron(how it used to be)?

Its close.

Edited September 10, 2019 by martinfan5

[Ace-Garageguy]

Last Squadron Green I bought was the same as always...kinda thick, a little on the grainy side.

I recently tried Tamiya White, and it's the cat's a...whiskers. Smooth, spreads like butter, dries hard enough and sticks well enough to even tune up panel edges.

I'll never go back to Squadron.

PS: I still use Bondo Professional Glazing & Spot Putty (2-part polyester) for heavy fills and sculpting custom stuff, but the Tamiya works great for very small flaws.

[ChrisBcritter]

One thing about Tamiya putty: I have to shake the tube before I use it because it separates a bit and can come out runny. Have you tried shaking the Squadron tube to make it consistent?

[64SS350]

I had a tube of Squadron once that seperated or never mixed properly to begin with. I had to through it out.

The Tamiya is nice, but in any kind of larger areas or in needs of any thickness, it shrinks alot....In my experience.

Also use the spot putty for small areas, even used light Bondo for heavier sculpting.

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 minute ago, 64SS350 said:

...even used light Bondo for heavier sculpting.

Yup. All the "bondo" polyester-filler products are chemically identical. I used to prefer USC Icing (real-car spot putty), as it's finer-grained than regular polyester body filler, and I usually had some in stock for real-car work. I'm not doing much real-car bodywork these days, and the big real-car tubes dry out before I use them up on models.

Hence, using the small-tube Bondo "Professional" 2-part glazing putty. Nice thing about that is it's in a metal tube, and doesn't dry out like the plastic-tube stuff can. The tube is actually fairly rigid, so if you don't mash it, you can stir it (when it inevitably separates) with a piece of 1/8" welding rod, or something similar.

[Yahshu]

I've just started using Tamiya putty as I can't get Squadrons anymore. I've found tamiya shrinks a little more than i like requiring 2-3 coats sometimes.

[Fat Brian]

I noticed the same thing with Squadron white, the most recent batch is too wet and dries much harder that it used too. I tried mixing the tube with a bamboo skewer but it didn't get much better.

[Tom Geiger]

Yes. The last tube of Squadron white I had separated into white stuff and clear brownish stuff.

[crowe-t]

That is exactly what I experienced.  The tube they replaced was separated into white stuff and brownish stuff.  Squadron white putty was great stuff.  I can't understand why they changed it.  

[Ace-Garageguy]

18 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

Yes. The last tube of Squadron white I had separated into white stuff and clear brownish stuff.

 

16 minutes ago, crowe-t said:

... Squadron white putty was great stuff.  I can't understand why they changed it.  

Probably because the offshore supplier figured they could make more money by packaging bird poo than making the product to actual spec. Kinda happens a lot these days.

[STYRENE-SURFER]

Have tried using professional bondo type fillers but they tend to sort of roll off (not stick) when trying to feather things out.

I'm sure I'm doing something wrong. 

 

[crowe-t]

I'm going to give Tamiya putty a try and see if I like it.

[ZTony8]

Tamiya putty is the best. No comparison.

[Ace-Garageguy]

13 minutes ago, STYRENE-SURFER said:

Have tried using professional bondo type fillers but they tend to sort of roll off (not stick) when trying to feather things out.

I'm sure I'm doing something wrong.

You'll get the hang of it. There is definitely a learning curve, but here are a couple of things to remember:

1) Whatever you're trying to stick it to needs to be clean, and sanded thoroughly, so that no shiny spots remain. For the 2-part putties, I like a 180-grit sanded surface for best adhesion on models. And very often, adhesion to primer isn't very good.

2) There is most definitely a sweet-spot for mixing, and thorough mixing is very important. This can be a pain in hot weather, as the stuff starts to kick pretty fast, and you literally have only a couple of minutes to spread it.

3) Once it's started to kick, stop trying to spread it any more. It won't stick properly.

4) Even though it starts to kick pretty quick, it can take 20 minutes to an hour before it's ready to sand. It's kinda counter-intuitive, but the stuff sticks better the longer you leave it alone. It's tempting to start shaping when it's still a little soft, but that will invariably pull up edges rather than allow a nice feather. I sometimes get in a hurry to this day, though I have a pretty good idea of what I can get away with. Every now and then, I'll still pull up an edge because I started shaping too soon.

5) If you buy the Bondo "professional" in the metal tube, don't squeeze the tube. Because the stuff separates while it's on the shelf, if you squeeze the tube, you'll probably get some runny resin and some dryer inert filler on your mixing board, instead of a nice creamy gray mass. The best way to remix it is with a piece of 1/8 welding rod, or a bamboo skewer, etc. Just stick it down in the tube and pump up and down. After a few strokes, it will be a nice consistent color again, with the liquid back in suspension.

6) The catalyst will separate too. Best way to fix it is to carefully remove the cap (with the opening up), gently squeeze the air out, put the cap back on tightly, and then gently knead the tube for a few minutes.

7) Instead of squeezing the putty tube to get material out, I have come to prefer something like a wooden coffee stir-stick to dip a little out, and scrape it off on a mixing board. Keep a place to lay the gooey stick so you don't get it all over your fingers and everywhere else.

8) The same method works best with the catalyst too. For that, a metal axle or a piece of 1/16" brass stock works well. DO NOT get your sticks mixed up. Just a little catalyst in the resin tube can ruin the whole batch.

9) You want your mixed material to be a medium pink. Dark pink has too much catalyst and may stay rubbery, and peel up instead of feathering. Too far towards the gray side, the stuff may just never cure at all.

10) Experiment until you can get a good mix every time, and make sure it feathers...BEFORE you try to use it on a model.

11) For mixing and spreading, small paddles or spatulas made from .020" -.040" styrene work well. You can cut different widths and even shapes; for instance if you're doing the curved top of a fender, you can cut the curve you want to achieve into the spreader.

12) If you don't want to waste good styrene stock, I've found these plastic bread ties work very well, are easily trimmed, and can be scraped clean and used several times. And if they come on the bread you like, they're free.

                                                              

This may all seem like it's a real PITA, but after working with the stuff a few times, it will seem easy, and eventually become second nature. And there's no limit to the kind of custom stuff you can do with it. 

 

 

 

[Brutalform]

On 9/10/2019 at 12:56 AM, 64SS350 said:

I had a tube of Squadron once that seperated or never mixed properly to begin with. I had to through it out.

The Tamiya is nice, but in any kind of larger areas or in needs of any thickness, it shrinks alot....In my experience.

Also use the spot putty for small areas, even used light Bondo for heavier sculpting.

Yep. I threw mine out too. Every time I tried to use it, the clear liquid comes out, and the putty stays in the tube. Ive tried massaging the closed tube with my fingers to no avail. 

I had a tube years ago, that worked like a charm. This newer tube was garbage imo. 

[STYRENE-SURFER]

On 9/10/2019 at 8:52 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

You'll get the hang of it. There is definitely a learning curve, but here are a couple of things to remember:

Great information Ace.

Thank you for posting those tips. 

Tamiya putty is great stuff, I did order some of there 2 part polyester filler from Japan a coulpe of years ago.

It showed up a month or so later an was like dried up concrete in a tube?.

[DoctorLarry]

I talked t my guy at the hobby shop I g to. He said the old Squadron, which was pasty and kind of grainy, had issues with it drying up in the tubes and becoming hard to get out before the tube was empty and they had a lot of complaints. So the new stuff is rather runny and like was said, does dry pretty hard. I like it because it is the same color as amber resin bodies so I use it to fill pinholes and it disappears.  For larger fills on resin bodies, I mix my own by using thick super glue mixed with talcum powder. It sticks great to resin and sands surprisingly easy. I use Tamiya white after that because it sands smooth followed by auto spot putty to fix the small imperfections.

[Tom Geiger]

I gave up on Squadron white putty after my last new tube did what we all said above..  now I use the Bondo one part red glazing putty. Spreads well and sands easy 

[Snake45]

11 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

I gave up on Squadron white putty after my last new tube did what we all said above..  now I use the Bondo one part red glazing putty. Spreads well and sands easy 

What he said. 

[OldNYJim]

1 hour ago, Tom Geiger said:

I gave up on Squadron white putty after my last new tube did what we all said above..  now I use the Bondo one part red glazing putty. Spreads well and sands easy 

 

1 hour ago, Snake45 said:

What he said. 

Me too!  For 'light' jobs anyway.  I figure if the gap I'm filling is big enough to put some styrene in it (be it rod, a little piece of sheet, whatever) I'll do that, and then use this stuff just to blend it all together.

Our local Menards had it for $2 a tube, so I grabbed a few...