Tamyia Putty Problem

[Mike Stem]

I used Tamiya Putty both white & gray on a Kyle Petty Mello Yello kit. It looked smoth as glass until I primed car. I used Tamiya white primer & it was full of pinholes as soon as paint hit the puttied area. Anyone have any idea what's going on & how can I fix it?

[Plowboy]

Can you post a photo? It would help us to help you. I've never had that issue. It kinda seems like some sort of contaminate.

[yh70]

best way to fix it is trash the putty. i tried it years ago but never liked it.. get you some of this you will be glad you did.. Bondo Glazing & Spot Putty... you can get it from just about anywhere..i get mine at Walmart.. dries fast sands easy..

[Bainford]

I have had a similar issue with Tamiya putty, though always when filling a series if fine grooves in body work. It would probably be the case regardless of what putty I used. Recently I filled the fine, molded vents in a Pantera hood, and as I swiped the putty over the vent fins, I entrapped a pocket of air at the bottom of each groove between fins. A more careful application of putty would have helped. When I sanded back the putty, I exposed these air pockets. I seemed to chase those air pockets forever, through several applications of putty. More air would get trapped in the pockets, and I just couldn't seem to work it out. Eventually I did with a couple applications of Gunze Mr Surfacer, which, being liquid, flows into the pockets and displaces the air. 

In fact, any time I use putty and sand it smooth, I always follow up with an application of Mr Surfacer. Being very fine grained, it sands much smoother than any putty I have used, and is far superior at feathering out, and creates an all-round better finish.

[ZTony8]

I must be an outlier. I've not had any problems with Tamiya putty. Fills well, sands out great, and have not had coverage problems.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Just a thought...always try to get your putty, especially one-part lacquer putty, applied in one continuous pass without going over it again.

The one-part stuff surface-flashes quickly, and going over a pass with the spreader again is a good way to work dried material, and air-bubbles, into your filler.

It's also preferable to use a two-part catalyzed filler if you're doing any fills thicker than about 1/32 of an inch.

[1972coronet]

I've had the best results with both their grey and white fillers when applied over primer. 

[vintagerpm]

One of the reasons we prime is to find issues such as this. It can be easier to see flaws in primer than the base materials. It is not unusual to putty, sand, prime, re-putty, re-sand, then re-prime. Nature of the game.