filling tips

[stevez]

I've filled hood ornament ( 53 Lindberg Ford), and rear signal lite openings with evergreen styrene, sanded, filled with Tamiya putty, and primed. I can still see the outline of the area. Any tips for eliminating this?

[Foxer]

Do be careful sanding smooth to the adjoining plastic areas, especially if the hole is on a curve. Use sanding sticks or a block to keep sandpaper flat. Some recommend grinding out the hole larger and deeper to minimize ghosting but this sounds like it should not be a problem in this case. I would also think the Tamiya putty would not be a problem shrinkage wise with a small hole, and you even styrene filled it to further minimize shrinkage. Be sure to use progressively finer grades of sandpaper to smooth the area before painting. It's also possible the outline could be filled with the primer if you used sandable auto putty. This will take care of fine scratches and such.

[FujimiLover]

Gap-Filling CA-glue works well. But be easy, it is thin and can go where you dont' want to. But once it drys, you can sand it down for painting and it will fill in nicely any crack.

They do have special applicaters for the CA-glue bottles which will pin-point apply the glue right where you want it. I suggest investing in that when you get your glue. Remember, gap-filling CA glue. It sais' so right on the bottle.

[935k3]

Try some of this stuff brushed over puttied areas after drying and sanding it seals the edges very good. It comes in White(new) or Grey. Also if the line around the area shows up on the primer coat spray some primer in the lid let it evaporate for a few minutes and brush some primer over the area to fill in. A good primer will blend to together when sanded.

Edited April 28, 2009 by 935k3

[Zoom Zoom]

Try some of this stuff brushed over puttied areas after drying and sanding it seals the edges very good. It comes in White(new) or Grey. Also if the line around the area shows up on the primer coat spray some primer in the lid let it evaporate for a few minutes and brush some primer over the area to fill in. A good primer will blend to together when sanded.

That stuff is evil if you use a dehydrator and don't want to spend weeks/months on a project. I had a custom Ferrari I was working on, and instead of continually spraying primer over the whole car, I was dabbing it on areas that I was working (mostly the hood) before an overall priming job. I'd get to spray painting color, throw the car in the dehydrator, and blisters/pimples would appear. I nearly went mad, it kept happening over and over. It had never happened before on any other project. I eventually overcame the problem, not knowing what was causing the problem. The problem never occurred in the primer stage, always in the color stage.

A second model I was working on shortly thereafter, a vintage Revell Porsche 914, I molded in the windshield frame to the body. I brushed this stuff on just the area I was working on around the windshield frame. The paint blistered again only where I had brushed the Tamiya surface primer. It dawned on me that it was this stuff that I previously thought I loved. I guess it's okay if you like to wait for primer/bodywork and paint to dry the old-fashioned way. It does evil stuff if put in a dehydrator with a layer of solid color over it (doesn't happen w/primers, which are porous). Lesson learned...

As for the original post, primer can cause ghosting. If it's sanded smooth after the primer is dry, and it recurs upon subsequent layers of primer, a sealer will have to be used.

[935k3]

That stuff is evil if you use a dehydrator and don't want to spend weeks/months on a project. I had a custom Ferrari I was working on, and instead of continually spraying primer over the whole car, I was dabbing it on areas that I was working (mostly the hood) before an overall priming job. I'd get to spray painting color, throw the car in the dehydrator, and blisters/pimples would appear. I nearly went mad, it kept happening over and over. It had never happened before on any other project. I eventually overcame the problem, not knowing what was causing the problem. The problem never occurred in the primer stage, always in the color stage.

A second model I was working on shortly thereafter, a vintage Revell Porsche 914, I molded in the windshield frame to the body. I brushed this stuff on just the area I was working on around the windshield frame. The paint blistered again only where I had brushed the Tamiya surface primer. It dawned on me that it was this stuff that I previously thought I loved. I guess it's okay if you like to wait for primer/bodywork and paint to dry the old-fashioned way. It does evil stuff if put in a dehydrator with a layer of solid color over it (doesn't happen w/primers, which are porous). Lesson learned...

As for the original post, primer can cause ghosting. If it's sanded smooth after the primer is dry, and it recurs upon subsequent layers of primer, a sealer will have to be used.

Come to think of it I have had some of those problems, I thought it was holes or cavities in the plastic. It did only happen in the dehydrator and mine alwasy showed up in the primer.

[MrObsessive]

I've used a heavy dose of Future Floor Wax to barrier against that sort of thing.

Now some poo-poo Future, but I've been doing this for years and y'all know my builds by now.

For those of you unfamiliar with Future and it's many uses......just click here for some great tips.

[Zoom Zoom]

Come to think of it I have had some of those problems, I thought it was holes or cavities in the plastic. It did only happen in the dehydrator and mine alwasy showed up in the primer.

I also thought it was something in or under my bodywork...it was, it was that brush-on primer! I use Plastikote and Tamiya spray primers, what primer were you using? If it's a different brand of primer, it might be less porous than the ones I use and seals the Tamiya brush primer well enough that you got the blisters/pimples in the primer.

Having it never happen before, and then twice in a row on a pair of projects, and never since...sure wish I'd have figured it out sooner! Not sure if I ever tried thinning it and running it through the airbrush to see if it happens in that case.

What is bizarre is the parts I brushed the primer on spent time in the dehydrator long before paint. One would think the solvents would have completely outgassed by the time it was coated w/paint.

Edited April 28, 2009 by Zoom Zoom

[935k3]

Bob,

I use primarily Plastikote and Krylon, it has happened with both.

[Guest Davkin]

I've used a heavy dose of Future Floor Wax to barrier against that sort of thing.

Can you spray laquers over Future though?

David

[MrObsessive]

Can you spray laquers over Future though?

David

Yes.

[Guest Davkin]

How much time do you give the Future to cure before you spray laquer over it?

David

[MrObsessive]

I might let it sit overnight to make sure it's rock hard before spraying. Future is also good to put over bodywork that may involve superglue as superglue doesn't always react well with certain paints.

Alclad comes to mind in that regard.

The Ferrari you see in my signature was airbrushed with Future before primer and paint because I used superglue as a filler in certain areas. Granted the color coat is acrylic enamel (Krylon) but the primer IIRC, was lacquer based.

Also check here for pics of my '05 'Vette buildup. Because of the soft plastic Revell used in this kit, I also coated the body with Future. While the primer was a acrylic enamel base (I think) the top coat was definitely lacquer as it dried almost instantly.