Filling molded in sidemarkers

[gtx6970]

Current build i need to fill the side markers.

 

Is the liquid zap gap filler ok.

 

I've never used the stuff before

Is it kinda like thick superglue?

[sidcharles]

are the holes/ depressions deep enough for a piece of styrene to be glued? i think the least amount of filler you use, the less chance of the fill telegraphing through your finished paint job.

is the shape a hole? stretched tree sprue could work with perhaps no filler.

 

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

27 minutes ago, sidcharles said:

are the holes/ depressions deep enough for a piece of styrene to be glued? i think the least amount of filler you use, the less chance of the fill telegraphing through your finished paint job.

is the shape a hole? stretched tree sprue could work with perhaps no filler.

 

 

I agree!

Fill them with styrene if at all possible!

 

 

Steve

[gtx6970]

Rectangular 

But not very deep by any means 

[Mark]

Grind away detail, rout out the area, fill with epoxy putty.  Done.

[gtx6970]

54 minutes ago, Mark said:

Grind away detail, rout out the area, fill with epoxy putty.  Done.

Epoxy putty???

 

 

[Fat Brian]

If anything I would cut a small piece of plastic where the lens is to fill the deepest spot so it won't be just a big fill of putty.

[Mark]

Milliput white (not the dark green sold at Hobby Lobby, that's the "coarse" variety),  Magic Sculpt, there are others.  These sand and work about the same as the surrounding styrene.

Too, the routed out areas aren't too big a job for two-part spot putty.

[sidcharles]

for something as small & shallow as the example you posted, i think the main caution is the thickness (thinness really) of the repair. Mark's advice to make the depression deeper and a bit irregular is a good call.

not probably the answer you wanted, and your first inclination might be spot on since the depression is so thin and relatively small in area. it's a bit of a dance to have it thick enough the patching material won't crack or crumble,

and thin enough you don't spend your summer vacation adding layers upon layers to build the patch up to the surrounding surface (or a little higher and then file/ sand down to blend).

another good materials (2) for thin imperfections is #a. Mr Surfacer   What is Mr Surfacer? - Modelling Tips - Britmodeller.com   and Bob Smith Industries IC 2000   Premium Adhesive for Hobby, Hardware and Recreation

both of these take a while to cure, but they are "hot" meaning they will soften the material to which they are applied. figure on overnight drying time. both will sand when fully cured.

Milliput - The epoxy putty with a thousand uses in modelling, DIY and industry

Green Stuff - Original Kneadatite Putty - GSW

The 5 Best Epoxy Modeling Putties For Wargamers - Terrain Wizard

[Mark]

I did this Dodge Coronet body with two-part spot putty and not epoxy putty, which would probably be my first choice were I to do this again.  I might just do this again with a convertible.

This is a Polar Lights '65 body, which has some proportion issues.  It's not tall enough below the belt line, and the wheel openings are too big which accentuates the "not tall enough" problem.  All that, and I moved the wheel openings and reworked the beltline too. 

This was done long before the Moebius altered wheelbase Dodge was a reality.

[Bills72sj]

Make sprue goo. A small amount of MEK in a tin. Feed thin sprue rods until it is gooey. Fill in the whole area, one at a time, while horizontal. Sand flat after it cures. Since it is styrene it will sand just like styrene AND will not shrink back over time like putty can.

[peteski]

26 minutes ago, Bills72sj said:

Make sprue goo. A small amount of MEK in a tin. Feed thin sprue rods until it is gooey. Fill in the whole area, one at a time, while horizontal. Sand flat after it cures. Since it is styrene it will sand just like styrene AND will not shrink back over time like putty can.

In my experience that GOO does shrink. why?  Because the added solvent volume while making the GOO evaporates when styrene to get back into solid state (it doesn't cure - it dries). Since the liquid solvent has volume, when it evaporates it leaves the GOO, causing it to shrink.  It might not be much shrinkage, but I guarantee it will shrink.  That's the scientific explanation. The other problem is that it can take long time (like days, weeks or longer) for all the solvent to evaporate. Again that depends on the thickness of the GOOey repair.

I have tried the GOO method and I was not happy with the results. I figured out the reason for shrinkage (same as with any 1-part solvent-based putties), and I never used it again. YMMV.

[gtx6970]

Thanks all. I used super glue and filled the small holes where the fender scoops are supposed to go , and it worked well 

So was wondering about this Zap - Gap stuff to fill slightly larger areas 

[Mark]

I used to be big on the "goo", but have since switched to epoxy putty.  The goo takes forever to fully evaporate and "shrink out".  Why wait?  Two-part spot putty or epoxy putty cures chemically instead of through evaporation, way faster.

[sidcharles]

anybody consider UV Resin for something like this?  seems more people are using it for adhesive. is it any better, or just the new kid onna block?

 

thx

[NOBLNG]

Milliput Fine White would be my first choice. The CA superglue will likely also work, but might not sand as easily like the Milliput.

[Mark]

I don't trust that UV resin yet.  Certainly not for filling something like this.

[peteski]

1 hour ago, sidcharles said:

anybody consider UV Resin for something like this?  seems more people are using it for adhesive. is it any better, or just the new kid onna block?

 

thx

UV resin in my experience doesn't  bond well to styrene (or to any other hard smooth surface). I would be afraid it could pop out sometime in the future.  It is also not as hard as styrene.  I never used it as adhesive (unless I wanted a temporary bond).

[sidcharles]

8 hours ago, gtx6970 said:

Thanks all. I used super glue and filled the small holes where the fender scoops are supposed to go , and it worked well 

So was wondering about this Zap - Gap stuff to fill slightly larger areas 

three years ago the gutters were replaced on the house (fir & very old) with fiberglass gutters. the joints needed glass & resin, but at installation a temporary adhesive was used to keep the installers ahead of the glassers. in reality, it was the same guys, but it was an "order of operation" thing. in any event, they used this product:  FastCap CA Super Glue Pack - 2P-10 Medium Viscosity (2.25oz) & Activator (10oz) - Ultimate Bonding Solution for Wood, Metal, Glass & More - Industrial Grade Adhesive for Professional & DIY Projects: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

after the first winter, there were some obvious areas which needed attention. since the ink on the check had dried, the lifelong guarantee followed suit and the gutter guys were no where to be found. so the painter & myself tacked the trouble spots.

had to tell that story so i could tell this one:  the stuff, used in conjunction with the spray accelerator, really did work filling gaps in excess of 1/8". really wide openings, stuff three floors up & unseen from the ground, benefitted by two or three applications (building on itself), but it was a good product (just poor initial application). the surface needed to be cleaned with acetone. the hardened glue surface was coarse after sanding with #80 grit abrasive to shape & remove excess, but why wouldn't it be.

things held together until we got around to resin & epoxy final coating (inside gutters & ideal weather conditions)

that might be an option. adhesive is less expensive that hobby product/ activator requires monthly payment plan.

[peteski]

Here I have another pointer:  When using CA glue and activator/accelerator as a filler on plastic surfaces which will have to be sanded smooth, do the sanding within few hours of the CA setting up. At that point it is solid enough, but not fully hardened. When CA (basically type of acrylic) is fully cured, after about 24 hours, it becomes harder than polystyrene most plastic kits are molded from, so when sanding you can likely end up sanding the surrounding plastic lower than the hard CA spot.

[gtx6970]

Thanks all for the ideas.

 

I went with super glue, just took several fill and sand attempts

 

But they are gone 

[peteski]

Looks Good Bill!  The only possible worry left would be about ghosting in the paint coat.

[gtx6970]

1 hour ago, peteski said:

Looks Good Bill!  The only possible worry left would be about ghosting in the paint coat.

Ill lay some primer / sealer on it this weekend 

 

Fingers crossed.all goes well