Body filler question

[CEKPETHO BCE]

Hello. I'm relatively new to this hobby and i'm wondering if anyone can school me on body fillers.

I'm thinking of getting some putty thing and i need to know what to look for and how does it look. Maybe someone has pictures of what they use.

I would also like to see if anyone has a guide about how to use it.

Thank you.

[Harry P.]

There's one basic thing to remember:

ALL "one part" putties–those that you squeeze out of a tube without mixing with anything else–dry via evaporation, same as how paint dries. In other words, part of the putty (the solvent) evaporates and leaves the hardened putty behind.

Two problems with that:

1. Since a portion of the volume of the applied putty (the solvent) actually disappears as the putty hardens, there will be shrinkage. Sometimes the shrinkage doesn't appear until well after you've painted and finished the model. Of course, by then it's too late to fix the problem.

2. Sometimes you think the putty is dry and you go on with your work, but since the putty is drying via evaporation from the outside in, it may actually still be somewhat soft beneath the "hard" surface.

Because of those problems, you're much better off using "two part" putties... the kind where you have to mix the resin (the "putty" part) with hardener. These types of putties come in separate containers (the resin and the hardener). They don't "dry," they harden via a chemical reaction between the resin and the hardener, like epoxy does. They don't rely on evaporation to harden, so they don't shrink. And because they "set" chemically instead of hardening by evaporation, once the chemical reaction has taken place, they are SET. No shrinking over time.

For all around general modeling I think your best bet is Bondo "Professional" glazing putty. It's cheap, available at any auto parts store or even Walmart, and it's easy to use. But you have to be careful because Bondo also sells a one-part glazing putty that comes in a tube that looks almost identical to their two-part "Professional" stuff. You want the stuff labeled "Professional," that's the two- part kind.

[Longbox55]

X2 on the Bondo Professional putty.