DIY putty for filling seams

[Lepper]

Long-time lurker, first-time poster.

While searching for a readily available (read: from Canadian Tire) putty/epoxy that works with styrene, I came across an astonishing suggestion: melt styrofoam in acetone. I hadn't realized it before, but styrofoam is just and expanded version of the stryrene plastic we're all so familiar with. So, the process, such as it is, is identical to this video from ModelManTom:
ToolTip: Melting Styrene 1

I'd just bought some new furniture, which was conveniently packed in blocks of styrofoam, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Unlike in ModelManTom's video, you don't have to wait 24h; the styrofoam melts almost immediately to produce the snot-like "putty" shown. It spreads pretty easily, too. Quick tip: the thinner you spread it, the faster it drys. Because it's exactly the same stuff as in your model, it sands exactly the same. Consequently, even severe sinks or cracks can be filled and sanded very smooth.

Give it a try!

 

[shepherd]

Thanks for sharing.
Definitely some really cool uses for this!

 

[Joem423]

Really great tip and technique, thank you.

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Another, similar technique is to take a bottle of liquid cement. Testors, Tamiya, etc, etc., and then take your left over sprue trees, cut them up and put them in the bottle with the glue. The glue melts the styrene, and you basically end up with liquid plastic that you can pack into seams, sand smooth, looks like plastic, because it is.

 

[Junkie]

I've done it that way before - sprue and glue - but this makes total sense...styrofoam.

Great tip. Gonna have to try that sometime.

And welcome to SMA Lepper, thanks for coming out of the shadows.

 

[ScaleModelMadman]

^ Exactly.

STYRofoam is just another form of polystyrene, so it's the same exact material as sprues but works much faster since it is expanded (not extruded ) polystyrene.

Nice tip, thanks for sharing the video.

 

[Glorfindel]

Definitely need to remember that tip. Only caution with the Styrofoam is that I think primers will melt it. I used to fix small plastic parts to tooth picks then push the ends in to Styrofoam to hold the pieces in place. I would then spray primer out of the rattle can on to the parts but always noticed that the surrounding Styrofoam would dissolve in contact with primer. Could be the brand of primer I was using too.

 

[GaryG64]

Long-time lurker, first-time poster.

While searching for a readily available (read: from Canadian Tire) putty/epoxy that works with styrene, I came across an astonishing suggestion: melt styrofoam in acetone. I hadn't realized it before, but styrofoam is just and expanded version of the stryrene plastic we're all so familiar with. So, the process, such as it is, is identical to this video from ModelManTom:
ToolTip: Melting Styrene 1

I'd just bought some new furniture, which was conveniently packed in blocks of styrofoam, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Unlike in ModelManTom's video, you don't have to wait 24h; the styrofoam melts almost immediately to produce the snot-like "putty" shown. It spreads pretty easily, too. Quick tip: the thinner you spread it, the faster it drys. Because it's exactly the same stuff as in your model, it sands exactly the same. Consequently, even severe sinks or cracks can be filled and sanded very smooth.

Give it a try!

That's a good idea. I drop spure bits into and old bottle of Tamiya extra thin and made "Sprue-goo". I used it to fix a gap, or try to.it worked in a pinch. I ended up finishing out with so putty.

 

[CY343491]

Long-time lurker, first-time poster.

While searching for a readily available (read: from Canadian Tire) putty/epoxy that works with styrene, I came across an astonishing suggestion: melt styrofoam in acetone. I hadn't realized it before, but styrofoam is just and expanded version of the stryrene plastic we're all so familiar with. So, the process, such as it is, is identical to this video from ModelManTom:
ToolTip: Melting Styrene 1

I'd just bought some new furniture, which was conveniently packed in blocks of styrofoam, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Unlike in ModelManTom's video, you don't have to wait 24h; the styrofoam melts almost immediately to produce the snot-like "putty" shown. It spreads pretty easily, too. Quick tip: the thinner you spread it, the faster it drys. Because it's exactly the same stuff as in your model, it sands exactly the same. Consequently, even severe sinks or cracks can be filled and sanded very smooth.

Give it a try!

Once i saw a dude put his empty sprue into small pieces and put all those pieces into extra thin cement, after enough time mixture becomes to putty-like consistency and when it cures it becomes solid plastic

 

[Pantherman]

Once i saw a dude put his empty sprue into small pieces and put all those pieces into extra thin cement, after enough time mixture becomes to putty-like consistency and when it cures it becomes solid plastic

Sprue goo, brilliant stuff. Best to have a few different colours, grey, Buff and black. Pantherman

 

[CY343491]

Sprue goo, brilliant stuff. Best to have a few different colours, grey, Buff and black. Pantherman

Yep, found the shit

You may want to use Tamiya AB cleaner instead of cement to save cash.

 

[wiggins]

Hey Hey!
Bringing this thread back is a bit of necromancy on my part, but I'm having a sprue-goo related issue, and I could use some help.

I have concocted a vial of sprue goo using a significant amount of sprue and tamiya airbrush cleaner. it is a nice, silky consistency in the bottle.

However, when I apply it to a part to try and fill it starts to bubble as it hardens, and it leaves this pitted, inconsistent plastic in it's place.

when I sand this down, instead of a nice, smooth plastic surface, I get something resembling a shaved wart. No good.

I'm at my wit's end a bit. I'm not sure what's causing it to bubble or how to prevent it. do I have too much of the solvent in my mix, and it's bubbling as it evaporates out? do I have too much sprue in the mix, and the viscosity is preventing the bubbles from escaping?

I could really use some help here. I want to be able to use the goo as fill for scribing (since that's what many a youtube video suggests) but I can't find anything describing this issue or how to avoid it.

anyone have experience here?




This is what it looks like once sanded.

 

[GaryG64]

Hey Hey!
Bringing this thread back is a bit of necromancy on my part, but I'm having a sprue-goo related issue, and I could use some help.

I have concocted a vial of sprue goo using a significant amount of sprue and tamiya airbrush cleaner. it is a nice, silky consistency in the bottle.

However, when I apply it to a part to try and fill it starts to bubble as it hardens, and it leaves this pitted, inconsistent plastic in it's place.

when I sand this down, instead of a nice, smooth plastic surface, I get something resembling a shaved wart. No good.

I'm at my wit's end a bit. I'm not sure what's causing it to bubble or how to prevent it. do I have too much of the solvent in my mix, and it's bubbling as it evaporates out? do I have too much sprue in the mix, and the viscosity is preventing the bubbles from escaping?

I could really use some help here. I want to be able to use the goo as fill for scribing (since that's what many a youtube video suggests) but I can't find anything describing this issue or how to avoid it.

anyone have experience here?


View attachment 119292

This is what it looks like once sanded.

Use Tamiya's extra thin glue not airbrush cleaner. Mix it with tiny bits of sprue, which I think you have used in your mixture. Let the mixture sit for a couple to a few days to melt the sprue bits, and of course shake it up occasionally.
My consistency is that of slightly thinner white craft glue or around the same consistency.
That's the recipe I use.

I hope this helps.

 

[GaryG64]

Sprue goo, brilliant stuff. Best to have a few different colours, grey, Buff and black. Pantherman

Never thought of different colored goo. Mine is a grayish color.
Great idea, brother!

 

[GaryG64]

Definitely need to remember that tip. Only caution with the Styrofoam is that I think primers will melt it. I used to fix small plastic parts to tooth picks then push the ends in to Styrofoam to hold the pieces in place. I would then spray primer out of the rattle can on to the parts but always noticed that the surrounding Styrofoam would dissolve in contact with primer. Could be the brand of primer I was using too.

Yep. Those rattle cans will dissolve styro in a heartbeat. I use acrylic primer.

 

[wiggins]

Use Tamiya's extra thin glue not airbrush cleaner. Mix it with tiny bits of sprue, which I think you have used in your mixture. Let the mixture sit for a couple to a few days to melt the sprue bits, and of course shake it up occasionally.
My consistency is that of slightly thinner white craft glue or around the same consistency.
That's the recipe I use.

I hope this helps.

yeah, if this continues to fail with the AB cleaner as the solvent, I'll try the thin cement. By all accounts the chemical formulation is exactly the same (indeed, CY343491 in the post above mine susggested using tamiya AB cleaner instead), but if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.

otherwise, I've done exactly what you said, it's sprue and solvent that I mixed up and let sit for a few days to completely dissolve. it just doesn't dry well when applied.

 

[GaryG64]

yeah, if this continues to fail with the AB cleaner as the solvent, I'll try the thin cement. By all accounts the chemical formulation is exactly the same (indeed, CY343491 in the post above mine susggested using tamiya AB cleaner instead), but if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.

otherwise, I've done exactly what you said, it's sprue and solvent that I mixed up and let sit for a few days to completely dissolve. it just doesn't dry well when applied.

Hmmm, I'm not too sure why it's doesn't dry well for you. Maybe a ratio thing, or humidity??
Well, maybe not humidity. I live in Houston and it's plenty humid here.
(Scratching my head)

 

[Pantherman]

Use Tamiya's extra thin glue not airbrush cleaner. Mix it with tiny bits of sprue, which I think you have used in your mixture. Let the mixture sit for a couple to a few days to melt the sprue bits, and of course shake it up occasionally.
My consistency is that of slightly thinner white craft glue or around the same consistency.
That's the recipe I use.

I hope this helps.

I agree with Gary, have always used tamiya extra thin for sprue goo and never had an issue. Pantherman

 

[BlackSheepTwoOneFour]

I use Perfect Plastic Putty for all my seam work. I’ve heard using black CA works well, too.

 

[TimM63]

I use Perfect Plastic Putty for all my seam work. I’ve heard using black CA works well, too.

I use Perfect Plastic Putty as well. Has always worked well for me.