I have been having a very hard time trying to get excess putty off after
it has dried. I am using it to fill seams.
I have been using the following grit sandpaper:
2000
4000
6000
8000
I have been spending a great deal of time trying to sand it off with no
avail. The "blotches" never seem to go away.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks,
Bill
Try starting with a heavier grit the grits that you are using are for
polishing. I suggest starting with 220grit going higher with 320 then
400 to 600 grits. In order to get good adhesion for your primer or
paints 600 is the lightest grit you should go.
cheers
John
Please vist my sites
Here are two methods that I like to use
One is USC Icing it is available at any auto paint supply store.
This is a catalyzed spot putty. It takes a little practice but the
results are fantastic. The second method "the one I prefer" is
take the left over sprue from the kit shave the plastic into very small
pieces. Go buy IPS Weld-On 3 "available at any plastic supply store"
Using a small amount of the weld on melt the Plastic into the mix until
you get a consistency of Peanut butter. Keep it covered when not in use
or it will dry out. Apply the Plastic putty in small amounts to the
seams let it dry and you end up with a putty that matches the color of
the kit and a putty that sands at the same rate as the plastic around
it, as it is the same as the substrate. Hope this helps
cheers
John
If it is a long, accessible seam I use an X-acto blade as a scraper.
Hold the blade nearly 90 degrees to the surface, and draw it along.
If I don't scrape I use 320 grit. I always prime when I fill seams,
and primer will rapidly fill scratches from 320 grit. I don't use the
ultra-fine stuff till I have finish coats on.
Two reasons:
1) Those ultra-fine grits you're using are no good for removing excess
putty; they work much too slowly for that. They're for removing scratches,
more like polishing than sanding.
2) Even if you sand away all of the putty, you'll probably see a colored
blotch because the plastic will have been stained by the putty. Don't
worry, it'll be hidden later when you paint it.
To remove excess putty, wet-sand it with 400 to 600 grit. If there's a lot
of excess, use a file, razor knife, or metal scraper first to remove as
much as you can, then use the sandpaper.
After the 600 grit, apply a coat of sandable primer and let it dry; this
will hide the color of the putty and make it easier to see whether it needs
any more work with the 600 grit. Then work your way up to progressively
finer grades of sandpaper to gradually polish out the scratches.
A simple method is to use just plain "rubbing (denatured) alcohol and a
Q-tip and
rub it over the seam. The alcohol will disolve the excess putty and
leave it in the
seam. This too will work with putty that has been in place for a fairly
long period
of time.
Ol ' 45
===
Bill,
My son-in-law is in the construction business and when I have a problem like
yours, I borrow his high speed orbital sander with 150 grit sandpaper -
works like a charm all the time.
Actually, I use denatured alcohol (DA) on a cotton swab or a cotton ball -
first one I find. First soak the area where the putty is at with the DA and
rub with the swab/ball. The DA will dissolve the putty slowly, so take your
time. Let it air dry and check your progress. An additional assist is your
trusty number 11 blade. Use it as a scrapper(spelling?). Place the blade
about 80 degrees top part inclined towards you and drag it towards you - not
too hard, just enough pressure to scrape just a bit off, do this several
times, then go back to the DA, and repeat until you get the results you are
looking for.
Good luck,
Ray
Austin, TX
===
Use Apoxie Sculpt, apply to the seam, apply hand cream like
Neutrogena and work it with a circular motion.
A couple of my fellow club members use this technique and
it works like a champ.
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