Nessy
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- UK
[Warning! Boring wall of poorly structured text incoming]
@Emmcee
First off, what @R1600Turbo said, ^ the putty will not stick well to a greasy or dusty surface (*important* make sure the car is nice and dry after cleaning). Also what @AOS- has said- it helps to key/scratch/rough the surface, iv'e personally never used sand paper to do this - i usually use a metal file usually a diamond coated one (but other metal files can be used, and they're fairly cheap).
From the sounds of it though, you're trying to do too much maybe. If i'm correct in thinking - you've done a batch of ten cars in one go (i'd only ever attempt doing two - maybe three cars in succession), and if that's the case, there's a good chance that the putty is starting to go off - you'll actually feel it hardening as you go along (rolling it out/manipulating into shape).
That also could be another area which can cause the bond to fail - for instance.. that Porsche i started to work on ^ when i applied the arches, i wasn't concerned with the shape (iv'e only shaped one so far) i just kind of slapped them on there, and gave a few firm pushes with both thumbs to each one to give a little form, i didn't take away any excess putty, or stretch them into shape even. The key is to be fairly quick and firm when applying the stuff, don't even worry about getting a good finished shape to begin with, a good 95% of the shaping will come once it is fully cured and you begin sanding and filing.
Curing. I'd really recommend giving a it 24hrs to cure (though i have tried it at 12hrs with a fair amount of success), i know the instructions say about 4hrs (can't remember exactly but fairly sure it says that), but it also says that it continues to cure after 4hrs. What i tend to do is put the car in a nice warm environment, i use my airing cupboard/water boiler cupboard, seems to do the trick.
Another thing is, don't roll out too much putty. You only really only need small equal amounts of both parts of the epoxy, if you have done ten cars in a row, and rolled the entire pack of putty in one go.. then your hands are going to ache, and they'll end up like muscly hands of steel (haha).
It can all be very frustrating, and you need to have a lot of patience, as it won't always go according to plan. It's probably best to stick to the one that's worked, and focus on that then come back to the others at a latter stage.
A few helpful tips to anyone using 2 part epoxy putty for the first time:
1: Prepare yourself a decent work surface, and make sure you can see the time, for when you mix the putty. (probably a good idea to put some newspaper down on your work surface too).
2: Make sure you're using the right/appropriate putty. There's several brands and types for specific purposes. (I find the 'Milliput silver grey' works best for my needs, iv'e tried the 'Milliput superfine white', but found it harder to work with once cured. 'Tamiya 2 part epoxy is also highly recommended, and some may find easier to work with than 'Milliput').
3: Plan clearly what you want to do before mixing any putty (try and estimate a reasonable amount - not too much not too little).
4: Once you've kneaded and roll your putty for 5-10 mins, quickly wash and dry your hands, you'll still get putty on them but it'll be easier to handle the car (stops things from getting too tacky).
5: If you're planning on doing wide arches. Try using the pen in parchment paper trick. Or the wheel rolled in masking tape method as pioneered by GTPs' very own @AOS-. Another really good suggestion by @R1600Turbo, is to cut/file small notches in the the existing diecasts wheel arch - prior to applying the putty, this should help quite a bit as you're creating more surface areas for the putty to bond to.
6: As soon as you feel the putty becoming harder to roll between your fingers, it's probably a good time to stop. Make sure to clean the area you've been working in, and be sure to pick up any little bits of excess putty, (iv'e trodden some into the living room carpet before, my better half - she wasn't too pleased, as i'm sure you can imagine..)
7: Try and allow a full 24hrs to cure, though if you're really impatient try and exercise some discipline and give it at least 12hrs.
8: Now the putty has cured, time for the dusty stuff to begin. If you're limited for space and don't have a proper work area (like me), just make sure you keep your working area as clean and managed as possible, as the really fine particle dust gets everywhere (trust me). If you have pets and or loved-ones, make sure you're not sanding/filing in the same room, the fine particle dust is a known irritant and really isn't good for the lungs - (you should always wear a mask, *essential* even if it's just a cheap paper mask from the DIY store).
A really handy couple of common sense tips are, to use plenty of newspaper to catch the filed dust - make sure to carefully fold the dusty paper up every so often (and replace with a new sheet), but do it slowly as it will blow everywhere if just scrunched up real quick. The other tip is to have at hand a deepish bowl of soapy water and a roll of kitchen roll/or an old towel on the same work surface, to wash and dry your car and hands during the filing sanding process, that should really help keep the dust levels down to a minimum too. Ultimately it would be good to have one of those small dust buster/dirt devil things - i don't think they're that powerful but i reckon they'd work a treat.
9: Filing and sanding. I can't really give any good advice on how to file and sand/ shape/ sculpt.. everybody has their own different way that works best for them.. Though if filing, you should always let the tool do the work.. think, fast and light pressure - as opposed to heavy and forced, (correct shaped file is also key). (lol) i guess the best way i can describe it is, it's like playing a minuter violin or fiddle - constantly curving and changing angles.
Filing is great for getting rid of large areas of putty, and is really good and somewhat essential for initial shaping, but it's mainly the sanding that'll get you the feel of contours/curves and such. Iv'e never actually used normal sheets of sandpaper (though they should work just fine). I usually use filing sticks (basically sandpaper sandwiched between some spongy material and shaped like a nail file), i bought mine individually (i think they cost about £2 each, so they're fairly pricey).
They do packs of them and iv'e seen several different brands, but they all seem to have the same five flavours:
'Dark grey' = coarse grit (shaping)
'Red' or 'Orange' = medium grit (shaping/buffing)
'Light grey' = fine grit (buffing and polishing)
'White' = extra fine/ super extra fine (strictly polishing)
They also do Tri-sticks that have 3 different grits on the same stick.
10: I have to end it there as it's getting late and i really don't enjoy writing. I hope it's of use to some. 👍
@Emmcee
First off, what @R1600Turbo said, ^ the putty will not stick well to a greasy or dusty surface (*important* make sure the car is nice and dry after cleaning). Also what @AOS- has said- it helps to key/scratch/rough the surface, iv'e personally never used sand paper to do this - i usually use a metal file usually a diamond coated one (but other metal files can be used, and they're fairly cheap).
From the sounds of it though, you're trying to do too much maybe. If i'm correct in thinking - you've done a batch of ten cars in one go (i'd only ever attempt doing two - maybe three cars in succession), and if that's the case, there's a good chance that the putty is starting to go off - you'll actually feel it hardening as you go along (rolling it out/manipulating into shape).
That also could be another area which can cause the bond to fail - for instance.. that Porsche i started to work on ^ when i applied the arches, i wasn't concerned with the shape (iv'e only shaped one so far) i just kind of slapped them on there, and gave a few firm pushes with both thumbs to each one to give a little form, i didn't take away any excess putty, or stretch them into shape even. The key is to be fairly quick and firm when applying the stuff, don't even worry about getting a good finished shape to begin with, a good 95% of the shaping will come once it is fully cured and you begin sanding and filing.
Curing. I'd really recommend giving a it 24hrs to cure (though i have tried it at 12hrs with a fair amount of success), i know the instructions say about 4hrs (can't remember exactly but fairly sure it says that), but it also says that it continues to cure after 4hrs. What i tend to do is put the car in a nice warm environment, i use my airing cupboard/water boiler cupboard, seems to do the trick.
Another thing is, don't roll out too much putty. You only really only need small equal amounts of both parts of the epoxy, if you have done ten cars in a row, and rolled the entire pack of putty in one go.. then your hands are going to ache, and they'll end up like muscly hands of steel (haha).
It can all be very frustrating, and you need to have a lot of patience, as it won't always go according to plan. It's probably best to stick to the one that's worked, and focus on that then come back to the others at a latter stage.
A few helpful tips to anyone using 2 part epoxy putty for the first time:
1: Prepare yourself a decent work surface, and make sure you can see the time, for when you mix the putty. (probably a good idea to put some newspaper down on your work surface too).
2: Make sure you're using the right/appropriate putty. There's several brands and types for specific purposes. (I find the 'Milliput silver grey' works best for my needs, iv'e tried the 'Milliput superfine white', but found it harder to work with once cured. 'Tamiya 2 part epoxy is also highly recommended, and some may find easier to work with than 'Milliput').
3: Plan clearly what you want to do before mixing any putty (try and estimate a reasonable amount - not too much not too little).
4: Once you've kneaded and roll your putty for 5-10 mins, quickly wash and dry your hands, you'll still get putty on them but it'll be easier to handle the car (stops things from getting too tacky).
5: If you're planning on doing wide arches. Try using the pen in parchment paper trick. Or the wheel rolled in masking tape method as pioneered by GTPs' very own @AOS-. Another really good suggestion by @R1600Turbo, is to cut/file small notches in the the existing diecasts wheel arch - prior to applying the putty, this should help quite a bit as you're creating more surface areas for the putty to bond to.
6: As soon as you feel the putty becoming harder to roll between your fingers, it's probably a good time to stop. Make sure to clean the area you've been working in, and be sure to pick up any little bits of excess putty, (iv'e trodden some into the living room carpet before, my better half - she wasn't too pleased, as i'm sure you can imagine..)
7: Try and allow a full 24hrs to cure, though if you're really impatient try and exercise some discipline and give it at least 12hrs.
8: Now the putty has cured, time for the dusty stuff to begin. If you're limited for space and don't have a proper work area (like me), just make sure you keep your working area as clean and managed as possible, as the really fine particle dust gets everywhere (trust me). If you have pets and or loved-ones, make sure you're not sanding/filing in the same room, the fine particle dust is a known irritant and really isn't good for the lungs - (you should always wear a mask, *essential* even if it's just a cheap paper mask from the DIY store).
A really handy couple of common sense tips are, to use plenty of newspaper to catch the filed dust - make sure to carefully fold the dusty paper up every so often (and replace with a new sheet), but do it slowly as it will blow everywhere if just scrunched up real quick. The other tip is to have at hand a deepish bowl of soapy water and a roll of kitchen roll/or an old towel on the same work surface, to wash and dry your car and hands during the filing sanding process, that should really help keep the dust levels down to a minimum too. Ultimately it would be good to have one of those small dust buster/dirt devil things - i don't think they're that powerful but i reckon they'd work a treat.
9: Filing and sanding. I can't really give any good advice on how to file and sand/ shape/ sculpt.. everybody has their own different way that works best for them.. Though if filing, you should always let the tool do the work.. think, fast and light pressure - as opposed to heavy and forced, (correct shaped file is also key). (lol) i guess the best way i can describe it is, it's like playing a minuter violin or fiddle - constantly curving and changing angles.
Filing is great for getting rid of large areas of putty, and is really good and somewhat essential for initial shaping, but it's mainly the sanding that'll get you the feel of contours/curves and such. Iv'e never actually used normal sheets of sandpaper (though they should work just fine). I usually use filing sticks (basically sandpaper sandwiched between some spongy material and shaped like a nail file), i bought mine individually (i think they cost about £2 each, so they're fairly pricey).
They do packs of them and iv'e seen several different brands, but they all seem to have the same five flavours:
'Dark grey' = coarse grit (shaping)
'Red' or 'Orange' = medium grit (shaping/buffing)
'Light grey' = fine grit (buffing and polishing)
'White' = extra fine/ super extra fine (strictly polishing)
They also do Tri-sticks that have 3 different grits on the same stick.
10: I have to end it there as it's getting late and i really don't enjoy writing. I hope it's of use to some. 👍
Last edited:
Personally, I thought this Corgi casting deserved much better than what it had, so I decided to put some nice details on it and give it the attention it really deserves.
