Lightweight Body Filler

[Bridgebuster490]

Well, I'm almost a newbie; been out of building for about 12 years and have just started back.  During that time I'm sure some of the "go to" products have changed.  I'm looking for some lightweight body filler, nothing heavy like clay, to be used very sparingly to smooth out body contours.  I want something sandable that will setup overnight.  I'd appreciate the benefit of your experience in finding such a product.  What is it and where can it be had?
Thanks!!

[gman]

I've had good luck with polyester glazing putty- a 2 part putty that can be put on thin, dries by chemical reaction rather than solvent evaporation. I've used Evercoat (and you can get a large container that will last years), but Tamiya makes one in hobby sizes as well. If you go this route, you'll want to rough up the area it will be applied to so it doesn't peel up or peel off. When done this way, it sands and feathers beautifully after curing (which can be sped up or slowed down by controlling how much hardener you add). 

http://www.evercoat.com/putty/us/

https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/87027/index.htm

If you prefer a solvent based glazing putty, check out tubes from Bondo in your local automotive section. Just don't put the solvent based putties on heavy, as they can soften styrene and shrink or crack after sanding.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bondo-Glazing-and-Spot-Putty-00907ES-4-5-oz-1-Tube/16927984

[Mike999]

This one may be too "lightweight" for body contours, depending on what you're doing.  But I've had good luck with it filling pretty big seams etc. 

Deluxe Materials "Perfect Plastic Putty." It's  water-based, not a solvent.  You can smooth it out with a damp finger. Many on-line vendors sell it.

[Straightliner59]

Epoxy micro balloons can be used with either epoxy or superglue. Used with super glue, you can begin sanding, pretty much immediately. They are used mainly by R/C aircraft modelers, I think.

[Plowboy]

If you don't want to mess with mixing putty (I don't), it's hard to beat Tamiya Basic putty. They also make white for filling light scratches. I use it after primer. It's not suited for filling. But, the basic is. Squadron also makes a good ready to use putty.

[espo]

You're going to get a lot of information on this one from many builders. I use Tamiya Putty white for the limited use in the modeling that I do. I'm only correcting small body and chassis imperfections and very limited body shaping or heavy body modifications. Some of the suggestions you'll see are for a much wider range of work.   

[Bridgebuster490]

Thanks folks.  This gives me a start . . . I'll just learn from experience.  

[gman]

2 hours ago, Bridgebuster490 said:

Thanks folks.  This gives me a start . . . I'll just learn from experience.  

It is good to have a few options handy on the bench. For little jobs and corrections, superglue or thick primer is a quick fix. For more drastic work, a few different putty options are good to have. I used to use Squadron green and white putties many years ago, but unless used very sparingly those can affect the surrounding styrene, and not in a good way.

[Roadrunner]

For a long time, I used 3M Acryl Blue, but the tubes were huge and would start to dry out long before it was used up. Real good stuff though. They also make green, red and white.

Edited March 14, 2020 by Roadrunner

[STYRENE-SURFER]

On 3/12/2020 at 2:07 AM, gman said:

I've had good luck with polyester glazing putty- a 2 part putty that can be put on thin, dries by chemical reaction rather than solvent evaporation. I've used Evercoat (and you can get a large container that will last years), but Tamiya makes one in hobby sizes as well. If you go this route, you'll want to rough up the area it will be applied to so it doesn't peel up or peel off. When done this way, it sands and feathers beautifully after curing (which can be sped up or slowed down by controlling how much hardener you add). 

http://www.evercoat.com/putty/us/

https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/87027/index.htm

If you prefer a solvent based glazing putty, check out tubes from Bondo in your local automotive section. Just don't put the solvent based putties on heavy, as they can soften styrene and shrink or crack after sanding.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bondo-Glazing-and-Spot-Putty-00907ES-4-5-oz-1-Tube/16927984

Greg, what type of Evercoat do you prefer?

I once ordered that Tamiya stuff from Japan but received one tube of hardener

and another tube of dried up solid polyester, it was unusable.??

 

[gman]

I had a tub of the Evercoat Eurosoft polyester glazing putty that served me well for many years. It would separate if unused, so I'd mix it back up with a large screwdriver before putting what I'm going to use onto a disposable plastic container lid, adding hardener and mixing for application. The last one I bought is Evercoat "Lite Weight," which I like a little better...it has a better consistency for using on small model parts and bodies. Both of these products sand well when cured and require very little effort to be ready for primer.

[Straightliner59]

12 hours ago, gman said:

It is good to have a few options handy on the bench.

Agreed! Different materials work better, for different situations, as you noted. That two-part epoxy putty works great for heavy applications, like fender flares. Options can't be too plentiful! ?