# Body filler?



## Rns1016 (Dec 29, 2011)

What body filler do you guys use to fill in scratches on the body of the car before painting? 

Thank you guys...


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## scottnkat (May 11, 2006)

I use Tamiya putty, both the tubes of putty and the bottles of primer putty. I know others use the two part ones, but I am lazy when it comes to putty.


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## CorvairJim (Dec 16, 2011)

I generally use Squadron green putty myself. It is harder to sand when it's set than their white putty (at least it seems that way to me), making it harder to remove too much at a time. Apply it in T-H-I-N layers, building it up slowly. Oe thing to bear in mind with either Squadron putty is that they dry almost as soon as they hit air, so you have a very short period in which to work with it. Your work should be good enough before applying any putty that you don't need much to begin with. For really minor scratches, I just spray a couple of coats of high-build primer and featheredge it in.


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## walsing (Aug 22, 2010)

Squadron green and white.


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## Rns1016 (Dec 29, 2011)

I kinda did a mistake when I was building the Revell 70 Challenger R/T. When I glued the bumpers to the body ( I used a little too much glue ) and when it dried you can see it squeezed out. 

So I sanded it down with 100 grit sandpaper :freak: so I figured I could fill the deep scratches with filler but now I'm also thinking I can just buy different grit and smooth it out, right?


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## CorvairJim (Dec 16, 2011)

You could do your best to smooth out the damaged area with finer sandpaper, but keep in mind that the area will be "lower" than it was originally by the depth of the sand scratches. If they're to deep, you'll end up altering the contour of the panel. Slow and easy is the key. Be careful to take off as little plastic as necessary to get rid of the scratches and smooth the area into the surrounding contour. Personally I'd hit it with a light shot of putty or a couple coats of high-build primer first, just to build the contour so that it doesn't get flattened too much.


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## scottnkat (May 11, 2006)

Jim has a good idea - I would do that, too, if they were too deep - then gradually use finer sandpaper to make the scratches smaller and smaller until they are insignificant.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

DON'T SAND - FILL! Trust me, I know from experience. Styrene is too soft to sand, and expect it to not go through. Your best bet is to use a little superglue lightly applied to it. I know that this sounds ridiculous, but it works for me. I apply this in tiny amounts. Then I sand it with 220 grit. Superglue the sandpaper to a popcicle stick. Wait for it to dry, then cut it to shape. I sand very slowly to keep from getting grooves in the surface. It depends on how deep your scratches are. You might be able to do it this way, or use Elmers' brand woodfiller. It's waterbased, and cleans up easily. You use this in thin layers, then let it dry. Sand it with 600 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper works best. This is strong, and dries as hard as a rock once set. I use this all the time for just about everything that's too deep for superglue to fill. Superglue takes hours to dry, but woodfiller takes only fifteen minutes to cure. You can build it in layers, and if you make a mistake you can easily fix it. I hope this will help you. 

~ Chris​


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

Mr. Surfacer is good if you can get it. It's like extra-thick primer. I would brush it over the scratches, then (optionally) lightly wipe off the excess to minimize sanding later on.

Thanks for the woodfiller tip, D.


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

Rns1016 said:


> I kinda did a mistake when I was building the Revell 70 Challenger R/T. When I glued the bumpers to the body ( I used a little too much glue ) and when it dried you can see it squeezed out.
> 
> So I sanded it down with 100 grit sandpaper :freak: so I figured I could fill the deep scratches with filler but now I'm also thinking I can just buy different grit and smooth it out, right?


I realize you made that post 10 days ago, but if it's not too late sand with some 240 grit followed by 1500 grit sand paper.


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