Fixing pitted metal on minis

[Crusoe the Painter]

Sometimes you get a fig with a few pitted spots on it, and you're too lazy to return it, or you don't want to wait, try this!

 

1 Cover the pitted area with a thin coat of Vallejo plastic putty thinned with a bit of water.

 

2 Once dry, cover the putty with a thin coat of Vallejo gloss airbrush varnish.

 

3 Primer

 

Works very well.

[twjolson]

That would be my first attempt; though I don't think I would have come up with the varnish.

 

And of course, Green Stuff is always an option, but the putty is much quicker and easier, but it doesn't give you much option for sculpting or forming.

[E-Arkham]

I read somewhere that Cyril (quite talented French mini painter and sculptor, used to work for Rackham I think, if you hadn't heard of him) uses a mix of white glue and thinned down milliput to smooth out pits. I tried it with just white glue and it worked fine until I used an ink wash -- then the glue itself became pitted for reasons elusive to me.

 

I tried varnish once or twice, and it never seems thick enough to fill in the gaps.

 

Is the Vallejo putty no good to paint over? Why the varnish coat over it? Just for added smoothness?

 

Kep

[twjolson]

I read somewhere that Cyril (quite talented French mini painter and sculptor, used to work for Rackham I think, if you hadn't heard of him) uses a mix of white glue and thinned down milliput to smooth out pits. I tried it with just white glue and it worked fine until I used an ink wash -- then the glue itself became pitted for reasons elusive to me.

 

I tried varnish once or twice, and it never seems thick enough to fill in the gaps.

 

Is the Vallejo putty no good to paint over? Why the varnish coat over it? Just for added smoothness?

 

Kep

 

I think the putty is ok to paint over straight, but all I've tried is putt the putty in, either over metal or primer, and then prime over that.

[Crusoe the Painter]

Still working out the kinks.

 

Gloss varnish straight may be better, as it will even out the bumps. The plastic putty is hard to get smooth.

 

Also, white glue is water soluble, that's why he mixed epoxy milliput in it. Yours pitted because the white glue redissolved upon being hit with water.

 

If I get another fig, I may just try the gloss varnish for general pitting, and use the plastic putty to fill in any large hairline cracks.

[allthumbs]

Mr Surfacer is also good for this and can be applied very quickly. If the blemishes are deep it make take two or three applications.

 

...Kevin

[E-Arkham]

Also, white glue is water soluble, that's why he mixed epoxy milliput in it. Yours pitted because the white glue redissolved upon being hit with water.

 

That's what I thought at first, too, but... it didn't do it with the first layer of paint... nor the wetblended highlights. It only did it once I applied the ink, so it had to be something in the ink.

 

Of course, not the first "weird paint behaviour" ever reported, and certainly won't be the last. <g>

 

I think as far as availability and convenience for fixing ptis, the best option might just be layer(s) or gloss before priming.

 

Kep