Can someone share some info with me on glazing or finishing putty? When to use it? When not to? How thick? Ect. Thanks Todd
use it sparingly just a skim coat use over primers and maybe paint not sure Its just plastic more wiped up or thinned out less chance of pinholes
Be careful using it under topcoats or under sealer coats, red glazing putty can bleed through and discolor light colored topcoats in time.
my 2cents is try an avoid using it at all, it can shrink up after painted. what I do with small imperfections is use RAGE GOLD filler and apply it with a single edge razor blade go's on smooth and very thin.
Hey Todd, I'm trustin' that we are talkin' about the newer spot or glazing putty and not the old "Nitro/lacquer" based putty? The new type of putty, the kind you mix, just like plastic filler is a superior product used for "minor" nicks and scratches you find in your filler or prime coat. Notice I didn't say for filling dents/damage. Given the costs of material and labor today, I'd suggest you do the very best you can to make sure your work is ready for primer with- out the use of spot or glazing puttys. Be sure to completly feather any paint , primer or filler prior to reaching for the primer gun. Also, when mixing and applying any filler (lead or plastic), be sure that you don't leave any pin holes or scratches that will have to be filled later. Spot and glazing putties really don't save you from labor that you shouldn't have to do, had you done the work correctly to begin with. Usually their application requires more sanding and priming than would have been necessary, again, had you taken the time to do the work correctly to begin with. Swankey Devils C.C.
I'd not use it with newer paint systems. The old nitrocelular glazing putty's (red, one part) were used over primer; bleow base coat, only for filling deep sanding scratches, about the thickness of a fingernail. Newer spot fillers are two part, much like a runny version of bondo; but again, the less of it you use the better off you are.
Don't use the old style red glazing putty . It should be banned from the stores. If you must use something, use one of the new polyesther products. They are easier to sand and don't shrink. If your body and filler work is done correctly you should not have to use any at all. I was taught that if you could not fill the imperfection with 2 coats of primer your body work was not done. If your just starting out doing filler work this may seem unreasonable but once you master the process ,you will see it saves an immense amount of time. With todays materials usually you will use 1 or 2 coats of plastic filler to get everything straight and then just use a skim coat of the polyesther putty to final sand the filler in 180 grit.
I asked a body shop owner that question once - he told me that in the last 15 years he had nearly used one of those big tubes - he also admitted that even that much was too much. He hated the stuff.
All modern glazing putties are these days are higher quality body fillers. They are smoother and creamier so that they self level better resulting in better filling of small imperfections and fewer pinholes than you might get with body filler. They will not shrink or pinhole any more than body filler will ( in reality it should be less) and because of their self leveling proporties should leave you with less sanding than a body filler will.
Hot Rod is right go back, and do it again, it's a good feeling knowing you will have nothing bitting you on the ass come primer or paint time. What I do after finishing plastic work it is wash it with thinner, if any it brings out the pin holes, and if needed use a little plastic with resin to thin it, after cured wash it with thinner, this time to get rid of the gummy stuff that is left on the surface, what you have know is a nice thin coat to take care of those small inperfections with no worrys. GO SOX!
Better grade fillers are available as well preventing pinholes in filler, and again I would avoid using it and use primers and adequate prep.
Modern quality glaze is nothing to be afraid of. It works every bit as well as plastic filler does(if not better because it typically does not pinhole and sands super easy). Obviously, the less you use the better, but the same can be said for bondo. How much time are you willing to spend on metalwork to reduce bondo usage? How much bondo are you willing to grind out and redo to eliminate pinholes and lessen glaze useage?
I'd alot rather use the stuff than bondo in some situations. I've also seen actual dings filled with it (for some of them "Driver" cars...y'know) and it not fall out, shrink, crack or discolor. I used it to fill some pits on my truck-deeper than normal pits, and it turned out pretty good. I also have a shitty Fox Mustang I bought off my cousin that someone had "sanded" with a angle grinder on one quarter panel in some spots. Wasn't really bad enough to use bondo on, but primer wouldn't do it either once I had it feathered down. A couple of thin layers of spot putty and it looked sorta decent. Same car also had been shot with a pellet gun in places, which makes the paint crack off in a halo around the area. I feathered this down and wiped some spot putty over it a couple of times and its not really noticeable. Also tried experimenting with it by filling those "chips" around the edge of the door skin. I don't see how it would really rattle off any worse than bondo would.
oldwood51, you do exactly what I do. I never have used putty except when I was first doing bodywork and didn't know better. Do your bondo work good first.The first body shop I worked at , the boss's nickname was" putty". He really loved to use it. Its for people in a hurry to get something out the door. I always use PPG K36 for final surfacing, and if I miss a pinhole and see it while I'm primering, I run over and get a small model car brush , dip it in the can of K36 and run over and drop a big glob in the pinhole. After the paint dries and flows , you usually can't tell there was a problem.
The old stuff shrinks,because it has a lot of solvent in it. The new stuff is 2 part,just like regular body filler.Just a thinner consistency.
I'm a fan of the new stuff. Most of the cars I don have LOTS of custom work done, so larger areas are covered with filler. I do a lot of guide coat/blocking, and I use glaze after the first blocking, to fix small imperfections. You can wetsand it with 180, 220, even 320 grit, depending on how far along you are with your blocking. Never had any problems with it. Nitrostan (redlead) sucks!
I only use it for sand scratches, light pits or pinholes. Other than that it collects dust on my shelf. I usually wait to use it until right before my last coat of primer to be blocked before sealer.
He's right, it's the right way. My theory is that you keep it down to only one product. Different products have different properties, so rates of expansion and contraction may differ, causing troubles later.
Thanks to all who have answered my Question. I'm not there yet. I have the body in epoxy primer and found some spots I need to go back and do aditional filling to. I want to do this right that is why I'm asking all the questions. I know the single part red stuff is junk and if I do use it I will use the two part. I'll see how the additional filler/highbuild and block sanding goes and go from there. Todd
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