.

[sarge]

I probably should mention that stunt works with enamels, as I mentioned and might have slipped past in the comversation. I have no idea about acrylics and water-base stuff simply because I never had any good luck painting models with it so I've never tried mixing it, though I would think it would turn into some sort of rubbery glob that would come alive in the night and eat the gerbils or something.

Talcum powder in Glosscote, being a cell'y lacquer, makes a great sanding sealer. I don't know if the aero-modellers still build anything, let alone of balsa, but they used to have premixed sanding sealer using butyrate dope as the carrier. Might still, but I really don't know.

[sarge]

My ex-wife’s lady garden sure could have used some sealant.

The "dependa syndrome", perchance?

Grin!

[2railjon]

[sarge]

I thought so...

[2railjon]

Oh hell no!! Not me! Didn’t marry until after I got out! Look at this poor bastardsardo!

[PRR Man]

Brian, tell us more about talc as a paint filler. I'm assuming for the first coat or so. How much talc per oz. of paint?

I usually thin my lacquer or poly by half for the initial coats to soak in and harden soft woods, sanding between coats, before final finishing.

[sarge]

You can imagine the frustration with a whole platoon or companies worth of these elegible young paychecks I mean lads just ripe for the plucking.

But wait! You can!

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I probably should mention that stunt works with enamels, as I mentioned and might have slipped past in the comversation. I have no idea about acrylics and water-base stuff simply because I never had any good luck painting models with it so I've never tried mixing it, though I would think it would turn into some sort of rubbery glob that would come alive in the night and eat the gerbils or something.

Talcum powder in Glosscote, being a cell'y lacquer, makes a great sanding sealer. I don't know if the aero-modellers still build anything, let alone of balsa, but they used to have premixed sanding sealer using butyrate dope as the carrier. Might still, but I really don't know.

Maybe I missed it, but why not just use regular old sanding sealer?

[sarge]

Brian, tell us more about talc as a paint filler. I'm assuming for the first coat or so. How much talc per oz. of paint?

I usually thin my lacquer or poly by half for the initial coats to soak in and harden soft woods, sanding between coats, before final finishing.

Oh, God I never measured it, just stirred it in for a uniform cloudy to opaque look if I'm using glosscote. In cheap black enamel it almost is a (real) maple syrup consistency after a good stir. You can't thin either and spray it; makes sense when you think about it. Bear in mind the talc-in-paint bit is a fallback if regular cheap black enamel from the Lowes/B&Q doesn't do the trick.

The latter I learned from Joe Fischer; brush it on neat (no thinning), let it dry, and knock it smooth with wire wool rather than sandpaper. First time around is dreadfully fuzzy, but keep doing it until there are no more fuzzy bits. Enamels cure far faster than cell'y, so you can march right along.

BTW, black is the colour of choice, though any other will work. Black, though, is merciless about highlighting the flaws.

Does this make sense?

[sarge]

Maybe I missed it, but why not just use regular old sanding sealer?

An element of lasiness, for one.

For two, the black enamel stunt usually works really well for harder woods like basswood (harder than balsa, anyway). Its cheap and has a decent shelf life.

For three, if I really have to fill, talcum powder has a pretty indefinite shelf life as does my supply of old Glosscote apparently, so mix a little batch and thats good enough for the project at hand.

For four, I don't need it often enough to justify buying the commercial stuff just to have it go off after I opened it for the first project. I might not need it again for a year, and last I looked commercial butyrate sanding sealer was pretty pricy for losing 90% of it.

And lastly, If I depend on the commercial stuff, its guaranteed to have gone off and also guaranteed to be a Sunday evening when I want some. Its a zen thing. I end up having to make my own anyway, so I don't bother with keeping both.

I'm cheap and I don't need this that often or in large quantities.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Maybe I missed it, but why not just use regular old sanding sealer?

An element of lasiness, for one.

For two, the black enamel stunt usually works really well for harder woods like basswood (harder than balsa, anyway). Its cheap and has a decent shelf life.

For three, if I really have to fill, talcum powder has a pretty indefinite shelf life as does my supply of old Glosscote apparently, so mix a little batch and thats good enough for the project at hand.

For four, I don't need it often enough to justify buying the commercial stuff just to have it go off after I opened it for the first project. I might not need it again for a year, and last I looked commercial butyrate sanding sealer was pretty pricy for losing 90% of it.

And lastly, If I depend on the commercial stuff, its guaranteed to have gone off and also guaranteed to be a Sunday evening when I want some. Its a zen thing. I end up having to make my own anyway, so I don't bother with keeping both.

I'm cheap and I don't need this that often or in large quantities.

Gone off? Cheap?? The can I have from Hechinger's is still my go to stuff if I need it,

[sarge]

Lucky you. I can't seem to keep the stuff long enough to use a tenth of it, so I don't bother. I have no idea what the modern stuff they call sanding sealer in a DIY even is or how long a tin will last sitting around, so I prefer to use what I know.

[Mitch]

Sarge, there are commercial sanding sealers that are water based, and as long as the can is sealed up tight, the shelf life would be darn near infinite. I know you can get it 1 gallon and 1 quart cans, but a modeler would most likely want one of those little cans that hold 1/2 pint, but I can't say whether or not those are available. They will raise the grain of the wood a bit on the softer woods. I've last used them on birch plywood as a pre-stain coat. Keeps the stain from going blotchy with the different grains in the wood. Don't know if that would even count on a wooden boxcar?

[robert.]

Talc and cornstarch is a hard mixture to explain to someone. An old hand taught me how to use it on bronze statue restoration. It's one of those things that works. When you have it right. You can mix it with shoe wax(Shinola) also. Do you know the difference ?

[sarge]

Mitch, there are several, but I really don't know what would happen with these commercial waterbased things once I hit them with the paints I use. Therefore I can't recommend to anyone anything I haven't done successfully and reliably.

I know that this method works reliably, so that's what I have to offer. Its old, forgotten, and has yet to fail me.