Mr Surfacer questions.....

[Adrian A.]

I just got a bottle in of Mr. Surfacer 1000 & discovered all of the instructions are in Japanese.

Now, I hope this doesn't sound like a bunch of totally ignorant questions but, how exactly do you use the stuff!?

I've got a general idea of course but, what I'm concerned with is -

should it be shaken and/or stirred??

How thick should a layer or coating be?

How long should it dry before re-applying more or sanding it down?

I've got the brush able bottle not the spray type.

Any help on this would be appreciated!!

Thanks,

 

Adrian

[LSP_Kevin]

Adrian, I use Mr Surfacer as my primary primer (ahem), so I can give you some general advice.

 

Firstly, stirring is all I do (with paint I mean). In fact, I read somewhere that you should never shake paints, but always stir them, as shaking is what forces paint up into the lid, which makes getting a good seal (or even opening the thing) subsequently difficult. However, in terms of getting a good mix, I'm sure shaking will do just fine.

 

If you're brushing it on, the usual rules apply. The thicker it goes on, the longer you'll have to leave it to dry. I've sanded thin coats after only an hour or so, but generally try to leave it longer. As with all paints and glues, the longer the better up to its optimal drying time. Overnight is plenty. Thicker applications are probably better achieved with Mr Surfacer 500 or Mr Dissolved Putty anyway. I find filling gaps with Mr Surfacer problematic, as it tends to shrink away from sharp edges as it dries. One of the reasons it's great as a primer is this ability to shrink, or tighten, as it dries, leaving even the most delicate of surface detail unaffected (when sprayed in light coats that is).

 

I use it mostly thinned and airbrushed as a primer though, rather than brushed on as a filler. I thin it with Mr Color Thinner, starting at around 70/30 thinner/surfacer. You can thin it with ordinary lacquer thinner too, but not all hardware-store lacquer thinners are created equal, and the stuff that I buy locally isn't really fully compatible. I have thin it at least 5:1 to stop the inevitable spiderwebbing, and by then it's almost uselessly thin. You can try it, but be prepared for a mess! Just go with Mr Color Thinner if you can.

 

HTH,

 

Kev

[Monty Python]

Adrian

 

I've just tried it for the first time and found the stuff lovely to use. I thinned it with celulose thinners, which I also used for cleaning the airbrush. I then sprayed at around 18-20 psi, giving a couple of coats before a quick rub over with 1200 wet & dry. Lovely smooth surface to spray the enamel or acrylic paint onto. I've heard that some people spray a coat of Alclad II primer on top of the Mr. Surfacer before the top coat of colour but that is down to personal choice.

 

HTH

Chris