In response to “Filling you in on fillers” (Questions & Answers, FSM December 2011), I use super glue as a filler all the time for both deep and shallow gaps. If it’s deep, use microballoons to bulk up the super glue and allow it to cure quicker. I don’t use accelerator. Super glue also is great for shallow fills where body putty would flake and fall away. And it can be scribed. I also overcoat softer filler with super glue to give it a harder surface.

I don’t worry about sanding it right away. Super glue shrinks as it cures, so there’s a chance that if you sand while it’s still soft it will shrink past the point where you want it. I use files instead of sandpaper to remove excess super glue. I’ve filed super glue two years after application and did not have problems. 

Invest in a good set of flat and round files — single-cut, preferably — and a set of riffler/patternmaker’s files. These are all you need. Do not buy the industrial-style diamond files. They are too aggressive for plastic. 

I allow the super glue to cure several days before I file it. It is rock solid and easier to file than if you were to sand it while it is soft. Before filing, I highlight both sides of the fill with a permanent marker.

File parallel to the fill. When the file touches and begins to remove the marker on both sides of the fill, stop filing and use sandpaper with a hard backer. You can even use the file wrapped in sandpaper for this. The key is rigid support for the paper. File and sand with plenty of water; the water won’t harm the file. 

The biggest complaint modelers have about sanding super glue when it is hard is that the sandpaper tends to erode the adjoining plastic before it sands the super glue. The reason for this is that the sandpaper follows the curve of the super glue, which is harder than the plastic. Sandpaper bunches up before the fill and after the fill. Sandpaper, sanding sticks, and especially bow sanders are guilty of this behavior. But files are rigid, so they will cut the super glue first (as long as you don’t rock the file to catch the plastic). 

Tip submitted by:
Greg KuklinskiSt. Ann, Missouri