Resin Figure Gap Filling TutorialThis is a tutorial for gap filling on resin figures. Often, resin kits have areas where two parts meet up and an unnatural gap/seam results with the two parts. These need to be fixed so that when done, the two parts look like one continuous part. The first step to this prcess is to soak the two parts in an industrial strength cleaning solution that will dissolve the mold release. This step is very important as it will help the glue bond with the parts and help the epoxy putty that will be used to hide and fill the gaps to bond with the parts. Once the parts have been properly washed, the next step is to glue the parts together. The below part has been glued and pinned together. I used a vice to help press the top section of the robe together and reduce the gap as much as possible. The vice can be used here since the area in this section of the parts were solid resin. For the lower section of these parts, the vice would have snapped the thinned out areas, so I did not employ the vice for that area.
The following video discusses the initial steps to gap filling.
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Here is an image of the above process
Next, I fill the majority of the gaps with epoxy glue. The glue flows easily into the gap and is a great filler that adds strength to the bond between the two parts. The epoxy glue will act as a good base for the epoxy putty to grab. Below is a video showing the use of epoxy glue as a gap filler.
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Here is an image of the above process
Once the epoxy glue has cured, I can then mix up some tamiya epoxy putty quick type and add it to the seam. To help with adhesion, I take some fairly low grit sand paper or a sanding stick and sand the surface around the gap to give more surface area for which the epoxy putty can adhere. The putty is then pressed into the part and left to cure. The following video shows the process of applying the epoxy putty.
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Here are some still images of the above process
For the next update on this page, I will continue with sanding putty, then priming to look for defects, and in most cases there are, I will show the various methods for fixing defects.
May 21, 2008: New tutorial on gap/seam filling for resin figures. I will update this when I complete the next steps of sanding, priming, and defect fixing.