Sintra help, 7 days to complete build

[masternewbie]

Hi,
Even though Halloween for my kids is a bit away...I however, will be out of town until Halloween and I leave in a week. So I am using Sintra for the first time for their armor with varying success.

Anyway, this piece actually picked up the texture pattern from the glove I was wearing to protect myself from the heat gun.

Is the easiest and cheapest way to go is get a sandable primer paint? What kind, and from where? Automotive store, Hobby Lobby??

Or must I go the bondo route? I've never used the stuff, so maybe I'd go with wood epoxy instead. But for surface imperfections what do you all think?
From what I understand, I do not want to actually sand the sintra surface.

Thanks and all input is appreciated !

 

[tubachris85x]

I'd just sand it and then spray some primer over it, sand, repeat if necessary. Using bondo for this would be overkill IMO

 

[DaddyfromNaboo]

Switch to foam. Take two hours to look at the foam builds. Much faster building, less toxic vapors. Lightweight, kid friendly.

 

[masternewbie]

Switch to foam. Take two hours to look at the foam builds. Much faster building, less toxic vapors. Lightweight, kid friendly.

Im actually using both. This is my third foam costume and I thought Id try sintra for certain parts. That being said....yes I agree I think foam is quicker.

 

[mattdash]

Depending on how severe it is, you can try heating it with a heat gun briefly at close range to soften just the surface but not the core... this might relax the texture out. The trouble of directly sanding sintra is that it always has pores that will show, and a power sander will melt it so you won't get a clean finish.

My best recommendation: i have had great success using Tamiya putty ("basic type") to get smooth surfaces on sintra, although if you don't have a good local hobby store you might have trouble getting it in time. Apply a small amount directly to the tip of a stiff bristle paint brush dipped in laquer thinner, then spread it onto your sintra. Add more thinner/putty as necessary to get a good working consistency for your needs. (I'm making this sound complicated, but the whole process will only take a minute or so) Sands beautifully once dry, and even works over very large areas. Less gross/toxic/expensive/painful than bondo.

Edit: If you don't have or want to pay for lacquer thinner, the putty can be used straight from the tube... it dries very quickly though, so your best bet is to hold the tube tip flush against the surface and slowly squeeze it out as you move the tube around, forcing it into the textured surface.

 

[masternewbie]

Thanks. I got most of the texture out heating it. I just figured out, by accident and trial and error, it seems easier to glue two sintra pieces together THEN heat it up.

Foam is quicker, no two ways about it. There is also some springingness to my 3mm sintra...in other words...it doesn't hold the exact shape, it bends back a bit.
Sintra=frustrating