# Crawford's putty



## CustomDesignCoatings (Jun 2, 2011)

We usually use Crawford's Spackling Paste for filling of nail holes in trim prior to paint but I am interested in the putty. 

I'm going to do some shop testing prior to using it in the field to see how it performs. I am interested in any tricks or thoughts that those of you who use it have learned. 

My biggest question relates to how fast you are coating it. We would fill holes and then spray a acrylic undercoater followed by an acrylic enamel 

Respectfully,
Brian


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## DynaPLLC (Oct 25, 2013)

Isn't the putty oil based? I use elmer's wood filler and red devil lightweight sparkling paste. Occasionally the red bondo on high end jobs.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

Putty is easier in my opinion. Make a ball, fill the holes, quick stroke with some sandpaper and your done. There's no drying time.

Thing is, oil putties can cause problems with acrylic primer/paint systems. The oil from the putty can migrate to the surface after a while, leaving a greasy spot. I gave up on using oil putty for that reason. 

There are some WB putties out there now but I haven't tried them. 


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## BPC (Jan 1, 2015)

We use the 3m putty and it dries pretty fast about 10 min for small holes.


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## Phinnster (Feb 20, 2013)

Why switch ? I would not 

Also what's the red fill ( dries red ) I see people use ?


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## Romanski (May 4, 2008)

Phinnster said:


> Why switch ? I would not
> 
> Also what's the red fill ( dries red ) I see people use ?


Bondo glazing spot putty. It's lacquer based. First put spackle, sand, bondo, sand. If you did a good job the nail hole should be completely gone. If not, rinse and repeat with bondo. Volcanoed MDF maybe not. I hate MDF.

Sandable within 30 minutes, or less. Make sure if you are doing a "primp" after your 1st coat of latex to wait until the recoat time has passed, or else the bondo will eat the paint.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

Romanski said:


> Bondo glazing spot putty. It's lacquer based. First put spackle, sand, bondo, sand. If you did a good job the nail hole should be completely gone. If not, rinse and repeat with bondo. Volcanoed MDF maybe not. I hate MDF.
> 
> Sandable within 30 minutes, or less. Make sure if you are doing a "primp" after your 1st coat of latex to wait until the recoat time has passed, or else the bondo will eat the paint.



The spotting putty is great. I wish I had discovered it years ago. Saw it mentioned on here a while back. 

It really only works well for very shallow defects like incompletely filled nail holes or small gouges, but it works awesome for that. If you really want to detail something, there's nothing like it. 


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## DynaPLLC (Oct 25, 2013)

There's a white vinyl glazing putty made by 3m.
Stinks even worse than the red one and dries faster but I shoot tinted lacquer right on top of it with no primer or 10 coats to cover the red.

Works better on bigger scratches and dents but harder to apply given the super fast dry time.

Just another option . I like it on off whites as well cuz it's easy to spot the super white


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

I like a 50/50 mix of Elmers wood filler and Crawfords (vinyl)In a squeeze bag and a 1"knife ...it dries pretty quick..red glazing is great (but i sure miss it being gray)if you don't mind a quick bomb can of primer...and make sure in you're doing an occupied that the carpet is well covered prior to sanding...it will stain.


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## Phinnster (Feb 20, 2013)

Does any one regularly use the red spot filler
It's looks interesting 
What are the benefits of it over speckle


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## D&K Custom (Oct 10, 2014)

I believe the Crawford putty is water borne. I switched from the "color putty" brand years ago, which is an oil based. Works the same and cleans off your fingers easier. They also recommend topping the can off with tap water to preserve freshness.


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## canopainting (Feb 12, 2013)

I use red spot putty on nicer interior trim repaint. It dries fast but like the other poster said its for dents, scratches, maybe 16th of an inch deep at most, it works great over spackled nail holes. I sand it with 320 get.


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## I paint paint (May 4, 2014)

D&K Custom said:


> I believe the *Crawford putty* is water borne. I switched from the "color putty" brand years ago, which is an oil based. Works the same and cleans off your fingers easier. They also recommend topping the can off with tap water to preserve freshness.


Linseed oil.

http://crawfords.com/eco-facts/


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## summertime14 (May 4, 2009)

Crawfords putty is my standard hole filling method for small finish nails. Been using it manyyrs. It is water based, I don't have yellowing or bleeding issues. No sanding required. I always have a dry rag to keep residue off my fingers.


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## Phinnster (Feb 20, 2013)

I like Crawford as well 
Don't like the rust the cans generate and also seems to have gotten slower to dry ?


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## Hines Painting (Jun 22, 2013)

I use the orange can crawford's (it is oil based) on repaints, for finish nail holes that weren't filled right or nail holes in the wall (I live in a land where all houses are textured so I can get away with it). I've never had a problem putting acrylics right over it, and I mean right over it. 

I don't like it for new construction trim though, because if you don't get it perfect there is a little dimple. 

I might try out the bondo though.


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