Built Techniques and Consumables...

[Zaggy]

Whilst I am waiting for some stuff to harden, I thought I'd pose a few questions on the forum regarding what ppl use and how they go about their builds. As some of you will know, I've been away from the hobby for a good 15+ years until the start of the year, so I've been in the process of 'rediscovering' techniques, looking for products to replace the things I used to use and discovering things that weren't around a decade and a half ago! The glue I used to use is gone, the putty I used to use has changed formula, etc; so how does everyone go about their basic building and seam finishing?

After a few months of experimenting, this is where I am at now:

Major Seams are usually filed (to ensure proper mating) and bonded with Plastruct Weldene - this stuff is so thing that it just SHOOTS down the join; it is a bit unforgiving, but the pro's outweight the con's! For smaller bits, I'm still using the trusty old Tamiya Cement (Orange), 5 second Superglue and Epoxy for resin and metal...

For filling, I used to use Tamiya Grey, but the last tubes of both Grey and White I bought were TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE; so I jumped ship to Squadron Green which has proven to be rather awesome! Just enough solvent in it to really bond well, but I find on some plastics (such as the older Dragon/DML plastic and the Eduard 'variable consistency' plastic) that the edges of the putty sometimes don't quite smooth over seamlessly. Thus, in place of the old Mr Surfacer (?) which I can't find any more, I'm trying this Tamiya Grey Liquid Surface Primer as a sort of microfiller. Has anyone noticed how similiar that stuff is to LIQUID PAPER in both smell and consistency? I've also tried the Vallejo Surface Primer, which I initially wrote off and being too soft - when i'd sand it, it would 'tear' at the edges; well it seems I pre-judged it. If you leave it for a good 24hrs, it dries MUCH harder and sands quite well. BUT I think I will leave that stuff as a spray primer - it has an AMAZING finish and the black primer is SO dense; should work great under metal lacquers.

What does everyone else use? What has worked and what hasn't? For example, I know a bunch of ppl use superglue + talc as a filler, but Ive not had much success with that myself (what has worked tho, is letting some super glue soak into Squadron Green, where you need to form an edge - makes things much tougher!)...


Dan

 

[N4521U]

I was away from this for as many years. I learned a long time ago to use a rather smooth flat file, a good one, nice and thick and about 9 or more inches long. I use this to file the fuselage halves flat. I even have taken the locating pins off with the file. I don't get too carried away as I don't want to do any more than flatten the surfaces, takeing the gloss out of the mating surfaces. I do this to wing halves as well. And any other flat mating surfaces. This lessons the use of seam fillers, most times to zero.
For glue I have started using the Humbrol stuff in the yellow plastic bottle. This stuff glues styrene to itself, and model plastic like magic and is pretty quick.

For a filler I use two things. One is Mr Surfacer, I just happened to buy the 1200, higher the number, finer the filler. It shrinks quite a bit and may need more than one application. I DO NOT use a brush for this as the solids will stay in the brush and you'll just get the liquid. Use something solid like a tooth pick, I happen to use a feathers barrel, cut at a slant with a point. Long story, but all the material will flow off it. I use this for itsy bitsy filling.

Second filler I use is the tube, red bondo smash repairers use for paint chip hole filling. Hit a smash repair and see if they will stear you to a dealer, or they may throw an almost empty tube at you. The advantage is it dries pretty fast, is fairly soft, and has minimum shrink. You can paint right over it. I use this for filling big gaps. A friend in the States used baking soda and super glue for big filling, with a squirt of accelerator.

I do use CA glue for PE and resin mounting, not much else.

I hope this helps to get you over the line.
Cheers, Bill

 

[Lucky13]

Haa haa! Double post! Someone's gonna have your *rse!

Nothing to tell myself, still discovering new stuff...

 

[stona]

Mr Cement,just edges out my old preference for Tamiya Extra Thin.
Various putties but often a thickish CA glue or a CA glue/baking powder mix. I never use any accelerator as it gets hot enough with the powder.
I also use Tippex liquid paper on very fine gaps. I like Mr Surfacer and grab some whenever I see it over here.
Cheers
Steve

 

[Zaggy]

Come on Lucky, tell us how you work. Im just curious as to how others work, having (I think) finally sorted out a decent process myself (looking down at this Fw 190D-11, weighted into a tailplane jig ATM, and dressed in green putty, black primer, grey primer-filler, dark grey paint and of course, Eduard Baby-poo-brown Plastic!)...

 

[Zaggy]

Does anyone actually know if 'Liquid Paper' (or its cousin's, with different branding), is the same stuff as this Tamiya Liquid Surface Primer I am using? Smells the same and seems to dry to much the same sheen - its just grey and dries a little slower...