![]() ![]() I'd finally get everything filled, primed, and painted (and the seams still showed in the right light), drop the model or not set it down gently enough, and the place where it wasn't quite glued together would make a cracking sound and I'd end up with a giant crack in everything. I HATED that part and always struggled to get a good result. I primarily build planes and helicopters, and putting fuselage halves and wing halves together used to be the bain of my existence. I don't even use clamps most of the time. You'll also find that even poorly fitting fuselage halves will come together with no gaps because doing things in small sections slowly builds structural support for the subsequent sections and allows you to carefully twist and flex things into shape. That method doesn't get enough cement into the joint to completely fuse the plastic together. Much more effective than having the parts firmly together when the cement is applied. It keeps the cement from evaporating too quickly and gives it time to do its job. The gap between the parts when you apply the cement is usually going to be about the width of the thickness of a sheet of paper. I realize it sounds like a long, complicated process, but it beats the hell out of the old fill, sand, repeat process we are all too familiar with and eliminates all of the green dust all over the place. Quick check under bright light to make sure the gap is gone (which it is about 95% of the time), then primer and paint. I dab a tiny amount of that into the gap or depression (which is easy to see in the right light after the plastic is polished with the 12000 MicroMesh), let that cure for at least 24 hours, scribble on and around the cured super glue with a black Sharpie, and then carefully wet sand/polish just that area until just after all of the black Sharpie is gone from the model. When I do have an occasional gap or depression that needs to be filled, I just use Gorilla Super Glue with the blue cap. At the end of that process, fillers usually aren't even necessary as the two halves of plastic are completely welded together. ![]() After waiting at least 24 hours after the last section of a joint is completed, I carefully remove most of that bead of plastic with a #11 blade, and then the sanding and polishing begins (usually done under running water when the situation allows). I work an inch or two at a time, tapping Tamiya Extra Thin cement to the joint, holding it open with just a tiny gap between the parts for about 20 seconds, then pressing it together to form a fairly even bead of melted plastic along the seam.checking/adjusting alignment of panel lines, etc. My post assumes that the two parts have been joined together the way that I join them together. But, the polishing many times completely eliminates the need for any kind of filler because it completely eliminates gaps in most cases. All you have to do is shine a bright light at just the right angle across the joint and the mirror finish will make any low spots immediately visible. Going all the way up to 12000 grit puts a mirror-like finish on the bare plastic, which makes it really easy to spot any tiny gaps that may need a little extra attention before putting primer and paint on the model. ![]() I use those as part of my routine for polishing canopies, but I also find them great for eliminating seams between parts. But, I still have full sets of MicroMesh paper, pads, and boards that range in grits from 1500 to 12000. I have built car models on rare occasions, but I'm mostly about building things that fly, which usually don't require the high polish that cars do. With wood, you're not really looking to "polish" anything to a high sheen like you are on a car model.you're just wanting to get it so its smooth to the touch. Its just about the difference in materials and the finish you're trying to achieve. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |