BOC262

Thanks Steve. I hope you find it helpful. Karl

This may be of interest to some of you: Secrets of Expert Mold Making & Resin Casting, 2nd edition, written and illustrated by Karl Juelch. 120 pages, over 100 detailed illustrations with supporting text show and tell exactly what to do to create high performance molds capable of making perfect, professional quality castings. Most books and articles leave out important bits of information, making it impossible for the beginner to get professional quality results. I was lucky enough to apprentice with a master mold maker who shared the secrets needed of making flawless castings. I then sp

Thanks Phantom, your advice makes perfect sense, and I will remember it for next time. Unfortunately, all the small parts are already glued on, so I will just have to take my chances and hope for the best. Karl

I know this question has been asked and answered before, but over an hour of determined searching both here and on other sites has not turned up any useful answers. What is the best way to pack a completed plastic model for the mail so it arrives at its destination still in one piece? To be specific, the model is the 1/72 Airfix Stirling, so we are talking tall, stalky undercarriage, gun turrets, etc. Any advice will be greatly appreciated! Thanks! Karl

Thanks for the link!

Thanks for the additional info! I use lead bird shot purchased from a gun shop back in the '80s. Bought a big sack of it and suspect it will last the rest of my life.

A friend alerted me to the possibility that lead used as weight for tricycle geared models can undergo a chemical reaction that causes it to crystallize and expand over time. The expanding lead will eventually exert enough force to spilt seams and destroy even single piece nose cones. He showed me pictures of models that were anywhere from 10 to 15 years old, split to pieces and looking pretty much unsalavageable. He believes the problem is more likely to occur with "old" lead--supposedly newer lead alloys are less likely to crystallize. There is also some speculation that this may be a reacti

So sorry to hear of your troubles with the Nieuport. I hate it when things like that happen--either to me or someone else. I read your blog entry--sounds like you really had a bigger issue with assembly, and if the assembly stage isn't sound, it is only going to make the rigging more difficult. I have found it helpful to try to sort out the fit issues between wings, struts, etc before applying glue. I know it can be challenging to dry fit such assemblies, but it is possible to do it in stages. For instance, check to see if the strut pins fit properly into their respective holes in the wings, f

Make capillary action and gravity work in my favor--brilliant tip! Thanks Edgar.

I was trying to save some time, money and anguish by tapping into the knowledge base here, but yes, you are absolutely right--there comes a time when only experimentation will yield definitive answers. Thank you for your suggestions.

I've never used Testors liquid glue--will have to get some and give it a try. Thank you Phantom!

Ahh, now I get it! The tape acts as a barrier. I can see how that will help with at least part of my problem, but not sure how it will keep the edges of the very thin (5 though or 10 thou) styrene from melting, buckling and distorting. Thanks Edgar!

Our local Lowes and Homey's now only carry MEK Substitute. I have no first hand experience with it, but I have seen a number of posts online saying that MEK Substitute is no good for gluing styrene.

Yes, that is exactly what I am trying to do. The very thin embossed plastic is placed on the surface I am trying to glue it to, and then a small amount of liquid cement is touched to the edge and capillary action wicks it into the joint. Problem I am encountering is puckering, buckling and distortion--the liquid cement I am using (Ambroid or Tenax) seems to be too hot and is melting the very thin plastic card. It sounds like both of you are saying that MEK is not as hot as some other plastic solvents--is that correct? Buying MEK used to be as simple as going to the local home center. Now i

No, I haven't tried that. Not sure if it would be strong enough for long term. For instance, a "skin" can be made with embossed rib detail to fit over a wing that has been scrubbed of coarse rib detail--big surface area, and curvature. I would think the glue could "creep" and eventually fail.