White Wolf Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 How do I effectively fill and sand a gap between two surfaces that are perpendicular to each other, like between the fuselage and the wings of an F-4? My sanding sticks can't reach the spot that well and only end up destroying the surrounding detail, and using sandpaper gets me the same results. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eclipseone Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 I found this little trick by accident.. If the gap is small enough, get tamiya extra thin cement, and let it soak up in the cracks. I used this to great effect on my f-4 on several locations. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fly-n-hi Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 I found this little trick by accident.. If the gap is small enough, get tamiya extra thin cement, and let it soak up in the cracks. I used this to great effect on my f-4 on several locations. I use this technique as well. If the gap is still there I use Mr. Surfacer 500, brush it along the joint, wait for it to dry and wipe it down with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol. The Mr. Surfacer 500 fills it up nicely. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lodewijk Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 I use Tamiya putty and apply it to the entire gap. I then use a Q-tip dipped in Tamiya lacquer thinner or Mr. Color lacquer thinner to wipe most of it away. I repeat if needed. I'll then apply a thin layer Tamiya liquid surface primer or Mr. Surfacer to the area and gently sand it with very fine sand paper. I've heard you can use fingernail polish with acetone instead, but I've always ended up crazing the plastic when I used it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Janissary Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 The above suggestions are great and would probably get you the cleanest solution. However, if sanding is still necessary, you can roll up a small piece of sanding paper, and use a pair of tweezers to control it along the concave joint. It works better if you wet sand it. Here is the idea, it works well for the types of joints you described. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Triarius Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Or use one of the Aves Studio water soluble epoxies. Smooth them with a wet brush or cloth after application, before the start to cure. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
White Wolf Posted March 30, 2013 Author Share Posted March 30, 2013 Thanks very much guys! The Q-tip in thinner/alcohol sounds like a great solution. :)/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
huntermountain Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Another interpretation of what Janissary said. I glue a strip of sanding paper to the end of a kebab skewer if I need to sand in such places. But I prefer the putty and thinner method. I use Vallejo plastic putty, and a q-tip soaked in their airbrush thinner to remove the excess. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pin Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Another suggestion - you may come out without sanding at all. Fill the gap with putty, let it cure. Than soak a q-tip in cheapest acetone nail polish remover and simply remove excess of putty as it is aggressive enough to dissolve putty but not kit's plastic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
B-17 guy Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Also, I put tape on either side of the gap I'm sanding to protect as much of the surface detail as possible. Kinda have to work quickly though when doing this as it can leave a step in the filler. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Netz Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 You need to get a set of Rifler Files, they come in a variety of shapes, the advantage of these files is that you can file on the exact spot that needs sanding. Curt Here's a great article on basic model building. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom G Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 I am building a F-4 right now and used Milliput to fill the wing root joints. It cleans off with water, no sanding needed. Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bails Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Janissary, you ARE the man. I've used a slightly curved-end 4 1/2" hobby tweezer with once-folded tiny squares of sandpaper for many years to get at those almost impossible places. And I thought I was the only one on the planet doing this. All other techniques mentioned above are very useful, too, but this one is best for me for the hardest-to-get-to places. Bails Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bails Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Janissary, you ARE the man. I've used a slightly curved-end 4 1/2" hobby tweezer with once-folded or rolled tiny squares of sandpaper for many years to get at those almost impossible places. And I thought I was the only one on the planet doing this. All other techniques mentioned above are very useful, too, but this one is best for me for the hardest-to-get-to places. Bails Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.