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Milliput and re-scribing panel lines


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So I've recently re-discovered milliput and thought this stuff could have some wonderful application to filling seams and gaps, especially along fuselage halves, while my current project is curing overnight for an F-16A cockpit I thought I would ask see just how strong this stuff cures to?  Can you easily re-scribe panel lines with milliput?  My usual go-to for filling is cyanoacrylate with accelerator but it dries SO hard that unless you have almost the perfect size for the gap it takes a long time to properly sand down, but it holds up well to scribing and fixes.

 

Thanks

 

Dan

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If you're just doing fuselage halves, just take a razor blade and put it into the panel lines going over the top of the fuselage.  Then, roll the razor blade right over the top of the fuselage through the WET Milliput or whatever putty you are using.  When it dries hard, sand off the edges, clean up your trough, and you're done.

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don't use just CA, mix some CA with talcum powder, then you can use it for filling and it sands back easily. It can be mixed to different ratios, and when you get it right, it will sand easily plus hold a nice clean scribed line

 

Hope this helps

 

Les

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to be honest, I get most of my CA from the cheapo shops, where you get a card blister pack with ten small tubes for a couple of dollars. That way, you don't waste expensive CA if it cures in the tube and actually I have found the expensive varieties to me more finicky for building with. The three big plus points of using CA and talc are

1) very fast cure - no more waiting for a day or so to attack the seam

2) no shrinkage, so you can sand it to a smooth surface and know that the seam will not reappear after you have painted it

3) it sands easily and consistently, can be sanded to a fine feather edge and will still take scribed lines

 

For the mix, make a little cone of talc on some card or similar (I actually use the 'waxed' protective release paper you get with double sided tape) then make a little dimple in the middle. Drip five or six drops of CA in then mix it with a toothpick until you get a paste. The consistency you get depends on how much talc you mix in, but you can go from sloppy to almost dry and each has a use

 

If you mix a lot of talc in, it will start to ball up, and can be tricky to get to stick if it is too dry, but if you need to build up an area it is good as the extra talc makes it sand easily. Think where you have a nosecone that is not the same diameter as the fuselage it is gluing to. The step behind it can need a lot of filler to allow enough to be there to ensure a smooth progression of the shape, and large areas can be a chore to sand. With a high talc to CA mix, it is a lot simpler to get the basic shape sanded down. If you need to scribe lines on it, you can use a tissue to rub neat CA over the CA/talc area so that the outside is a bit harder, plus it can help fill any porosity or pinholes

 

A medium mix is my normal use; basically I stop when it is a nice paste the consistency of bondo. This is wet enough to stick well but has enough talc to sand relatively easily. This is my go to for any seams that need filling, or there are deep scratches and divots caused by my inevitable mishandling. It also helps where there are injector pin holes, with a toothpick you place a little in the middle and push it out to the edges of the hole. It will then flow a little, and then when half cured a craft knife can be used to cut the top off the dome to remove the excess, and you can use a curved blade to scrape it flush very quickly. Ditto any holes in wing leading edges, or pylon or antenna holes you need to fill. 

 

If it is too sloppy, it will flow, which most of the time is not good when you are trying to apply it to a model. However the sloppy mix I find is useful when you have a deeper larger gap, as it can flow into the join. Sloppy mixes dry harder, so if you use this technique try to cut or scrape the half cured excess back while it is still soft to reduce the time spent sanding, or use tape either side of the seam to stop it adhering where you don't want to. However sloppy mixes are tough when cured and can be sanded to strong points and shapes and hold a good edge, so are also good if you have a ding in a trailing edge or need to restore the wingtip to a point.

 

In all cases, mix small amounts and work very quickly with it as it does cure within minutes. However the combination of cheap CA and talc is really cheap, so you can afford to junk any if you are not happy with it

 

Hope this helps

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