Drifterdon Posted November 28, 2022 Share Posted November 28, 2022 (edited) Does anyone have any suggestions or links to a tutorial on casting model parts in pewter? I'm getting tired of catching the HF antenna on the tip of the 1/144 Minicraft KC-135's tail and snapping them off. I'm guessing pewter would just bend and I could straighten it out instead of the plastic part getting launched into the stratosphere when I snag it. I haven't caught the antenna off the Roden RC-135's yet but I'm guessing it's just a matter of time. Edited November 28, 2022 by Drifterdon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GSymmonds Posted November 29, 2022 Share Posted November 29, 2022 I have taken to inserting steel rod (0.020") into fragile protuberances (drill into to body of the antenna and a receiving hole) then using both CA and plastic glue to hold it in place (eg harrier wind vanes, vertical antenna, small vents with no real locating surface etc). This gives the joint a lot more strength and rigidity - almost impossible to knock off because in order to do so the steel has to rip out of the plastic. Not sure if that would work for 1/144 scale. Graham Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bob Beary Posted November 29, 2022 Share Posted November 29, 2022 I would use a metal rod. such as a straight pin or music wire, and place it as late in the build as practical. Yeah, pewter will bend, but only so many times before it too fails because of stress fracture occurring. Bob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bob Beary Posted November 29, 2022 Share Posted November 29, 2022 You can also fold a piece of cardboard over the tail and tape it in place to protect it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drifterdon Posted November 30, 2022 Author Share Posted November 30, 2022 5 hours ago, Bob Beary said: You can also fold a piece of cardboard over the tail and tape it in place to protect it. This is one of the things I had thought about doing while I was decaling. Unfortunately, I have a bunch of what I call half-bakes and one of the got bumped before I could place the cardboard over the tail. Ping goes the antenna into the stratosphere! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ElectroSoldier Posted December 1, 2022 Share Posted December 1, 2022 White metal casting takes me back. I didnt think anybody did that any more, its all about 3D printing these days. The "hard" part of casting white metal is getting a material to make the moulds from. High temperature silicone rubber is what I ended my casting days with. Your gate will need to be quite wide at the neck as the part will be so small... Im sure there are place you can get the silicone from, but Ive not been to Colorado for a long time now (Brighton and Windsor). If you are really interested then I would imagine a search for White metal casting on youtube will bring up far more information than you would get here. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Keeper Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 For protecting parts like antenna, gear, etc. I wrap tinfoil around them and leave a bit of a trailing edge. When you're working on the kit and your finger gets too close the foil will give you a clue to retract before you hit the actual part. You can shape the foil however you want to protect it. HTH Keeper Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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