Glues and Adhesives in modeling

here is a short list of the current Glues and Adhesives that i use almost daily

every one of these products in the pic below have their uses…..except 1

by the time i am done writing you will figure out which one i do not use and have not since i was about 11 years old.

first and foremost, i use Liquid Cement on a constant basis

it does not matter which name brand you use, these are perfect for almost any job where you have to join styrene to styrene on a model. their strongest point in their favor is the fact they are water thin. this allows something that other glues cannot accomplish. by the use of capillary action this glue is actually drawn into seams and crevices. simply hold 2 styrene parts together and use either a brush or a touch and flow applicator ( pictured in the forefront above ) to place just a drop of cement on the seam, it will creep into the seam and allow for a strong bond in a short amount of time.

Next up is Super Glue or any other form of CA glue.

name brand does not matter, i normally keep one thick and one thin on my bench at all times. thin is great for any time you are adhering dis similar items together and there is no gap or roughness between them. the thicker super glue is for when you have a small gap to fill and can even be used as a body filler when used in conjunction with baking soda. do not use either of these on clear plastic as they do tend to fog them.

 

next we have the ole white school glue…

i find myself using this for quite a bit when modeling, from a brush on mask, to window and headlight glue. get a new bottle about once a year as it does thicken up in the bottle a bit.

next up is another of my favorites as an adhesive

it is a clear acrylic, i use it to add PE emblems when completing a model, it is also a great adhesive for flocking

 

now there is only one left i have not mentioned.

in this day and age, there is no reason for this to be on anyones hobby bench anymore. it is thick, stringy, causes more problems than it solves. the only reason i even have this tube is that it came in a parts box i bought off e bay lol

 

i have never even taken the top off to see if it is still liquid or not.

 

now please remember, these are my views alone, you are entitled to your own opinions and favorites

keep slingin plastic and putty

wayne

 

Decanting Paint my Way

i will start this one as simple as i can….

I AM CHEAP!!

ok now that being said, i cant stand the cost of paint. for what it is, the prices can add up very quickly for a multi color finish or even the basic stock one color job.

the average car modeler buys the 3oz cans of both primer and paint
the going prices of these equate to a single paint job running between 12 and 18 dollars depending on where you buy and the brand you buy.

with the unregulated air pressure and oversized spray nozzles you can expect to get 2 cars worth of primer from a 30z can and 1 5 coat finish ( 2 mist coats and 3 wet) from the color

i dont think that is good enough or cost effective, so i decant everything into different bottles and shoot them through my airbrush.

with that same amount of paint in the cans, i can get 6 cars worth of primer and enough paint to cover 3 cars. all this because the airbrush allows you to control paint flow and air pressure so there is less wasted product and you are laying down thinner coats of paint.

i always get the same questions any time i try to explain this to anyone.

arent you afraid the can will explode?
doesnt it make a mess?
why should i bother when i can just use the can?
no i am not afraid the can will explode because i make sure that cant happen, no it doesnt make a mess when done properly, unless you have more money than sense there is no reason not to decant your paints, it makes the same amount of product go roughly 3 times further, many times with better results.

first i grab a can of primer for this demonstration
i bought this one for 6.99 plus tax from autozone. its a 12 oz can but the process is the same for the 3oz hobby size.

if you think of how a can of spraypaint is manufactured, it is easy to understand why this works.

as you can see, the dip tube extends to the bottom of the can and the propellant settles at the top.

when you invert the can…

the propellant is exposed to the dip tube and can be expelled without losing any of the paint.

keeping the can inverted, depress the nozzle until all the propellant is expelled.
dont be fooled here, the propellant is a gas and it saturates the paint. once it stops spraying because of no pressure, stop depressing the nozzle, shake the can for 10 seconds, flip the can again and depress the nozzle again. you will be surprised at how much additional pressure builds up in that time. repeat this step 3 or 4 times until it no longer builds pressure.

the propellant is now expelled and it is safe to “open” the can.

i use a nail for this next step because i am kinda neanderthalish lol

it is easiest to use the seam of the can as a target here, as you can puncture the can both top and bottom on the same side of the can.

the hole near the bottom of the can is where the paint will stream out of when we are done

the hole at the top is to allow air into the can which lets the paint flow out in a stream rather than gurgling.

once you have your 2 holes, it is a simple matter of finding an acceptable container to store your paint in.

i am partial to these

you can find them either on the internet or even restaurant supply stores. most come with a plastic clip on cap so you dont have to worry about your paint evaporating and the squeeze bottle design is ideal for filling paint cups on air brushes with no waste.

now all thats left is to use a small clean funnel (i have one i use for this purpose alone ) and pour your paint from the can into the bottle.
clean out your funnel as soon as you are done so it is ready for your next one.

thats all there is to it, you now have a squeeze bottle of your paint you can fill your airbrush with and saved yourself some money in the process.

even with the cost of the squeeze bottles ( currently under 3 dollars for a 6pack) you have more than doubled the usefulness of your paint without wasting any product.

The use of Fillers in Modeling

OK here is another question i have heard time and time again in the various forums and facebook groups i am in.

What kind of filler should i use?

let me remind you that these are my opinions only, many different builders have had success with different types of fillers but for reasons that are my own, i like what works for me.

first lets take a look at what we are trying to accomplish.

filler is generally used to :

1. fill sink marks
2. smooth joined edges so seams do not show
3. mold in panel lines or other custom bodywork
4. correct either damage or inaccuracies in the kit you are working on

the types of filler available can be broken down into 3 categories

1. hobby directed products
2. home made alternatives
3. automotive directed products

Either can be broken into two main categories:

1. evaporative- dries by evaporation of solvents embedded within the filler itself
2. chemical- hardens by the use of a chemical reaction from the introduction of the “hardener” to the filler.

first we can take a look at some of the hobby directed products out there

 

group in there any of the other name brands on the market, i will explain a bit later why i avoid all but one of these products and dont let them touch my builds.

next i will cover 2 of the home spun fillers i have either used myself or seen others use with different grades of success.

1. super glue with a filler
2. styrene melted in liquid cement

and lastly i will go over some of the many fillers available for the automotive world

1. body filler
2. spot putty
3. glazing putty

Now on to explain a bit of why i dont use hobby oriented fillers.

1. shrinkage
2. cost
3. effect on finish

Shrinkage: because all but the 2 part tamiya putty are whats know as evaporative fillers, meaning that they harden as the solvents evaporate into the air, they shrink. some worse than others but they all do it. as the solvent evaporates from the filler itself it looses internal volume and (for lack of a better term) puckers on itself to fill the void. this can happen as quick as overnight or in the worst cases, it can be 3 months down the road when you look at a model you finished and put all that hard work into only to find out that there are cracks in the otherwise beautiful finish where the putty has shrunk and pulled itself apart.

Cost: basic price comparison. average price of a 2.5oz tube of squadron green putty – $3.75. thats $1.50 an ounce.

now a 36oz can of evercoat 2 part polyester glazing putty ( personal preference ) you can find online or in stores for just under 30 bucks. that comes down to about .77 cents an ounce.

Effect on finish: because 99% of hobby oriented fillers are solvent based, there is always the chance that the solvents are going to react (melting or warping) with the plastic itself. now you would not risk soaking your kit in a bath of lacquer thinner or mineral spirits for minutes, much less hours. so why would you allow something carrying that solvent to sit in one place on that same kit while you wait however long for it to dry?

* the only one of the hobby directed fillers i would use on my own builds is the Tamiya 2 part because it is not evaporative, but i still avoid it because of the cost*

 

home spun fillers:

a common practice to many modelers is using superglue with or without a filler material

common practice see’s the user fill a gap with some filler medium ( baking soda, corn starch, talcum powder ) then flowing thin superglue into the gap. this is normally followed with a shot of CA glue accelerant (zip kicker). the advantage to this type of filler is that it can be sanded almost immediately so there is no waiting time before work can continue. the down side to this method is that once it cured fully ( normally in about 24 hours ) the filler becomes much harder than the plastic itself making bodywork much more difficult if you wait too long.

now i have also seen people melt styrene ( leftover sprues ) in liquid cement until they are more or less a thick liquid plastic. i tried this once before to find out the result. in my findings, this is not a very viable filler. basically this method is extremely evaporative and destructive. since the solvent is made to melt the plastic you are attempting to fill it does not make much sense to try to use it to fill gaps.

 

Automotive directed products:

Body Filler: brand names like Bondo are most prevalent in the market but in essence they are all the same. the only problem with general body filler in use on scale models is the coarseness of the final finish. where on a full sized car the finish would be adequate to sand prime and paint. in scale the finish is not fine enough to be viable.

Spot Putty: basically spot putty is a thinned down version of body filler which has a slightly finer finish. there are two different types of spot putty, evaporative and 2 part. avoid the evaporative type if you use spot putty as it suffers the same problems as the hobby related fillers. the 2 part spot putties are adequate for most hobby related filling situations.

Glazing Putty: think of glazing putty as an ultra fine grain body filler, an almost ideal medium for our scale. when cured with its hardener, it sands easily, feathers beautifully and offers a wonderful base for any primer and paint. this is my main filler of choice. the initial cost may seem high but if you consider that one can can last even the heaviest kitbasher well over a year it is well worth the investment.

 

now i have already stated at the beginning that these are my own personal opinions, you are welcomed to leave your own ideas and preferences below so others might learn from them.

 

What kind of airbrush do you need?

this is more of a universal answer to question’s i see at the very least, a couple times a week in different forums or facebook.

the question’s are normally something like these…

i have been using a rattle can all my life and want to try an airbrush, whats the best kind?
whats better, a spray can or an air brush?
i have never used an airbrush before, should i buy the newest $200 one?

now, i am going to cover as much as i can about air brushes in this post, i will break it down into categories

Q:Why is an airbrush better than a rattle can?

A:The biggest advantage to an airbrush is the price…. yes you read that right. While you have the initial cost of investment when you first buy your airbrush, over time it easily pays for itself. Say the average hobby sized 3oz rattle can, a quick google search tells me they retail at between 4 and 6 dollars each can. when using straight from the can, a basic 2 mist coats and 2 wet coats paint job, you can expect 1 1/25- 1/25 scale coverage with a bit left over. Now, decant that same 3 oz into a bottle and shoot it through an airbrush, using the same sequence, and you will use the same amount of paint to spray 3 kits instead of 1. you just saved yourself the cost of 2 cans of paint on your first paint job. This is because that by default, the size of the tip on the rattle can is too large, allowing way more paint than needed to leave the can, the air source is also unregulated on the rattle can, this means that the more the can is used, the less the pressure propelling the paint, by using an air brush, you control both of these variables and con optimize them.
The second reason behind the cost factor is the fact that [b]you are not restricted to just hobby paints[/b] for your paint jobs any more. You can shoot any paint medium you like through the airbrush as long as it is thinned properly. one popular thing to spray through an airbrush is nail polish. nail polish is only very thick lacquer paint. if thinned properly, down to the correct consistency, it makes a long lasting, durable and brilliant model car paint. Nail polish comes in many more colors than even the most extensive line of model car paints. I buy mine from a local flea market here for $1 a bottle, i get a deal of $5 if i buy six of them at the same time. Through an airbrush , after thinning( i currently thin nail polish with medium temp lacquer reducer bought from the local car parts store ), i can shoot a whole kit with one 1/2 oz bottle of nail polish . that equates to 83 cents a paint job, try to do that with hobby paint.
Airbrushes are also great for interiors, since alot of interiors are flat, rather than glossy, one of the best things i have found to shoot them with is craft paint, currently i use apple barrel brand craft paint which i get at wallmart for 60 cents for a 2oz bottle. when shot through an airbrush, there are no brush strokes, you get a nice clean uniform finish. start with the background color, and then use a normal brush later to pick out the details.

Another advantage to an airbrush over a rattle can is control. even the most simple air brushes have controls on them to not only regulate paint flow and air pressure, but also the size of the spray pattern coming out of them. this allows you to use the airbrush in places where a rattle can is just not viable. i will use my 62 bel air as an example.

if you look at the pic above you can see a pattern in the side panel inlays, this was a detail i decided to add because it adds interest to the eye instead of just a basic one color inlay. this was done easily with a piece of paper and the air brush, you would not be able to do the same thing with a rattle can because it lacks the control of the spray pattern.

Q: which type os airbrush is best, single action or double action, also whats better, internal mix or external mix?

A: it really does not matter. i know i will take flack for this answer from some of the aficionados, but in all truth none of those make a difference in the performance or ability to lay down a stunning paint job.
Lets break them down and explain a bit further…..
By definition:
A single action airbrush delivers both paint and air at the same time when you depress the trigger
A double action airbrush delivers air when the trigger is depressed and will not start delivering paint until the trigger is pulled back.
An external mix airbrush is exactly what it says, the paint never actually travels through the airbrush itself, the siphon tip is located at the nose of the airbrush directly in the air stream. as air passes over the opening in the tip it causes a vacuum which draws the paint up from the jar into the air and then propels it onto the model.
An internal mix airbrush draws the paint into the body of the airbrush itself where it is then shot through the tip and onto the model.
Aribrushes come in four combinations single action external mix, single action internal mix, double action external mix and single action internal mix.

some example pics are below

first is a basic Badger single action external mix airbrush

next is an example of a double action generic airbrush controls

This is a flowchart on how an Internal mix airbrush works

and a Flowchart on how an external mix airbrush works

every type of airbrush is capable of laying down show quality paint. no exceptions.
there is a stipulation though… we will come to that shortly.

Q: should i go out and buy the most expensive airbrush available and expect fantastic results right out of the box?

A: in a word…. NO
some day i am going to get people to listen when i tell them that it is not the airbrush that controls the quality of a paint job, it is the person who is holding the airbrush and their ability to learn it.
let me explain,,, i can go to harbor freight and pick up one of their 15 dollar airbrushes, come home, unwrap it, load it with paint, and start spraying that kit i have been working on for weeks with bodywork getting everything just right. only to have the paint job turn out like crap. i could then blame the airbrush for being “cheap” toss it in the trash and go buy a more expensive one. get home and go through it all again only to have another bad paint job. this is the normal cycle with people new to air brushing. by the time they get to an airbrush that lays paint smooth right out of the box, its not the airbrush that made the difference, its the time they have had holding different ones in their hand which amounts to “practice”.
now if i take that same 15 dollar budget airbrush and take 2 or 3 days practicing with it, learning the air pressures it likes to work with, learning the spray patterns, and the thickness of paint it likes. Once i know that airbrush inside and out, i can lay glass smooth paint with it, bar none. i have been telling people for years that the airbrush itself does not dictate the quality of the finish, its the person that holds it with experience that can do wonders with them.
now do not get me wrong, there are reasons to upgrade to the more expensive airbrushes. the 15 dollar ones are normally constructed with cheaper parts, often times plastic bits that wear out fairly quickly. when you move up the scale a bit you find those parts are then made of metal and tend to last longer. But that is the only reason to upgrade that i can think of. it is quite possible that you can get 2 years out of that cheap one as long as it is taken care of properly.

My recommendation?

If i were just getting into airbrushing myself and had to decide on a good all around airbrush…
i would buy a testors Aztek airbrush, i have owned one before and i actually loved it, it is capable of being both single action or double action, comes with a 2 year warranty, has interchangeable tips ( fine medium and a high flow which is great for bodies when you are shooting flakes and pearls) , replacement tips are cheap and easily found, can use both color cups and paint jars, very easy to clean and maintain,they are not the cheapest out there by far, ( just found a few on ebay for the $60 range) but they are an excellent all around airbrush.
In all actuality, it will probably be my next airbrush purchase.
in a nutshell, if you are just getting into the world of airbrushing, dont “waste” your money on a top of the line airbrush costing hundreds of dollars, you can upgrade to one of them at a later point, after you learn to use one. the key to learning an airbrush is the same as with anything else… you need to have patience. i have seen many a different modeler pick up even a moderately expensive airbrush setup, only to see it a week later on ebay because it ” didnt work” for them. taking the time to learn your equipment is the biggest benefit you can give yourself.

good luck and if i can answer any questions you might have, let me know

**Update**
OK it has been a while since i wrote this so i figure i would add a bit more to it.
Couple years ago, after i wrote this article, the wife surprised me with an Aztek airbrush for Christmas. it was exactly as i remembered it and a great all around airbrush…..i now own the Aztek, an Iwata Neo, an Iwata Eclipse, a Paasche Vl and 3 other knock off airbrushes from ebay. they all work and they all do what they are supposed to do ( as long as you keep them clean )

Chopping a 32 Ford 3 Window

I had done this tutorial once before and someone asked me to make it available again on the website.

so here it is.

starting with a Revell 32 ford 3 window kit

 

great kit on its own but i am a sucker for chopping the top to give it a custom look

i know you can buy resin conversions, why would you bother when with a bit of time you can have the look you want, gain some experience and not spend anything extra to get there?

lets have a look at the body itself

i am going to concentrate on the top chop this time, later i will also remove the exterior hinges to give it a smoother look.

i lay out the lines for where i plan to cut, you can use 1/8 fine line tape to come up with a scale 3 inch top chop, i prefer to lay out my cut lines with a marker. the side cut lines i center on where the top hinge is on the door. once i chop it will be one less hinge to deal with.

in the rear i shift the cut line up to center with the rear window. if you dont do this then you end up with an odd shaped window when you are finished.

now some people dont bother with this next cut line. the reason i do this is so i can line up both the front and rear pillars without having to bend them out ruining the lines of the car.

the first cuts i am making are the vertical cuts near the rear window, if you wait until the end to do these it makes it a whole lot harder. i use the back of a hobby blade and repeatedly score the plastic along the line until i male it all the way through.

next, using a razor saw, i make the cuts to the highest lines on the sides.

i do the upper lines first because if you use the lower lines it will leave you with not much to hold on to when you have to make your other cuts. also the upper line of the side marks is in line with the lower line of the rear window cut. so cut straight through.

when you are through with your top cuts you will have 2 pieces that need a bit of cleanup.

now we will move to the lower section of the sides, starting at the rear window ( jog should be far enough from the window itself to make it easy to sand smooth later ) and start making the lower cuts so it looks like this.

then cut the small bits from the roof section

to make sure everything is all nice and level, i take a piece of sandpaper and lay it on a flat surface, then doing figure 8’s with the roof section until everything smooths out.

test fitting the rear section, if you have done your cutting carefully there should be very little filling to do later.

on the test fit we can see there will be a bit of file work needed to smooth out the side bodylines later.

this shows the reason we will be making the last roof cut, with the back section lined up properly, the front a pillars are slightly short of where they should be. the addition of the last roof cut will allow us to fix that.

using the razor saw i cut across the top

now to start attaching things back together. i have seen many people just glue top to bottom and think it was good enough. i prefer a bit of extra stability so i cut a few strips of .010 styrene to bridge across the joint and give more  glueing surface.

i bend the styrene strip along the inside of the body and hold it in place with one of my handy dandy specialty clamps while i flow liquid cement along it and allow it to dry.

once glued in place, the strips give me a positive locating place to glue the rear section of the top on.

i glue the top on the same way i glued the strip on, once it dries it should look similar to this

now when i line up the front windshield section where it should be so it lines up, there is a very small gap at the sides of the top. we will fill this after we glue on the front.

check your fit from all angles so you make sure everything is straight before final glueing

once the front is glued in place ( using the same method as the rear with the shims from behind to give the joint strength ) i use some more of the .010 styrene to fill the joint between the front and rear roof sections. the less filler i have to use later, the better.

more shims to tighten up the joints around the rear window.

now trim off the excess plastic from the shims and sand smooth.

still needs a bit of filing to straighten out a bit of the door lines and upper bodyline, but so far so good.

looks straight from the front

rear fits tightly and wont require alot of filler

time for some putty to smooth out some of the rough spots

i sanded down with a sanding stick once the filler dried and then hit it with a coat of primer to help see anything else that needs to be tweaked.

it will require a little bit more filing and sanding but for the most part it is done and total bench time, not counting the waiting for glue to dry, was about an hour so far.

i have a few different ideas i am throwing around for this kit but they are going to have to wait until i get a few of my current projects off the bench.

cya a bit later