Best method for hiding fuselage joins?

[Guest]

Hi

I have searched on this forum, but can not find any specific advice on how to hide the joint along the fuselage.

I know that putty must be used, but how do you get it so that only the tiny crack is covered? Or is there some better product or technique than putty?

I know that whenever I have used putty, it ends up getting everywhere

many thanks

phill

[Guest]

it all depends on how bad the seam is.

sometimes it will have to have a full putty/sand/re-scribe

but usually there isnt that a bad one, only a line. in which case there are two ways you can do it.

1: White/PVA glue. just brush it over the seam, let it dry and check that its leveld the seam out by spraying some primer over it. it dries very thin and transparent so it wont efect any other detail. you may have to re-scribe some lines it has gone into though.

2: Thinned putty. you need to thin your putty with a relevent solvent (i use squadron green putty with celulous thinners), brush it on. wait for it to dry, then get a cotton wool bud with a bit of the cleulous thinners on and go over the area. it will remove all the un-wanted putty but leave a nice smooth seam. (carefull not to use too much thinners as this is strong stuff and can easily melt the plastic!)

hope that helps

Richard

[Guest]

Putty is OK but you mustn't be scared of it!!

Firstly rub down the seam to ensure that flashing, high edges etc are removed and the area is flattened. If you are lucky you will only have a small crack but you may have one side higher than the other so you may need a combination of filling the low side and rubbing down the high side.

One very important thing to bear in mind here. I have come across kits that included the little locating dimples that were not accurately placed and if you cut them off and sanded them flush you can sometimjes find that the fit of the two pieces is significantly improved.

Anyway, apply the putty making sure that the affected areas are covered and trying not to cover too much detail. When it is set it is a simple process of carefully removing the filler to leave a perfect seam. I would usually start with either a course emery board or even a small file to remove the bulk of the excess filler, taking care not to scratch the surrounding plastic with it, then move on to a course wet and dry, then a medium and finally a fine one. I do mine in a bowl of warm water to ensure the wet and dry remains lubricated and clear of plastic. Another very important point, always support the wet and dry with a rigid backing such as a piece of metal or plastic. If you use your fingers only the paper will follow the contours and you could easily end up doing more harm than good.

Important not to be scared of the putty. It does look a mess when it first goes on but it comes off again easily and you will be amazed at just how effective it is at giving you a perfect seam.

Have a read through my "Back to Basics" thread as well for more thoughts on these issues.

[Guest]

Fill, rub down, fill if needed, rub down, primer, rub down, top coat, fine wet and dry, steel wool, top coat, t-cut. That should do it

I use 3M Acryl-Red Glazing Putty, there is slight shrinkage but nothing a little more work can't fix.

[Guest]

Some may not agree with me on this, but a method I'll sometimes use when I know the seems will be particularly heinous is to use epoxy putty as opposed to glue to join the halves. Just roll it out to a thin line and put it on the seam. When you join the pieces, excess will come out from the seam that needs to be sanded off. Hold the halves together with either a rubber band or some sort of clamp. Then whence it dries, just sand the seam on down.

I do recommend painting it with a flat color to see if the seam has been rid.