Applying & painting lead wire

[AlanG]

Which glue would i use to stick lead wire to my model? Also can i paint straight onto the wire or does it have to be primed first?

[stona]

I've not used lead but I have used solder and fuse wire. I attach the wire with superglue and paint with enamels. I have taken to priming as I have had the paint bead on the wire,but it probably just needed a good clean.

Cheers

Steve

[AlanG]

Cheers Steve

[Guest]

Same here, I tend to fix it with super glue. Only time I have used it as an after thought was on the FW190 for the hydraulics so it was fixed in position and painted with Citadel paint. Other times it has been fitted first and the whole thing primed with the wire picked out later.

[Guest]

Don't forget there are loads of possibilities with single core domestic cable and old single core telephone cable as well. I regularly strip the cores out of these and have a stock to hand and you can generate a pretty wide range of diameters as well. I like copper domestic cable best as it holds it's shape that bit better while you are handling it so you can make the whole peice in one part then remove it to paint a lot easier than lead.

[AlanG]

Ihave to admit Richard i had thought about using copper wire. I have a load of it sitting around at work

[Guest]

I prefer the lead over copper as it is so soft and easy to shape. It has no natural return spring so it is very easy even with the thicker stuff to form it where you want knowing it will not try to spring back. Some of the thicker copper is quite tough even when annealed but lead is so soft and workable even in the most delicate areas.