"Back to Basics"

[Guest]

After having enjoyed participating in the quizzes and caption contests for a while I guess maybe it is time to think a bit about making a bit more use of the area of the forums that give us the real reasons for being here and that is the sharing of experiences and information.



We can all learn from other people’s experiences so I will warm up the enthusiasm by tossing a couple of my bits into the arena under the "Tutorial" heading but not necessarily a full tutorial.



One of the things that I am constantly trying to get across to younger engineers in my profession is to get back to basics and that applies to modelling as much as engineering. I think we often overlook the really basic stuff in the rush to explain something that is dear to our hearts and start the explanation using a basic set of assumptions. These can quite often loose the newcomer who gets lost after the first line so my aim with some of these notes is to really get right back to the very basic stuff which may be of help to some of the newcomers to plastic modelling and who may find themselves in the horrible gooey situation of being afraid to ask.



I am going to start these notes off then with some stuff that seems so basic as to seem ridiculous at first but they are all related to things that I had to learn myself over the years, sometimes the hard way and I will call this thread “Back to basics”

[Guest]

Lets take glue as an example of something that we all learn hard lessons with and is a topic that we are all learning as we progress in our hobby. I only recently discovered that Rapid Araldite is not considered as waterproof and yet normal cure Araldite is. I have had to try to rectify this with some additional resin and paint on the steam coaster hull but it would have been nice to have this knowledge before hand.



So lets look at one very small area of glue and consider why we have polystyrene cement and liquid poly. Both do the same job, which is to melt the surface of the polystyrene plastic and allow the two surfaces to fuse together but are there any reasons for using one over the other? We can easilly fall into the trap of considering cement as old fashioned and out of date but it still has a place in our modelling boxes today. I have seen youngsters buying a kit and preparing themselves with all the paints, glue, brushes, knives etc so it makes me wonder if they realise that the glue they have purchased may not be the best for the job.



Basically both glues are an active polystyrene solvent but one is dissolved in a highly volatile vehicle with the consistency of water and the other is dissolved in a thick gel vehicle.



The advantages of the liquid poly are that is has amazing capillary action so it will run into a closely fitting joint, which has been pre-assembled, with just a touch of the brush on the joint. It dries very quickly and leaves no residue afterwards and so holding joints together while they dry does not require the same length of time as cement. It is very clean and easy to use and it generally does not cause any stringing effect. Painting over the joint will leave no indication that the glue was ever there. Disadvantages are that it will not fill gaps so if you are joining large, inaccurate faces it may not completely fill the gaps and render the joint weaker.



Polystyrene cement on the other hand fills gaps very well due to its thick consistency and can be used liberally on a large joint to cause a build up of cement outside the joint. This can be sanded down afterwards to give a perfect seamless finish or, if the joint is not in view, the bead of glue can be left to give additional support to the joint. Disadvantages with cement are that it takes a lot longer to set completely so pieces require support for a lot longer and it has a tendency to cause stringing, making it more difficult to use.



As a couple of examples, to glue a detail to a ships deck of say a davit, it would be best to assemble the detail dry and then brush the joint with a spot of liquid poly. On the other hand to assemble the two halves of the hull it may well be better to use a bead of cement, which could be smoothed down afterwards and even an additional bead could be run down the inside surface of the hull.

The picture shows a water tank to be fitted to a model boat that had to be completely watertight. It is out of sight so I used liberal amounts of cement on both sides of all joints and cleaned the outside very little.

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[Guest]

Painting rust is a topic that always seems to generate much enthusiastic debate and I tend to think people get locked into their own preference. I think that some methods are better suited to some applications than others so for this note I will describe my own dry brush technique, which I use on large-scale model ships. Other techniques such as pastels, chalks, ‘real’ rust and airbrushing will be considered separately.



As with so many things the key is in the preparation and research. Get as may photos as you can of the thing you are trying to recreate and think of how it looks at the scale you are reproducing. Dry brushing would have to be considered very carefully on such things as 1/72nd aircraft as the brush strokes would be too visible on the end product. Pastels would almost certainly be better there.



On large scale ships however you want to see the separate streaks of the individual colours as this is how it is created in real life. Study ship pictures of rusted hulls and you will see how the rust forms in vertical streaks from such things as hull penetrations and reliefs. The streaks always follow the path the seawater takes as it drains off the details so the brush should always follow these paths.



If you look at pictures of rusted hull details you will see that distinct colours are always visible and not just one overall ‘rust’ colour. I use a bright orange, a brown earth and a dark purple. I put a good blob of each on a palette and using a flat dry brush mix parts of each in the middle of the palette. (for ‘palette’ I mean of course a scrap of wood, formica, plasticard, etc…) Start with very dry vertical streaks from the origin of the rust and drag the brush down. Don’t panic if you put too much on as you are going over it many times but it is best to build it up slowly. After a few strokes add a different colour to the mix and do a few more strokes, keeping it dry. You should eventually build up a streak in which you can make out the separate colours in all their various mixes and still see clearly the hull colour showing through in varying shades.



It is well worth having a sample piece to practise on until you are confident that the effect you after is getting close. The dry brush also very effectively picks out surface detail such as rivets and plate edges so these should also be experimented with. I have shown the picture elsewhere before but I will stick it on to this as well to illustrate the technique.



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[wonwinglo]

Very informative Richard,sometimes we use these products so often that we tend to take things for granted,above all by passing on such information to our newcomers stops them falling into these traps,product knowledge is a vey important part of modelling something which the retailers need to take onboard when selling items to the public,one shop that will remain nameless insists on selling balsa cement for plastic models,and diesel fuel for glo engines !! just think of the flustrations when a raw beginner starts to use the totally wrong items,and then we have the danger aspect with gloplugs lighting up ether based fuels,it does not bear thinking about.

The water impervious adhesives are relatively thin on the ground,as you have rightly pointed out,after all the work put into a model,the last thing we need is for it to fall to bits ! more basics here please Richard,lets all go back to modelling school again.

[Guest]

I thought that tonight I might share one or two basic thoughts on paint and what I have been through over the years.



I am surprised nowadays that with all the fancy acrylic paints in a bewildering number of finish types I still find myself returning to good old modelling enamel and inevitably Humbrol tins. Pretty much the same stuff that I started off with when I put my first plastic kit together somewhere in the mid sixties. Who remembers Airfix Series One kits in a bag at 2/6? My pocket money in those days was half a crown so I couldn’t afford a kit every week, as I needed supplies as well. Birthdays and Christmases were always brilliant as I always got a kit or two.



Anyway paint, asuming most beginners are going to start with enamels, lets once again look at the simple pitfalls with the two different types of enamel, namely gloss and matt.



Over the years I had a number of disappointments with enamel gloss and they all centered around achieving that lovely deep gloss finish that always seemed to be marred by some imperfection or other. Just to digress I once got a brand new Airfix Jumbo just after they released it and I painted the hull gloss white just before my Gran decided to do the vacuuming. Big lesson there!! Anyway the upshot of all my trials and tribulations was this, all finish imperfections are as a result of foreign matter in the paint so all I had to do was remove it from the equation. Simple really. This foreign matter comes from:



1)Dust and dirt in the brushes, no matter how clean they are they still contain traces of old dry paint. Solution, use a new brush.

2)Dirt in the paint, usually from dried bits around the rim that has formed when previously opened. Solution, use a new tin of paint.

3)Airborne particles landing on the wet paint. Solution, paint in a clean dust free environment (tidy workbench!!) and as soon as the painting is finished leave the room until it is dried.

4)Dust on the model surface. Solution, wash it in warm soapy water first. This also removes waxy mould freeing agents.



Other obvious considerations are use a good quality brush that will not release bristles and paint in even well loaded strokes in a direction that is comfortable. It is well worth using a piece of sprue to glue to the inside of whatever you are painting to make a handle and have a vice ready to put the part in when you have done. By the way don’t forget to mix the paint very thoroughly and if at all possible do all the painting of one colour on a particular model at one time. If you want a time, do it for longer than you think necessary.



The first time I took all these precautions was on a Tamiya motorcycle petrol tank and I was amazed at how good a gloss finish I could achieve. That bike still winks at me knowingly from inside it’s glass cabinet.



As for matt paints, the pitfalls here are invariably centered around variations in finish. Matt paint contains not only pigment and the vehicle but also solid matter held in suspension that gives the surface its rough finish. Varying densities of this solid matter will vary the degree of the matt effect. Quite often variations in a matt finish are required to enhance a surface and I even deliberately blend matt and gloss in varying quantities to achieve different surface textures sometimes but assuming you need an even finish the one most important thing to remember is the mixing. All that solid matter has to be evenly dispersed around the paint and this takes time. Even when the paint looks mixed it can still dry to a slight satin finish if the paint has not been mixed thoroughly. To achieve this I use a piece of bent copper wire in my Black and Decker battery drill and mix all matt paints for a very long time. A battery drill is ideal as it is relatively slow. Obvious precautions are do not remove the stirrer whilst moving and do not let go of the tin while mixing.



If you spend the time on this process and take the same precautions as above with gloss paints you should find that your finishes are considerably more consistent. Once again though it is well worth doing all the parts of a model of the same colour at the same time whenever possible.

[Guest]

Richard have you had any experience with using additives to acheive the non slip effect that some boats have ?

[wonwinglo]

Richard,this problem of dust is an old one,a quick tip for beginners and those more advanced as well is to take a piece of lint free cloth,place a few drops of ordinary Humbrol varnish onto the pad,then go over your model just befiore you paint,the professional painters use these and they are called 'Tack rags' you can purchase them but the varnish on cloth technique works just as well,also never paint in your best Mohair sweater ! bits fly off jumpers all the time,and when the model has been painted place an old cardboard box over the whole lot and wait until dry,the best place to paint is on a piece of board placed over the bath,here there is far less dust than anywhere in the bathroom,thats a fact.

Another tip is to warm your Humbrol by standing it in a container of warm water,use bluetak to hold it down,the paint goes on beautifully.

[Guest]

The only thing I have tried in the past to create a similar effect was to add talcum powder to matt paint. I can't even remember what I was doing at the time now as it was such a long time ago.

From what I remember this proved quite successfull although a fair amount of experimentation was required!

[Guest]

Keeping the “Back to Basic” theme lets have a look at what newcomers might want to start with as regards a set of tools.



Many, many moons ago I had a Saturday job in a toy and model shop (£1.50 per week for a morning and evening paper round and £1.50 for the Saturday job, I was rolling in it!) and here I learned a bit about the modelling trade from a retail side. It quickly became obvious to me that the profit margin on a particular line was of far more consequence than the best for the customer and I remember being in trouble for selling the ‘wrong’ thing once or twice.



I do remember though in those days most young lads had a dabble at some point or other in their teens with plastic modelling and many would seek advice as to what tools they wanted to start with.



I am sure, as with most of us, we have a comprehensive range of tools built up over the years but what would we advise someone who is just starting out what the best things to spend their money on would be. I would like to put forward the following suggestions as basic requirements.



1)Knife. I spent most of my modelling life using surgical scalpels. Which are, of course, extremely sharp and a very effective cutting tool but they do have drawbacks. They do not have a very strong blade so heavy cutting will require something more substantial, such as a Stanley Knife, and the blades do not remain keen for very long. A good starter might be a handle with a set of interchangeable blades such as an X-acto knife, which can even be fitted with small saws. As a modeller becomes more experienced he can then expand his set with more specific knives.

2)Tweezers. For as long as I can remember I have always used a very old pair of long nosed tweezers that my father gave me and I always thought they were the best. Recently however I have tried a new pair of very long nosed ones with angled ends and they are superb. These can be purchased relatively cheaply from electrical tool suppliers for electronics work.

3)Cutters. It is well worth investing right from the start in a pair of electrical side cutters. Removing plastic bits from sprues will never be completely trouble free with any sort of knife and small electrical side cutters do the job perfectly. The small tab of plastic left can be simply trimmed with the knife.

4)Vice. I actually made a hand vice in a college exercise during my apprentiship and, as I finished it relatively quickly, I made a base for it as well. This has held many hundreds of pieces over the years and has proved invaluable for painting, holding pieces while they set and generally as another set of hands. There are a lot of very cheap small vices around these days, a number of which clamp to the edge of the table for convenience. (Assuming that you are not using the dining table!!) Some are better quality than others so have a good look first and don’t ever be tempted to buy plastic or any that attach with a suction cup.

5)Brushes. A range suitable for what you are making is obvious but always go for fewer better quality rather than a greater number of cheap ones. The biggest problem with the cheaper ones is that they will loose hairs, always in the middle of the perfect finish that you are after.

6)Light. Often overlooked but the importance of a good light cannot be over emphasised. You need to see what you are doing clearly and you need to see the colours you are painting accurately so the best type of lamp nowadays is one fitted with a ‘Daylight’ type of tube. These come in at about £50.00, which sounds a lot but it is well worth the money. When you get one set up and compare it with an ordinary lamp you will be amazed at the difference. I can't believe it took me so long to get around to buying one!

7)Cutting board. Don’t skimp on this item as a good sound cutting board for cutting on will make life so much easier and remove any stress involved with damage to the surface you may be working on. The best ones nowadays are very cheap and have quite useful grid lines marked on them for keeping things square.



Other bits and pieces will be added over the years but these things are a pretty good start. I also have a good supply of wooden clothes pegs to hand and a roll of sellotape for keeping things together. I always hold an item with a piece of scrap sprue that I glue to the inside somewhere than I make a stand for the sprue with clothes pegs while it sets or dries.

[Guest]

If anyone thinks that "Back to Basics" is too basic please let me know.

I don't want to embarrass myself by boring everyone!!

[John]

Please carry on with Back to Basics

[Guest]

:music_too keep it comin bud

[wonwinglo]

Far from it Richard,I think it serves to remind us all of the correct way to do things,remember many beginners also search the internet for basic info,as it is all archived someone can easily pick it up on a search engine,just what we want,please carry on I for one am enjoying your series.

[Guest]

Well now that we have some of the tools in place and talked a bit about paint and glue lets look at taking those first steps and actually glueing some pieces together.

Firstly one of the most important things for me, which also applies to so many things in life is preparation. Reading the instructions first may sound so blindingly obvious we all think it doesn't merit saying but it is the one most important thing to do. Read them at least twice and identify all the pieces before you even consider removing anything from the sprues. It may suprise a lot of people to realise just how many times pieces can look similar and end up being glued in the wrong place if they haven't been correctly identified first.

Next lay out your plot. Some of us will be lucky enough to have a place to work that can be left overnight but many of us will have to put things away again after a modelling session. (We all started there!) It is so important to keep a tidy work area that allows you to find all the important things quickly and efficiently. It is no good glueing two bits together than realising that you can't find the clamps you need to hold it together while it sets. So layout your work top so that you can find all your tools and pieces easily.

Assuming that you have everyting in place and you have removed two pieces from the sprues with your side cutters you are ready to start preparing the pieces for glueing. Obviously the pieces must be studied closely and all flashing, tags and seams should be carefully removed with a combination of scraping, filing, cutting and sanding. Time spent at this stage will reap benefits later when you come to paint the pieces and you suddenly realise that the seam stands out more than you anticipated after painting.

You must also prepare the pieces to fit by a combination of the above techniques. Once again do not cut corners here otherwise the two pieces when glued become animated with a mind all of thier own when they refuse to go together correctly. Getting incorrectly fitted pieces apart after the glue has set is not an option so the test fitting and preparation is of the utmost importance.

Once again preparation is significant so if you need tape, clamps, vices or any other supporting media get it ready and to hand before applying the glue.

Finally apply the glue to the two parts. Refer to the posting on glues to decide what glue is best for your application and put the two pieces together. If all your preparation has been put in place the pieces should go together easily, suport should be put in place while the pieces are left to set and the end result should be a strong effective and neat joint.

All that should be left o do afterwards is the minimum of cleaning up and, if it is a joint in two surfaces, the smoothing of the seam.

As with all modelling everything is part of a learning process but a bit of thought into some of these basics will help you to keep the mistakes to a minimum and keep a smile on your face.

Just remember that I do not offer any of these postings as a means of doing something, I simply pass on the results of my own learnings over the years, and, yes, I have made all the mistakes at some point or other myself!

[Guest]

So having glued some pieces together lets have a look at what is required after that. Hopefully all the smaller detail pieces have been glued without requiring any further attention but the bigger pieces such as hulls and wings will have to be cleaned up after gluing.



I have to admit to many years of not doing very well with the dressing up of joints and to even avoiding models that incorporated such joints. This proved to be a bit of a pity as one of the most common was hull joints in ships, something I have come to enjoy very much more as time has gone on.



As with so many basic things the success of any such task depends on the preparation work done before hand. When you are gluing large components that are going to have a joint in them ensure that the pieces either side of the joint are held in the correct attitude as the glue sets.



Imagine for instance the classic situation with gluing the two halves of a ships hull. The vast majority of hulls are flat in the middle for probably about a third of the total hull length but the temptation is always to hold the two halves of the hull together with elastic, clamps, sticky tape etc and keep the halves under pressure until the glue sets. This invariably causes the hull to compress slightly and the flat bottom ends up with a slight rise either side of the keel.



This is something that requires thought into the preparation of how you are going to hold the pieces until the glue is set to ensure that the bottom is correctly flat. This then makes the cleaning up of the hull after the glue has set so much easier to deal with.



To clean up the joint the best I have found over the years that automotive “Wet and Dry” paper is the most effective. The joint may require some scraping to remove glue that has squeezed out of the faces, which can be done gently by dragging a knife blade over the area. Then, using the “Wet and Dry” in a bowl of soapy water to keep the paper clean and lubricated, wrap it round a square block of any material. Using a square block always ensures that the action remains square and doesn’t follow undulations in the surface which will invariable happen if you simply use the paper in your hand.



Start with a course grit paper of approximately 200, depending upon the size of the surface being rubbed down and gently rub until the entire length of the joint is an even matt finish with no sign of any depressions or raised areas. When the joint has been successfully dressed up in this way go to a finishing paper, of say 600 grit, and rub over the area again by hand.



Once this has been completed and the component has dried out completely a light thin coat of primer should be applied by either spray or painting over the area of the joint only. The primer will show up any imperfections in the joint and show you any point that may require a bit of further work.



Once you have mastered the technique of cleaning up joints in this way it really will surprise you just how easily a perfect joint can be achieved which, when the top coat of paint is applied, will be completely invisible.