Greenmax Kits - Problem

[Guest JRF-1935]

Hi All,

  I have 2 Greenmax Kits that I put together (or almost) the first was the Train Washing kit which went together with no problem.  The 2nd kit,  a 2 stall Engine House,  has given me some problems regarding adhesive.  I first used the required adhesive for this type of plastic, but it fell apart after about a week.  I tried super glue and that didn't work.  I finally used an accelerator with a comparible adhesive and this seems to work for now.

  Has anyone encountered this problem?  Any help, thoughts, would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Rich C

 

[keiman]

Never had a problem,I use Humbrol Liquid Poly for all my plastic kits.

The only time I used anything else was when I wanted to tack some wires down the side of my tram Barn - Think I used  Bostick.

[bill937ca]

Never had a problem,I use Humbrol Liquid Poly for all my plastic kits.

 

 

I also use Humbrol Liquid Poly and have never had a problem.

[cteno4]

rich,

 

wow that was is an odd one. ive use all the usual model cements on their ABS and its worked fine along with run of the mill super glues.

 

did you try washing it first with some soap and water? im wondering if it got a huge does of mould release on it. this also causes problems with paint sticking to parts at times.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Guest JRF-1935]

Thanks Keiman, Bill, Jeff

  I've never tried the Humbrol Liquid Poly - will get some to keep on hand.  I thought about mold release but the kit was very dry with no sheen, so I didn't bother to wash it.  Maybe a bad batch of adhesive - I don't know - sure was weird tho as I've never had this happen before when building plastic kits.  Kit still holding now, so I'll get a new bottle of adhesive and wash the rest of the parts before I put them together, just in case.

Rich C

[CaptOblivious]

Even a tiny bit of mold release can defeat glue. I always wash my model parts thoroughly with dish soap and a toothbrush as a rule, and I've never had problems with glue not taking, FWIW. I'm guessing this is your problem as well.

[Martijn Meerts]

Like Cap says, there's often some residue on kits form the manufacturing process, which can cause issues. I seldom find it to be a problem when glueing kits together though, it usually only causes issues with painting (paint not sticking, paint chipping off etc.)

 

With the big/expensive kits that I plan on painting completely, I tend to put all the sprues in some lukewarm water with a bit of dish soap. I don't use a toothbrush though, I just leave them in for a while, and rinse them with running water, then hang em out to dry. If you do go that route with future kits, make sure you have some primer ready to go for when the sprues are dry :)

 

If models require to be (partially) built before painting, I tend to use a toothbrush to give them a quick cleaning before priming/painting.

[Guest JRF-1935]

Even a tiny bit of mold release can defeat glue. I always wash my model parts thoroughly with dish soap and a toothbrush as a rule, and I've never had problems with glue not taking, FWIW. I'm guessing this is your problem as well.

Thanks Cap

  I've never really had a problem before with glue not doing it's job with a "tiny" bit of mold release on plastic kits.  I always thoroughly scrub my white metal kits with Dawn dish detergent.  Brass kits, I always soak in a bio-degradeable degreaser, then wash with water and hang them out to dry.

  This was a pretty weird situation I encountered, but suspect, like you, it was mold release.  Now that the kit is holding, I will definately wash it before painting, and weathering, just to be sure.

Thanks for your help -

Rich C

[Guest JRF-1935]

Like Cap says, there's often some residue on kits form the manufacturing process, which can cause issues. I seldom find it to be a problem when glueing kits together though, it usually only causes issues with painting (paint not sticking, paint chipping off etc.)

 

With the big/expensive kits that I plan on painting completely, I tend to put all the sprues in some lukewarm water with a bit of dish soap. I don't use a toothbrush though, I just leave them in for a while, and rinse them with running water, then hang em out to dry. If you do go that route with future kits, make sure you have some primer ready to go for when the sprues are dry :)

 

If models require to be (partially) built before painting, I tend to use a toothbrush to give them a quick cleaning before priming/painting.

 

Thanks Martijn

 

  I usually do the same before painting.  Especially plastic models after assembly.  I used to use expensive primer paints for the air brush, but now use a cheap aerosol automobile primer grey from Wal-Mart ($1.99) Works and covers well, lasts for many models, and have no problems with finishing coats from the air brush. 

 

Thanks for you help,

Rich C

[Martijn Meerts]

The cheap primer works just as well as the expensive model primer really. The only problem with an aerosol can is that they don't always spray very evenly, and there's a chance some detail might be lost. With the airbrush, you have more control over the process.

 

For many of the larger kits I've used aerosol cans, especially if there are no fine details, like my 1/16 RC tank kit, used cans for all the large area's that needed painting. For smaller kits that need the detail to stand out, like N-scale stuff and things like the 1/350 model ship kits from Tamiya I tend to use the airbrush as much as possible.

 

Also, for my Gundam models, I'll likely use the airbrush, since many of them have some very fine details and panel lines I don't want to mess up =)

[clem24]

Do keep in mind that model glue is not really "glue" per se... It's a chemical that fuses/melts 2 pieces of styrene together (follow the instructions and do scrape painted areas). So use it sparingly as less > more. It's also got a strong smell.. Having built a ton of 1/24 car kits back in the day, I am actually quite fond of the smell ahahaha...

[Guest JRF-1935]

The cheap primer works just as well as the expensive model primer really. The only problem with an aerosol can is that they don't always spray very evenly, and there's a chance some detail might be lost. With the airbrush, you have more control over the process.

 

For many of the larger kits I've used aerosol cans, especially if there are no fine details, like my 1/16 RC tank kit, used cans for all the large area's that needed painting. For smaller kits that need the detail to stand out, like N-scale stuff and things like the 1/350 model ship kits from Tamiya I tend to use the airbrush as much as possible.

 

Also, for my Gundam models, I'll likely use the airbrush, since many of them have some very fine details and panel lines I don't want to mess up =)

 

I agree as I use the airbrush as much as possible in painting.  Haven't run into any problems yet with aerosal priming, even with fine detail parts.

Rich C

[Guest JRF-1935]

Do keep in mind that model glue is not really "glue" per se... It's a chemical that fuses/melts 2 pieces of styrene together (follow the instructions and do scrape painted areas). So use it sparingly as less > more. It's also got a strong smell.. Having built a ton of 1/24 car kits back in the day, I am actually quite fond of the smell ahahaha...

Thanks Clem

  I understand the physics behind the new fusion "glues" but just like you I really enjoyed putting plastic models together "back in the day" because I liked the smell also - and still do !  :-)

Rich C

[marknewton]

The only problem with an aerosol can is that they don't always spray very evenly, and there's a chance some detail might be lost.

 

Before using aerosol cans I stand them for a couple of minutes in hot water, shake them VERY thoroughly, and keep them warm while I'm painting. I've been happy with the results I get by doing it this way.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[cteno4]

 

Before using aerosol cans I stand them for a couple of minutes in hot water, shake them VERY thoroughly, and keep them warm while I'm painting. I've been happy with the results I get by doing it this way.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

 

Ha, never heard of the hot water trick! nice one and makes a lot of sense to make sure the paint is well mixed up and any small globs are throughly smashed up!

 

thanks mark!

 

jeff

[Martijn Meerts]

If I have to go through that much work to prepare some cans of primer, I might as well just pull out the airbrush instead ;)

[cteno4]

running a bowl of hot water vs cleaning the airbrush... ill turn on the tap for 20secs into a bowl! and shake.

 

btw, i saw an interesting idea for shaking up aresol cans last month. its basically a blade that fits into a reciprocating sawsall thats about a foot long with a couple of latching straps on it. you strap your can onto the blade thingie and just let er rip with the saws all to get a really good shake.

 

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MixKwik-paint-mixer-insulation-foam-shaker-aerosol-can-/280655859217?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4158648e11#ht_602wt_981

 

at $24 its a bit steep unless you are shaking cans all the time. but i do plan to fiddle some at some point with a few old blades i have. im thinking two hunks of double sided velcro cable tie on an old large tooth blade should work fine, either that or ill launch a paint can across the shop!

 

im always seeing old reciprocating saws at the salvage place for $5 so i may make a dedicated shaker sometime for the train shop. i must admit getting a spray can or a mix bottle very well shaken is all the difference in getting a nice sputter free spray or airbrush! also filtering the paint really helps. old nylons work wonders!

 

ive also used these handles before with paint cans

 

http://www.amazon.com/Can-Gun-Spray-Handle-11650/dp/B000GLHUXI/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

it usually is better control of the spray than pushing with your finger down, especially on a fully charged can where when you push the nozzle tends to want to bend and go down at an angle and usually sputters some.

 

jeff

[marknewton]

Ha, never heard of the hot water trick! nice one and makes a lot of sense to make sure the paint is well mixed up and any small globs are throughly smashed up! thanks mark!

 

No worries, Jeff. I was shown this by a scale car modeller at an exhibition clinic. He was painting 1/24th scale hot rods using gloss paint from a spray can and got a beautiful finish every time. I've used this method many times since, with similarly good results.

 

The saw mixer and the handles are both great ideas, I'll be trying both - thanks for the links!

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[marknewton]

If I have to go through that much work to prepare some cans of primer, I might as well just pull out the airbrush instead ;)

 

Nah, it's easy as! 

 

But having said that, I still prefer the airbrush for multi-colour paint schemes or subtle weathering.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[cteno4]

Mark

 

I've gotten some awesome results with $2 spray cans, but not always reproducible, this sounds like it's one of those things to get better consistency!

 

Jeff

[Martijn Meerts]

I guess it really depends on what you're painting/priming. When painting something and you need multiple colors (or hand-mixed colors), you're better off with an airbrush, especially if you have one that you can just hook up small containers of paint to. I usually keep 1 container with airbrush cleaner, and several containers with paint. Once I'm done with a color, I quickly swap to the airbrush cleaner container, spray a bit, and then swap to a color, spray a bit on a piece of scrap, and then I'm good to go.

 

I also spray indoors most of the time, in which case aerosol cans just aren't the best ;)

 

 

For larger parts that need only 1 or 2 colors, I like using cans. Especially for something like Tamiya kits, since they have the exact color needed in a can, so that's definitely an easy way to go.

 

 

Priming something usually means letting it dry, and possibly wet-sanding bits and pieces afterwards. If I'm priming a lot, the airbrush is the better choice. For a couple of small bits it's easier to just grab the can of primer.

[Guest JRF-1935]

A lot of good suggestions and techniques here.  Proves there are more than "1 way to skin a cat"  The air brush is always the method of choice, but cheaper ways to primer can sometimes produce the same results.  Also with weathering techniques, I've found the Bragdon Weathering Powder kits to be the best.  www.bragdonent.com  Their non-toxic, and don't fade after applied and finished with a dull coat.  1 set of powders will last you more than a lifetime.

Rich C

[cteno4]

same here with the dr botts weathering powders, simple to use and stick well even w/o the dull coat, but best to keep things sealed.

 

ive used pastels and chalks as well in the past. not as good as the weathering powders, but you can get some different effects and a very wide range of colors.

 

i did pick up a cheap facial makeup kit at the dollar store i wanted to play with to try and simulate things like grease or a clod as its more oily stuff. wanted to see if it would work with a dull coat to keep. going to practice on some of my old $1 train cars.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Guest JRF-1935]

Jeff

  Let me know how that works out.

Rich C