Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

Treadhead

This is an excellent question, and I'd like to see other people's take on this. For minor stuff, you can use a "Spot and Glaze" putty. You can find it at automotive stores. It comes in a tube and is usually red in color. It's actually made for use on primer. For major stuff, you might have...

Treadhead

The bell is about 1" across the base & about 1 1/4" long. I'm going to cast up a few as is as I kinda like the celan, "Merlin" look to them. I'll make others with the reinforcing ribs & such. I'm not trying to make anything specific at the moment, just palying with parts...

Treadhead

jowman wrote:I use Zap-a-gap all of the time, and the only problem I have had is trying to take something back apart.

That's what I use.

Treadhead

I'm sure it's the engineer in me, but when scratchbuilding S.F. subjects I always (I mean always) try to think through what it is that the "greeblie" is supposed to do and how it is supposed to work. If it doesn't have a purpose, it doesn't get added. Nothing looks more fake (to me) than ...

Treadhead

Joseph C. Brown wrote:PetarB did an awesome job of making a custom canopy, detailed here:

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.p ... opic=28650

PetarB is a genius. I wish he'd get back to work on that Crusher Joe ship that he'd started a while back. That little gem was too cool for words

Treadhead

Lots of good advice on this thread. One thing that I'd like to mention. If you are going to use kit parts for greeblies -- or maybe little tidbits that you have found -- disguise them as much as possible so they won't be recognized on your model. Nothing ruins an effect more than an M1A1 road wheel ...

Treadhead

I've been using Milliput Super Fine grade of epoxy putty. How is this different from Aves? I heard that they are similar. Dare I risk heresy and ask if Aves is better and why?

Treadhead

Thanks Modelnutz... The thing that kinda scares me away from polyester resin is that it's supposed to shrink like crazy compared to other resins. Would the fiberglassing mitigage this problem? If I wanted to go with the smooth on stuff -- could I use talc to thicken up the SC300 and use it as a gelc...

Treadhead

I've been considering fiberglassing more and more these days. But I have some questions... 1. From what I've read, the gel coat mostly used is polyester resin. Why is this? 2. Are there commercially available gel coats and what's the best one? 3. For a gel coat, could I get the SmoothOn 300 stuff an...

Treadhead

Just remember though, the break with scribe and snap isn't always clean. The snapped edge may have a slant to it. So, cut over sizes by just a little. Scribe, snap, and sand the edge back to the real dimension you want. It's just that easy. Which is exactly what I do. Took me awhile to figure it al...

Treadhead

Nice! Mine looks small now; http://www.starshipmodeler.net/talk/viewtopic.php?t=78630 The Sulaco is a greatship to build, even at big size, because it's "flat" ship so storage is not really a big deal. But yours is twice longer than mine. (I speak about the space ship, of course...) Olivi...

Treadhead

Nobody starts off scratchbuilding feeling great. Trust me, I know. But the thing to remember is that with every project, you learn something new. It's a process. Another thing to remember is that you don't give up just because you run into difficulty. Difficulty is an important part of the learning ...

Treadhead

I Gooooooooogled the images and if it's the main engine thrusters you're talking about, here's what I would do if I were to cast them. I'd use a one piece mold, but I would "jeweler's" cut the mold to ease extraction. Here's a quickie tutorial. Do your one piece mold with RTV, after curin...

Treadhead

Can you post pics of what you have? I'd like to see.

Treadhead

Yes. I thought it was only me, so I was hesitant about posting. But yes, OOB building is much harder for me than scrathcbuilding. I'm thinking that when building from scratch, you build the parts so that they will go together the way you, the builder, want them to. If a part doesn't work right, then...

Treadhead

If they're not warping until they are installed, I would suspect the glue. It may be that the glue/cement you're using is a bit too aggressive. I'm beginning to suspect bad craftsmanship on my part. And here's why: I have a base piece which has a keel glued perpendicularly to it. Along the keel, I ...

Treadhead

Kylwell wrote:Probably not. I'm trying to see if I can duplicate your results so that I might be able to figure out the issue.

Thanks, Kylwell. This would really be a big help to me.

Treadhead

What are you using to cut it with ? I assume these aren't straight cuts for bulkheads ? The bulkheads are half-ellipses. I cut a rough border around them with an exacto and break them on a flat surface. I use a dremel sander to shape the curve. The pieces are pretty much flat when I cut them out --...

Treadhead

Kylwell wrote:How thick of a sheet are you using?

I'm using .080 in styrene.

Treadhead

When I cut out bulheads in sheet styrene, I find that the part ends up warping. Usually the warp is mild and I'm able to work around it -- but it would be nice to not have this problem in the first place.

Anybody have any ideas that might help?

Treadhead

Flash doesn't bother me that much. I'd rather have that than air-bubbles.

Treadhead

Warped Speedster wrote:
Treadhead wrote: Man, what a depressing thing to think about. This reminds me of the episode of "Gilligan's Island" when the S.S. Minnow's planking started to fly apart.
That is exactly the image that came to mind when I posted this thread

Treadhead

Zap a Gap is pretty strong stuff. It has very good 'pull' strength, which is what you need. It doesn't have good shear strength, but this won't be a problem as 'pull' strength is what you need here. If you don't trust CA/Zap a Gap, you might try some JB Weld. This stuff is used for engine blocks. I ...

Treadhead

I'm not much of an expert in de-warping -- but maybe you could get a replacement part from Scale Solutions? Usually the GK folks are pretty accomodating when it comes to replacing stuff that didn't get cast properly...

Treadhead

I've been working on a scratchbuild for quite some time (click the www on my profile to see it) using the plank on frame technique. I have been having some success with it, but I do have a concern. What will happen to the planks over time? I used superglue to butt the planks against one another (thi...

Treadhead

If I need to do a large pour of plaster, would it be better to do in it in smaller pours? Let one pour cure, then add another until the mold is filled? Would this also reduce shrinkage?

Treadhead

Has anyone tried casting with plaster? I'm thinking of using this medium to create vacuform plugs as plaster will withstand the heat without being damaged in the process. How much does plaster shrink in comparison to resin? Does it demold easily? Also will it damage a silocone rubber mold? Thanks in...

Treadhead

My experiances taught me that Platinum cure silicones shrink the least. As for shrinkage in the resin...totally variable...depends on type. Smooth-On's site includes shrinkage factors for all thier silicones and urethanes. Hope that helps... Modelnutz :8) Modelnutz My concern is that when I'm casti...

Treadhead

Tap Plastics has their line of RTV mold rubbers(both urethane and silicone)as well as other brands I believe located throughout the bay Area nd a few places out of state on the north coast.Douglas and Sturgass is an art supplier in the Bay Area that carries a variety (they do mail order) as well as...

Treadhead

I like to plan my frames for equipment or hollows, and sometimes I still end up grinding my way back in to get the space I need. It sounds like you are on the right track, and have a good process in mind. let us know how it goes... I hope you are taking pictures as this progresses, I like seeing th...

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Fiberglassing

Warping styrene

Re: Plank on Frame (lofting) Issues

Plank on Frame (lofting) Issues

Casting with plaster