Resin kit Virgin needs advice

gwsht5 · Post by **gwsht5** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 6:12 pm

I am ready to begin my first resin kit, and have been told a few thing that I'd like to run by the Jedi Council here on the message boards to either comfirm or redirect me.

First, I was told to clean & soak the parts in Comet and cold water. I was told that Castrol Super clean works well also. Input is desperately needed on this subject.

Second, I am kinda isolated in my location, and my LHS is 45 min to an hour drive, so I don't have access to the high dollar products most people use. What brand of primer can I buy at Walmart, Home Depot, or an Auto parts store, ect., to prime the parts with? Is there an online store that you guys would reccommend to me to order the good primer from.

Any other prepping tidbits you could give would be extremely appreciated! Masters, this humble padewan awaits your superior wisdom!

kenlilly106 · Post by **kenlilly106** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 7:29 pm

Super Clean or any good strong degreaser works as a soak to get rid of any mold release or other contaminants, a 24 hour soak followed by a good scrub and rinse works well.

Comet might work by scrubbing the mold release off, the problem I foresee is the abrading action would push the contaminants into the parts vs. removing them.

Primer -
I use Duplicolor or Plasti-Kote primers available from Autozone or Advance, the 'ColorPlace' brand paints available at Wal-Mart have a primer in the line as well.

The last time I was in the HobbyTown USA @ Cross Lanes they had Tamiya primer, $7-8/can, and you'll get a lot less than what you'd get from the big cans that cost less. I can't remember if WV Hobbies & Crafts sells Tamiya primers.

Ken
(southern WV resident)

Rogviler · Post by **Rogviler** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:11 pm

Ditto on the Duplicolor.

If you use Castrol Super Clean, um...

WEAR GLOVES!!!

Mostly because it can "super clean" your skin right down to the bone if you let it...

-Rog

marcus0311 · Post by **marcus0311** » Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:19 pm

I soak my parts in simply green, then use a toothbrush(depending on size of part), a green scrubby pad, and a dremel with a soft rotary brush I modified from a baby bottle cleaner.
If you can you'll want to "pin" your resin parts together. I use cut pieces of paper clips and a small drill slightly smaller than the diameter of the paper clip wire. You'll find that pinning the rresin parts will help in the dry fitting process.
Resin models tend to require prepwork to thier parts as the first step after the cleaning process ie; sanding, puttying, filing,etc. You'll probably get frustrated during this porcess faster than you would during following processes. Don't sweat it. The work you do in this process will become develop into valuable skills the more you do them. I'm definatley not a pro modeler, but I've noticed a lot of progress in my skill level from doing this.
Most important thing to remember dude, is that you can ALWAYS rely on these forums for help/advice. There are plenty of people here with advanced modeling skills that are always willing to help amatures like us out. This is a good modeling community here. I spend most of my time here when I'm online. Have fun with your build.

Post by **TER-OR** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:04 pm

For the vast majority of models I just use dish detergent and a toothbrush. Most suppliers SM and Fed Mods use a pretty benign mold release - or just talc.

Stu Pidasso · Post by **Stu Pidasso** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:40 pm

You can do what Terry says above with any of the 2FatGuys kits as well. Just Dish soap and a toothbrush.

Optimus Frag · Post by **Optimus Frag** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:54 am

Just taken the plunge and ordered Black Sun's mk2 Colonial Viper.

I've read the advice about cleaning here, pinning on another thread and the correct use of primer on yet another.

But what glue is best in most peoples opinion? Super, white, epoxy?

Any other tips would be great too.

Thanks.

kenlilly106 · Post by **kenlilly106** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 6:54 pm

Epoxy for large bonds where you need some time to work on the alignment.

Super for small parts and minor gap filling

White for canopies and other clear parts.

Ken

Optimus Frag · Post by **Optimus Frag** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:03 pm

Thanks for the prompt answer.

Model on way from SM, really looking forward to getting it.

Colin Droidmilker · Post by **Colin Droidmilker** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 4:47 pm

Er... I've done all the sanding and filing but have yet to do the cleaning and soaking, thinking that was the correct sequence. Does this matter? It's a Salzo V3. Will the simple dish detergent soak do it for this kit? Help much appreciated!

kenlilly106 · Post by **kenlilly106** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 9:04 pm

I prefer to soak and clean before starting any work on the kit for 2 reasons:

1 - Eliminate cross contamination of the work area, tools and your hands.
2 - Keep any mold release from being worked into the surface by sanding or filing, or being trapped under the surface by the filler.

I'd go with something stronger than dish soap, depending on the filler used it may or may not affect it. Soak and scrub the kit before you go any further, also clean the workbench and any tools you used.

I know this sounds harsh, but you need to clean up any mold release before you go any further, the contamination has a tendency to show up when and where you least expect it, best to stop the spread of it now.

Ken

Colin Droidmilker · Post by **Colin Droidmilker** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 2:14 am

Thanks for the help. Had no idea about the issue with the mold release; thought the prob was oils from the hands and general dirt - idiotically failed to check this out properly ... And the mold release does what? Make the paint fall off? Or worse?? Will my kit perish from some terrible disease? Will I???

Mr. Badwrench · Post by **Mr. Badwrench** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 3:26 am

The purpose of mold release is to keep the molds from sticking to the resin. In fact, it keeps just about anything from sticking to the resin; paint, glue, putty, you name it. Different people use different products as a mold release, some more, um, persistent than others. Some scrub off with a little dish detergent and an old toothbrush, others need something a little stronger. But really, there's no point in trying the mild stuff first. The only way to find out if it worked is to paint the bloody thing and see if it sticks. If so, you're golden. If not, you're stuck stripping the paint and cleaning it all over again. Why not just use the good stuff right off the bat? Soak the kit parts in Simple Green over night, scrub it all off with an old toothbrush, then rinse them really good. No worries.

Colin Droidmilker · Post by **Colin Droidmilker** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 7:45 am

Mr. Badwrench wrote:The purpose of mold release is to keep the molds from sticking to the resin. In fact, it keeps just about anything from sticking to the resin; paint, glue, putty, you name it. Different people use different products as a mold release, some more, um, persistent than others. Some scrub off with a little dish detergent and an old toothbrush, others need something a little stronger. But really, there's no point in trying the mild stuff first. The only way to find out if it worked is to paint the bloody thing and see if it sticks. If so, you're golden. If not, you're stuck stripping the paint and cleaning it all over again. Why not just use the good stuff right off the bat? Soak the kit parts in Simple Green over night, scrub it all off with an old toothbrush, then rinse them really good. No worries.

Thanks for this. To soak a large piece like an X fuselage what would you do exactly - submerge the thing in a tub of simple green, or just coat it in simple green? And would the green be pure or diluted with water? Sorry for the never-ending idiot questions...

kenlilly106 · Post by **kenlilly106** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 10:08 pm

Submerge in full strength SG, overnight, preferably 24h, scrub thoroughly and rinse well.

Let it dry completely, prime, and see if you missed any spots.

Ken

Colin Droidmilker · Post by **Colin Droidmilker** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:30 am

Guess that just about covers it. Cheers!

Spacephrawg · Post by **Spacephrawg** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 6:14 pm

re: pinning, why don't resin kits have locator pins of some kind?

Also where can I get Simple Green?

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 6:22 pm

Spacephrawg wrote:re: pinning, why don't resin kits have locator pins of some kind?

Also where can I get Simple Green?

Simple Green can be had @ most hardware stores.

Resin kits don't have locator pins (and sometimes not even locator dimples) because they're simply a pain to get right and if they're not right they're worthless.

Spacephrawg · Post by **Spacephrawg** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 10:30 pm

Kylwell wrote:
Spacephrawg wrote:re: pinning, why don't resin kits have locator pins of some kind?

Also where can I get Simple Green?
Simple Green can be had @ most hardware stores.

Resin kits don't have locator pins (and sometimes not even locator dimples) because they're simply a pain to get right and if they're not right they're worthless.

Lets say I was designing a multi-part thing on the computer and I designed locator pins/key/whatever into it, and then prototyped it and cast the whole thing in resin. would that work?

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 11:19 pm

Might. If you've taken into consideration resin shrinkage and mold limitations.

I've got one that has indents for positive location, the key it to leave some slop.

Spacephrawg · Post by **Spacephrawg** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 11:32 pm

Kylwell wrote:Might. If you've taken into consideration resin shrinkage and mold limitations.

I've got one that has indents for positive location, the key it to leave some slop.

Slop? you mean like wiggle room?

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:09 am

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Resin kit Virgin needs advice

Resin kit Virgin needs advice

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