Applying strip styrene to cylinders - evenly!

[ronwojnar]

Hey everyone!

Long time, first time. I'm building the US/USSR Missile set from Revell/Monogram for a former military buddy. His current job is, oddly enough, is monitoring the destruction of the former USSR missiles (maybe just the triggering mechanisms?). Anywho, he thought it would be cool to have this set on his desk when the Russians come for a visit.

The Soviet missiles have these raised bands around them, probably to denote the different stages. In the course of sanding the seams down, it was inevitable that some of that detail would be lost, so I decided on using very thin strip styrene to replicate these bands. But I'll be darned if I can get them evenly tacked down around the the cylinder of the missile. I've tried eyeing it, using some sheet styrene wrapped around the missile, and a couple other thing, to no avail.

Does anybody have a solution that they'd be willing to share?

[Rocketeer]

I'd use lead foil for things like this. To draw a guide line, set your missile on end and build a support for your pencil by stacking up stuff next to it; then rotate the missile past the pencil point to draw a line all around the missile at a fixed distance from the end of the missile.

[Tesral]

Estes, the model rocket people, makes a wonderful cylinder marking and fin alinement kit. I have one and it is worth having if you never build a model rocket that takes engines. It is great for keeping the lines straight on cylinders.

[karim]

Second Rocketeer’s approach. Once you have the pencil line, you can also wrap (a few layers of) masking tape along the line to give you a raised straight-edge, to help line up the foil strip.

[ronwojnar]

Thanks for all the advice, folks! I'll give it a shot, and let you know the results!

[SpaceRanger1]

Estes, the model rocket people, makes a wonderful cylinder marking and fin alinement kit. I have one and it is worth having if you never build a model rocket that takes engines. It is great for keeping the lines straight on cylinders.

I'll second that.

[naoto]

Estes, the model rocket people, makes a wonderful cylinder marking and fin alinement kit. I have one and it is worth having if you never build a model rocket that takes engines. It is great for keeping the lines straight on cylinders.

I'll second that.

For larger sizes or longer lengths, you could pop over to your hardware store and pick up some extruded aluminium angle

[SpaceRanger1]

Estes, the model rocket people, makes a wonderful cylinder marking and fin alinement kit. I have one and it is worth having if you never build a model rocket that takes engines. It is great for keeping the lines straight on cylinders.

I'll second that.

For larger sizes or longer lengths, you could pop over to your hardware store and pick up some extruded aluminium angle

That's a great idea, too. Using angle stock and some scrap wood and a ship modeler's waterline marking guide, you can make your own alignment tool.

[ronwojnar]

I took one look at the Estes tool (https://www.amazon.com/Estes-302227-Tub ... KING+GUIDE), and thought "angled aluminum stock". I grabbed a piece from the local big box hardware store, cut it in half, and drilled a hole towards the non-cut end. I'm going to use a binder clip and...something to keep one end of the missile in place, poke a pencil through the hole, and spin the missile around.

[Rocketeer]

...poke a pencil through the hole, and spin the missile around.

Make the hole the same diameter as a mechanical pencil lead; it'd be a bit more accurate.

[ronwojnar]

Well, the angle iron stuff didn't work out as well as I'd hoped. Manipulating the iron, the pencil, and the missile against the stop was simple too much. I found some foil tape at Michael's and wrapped that around the missile at each level I needed a ring. It's worked tolerably well. Lesson learned...the simplest way is usually the best way.

Thanks for everyone's advice!