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A few questions

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  • Member since
    August 2007
A few questions
Posted by ben1227 on Saturday, September 1, 2007 10:11 AM

I bought Finescale's Get Started Modeling issue a few months back and I saw the tool guides of what a beginner, intermediate, and expert modeler should have. Can someone tell me what these are and where i can find them?

1. Model Wax

2. Super Glue Accelerator ( I know what it is, do I really need to make it bond even faster? I have enough trouble keeping my fingers un-glued.)

3. Polishing kit, Where can I get one?

4. Liquid Masking

5. Two-Part epoxies (I never knew what this was, I thought it was like a filler maybe? Can someone explain how it works?)

6. Weathering Set, Where can I get one

7. Super Glue Debonder (Do I really need it?)

8. Sprue cutters (Necessary or not? , I am fine using a sharp #11 blade)

.:On the Bench:. Tamiya 1/72 M6A1-K
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Saturday, September 1, 2007 10:35 AM

I think you can find all the items in question at Micromark (www.micromark.com) .  I've ordered quite a few things from that firm over a period of twenty years or so, and have always been more than satisfied with both the merchandise and the quality of the mail order service.  (I believe Micromark is having a sale on most of its stuff at the moment.)

My answers to your other questions are, of course, personal - based on my primary interest, which is ship modeling.  I imagine other Forum members will offer different opinions, which of course deserve to be taken just as seriously as mine.

2.  I've found that super glue accelerator is a really useful thing to have around.  Occasionally you'll run into a situation where, for one reason or another, the CA adhesive just doesn't "grab."  The accelerator will make it do so.  It's also useful for turning CA into an effective gap filler.

5.  I think you probably do know what two-part expoxy is.  It's the standard form of epoxy cement sold in hardware and drug stores.  It comes in various forms, the variations being in the drying time (five minutes or an hour or so) and strength.  (The slower-drying stuff seems to be stronger - but for model-building purposes any of it is likely to be plenty strong enough.)  A package of epoxy contains two tubes:  resin and hardener.  You squeeze out equal amounts of each onto a scrap of wood or paper, mix them together with a stick, and apply the result to the parts you want to glue together.  It's excellent stuff for some specific purposes, though it tends to be sort of messy to work with.  Good uses for epoxy include gluing relatively large parts made of dissimilar materials (e.g., wood to metal, or plastic to metal) that don't fit really neatly together.  (Epoxy is a good filler; it "evens out" ill-fitting joints.)  It's also an excellent metal-to-metal adhesive.  Military miniaturists frequently use it to assemble the parts of cast metal figures.

7.  I've gotten along for fifty years without buying a bottle of super glue debonder - but something tells me that if I ever need it, I'll need it in a hurry.  I guess a bottle of it wouldn't be a bad investment.

8.  There are situations in which a pair of sprue cutters will do a neater job than a knife blade, but I wouldn't make sprue cutters a high-priority acquisition.  (Most of the ones I've seen are, in essence, small, diagonal wire cutters; in fact I think some of the tools marketed as sprue cutters are also sold as wire cutters.  I've got a pair of wire cutters that I occasionally reach for to cut a part off a sprue.)

Hope that helps a little.  Other Forum members - please chime in.

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    May 2005
  • From: Left forever
Posted by Bgrigg on Saturday, September 1, 2007 10:40 AM

1. Model Wax

Not completely necessary, but useful to give that showroom shine. I haven't considered it a necessity. Yet. Then again, I build for pleasure, not for show. If I was going to enter a car in a model show, I would get some.

2. Super Glue Accelerator ( I know what it is, do I really need to make it bond even faster? I have enough trouble keeping my fingers un-glued.)

Believe it or not, even Super Glue doesn't bond fast enough sometimes! Not strictly necessary, but you'll get some eventually. I would wait until you have a need (but then I have a decent LHS not ten minutes away!).

3. Polishing kit, Where can I get one?

IMHO I don't think these are necessary. Online store should carry them.

4. Liquid Masking

I'm sure there is a reason people want liquid masks. I haven't found one that works like I think it should. I would rather use tape.

5. Two-Part epoxies (I never knew what this was, I thought it was like a filler maybe? Can someone explain how it works?)

These can be used for fillers, and extremely strong bonds. I haven't required the need for this item either. They work through chemical reaction which is why they come in two parts. Once mixed, you have to use it or lose it.

6. Weathering Set, Where can I get one

There are many different weathering sets. Online stores will carry them. Tamiya makes different kits that look like women's makeup kits, right down to the little brush. MIG pigments are probably the best, and best known. I bought a couple of the Tamiya kits. Ground up chalk pastels are pretty much all they are.

7. Super Glue Debonder (Do I really need it?)

Only when you need to debond super glue. Again, I haven't found the need. I know that CA glues get very brittle in cold, and popping whatever needs to be debonded into the freezer may work better than the debonder, which will attack paint and decals.

8. Sprue cutters (Necessary or not? , I am fine using a sharp #11 blade)

I thought these were affectations of the "elite" modeler, until I bought some. Easier to use than the #11 blade, they can snip off parts very cleanly, and often without the piece requiring any cleanup. I love mine!

I'm sure others will chime in soon with their answers. Somebody more knowledgable will explain two part epoxies better than I have, and may even provide decent reasons to require wax, polishing kits and super glue debonder.

So long folks!

  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Peoples Socialist Democratic Republic of Illinois
Posted by Triarius on Saturday, September 1, 2007 10:41 AM

Oh dear, you've given me an excuse to quote latin: De gustibus non disputandem est. Or, there's no disputing a matter of taste. Most of these things are nice to have, but for beginners only a few are really necessary.

I consider model wax and a polishing kit necessary only if you are doing natural metal finishes or candy-apple finishes (cars, mostly). If you are a car modeler, this is a fundamental skill. If not, wait until your other basic skills are developed.

Superglue accelerator is darned useful, especially when you start using CA as a filler, a technique you should master.  Buy it where you buy CA.

Liquid masking—very useful for masking difficult areas and compound curves, especially on and around clear parts. Any place that sells paint for models should have it. There are different brands with different properties. Find one you like. You probably will find ones you don't like!

Two part epoxies consist of an epoxy resin that is mixed with a hardener (the second part). Very strong, sticks to almost anything (wear rubber gloves when using). Useful for resin and metal parts, or vinyl. Usually available in different setting times, the most useful of which is 5 minute epoxy, which is what it is often called. Most places that carry hobby supplies, online or in store, have it.

Weathering set. For starters, get some dry pastel chalk in earth tones at an artist's supply store. Cheaper and just as good. Weathering is mostly technique.

Super glue debonder. Just get a pint of acetone at the hardware store, because that's what this is. And yes, you need it, as you indicated in item 2. Do not get this on styrene, as it will dissolve it, too.

Sprue cutters. Not necessary, but very nice because they are easier and safer to control when cutting, especially small parts. You will find them very useful for cutting anything soft, but don't use them on paper. Available at most LHS's and online where hobby supplies are sold…

Check out Widget Tools for hobby tools. Good prices, fast service. 

Ross Martinek A little strangeness, now and then, is a good thing… Wink

  • Member since
    August 2007
Posted by ben1227 on Saturday, September 1, 2007 11:06 AM
Thanks to Bill and everyone else...I'm gonna by some debonder and accelerator next time i see it somewhere. As for the sprue cutters, maybe later. I don't feel the need for the two-part epoxies thing. I did just run out of filler (actually thats my excuse to go to the LHS today!Approve [^]) so I'll go get "more", and maybe find some other goodies Cool [8D]
.:On the Bench:. Tamiya 1/72 M6A1-K
  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: Oklahoma
Posted by chopperfan on Saturday, September 1, 2007 12:23 PM

Just my My 2 cents [2c] on sprue cutters. Check the cutting edges and see if they are flush cut. Not all sprue cutters on the market are. Flush cut are a little better. You can get right up close to the part and have less clean up work afterwards.

They didn't even offer flush cut cutters when I bought my first set. I was a mechanic, by trade, and Snap-On Tools offered a set of cutters for fine electrical work that were flush cut PLUS adjustable as to how close the two blades came together. I used them for years until my son decided to cut some baling wire with them one day!! They were not designed for that at all!!!

Anyway, as I said, just my My 2 cents [2c].

Randie [C):-)]Agape Models Without them? The men on the ground would have to work a lot harder. You can help. Please keep 'em flying! http://www.airtanker.com/
  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Peoples Socialist Democratic Republic of Illinois
Posted by Triarius on Saturday, September 1, 2007 12:57 PM
The ones made for cutting brass model railroad track are slightly less handy, but can cut PE too.

Ross Martinek A little strangeness, now and then, is a good thing… Wink

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Medina, Ohio
Posted by wayne baker on Saturday, September 1, 2007 1:42 PM
I like Micro liquid mask for canopies.  I paint it on with a brush and clean the brush with water.  You can get into small corners with the brush, and I don't have to worry about scratching the clear part with a knife blade, trimming other materials.

 I may get so drunk, I have to crawl home. But dammit, I'll crawl like a Marine.

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