New to modeling, need some help

AFG,

Couple of things. Sounds like you are using tube glue - pitch it. Get some liquid cement; Testors or Tenax - or both. I have both on my bench and I found by having those two, I can have 3 glues at hand. Testors dries relatively slow, Tenax relatively fast. You can mix the two 50/50 and get a mid-range glue. Apply with a small paintbrush or some small-diameter brass or aluminum tube. (Stick the tube in the glue, cover the end w/ your finger and touch the tube to the seam.) And get some super glue and 5-minute epoxy. You will be much happier with those.
Also, be sure to wash your parts in soapy water (dish detergent works great) with an old toothbrush to remove the mold release. Good luck.

Do you mean wash the parts in soapy water before any assembly? One thing I did was, for intance if there was a part with a knob that fit into a hole, I put some glue on the knob and maybe some in the hole depending on the size. Is that the right technique, or should I just put the two together and apply glue to the seam?

Airforce_Guy,

Of course, everyone has their picks.... I've always used tube glue, and had good enough results with it, to still be using it after 34 years of modeling. It's whatever you get use to using.

Clean the parts with a detergent/water mixture on a damp cloth or cloth diaper, rense, then dry. Trim plastic flash and spru residue from the two pieces you're going to use, test fit the two pieces, then SPARINGLY apply a bead of glue on one piece, at each male/female connector, then a thin bead along the connecting surface... remember.. SPARINGLY!

There are as many different pieces as there are applications, but generally you can either hold the two pieces tightly together, tape them, or bind them with a rubber band for whatever time is appropriate. Some pieces will bond instantly, some will require a few minutes before handling, and some need to be left overnight.

Don't worry too much about glue residue (remember, use sparingly so you won't have GOBS of residue), it can be trimed away later on.

Experiment, experiment, experiment... that's the name of the game! Trial & Error is the best teacher, and you will soon develope your own technique.

Good luck!

Thanks! On to a question about painting...I just bought an airbrush, and have had minor difficulty using it. The first issue I ran into was painting small parts (engine parts, suspension parts, etc). What do you suggest to hold them down so they don't blow away? Also, I was paintin the main body of my '41 Willys hot rod, and wanted to do the upper half satin black, and the lower half satin red. The first problem I ran into here was masking the parts I wasn't working on. I ended up using tape, which had it's own problems when I was done. I was gently pulling the tape off, and some of the paint was coming with it. Any suggestions here? Thanks!

Yes, definately before assembly. I usually trim the related parts from the sprues, do a test fit (you may need to do a bit of filing / sanding to get a tight fit) and general cleanup of flash, sprue stubs, etc. When everything looks good, give 'em a good scrub and let dry. (A hair drier can speed things up)
Re: cementing. If it's a 'knob in a hole' kinda deal, put some liquid cement in the hole and insert the knob; if you put cement on the knob the melting plastic may push up a small ridge when you insert it. If it is something like an aircraft fuselage, fit the halves together and try to apply the cement from the INSIDE of the halves. This will give you a cleaner seam and if you apply the cement, wait a few seconds and press the halves tightly together, a small ridge of melted plastic will be forced up. Let it dry, sand it down and you have filled the seam. Super glue also works well as a seam filler if you have a few gaps - just try to sand it ASAP after it dries 'cuz super glue can dry harder than the plastic.

AFG, you metioned the "knob and hole" system. Sometimes its beneficial to sand the knob (locating pin) off to get a better alignment of parts. The way the cement works is to melt the plastic together for a good bond. I use a 000 brush for most liquid cementing. Hold the two pieces together, load the brush up with liquid cement and touch it to the area you want to cement. The liquid will flow from the brush into the seam by capillary action. If you need info on any subject, do a search of the forum, your answer is probably there already. Have fun.
Tommy[:)

Sounds like the paint coming off w/ the tape is related to the mold release. You didn't mention if you were using primer or not; a really good idea. Wash, prime and paint - try that. Small parts can be held down w/ masking tape on a tounge depressor / popsicle stick. Really small parts can be sprayed by drilling a small hole at an attachment point (very small - .020 or so), put a tiny drop of super glue on a piece of wire and insert it into the hole and paint. The part will pull off the wire easily (I do this for shocks and the like).

Thanks for your help everyone!

AirForce, We expect to see some good pics of this Willys when you finish!!