PE Planning

Good question, Rusty!  I'm in the same boat (no pun intended-oh, what the heck, I'll take the pun), using PE for the first time, in a conversion of HobbyBoss' 1/700 Arizona to her elder sister Pennsylvania, circa 1935.  I'm leaning right now towards leaving off most of the PE until after the basic painting is done at least, except for areas with might be hard to reach, and perhaps until the very end, after the deck details are installed.  I'm thinking that I want to build from the waterline up, and from the centerline out, generally speaking, because that should help keep me from knocking things off.

I will follow this thread, to see what the more experienced shipwrights have to say.

Regards,

Brad

It depends on your sequence for painting. I leave off PE until last, and I paint it before I put it down.

I glue it on with CA glue, and at the end hit the whole ship with Dulkote spray to kill the glue shine. If you do that though, be sure to mask the glazing or do the glazing very last if possible.

Also, don't start at corners. Include corners in the middle of your pieces, at a stanchion. That helps the stuff stand up while the glue dries. Also resist the temptation to put down long runs. If you look carefully, you'll see that on the real thing there's usually gaps at cleats, bollards, gangways etc.

I went through two sets of PE on this ship.

Each model is unique as far as when to attach stuff, and since I have not done that model yet I'll refrain from commenting.  However, I'll give a recommendation on how.

I used to use CA.  However, aguy giving a demonstration of attaching PE to ships at a club meeting used thinned white glue (thinned about 50:50. I tried it and it worked great.  That is what I now use.  I sometimes put in the tiniest drop of dishwasher detergent to the mix to aid "wetting" of the model surface.

All good points here.

I'll just add that I usually touch up around the railings with a small brush using clear flat as opposed to spraying a dull coat.  I haven't built in 1/350th, only 1/700-1/720, so I'm not sure a spray wouldn't send a small piece or two across the room.

Also, if you haven't before, consider a case for the model.  I believe they are critical for ships with PE.

You can also build as sub-assemblies, the key is to dry fit extensively to avoid too many touch ups.

I use a Pe bender tool (etchmate family); some do not feel the need for such a tool, but in my newbie hands I find such a tool indispensable.

For glue, I use Gator's glue, since it is water-based and you can simply brush off the excess. some people then touch up key points with CA/accelerator once the railings are in place. you can find gator's glue here:

http://www.gatorsmask.com/

Thanks, Don and JMart, for your suggestions on the glue.  I was thinking of slow-flow CA, or a two-part epoxy, but a water-based glue would be a little easier to work with.

More to think about....

Regards,

Brad