HELP! - Adding Railings to my Model

All good ideas - thank you. I'm consigning my first attempt to the "do not show" pile - it really is a mess. I'm thinking of going back to a couple of old Tamiya BBs I have and try again!

Steve

I cut some blue painters tape about an inch long and 1/16th of an inch wide. I then tape the railing to the model in a few places. Once I'm satisfied with the railing position, I use CA to tack the railing in place; just a couple drops here and there. Then I let the glue dry. Once the glue is dry, I remove the tape (carefully) and finish glueing the railing to the ship.

This process takes more time, but I hardly make mistakes. If you do mess up, use CA debonder to remove the railing.

Jesse

I prefer CA because it is much stronger, for there is nothing worse than having the rails pop off a few weeks later.

I use Goldberg Jet Medium and dispense it through a hyperdermic needle. I first measure out points and draw / trace the layout of where the railings go on a piece of paper, then form the railings to that layout with my sharp exacto and metal straitedge as a break, then place a fine bead of CA on the model with the syringe and with tweezers, place the railing directly over the bead.

I wish I could remember where I read about this technique, but I found it best for me.

the syringe makes it easy to control the amount of CA, which is important since I don't want either big blobs or thin areas of coverage which can make placement difficult. The blobs and thin areas causes the PE to "float" which makes placement of the railings like dancing with an octopus.

The medium CA takes a few minutes to fully cure to a permament bond, so there is enough time to do some adjustments. It also fills in gaps well. I do a lot of final shaping after the CA has fully cured.

Two tools that are a must for me is my lighted magnifying light and a set of good tweezers. Being able to see where the details are going is harder for me than doing the actual placement.


Scott

Tack the railings in place using white glue, then go back and cement them in place with CA.

My favorite is Aleenes Tacky Glue from the craft store.

Put a pin-point amount at each end and about every 1/2 inch on the railing run. Position and allow to dry. The Aleenes grabs and holds well. Any mistakes can be wiped up with water.

After the white glue is dry go back and cement the length of the run with some CA.

cruichin, you are about to enter another dimension, not of time or space but of mind ... which you may lose by the time you finish! Just kidding. Sort of.

After a few bad experiences with my first 1/700 Victory ship, I got some "medium drying time" CA, which gives you about 10-15 seconds of oh-hell-that's-not-where-it-goes time to pick up and move a piece of railing. I have found that, for me, a steady, braced hand and deft tweezer movements do the trick. OR, just use white glue instead, it's strong enough to hold most railings on and you can always get it off with a cotton swab and water.