[Wolseley]

I am making some modifications to two locomotive bodies at the moment. One is a plastic body I am modifying with metal (lost wax brass) parts, and the other is a metal body (mazak) that I am modifying with plastic parts. In both cases I am left with some gaps to fill, in the former case, in an awkwardly curved area and, in the latter, on two flat surfaces. I have done this before, with variable success, and this time I want to make a better job of it.

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to what the best material would be for the task in hand. (I am located in Australia, so it would have to be something available here rather than something that is only available in the UK)

 

[Graham Plowman]

@Wolseley , I too am in Australia, locked down in Sydney to be exact!

Two ways I can think of to solve your problem:

1) The likes of Humbrol, Tamiya and other local brands all make model 'fillers' for this purpose. They are mostly 'pastes' which set hard from what I have seen.
2) A technique which I found works well with plastic is so use fine plastic strip, push it into the cracks and then use solvent to melt it into the crack. File off afterwards. Works well. I used it on this: http://www.mrol.com.au/Pages/Vu/BuildingtheParkside16tMineralWagonKit scroll down to the section on 'Painting' where I describe what I did and you can see pics.

HTH

 

[Wolseley]

@Wolseley , I too am in Australia, locked down in Sydney to be exact!

Me too. At the moment my two nearest model shops are at Parramatta (10km away) which is a suburb I'm trying to steer clear of at the moment, and Hornsby which, at 18km, is a bit further than I am supposed to be travelling right now.

I have a feeling that option 1 would work best for me, but I'll re-read your piece on wagon construction before I decide. I knew there were some sorts of fillers or pastes on the market but I didn't know who made them and I couldn't find them in any on line shop - probably I didn't use the right description to find them.

Thanks for the information.

Jim

 

[Graham Plowman]

Me too. At the moment my two nearest model shops are at Parramatta (10km away) which is a suburb I'm trying to steer clear of at the moment, and Hornsby which, at 18km, is a bit further than I am supposed to be travelling right now.

I have a feeling that option 1 would work best for me, but I'll re-read your piece on wagon construction before I decide. I knew there were some sorts of fillers or pastes on the market but I didn't know who made them and I couldn't find them in any on line shop - probably I didn't use the right description to find them.

Thanks for the information.

Jim

Parramatta (Bergs ?) and Pendle Hill (Woodpeckers) are both southerly of me by about 15km. Hornsby is probably less than 10km east of me.
HobbyCo in the city QVB has a good supply of Tamiya materials. Bergs and Woodpecker would probably be more Humbrol oriented.
Out of the two methods I suggested, and given that you are filling between metal and plastic, I'd suggest that the filler approach is probably the better way to go in this instance. Option 2 is suitable where only plastics are involved.

Graham

 

[Wolseley]

I just realised that, in any case, the model shops won't be open at the moment anyway, as the powers that be are probably under the mistaken impression that they are not providing an essential service........

 

[Graham Plowman]

How dare they not classify this as an essential service!!!

I think you can mail order online from HobbyCo as they are an importer, not just a retailer. You might be able to phone the others up and mail order, but the retail shops won't be open.

The TV is currently reeling off 344 new cases in Sydney today. Got both my AZ jabs now.

 

[Wolseley]

Yes, there are a number of good on line model shops (Frontline Hobbies, Metro Hobbies, Australian Modeller and All Aboard are some that come to mind, there are, of course, others) but Hobbyco's on line shop seems only to have a small portion of what is available at their retail premises. Someone out there will have it.

I heard the news. it may not be as bad as it sounds though. It might just be the result of record levels of testing. In any case, at least the numbers aren't going through the roof. I've had my first AZ but I'm not due for my second yet.

 

[Wolseley]

Now that i know the name of the stuff, I have found it in several Australian on line shops, including Hobbyco's. I'll probably order some later today after I've had a chance to compare prices and shipping costs, and think about what else I need.

 

[34C]

I'd suggest Milliput. Easily the best filler I have ever used, and has endless uses. It's a two part epoxy which has to be blended before use, bonds well to rigid materials, all but waxy plastics, fine with metals, ceramics, etc.. Choice of colours, I use the brown 'terracotta' on model railway as it is good for rust if the paint ever comes off: it doesn't...

Killer advantage. Before it has cured it can be polished with water. This means that profiling to existing surfaces is non abrasive, there's no need for further finishing after curing.

What I have done with this product:
Endless kit and RTR models repaired and modified, and replacement parts formed or moulded.
Saucepan handles modified for thermal insulation, to enable use on a gas stove. (These go through the dishwasher near daily, and no deterioration in over ten years.)
Customised kitchen and workshop tool handles both made and modified.
Garden terracotta pots and like, frost cracking and breakage repaired.
Plastic car parts, interior and exterior, repaired rather than paying for spares at exorbitant prices.

 

[Wolseley]

Sounds like handy stuff to have around the home. I just ordered (can't go to any model shops because we're in a partial lockdown at the moment) some Tamiya putty a few hours ago though.

 

[Anthony Richards]

Good advice in all of the above, especially for Milliput - that 'killer advantage' makes it absolutely invaluable, particularly for filling joint lines where coach roofs attach to their bodies.

I also use two-part epoxy cement from time-to-time. It is useful for eg in ensuring a gap-free fit between, say, a steam dome and the boiler body when to two have a slightly different radius. Carefully applied in small amounts to attach the dome, or chimney / whatever, it does not spread and any excess that does occur can be gently removed with a wet finger. Once painted, the original gaps are not obvious.

Tony