Unfinished Welds

[Nick Winter]

Got a idea for a project but I'm unsure of how to achieve the look of unfinished welds in scale.

any help is greatly appreciated.

Nick

[SuperStockAndy]

http://www.archertra...etailsMain.html

That place is awesome. The price isn't though

[Nick Winter]

Kinda looking for a way to make it myself.

[SuperStockAndy]

I wonder if you took some putty, and tried to shape it like welds then?

[Kaleb]

Someone on here used melted styrene rods and stretched it out, I cant remember what build it was or I would post it. I will say it achieved the look.

[VooDooCC]

I'm not too sure of the rules on here, so I don't want to break them, but I have saved a tip from another magazine that uses solder. If I'm allowed I'll post it.

Disclaimer: I've never tried it.

Edited October 29, 2011 by VooDooCC

[SuperStockAndy]

I'm not too sure of the rules on here, so I don't want to break them, but I have saved a tip from another magazine that uses solder. If I'm allowed I'll post it.

Disclaimer: I've never tried it.

I'm not too sure of the rules on here, so I don't want to break them, but I have saved a tip from another magazine that uses solder. If I'm allowed I'll post it.

Disclaimer: I've never tried it.

We're not that picky...I'd say you would be fine.

[VooDooCC]

This is copied and pasted, so the "I" is not actually me.

"Unfinished welds can add visual interest to a truck, a car under construction, a completed rat rod, or just about anything else made of metal. Here's what the T&T R&D department came up with:

"I picked up a spool of small-diameter (1/32") electrical solder. That's still too thick to represent a scale bead, so I flattened it by pacing on an anvil (the back of a vise would work too) and whacked it with a small hobby hammer. Don't worry about the irregular edge. I got it down to about 1/64", which is a good thickness to work with, but now it was too wide, so I trimmed the flattened solder into 1/32" wide strips - its original width.

"In order to emboss the characteristic "crescent" beads in the solder, I made a nifty little tool from a piece of 1/16" brass tubing, with one end shaped into a half-moon configuration by filing away one side of the tubing. Make sure the tubing is long enough so it acts as its own handle. I laid the thin solder strips on a hard surface and pressed the beading tool into the solder to create the bead.

The best part about this technique is that when you're done, you have flexible strips of realistic solder beads that can be added anywhere, to any model.

"The strips can be attached with epoxy or super glue, and can be painted to represent seams under a coat of primer, or polished to look like clean, unfinished beads. After I attached the welds to the model, I sanded them just a tad to look like they'd been gone over with a coarse file.

Edited October 29, 2011 by VooDooCC

[VooDooCC]

I also had this one in my stash of tips. Though it sounds more for actually welding the plastic than just getting the look of it.

"Scrap plastic is heated with a soldering iron to a semiliquid blob. That material is then applied to the area to be repaired. Properly done, it becomes part of the model - just like welding. The material can be sanded and painted instantly. The preferred use is for filling cracks, gouges, small holes and seams. The material should be the same as the plastic the kit is made of - for example, a piece of sprue from the kit being worked on - and try not to mix, say, AMT/Ertl plastic with plastic from a Revell-Monogram kit.

"This technique requires a great deal of care, and is definitely not for children. Do not attempt to plastic-weld glued areas that could create toxic fumes. This procedure will not work on clear plastic, and on AMT kits produced before 1970; however, I've used this technique successfully on later AMT/Ertl, JoHan, Monogram, and Revell models. Patience, practice, and a good needle-tip soldering iron are all that is needed.

"Practice on old bodies and scrap sprue until you reach a comfort level that will allow you to move on to car bodies. Plastic welding is not an end-all in attaching model sections together, but it can be a useful tool in repairing or customizing car models."

This is a relatively advanced technique that's not for unsupervised kids. It should not be attempted unless you have a clear understanding that hot things could burn you and leave a mark. The main thing is to be careful, be safe, and have fun with a new technique.

[Nick Winter]

Thank you Justin, just what I needed!

Nick

[VooDooCC]

No problem, just glad i could help.