How do you make rounded right angle turns with Evergreen half-round?

[Monty]

I've noticed that many GM muscle cars have a chrome strip incorporated into the sides and back of the seat, as seen here:

I want to replicate this on my models using some of the smaller gauge Evergreen half-round stock, but I've never tried to make it go around corners before. Some cars seem to have wider chrome strips, so any tips on getting various sizes of half-round to conform tightly to curves as seen on this seat would be greatly appreciated.

[Casey]

If you're using very thin (< 1/32" or so) styrene and bonding it to styrene, you can use a MEK-based glue such as Testors in the round glass bottle, which will soften the plastic enough to allow to to slowly bend and bond it into position. You'll need go work slowly, and use a strong adhesive tape to keep what you've already done in place, as the bond/plastic takes at least two hours to solidify and once you start those complex bends the section of half-round 'behind' the area you're working on will want to move. You could use superglue and accelerator for the straight sections and to make sure it's held in place while to soften, then work the compound curves around the seat.

This is what I use:

It now has a child-proof cap, but is the same product. Oh, and if you buy it from Michael's, check to make sure most of the cement isn't already evaporated. Three out of four bottles at my local Michael's were near empty, yet still sealed. The newest bottle with the child-proof cap was still full, so you might try looking for the newer cap (and newer product).

[Scuderia]

The new style with the kiddie cap has the applicator brush built in the cap too, In case you're wondering about that aspect also.

[Mike Kucaba]

I think I'd try and use beading wire or some thin solder,maybe stainless or soft aluminum rod.

[2002p51]

If you use Tenax 7 with Evergreen rod or half round you can eliminate the two hours the Testors stuff takes to bond. Tenax does the job in seconds.

[Monty]

If you use Tenax 7 with Evergreen rod or half round you can eliminate the two hours the Testors stuff takes to bond. Tenax does the job in seconds.

Interesting! I was not aware that Tenax 7 was that much better.

[Monty]

I think I'd try and use beading wire or some thin solder,maybe stainless or soft aluminum rod.

The beading wire solution popped into my mind about 10 minutes after I posted my question because one of my projects needing this chrome trim treatment has seats that've been painted for years, and I doubt that glue (even Tenax 7) would get Evergreen to bond without marring the paint.

Can I assume that CA glues will make the wire adhere to a painted surface? (I rarely ever use CA glues, so I don't know their full capabilities).

[Mike Kucaba]

Heck,If I could get the wire,rod or whatever to conform relatively tightly.I'd use an acrylic clear to hold it in place.

[Monty]

Heck,If I could get the wire,rod or whatever to conform relatively tightly.I'd use an acrylic clear to hold it in place.

I've heard of acrylic clears being used to install model headlights & other "glass", but I'm not sure I'd have much confidence in its ability to hold beading wire in a semi-contorted shape as shown in the 1:1 picture I posted. Are you suggesting the CA glue might cause a problem?

[Ace-Garageguy]

If you can get CA to hold that wire in place and also not "smoke" the surrounding area, you're a far far better man than I am, and should probably be a brain surgeon.

If you can gently -ever-so-gently file a groove for the wire to lay in (hard to do on a painted seat, I know), you could possibly drill holes under the cushion to tuck the bent ends of the wire into, and then wick in a little clear acrylic to secure everything better. The wire would have to fit pretty well perfectly to work like this, however.

[Mike Kucaba]

"I've heard of acrylic clears being used to install model headlights & other "glass", but I'm not sure I'd have much confidence in its ability to hold beading wire in a semi-contorted shape as shown in the 1:1 picture I posted. Are you suggesting the CA glue might cause a problem?"

Well CA could fog/burn the finished paint. A quick spritz of Future would prevent that.

[Art Anderson]

Actually, Plastruct has very small half-round styrene strip that should be very easily curved around those seat backs! None of those corners or countours are so sharp as to make such small, thin strips of styrene break. For the bend from the sides to the top, just "pre-curl" the half round so that it doesn't keep wanting to come back out straight for the seat back corners, glue down with Tenax across the top of the seat, then bend it down over those corners, glue that area, then lay it out all the way down the sides of the seat back.

Art