----- Original Message -----
From: "Gatwood, Elden J SAD " <Elden.J.Gatwood@...>
To: <STMFC@...>
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2008 7:32 AM
Subject: RE: [STMFC] Glue for resin freight cars and building them...

Dan;



That kit is a good choice. It is pretty easy. There are not too many grabs
or add-on parts!



I have found that cyanoacrylate (CA) cement (a.k.a., "Super Glue") works best
on these guys, and the nice thing is, you can buy cheap, FRESH, super glue in
those little tubes, which are much better than the big bottles (you will
never use it all before it either gets old, or goops up the tip and causes
problems getting it out), from any place like "W__-Mart" or "H_me Depot", any
time you need it. They have such high turnover on glue that it is almost
always VERY fresh, which is very important with those kinds of cements, since
as they age, they lose their ability to "set up". There is nothing more
aggravating then bad cement!



Buy some 400- and 600-grit sandpaper. Tape a piece to a flat surface (like
my glass coffee table), and then you can sand off all the flash by just
rubbing it against the paper until it is thin enough to rub away. Take a
nice new hobby knife and shave away any remaining flash on the edges, but be
careful you don't shave off rivets and such along the edges! With the little
parts, you can just cut them off the backing, and then clean up the edges by
rubbing the edge against the sandpaper. I use sanding sticks, too.



You need a nice little pin vise, and some (buy at least a few) #78 bits, so
when you break one, you will have spares. A #74 is good to drill holes for
the stirrup steps. I replace all mine with A-Line metal ones, since I am so
good breaking any other ones off. I glue some styrene blocks on the back of
the side behind where each stirrup mounts, and then I have a nice, thick
"pad" to drill into and mount them in. You also need a #50 to drill the
holes for the 2-56 screws you will use for mounting the trucks.



Lots of folks use a simple plastic-headed tack, as a starter for all those
little holes you drill for the grabs. Just push the tip into the resin
surface to create a little dimple where you need one. The G25B comes with
many of the dimples in place, so you may only need this to make sure you get
it right on all of them.



I have shaky hands, so I hold my model between my knees sitting on the floor
with my back against the couch, but you can also figure your own way of
keeping the model steady while you drill. I balance the pin vise with my
left hand holding the tip in place, while spinning the body of the pin vise
with my right hand. Back the bit out occasionally, so it doesn't hang up in
the hole (and break the tip off). Blow or rub the resin shavings out of the
flutes when you back it out, so there is nothing to bind up in the hole.



I have a great little tool I now rely on heavily. It is called a "Magic
Clasp" or something similar, from Micro-Mark. It is essentially, a locking
small plier. I used it to grip and hold grabs, so I can cut the legs off
short, and then I dip the tips of the legs into a pool of cement I have
created on an old tub lid. I then use the pliers to shove the tips of the
legs of the grab into the drilled holes and jockey it around until it looks
straight and equal distance from the base (the grab should be a scale 3~4"
off the surface). When I am satisfied, I grip the handles a little tighter
and it releases the grab. Presto!



Oh, and you need a set of flush-cutting pliers and sprue cutters. They are
really good for cutting grabs off short and cutting wire, and cutting plastic
parts off of sprues, respectively. Those are my key tools; knife, gripping
pliers, flush-cutters, sprue cutter, pin vise & bits...oh, use a nice, strong
light! Bad lighting equals bad results.



Why don't you get started, and then you will have more questions...



Have fun!



Elden Gatwood



________________________________

From: STMFC@... [mailto:STMFC@...] On Behalf Of D.
Port Jr.
Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2008 9:51 PM
To: STMFC@...
Subject: [STMFC] Glue for resin freight cars



Hi,

I am about to start work on my first resin kit. A Westerfield G25B Gondola.

My first question: is this glue
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=MEUM5T2OZ
<http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=MEUM5T2OZ> good
for working on Westerfield and Sunshine kits?

Also what type of tools do i need and any other advice someone can give me on
building resin cars would be great.

Thank you for your help.

Dan Port Jr.










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