Photo etched seat belts

[MtFlyer]

Hey Out There!

I would like to know how you work with photo etched seat belts. It is a real pain just threading the Buckles onto the straps. Any suggestions of how to make it easier. Also, I have a heck of a time attaching them to painted seats. I have tried super glue and find it won't hold the belt flat, it springs up and I end up over using more glue and it look messy. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

MtFlyer aka Keith

[One-Oh-Four]

Hey Out There!

I would like to know how you work with photo etched seat belts. It is a real pain just threading the Buckles onto the straps. Any suggestions of how to make it easier. Also, I have a heck of a time attaching them to painted seats. I have tried super glue and find it won't hold the belt flat, it springs up and I end up over using more glue and it look messy. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

MtFlyer aka Keith

 

 

If you have seperate belts and buckles, make the buckles from lead foil or paper. You can pose the belts more at random. If belts and buckles are one-piece (or made up from several pieces of integrated belts and buckles) try to shape them before attaching them to the seat, bending them slightly too far. Then they won't have the "urge" to spring up. Of course if you're working with a belt which is made from two pieces glued together chances are the belt will break at the point where it is attached to each other. So these parts have to be pre-formed before bonding them... Slightly more demanding... Or soldering them together? I've never tried that last one...

 

Good luck,

Erik

[Barry]

Heat them up until they change color then let then cool down without forced cooling.

This will change the temper of the metal and make them much easier to work with.

Handle with care as they will now bend very easily but you will find it much easier to get them to form more natural cloth shapes.

 

Barry

[Edgar Brooks]

If you're working with 1/32 RAF WWII, bin them, and get Radu Brinzan's Sutton harness. He's labelled it as a "QK," i.e. Spitfire, but they'll work for any wartime RAF aircraft. I gave up on etched belts, years ago; for 1/32 I've found a thin, self-adhesive bandage (Micropore in the U.K., but I'd bet that there's some where you live. It has a fine fabric texture, and is self-adhesive, so I just thread the buckles onto them, and lay them in place. For 1/24, I've found carpet-joining tape to be ideal; again it's self-adhesive, slightly thicker, also has a fabric weave, and is available in various colours, including white, blue, and light tan.

Edgar

[DaveJ]

It really depends on whether you're using color-PE or plain brass. Color PE can't be heated or all the paint is gone.

 

I really like PE belts myself, although Radu's cloth ones are the absolute best solution available commercially. The key to getting PE to stay put with minimal CA glue is pre-bending the belts so that they stay in the position you want without glue. Then the glue is just holding them in place. The color PE belts need extra care when bending to prevent the paint from coming off at the bend, but it can be done.

 

HTH

[toadwbg]

I leave the buckles on the Frett and than weave tamiya tape belts thru them. The tapes pretty easy to work with and is self- adhesive. It also has a nice texture for fabric and takes paint well.

[MtFlyer]

Thanks guys...going to try taking the temper out of the belts and then over bending them to see how that works...again thanks..Mt Flyer