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Another Hasegawa T bolt Bubbletop, my first LSP. November 12, 2022, It is DONE at last!!!!!!!!


Citadelgrad

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Well, for this kind of task I use white glue, quite simply!

it's not the stronger bond you'll have, but it will do the job.

 

sorry for the awful photo, it's a quick shoot of the very same product we were speaking about.

greetings, Paolo

19F99F2F-B758-427E-A335-05D97D23048B.jpe

 

 

Edited by mc65
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51 minutes ago, mc65 said:

Well, for this kind of task I use white glue, quite simply!

it's not the stronger bond you'll have, but it will do the job.

 

sorry for the awful photo, it's a quick shoot of the very same product we were speaking about.

greetings, Paolo

19F99F2F-B758-427E-A335-05D97D23048B.jpe

 

 

That looks GREAT, Paolo!  just plain old Elmers?

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Er, ehm... so I suppose!

on this side of the pool we read about Elmer glue as white vinyl glue, but I have not ever seen it!

in Italy there is a very old brand called "Vinavil" wich is, well, white vinyl glue, and wich -I guess- it's basically the same product.

 

it's white when wet, but it cures translucent, and in little quantities it disguises itself very well.

I also use it to other uses, i.e. To create little bumps on scratchbuilt steering or trim wheels.

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Well, that went better than i had hoped.  Two impossibly small objects with no particular attraction or obvious joining mechanism are now at least acting like they are one. 
 

i cut out the smallest piece of PE that i have ever seriously had hopes of using (sure, ive cut out pieces smaller, but when they were dwarfed by a small drop of glue, i gave up) using a piece of ceramic tile and a new scalpel blade, then i cut out the reflector, which i learned was just a pn outline printed on thin acetate or similar plastic. 
 

then i took a drop of white hobby glue that was larger than the reflector and many times larger than the PE part, and then i took a disused airbrush needle and put a droplet, or whatever measure is less than a drop, onto the area of the join, as well as every other part of the PE, and i used a pair of reverse release tweezers to hold the reflector 90 degrees to the surface, and touching the tile, then i slowly moved it over the area and lowered it into the smallest application of glue i could achieve.  Although such a small area is probably dried as i type this, i will wait 24 hours, then i want to see if i can add a tiny bit more glue to reinforce the joint. 
 

then i will flip it over and try to catch lighting in a bottle twice.  
 

heres what it looks like now, i am amazed the PE still has two distinct legs. 
 

O6yS6x.jpg

 

fingers crossed, this is obviously a one shot deal. 

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  • Citadelgrad changed the title to Another Hasegawa T bolt Bubbletop, my first LSP, October 18, i thought the brakes were small, Gunsight work proceeds

Looking good Bill. My method is quite similar to Paolo's.  I use water soluble glues like Gator glue

which isn't available any more I hear, or Microscale Liquitape  which is a white glue as well but

remains flexible for a very long time so I can get it into position, let it set up for a few minutes

and then remove any excess with a wet paintbrush or similar tool. It's fairly thick stuff but can

be thinned with water which I always add a smidge of dishsoap to break the surface tension and

allows better flow. I put a small puddle of it on something flat and spread it fairly thin and carefully

dip the edge of the part in the puddle. With Liquitape you need to let it turn from white to clear

'before' joining the parts together (takes a few minutes). It dries clear but glossy so sometimes

I need to touch up with a flatter paint to eliminate the gloss. Try it , I think you'll like it.

 

p.s. I always stick one of the parts in a blob of poster tack to hold it as a third hand.

I also always need magnification (magnifying glasses) it really helps alot.

 

 

 

 

Edited by MikeMaben
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12 hours ago, MikeMaben said:

Looking good Bill. My method is quite similar to Paolo's.  I use water soluble glues like Gator glue

which isn't available any more I hear, or Microscale Liquitape  which is a white glue as well but

remains flexible for a very long time so I can get it into position, let it set up for a few minutes

and then remove any excess with a wet paintbrush or similar tool. It's fairly thick stuff but can

be thinned with water which I always add a smidge of dishsoap to break the surface tension and

allows better flow. I put a small puddle of it on something flat and spread it fairly thin and carefully

dip the edge of the part in the puddle. With Liquitape you need to let it turn from white to clear

'before' joining the parts together (takes a few minutes). It dries clear but glossy so sometimes

I need to touch up with a flatter paint to eliminate the gloss. Try it , I think you'll like it.

 

p.s. I always stick one of the parts in a blob of poster tack to hold it as a third hand.

I also always need magnification (magnifying glasses) it really helps alot.

 

 

 

 

Thanks, Mike.  I have two fresh bottles of Gator grip or glue, and am trying to use it to glue this part, but the surface area is so small that I am having an issue threading the needle between not enough glue to hold the part and so much glue the parts are covered in a blob.

 

I am on attempt 2.  Once again, I am trying to get the parts to just stick, then I will try to go back with a needle and bulk up the join areas.  The first time I tried, when I touched the join the parts just parted.  

 

If at first you don't succeed...

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1 minute ago, JayW said:

Bill - I congratulate you on your micro-surgery!!  Good heavens - even a steady hand probably bobs around enough to make it near impossible to place such a small piece.  That in addition to glue application.

 

Thanks, Jay, but the patient isn't out of the woods yet. I am wondering what's going to happen when I touch the legs with a paintbrush to blacken them...

 

Fingers crossed...

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I'd do the 'dip it in a puddle' method. Thin it with soapy water to a consistency you like ,

then let it partially dry (tack up)  before attaching it.

 

p.s. Once the parts are attached let it dry before 'bulking up' the join.

If you apply a second time it will reactivate the previous application

and fall apart like you said.

 

 

 

 

Edited by MikeMaben
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On 10/20/2021 at 11:12 PM, MikeMaben said:

I'd do the 'dip it in a puddle' method. Thin it with soapy water to a consistency you like ,

then let it partially dry (tack up)  before attaching it.

 

p.s. Once the parts are attached let it dry before 'bulking up' the join.

If you apply a second time it will reactivate the previous application

and fall apart like you said.

 

 

 

 

Thanks, Mike.  I got it all the way to installation and the legs were so flimsy i had to start over.   By the time i tried to glue again, the sight plate was trashed.  I decided to start over, i dipped the acetate in future, and will cut a new glass plate.  Then i plan to try to use Tamiya tape to protect the “glass” from all the handling and glue.  If i can get a good application, i will just leave the edges bare and i can try to use a bit more glue.  Then i can paint and pull the tape and see where that gets me.  
 

meantime, i dry fitted the gear and tires and cowl and canopy and took some Friday night boudoir shots of the old girl to get me motivated. Pardon the wonky wheel orientation and lazy prop, this will be addressed in time

 

YmLYJB.jpg

sU7Whu.jpg

YmLYJB.jpg
dBNbV6.jpg

 

and the cursed right side

mM7wvy.jpg

 

She looks nose high because the rear gear is not yet in place, but its good to see her so close to finished.  If i can sort this sight out, i am very close to a final punch list.  
 

this low angle shows the engine mount modification eliminated the “step” between the cowl bottom and the lower front fuselage.  
 

I still need to dirty up the gear, add some very light wear on the engine cowling panels, etc.  

 

getting close, though. 

Edited by Citadelgrad
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  • Citadelgrad changed the title to Another Hasegawa T bolt Bubbletop, my first LSP, October 22, Gunsight reset, some beauty shots on her legs.
On 10/23/2021 at 1:41 AM, Citadelgrad said:


dBNbV6.jpg

 

Normally I wouldn't nit-pick like this, but since you're doing everything you possibly can to get this as accurate as possible I gotta' tell you that the Hamilton Standard logos are supposed to be at the lengthwise midpoint of the prop blade.

 

PM me with your address and I'll send you some from my private stash. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have not lost my mojo on this one, far from it.  Ive been wrestling with the ridiculous PE legs for the gunsight reflector.  Gator glue was a no go. Ca did nothing. The issue is, its impossibly small and the area where the pe attaches is, literally, the thickness of the acetate sheet attaching to a part that is the size of a capital O.   I got very close to trying to attach it a couple times, but each time the legs just folded. They sort of stuck to the acetate, but would not hold the weight of the part, to give an idea of the weakness of the join. 
 

i finally tried Migs Ultra Glue, which is supposed to be both strong and not interact with the clear parts, which of course was the claim of gator glue.

 

i am NOT knocking gator glue, i really like it, but these parts are on the cutting edge of what can be attacked with glue. 
 

the ultra glue showed up Friday, so i tried it.  It seems to work well.  Well enough that when repainting the legs, there was no telltale flop of the legs, but i was very careful. 
 

tonight i glued the part in position.  Barring disaster while drying, i am going to try to cover any glue sheen with black and call it good.

 

photos, please be kind, the macro REALLY shows the mess i made of it.   With the naked eye, it seems to look fine.

kfJkF1.jpg

 

xShPpW.jpg

Hopefully i can salvage it.  Its just such a prominent feature, i cant leave it off.  Next step, i need to dig up a PE mechanical backup sight that is so prominent in cockpit shots of Col. Gabreski’s ride.  At least this is progress. Soon i can attach the windscreen and move on from here.  

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