HGW seatbealts - how to make them less 'springy'?

[nmayhew]

hi all,

I am using HGW's seatbelts for the first time and although they are fiddly to make, the detail is better than anything i have seen in photo-etch or resin

however...

the belts are still quite springy and, unlike photo-etch,  if you bend them into shape they just tend to spring back

any ideas on how to get around this?

the belts are glued together with PVA / Gator Grip glue, so anything water-based will be a no go.

Kind regards,

Nick

[nmayhew]

7 hours ago, Jennings Heilig said:

Mousse?  Gel?  

 

ironically Jennings that may actually be worth investigating!

 

 

[Wackyracer]

Did you remove the backing tape? I made this error on my first ever set a few years back. 

 

I normally roll the belts in my fingers before assembling also. Folds etc are superglued with a tiny blob. and once installed a weak filter type wash is applied which I find makes the fall into place.

 

[BaldEagle]

I remember making the same mistake with  the backing film the first time I used them. The trouble with crumpling them up is that it makes it very difficult to thread through the buckles.

[nmayhew]

yes, i have removed the backing tape (!) but thank you 

 

the Fw190 belts look sweet!

[chrish]

I've had great success with "Micro Liquitape" It's kind of like a contact cement of some kind. Brushes on white dries clear and doesn't affect the stiffness of the belts. If unhappy with the lay they are easily (relative to normal glue) moved to another location. I've got several models with seatbelts fastened in that way now, some for many years. I can even put the glue on before threading the buckles etc. then fold them over, squeeze with a tweezers and they stay stuck. Not saying it's the only way to go, but it's the way for me.  

[Wackyracer]

17 hours ago, nmayhew said:

yes, i have removed the backing tape (!) but thank you 

 

the Fw190 belts look sweet!

 

No worries, I thought that may be the reason for the springiness that's all. 

 

I'm sure I read somewhere when constructing someone removed the fabric parts but left the pe buckles on the fret to make it easier to thread on. It makes sense as you have more to hold onto. Not relevant to your question, but may ease construction. I'll try it with my next set.

 

I've had another thought... would white spirit or a very weak filter wash help soften them up. Would WS not attack the gator grip, much like it doesn't acrylics? Just a thought.

 

Aaron

[thierry laurent]

Two tips:

 

If possible, put the belts in the buckles before removing them from their fret. 

 

Crumple the belts after assembly or part of it. 

 

Hth

 

Thierry 

 

 

[nmayhew]

1 hour ago, thierry laurent said:

Two tips:

 

If possible, put the belts in the buckles before removing them from their fret. 

 

Crumple the belts after assembly or part of it. 

 

Hth

 

Thierry 

 

 

 

Thank you Thierry.

 

I have actually found assembly ok

yes it's quite teeny weeny but as you say, if you can keep as much of the PE buckles on the fret and then thread the belt in whilst they are being 'held' it's actually not that bad

similarly, white glue (PVA / Gator) sticks the flaps together after just a second or two of holding

 

i will try some crumpling and let you know how it goes

if it comes apart i guess i can just glue it back together again!

 

cheers

Nick

 

PS P-47 comparison HGW vs Radu's set:

HGW is waaaay easier to assemble, but less detailed PE pieces and also less detailed diagram; the RB instructions show you exactly how the real thing fit together, whereas HGW is just a representation

that being said, i put the RB set straight back in its bag once i saw the PE construction - it was real shipbuilding stuff in my book - no interest!

[thierry laurent]

To me the most complicated one to assemble is the RB Sutton set. Beautiful but total craziness... 

[chuck540z3]

I use CA glue, because it dries fast.  Put a small droplet where you want adhesion to the seat, press the belt against the glue with a thin clean object like tweezers or toothpick, wait 15 seconds, then move on to another adhesion point.  This method works very well, but is risky because glue marks might show in some places.  If they do, have a micro-brush handy when gluing to help remove the extra glue immediately before it dries.  When dry, the glue will be gone but the residue will be shiny, so a quick spray of dull coat removes that.  An example from my recent Harvard build before I dirtied up the belts a bit.

 

 

Cheers,

Chuck

[dennismcc]

1 hour ago, chuck540z3 said:

I use CA glue, because it dries fast.  Put a small droplet where you want adhesion to the seat, press the belt against the glue with a thin clean object like tweezers or toothpick, wait 15 seconds, then move on to another adhesion point.  This method works very well, but is risky because glue marks might show in some places.  If they do, have a micro-brush handy when gluing to help remove the extra glue immediately before it dries.  When dry, the glue will be gone but the residue will be shiny, so a quick spray of dull coat removes that.  An example from my recent Harvard build before I dirtied up the belts a bit.

 

Cheers,

Chuck

Same method I use, did it last night on my N1K2 seat.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis