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Attaching wood panels to plastic


sumterIII

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I’m into another scratch build project, which for some reason becoming more frequent, that required attaching a wood panel on styrene. The wood laminar came from Revell and sold at Michaels.

 

Here are a few tricks I learned along the way that may help you if you try this yourself.

I cut the panel using a new razor knife blade allowing for some overage on the edges. Cutting required three or four slices to get through the 1MM panel. Using 3M All Purpose Adhesive spray I applied a coat to the plastic and wood before mating. (Work quick before the glue sets) Clamps were used to hold the panel in place while the glue dried, took about 20 minuets to set. After dry I looked for any problems along the edge which I did find one spot not locked down. I used super glue to fix that area before sanding the edges. This was about 4 weeks ago and the wood is holding very well, no issues at all and I don’t think it will in the future.

 

Now for a quick note: I did not cover the top of the wood and got a small amount of 3M on the surface. I had to use lacquer thinner to remove it which caused some discoloration of the wood. Not a big deal for my needs, in fact added to the aged look. But in the future I’ll use a mask before spraying the underside.


Happy modeling

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Another method is to use gel Super Glue. Apply it like construction adhesive to the wood, paying attention to the edges. Then press it in place. The gel will not soak through the wood and will grip the surface as it does anything else. You can avoid spray adhesives, some of which are just glorified rubber cement, and are much more expensive than discount store super glue, which works just fine. Just a thought.

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Would ( or "Wood") it be possible to paint the wood panel on rather than use the simulated wood covering?

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For my application I needed the extra build up of matterial, the deck had a step down, I needed to convert that to flat. Plus I had to remove details moulding on that left gaps and holes and the planks on the kit were too large for scale as well. Super glue works but does not give you the working time so I went with 3M. The 3M is also more cost effective for large applications. (On a 1/72 scale build I went through a lot of super glue.) The deck I'm working on is 1/142 scale.

I have used Gator Glue for thinner decks (i.e. Scaledecks.com) before which worked out very well, but I'm so impressed with the 3M that from now on I plan to use it on most of the 1/350 scale kits I have wood decks for.

Everyone has there own way, but I found this to work as well with little trouble, more working time and less cost.

3M Super 77 cost 10.97 per can. Super Glue Gel range from 2.95 and up per bottle. I used 2 bottles of super glue on the 1/72 build. So far I have built three kits with 3M and have enough for many more in the can.

Edited by sumterIII
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Yes...I see. "Wood not" work.... :smiley29:

 

I've used Gator Glue for a number of years and in different ways....good product.

Perhaps you can share some pics at some point....

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Dick

I've been holding off sending pictures because I need newsletter content. Newsletter guys get that way at times you know.....

:unsure:

BTW Gator Glue is the bomb for my builds! It's awesome stuff that I can't live without anymore.

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