Anyone got any inside info on 'fixing' a plastic Lionel loco shell?

[thor]

I have an old loco that was badly distorted on the right side from motor heat, I guess. So I have decided to modify it extensively to look sort of British!

http://www.semg.org.uk/steam/h1-h2_05.html

I've cut off the running boards and cowcatcher and the front dome. Various other lumps and bumps too, which has left with a lot of holes to fill and gouges to make good.

This is the first time I've actually tried surgery as drastic as this. So my question is "how would you make good the holes etc.?"

I'm thinking of using bondo but I doubt it'll stay in place without backup. I could epoxy plastic such as pieces from soda bottles to the underside of the shell to match the curvature and cover the holes and then I can fill with bondo.

Or I could try using polystyrene sheet but Im not sure what the original was made from but it does smell like styrene.

In the end I'm going to have to make good with plastic sheet anyway, the new running boards/footplate(?) will certainly need to be fabricated from styrene as will the front buffer beam. I just hope I can persuade the old and new to stick together strongly.

In the past I used to modify styrene by melting sprue in MEK and filling gaps with the resulting goo but occasionally it didnt harden properly and attacked the rest of the plastic!

So if anyones done this before and has a few good tips I'd appreciate hearing them.

[phillyreading]

Don't know how to fix a shell but try going to a train meet and buying an old locomotive that don't cost much and replace your shell. I have tried some plastic repair and the results were terrible.
Lee Fritz

[marxalot]

I had to check and see if the stuff was still made and it is. Squadron Putty may fill the need. Take a look at the site below. There are several types of material out there, although the "get another shell" and call it a day could be best!

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0093p.pgm?C=RMB&P=5


Jim

[More to restore]

Thor,
Your plastic shell is not likely to be made out of pure polystyrene, because of the limited dimensional stability in time. More common in plastic toys are plastics like ABS (poly-acrylonitrile-co-butadiene-co-styrene). Filling holes in ABS and sanding it smooth again will be mighty difficult. You do not want to dissolve / rupture plastic around the hole, so I would not start working with dissolved plastics. Besides, very limited plastics really stick on each other well. A water-based conventional plaster could be better solution, there are some really good plasters around.
Good luck! Let us know what really works

[mackb4]

Something my Dad tried on an old shell with deep scratche marks was body "bondo glaze".It apllies smooth and with very fine wet sand paper scuffs off.He then primered the shell ,then painted it.The last step was using a dull down type clear spray.The engine has been used as a runner and has held up well without cracking back out.Now Hobby Lobby carries a plastic filler in the model section that I've always wan't to experiment with.[:D][2c]

[otftch]

I have worked in plastic for over forty years and i would use 010 styrene glued to the inside of the shell.Use liquid cement and flow it completely around the edges of the patch.Next take styrene pieces and add the to the styrene one at a time so all you have left is tiny little gaps.You can even use these pieces to form some of your contours.By using these pieces and a very little putty you will not have a shrinkage problem and the fix will be much stronger.Lay the pieces in the hole like a patchwork quilt using the liquid cement sparingly.When the whole hole is filled with plastic pieces,flow some cement around the whole fix.Then add the putty.I use fingernail files from the women's section at Wal-mart for the final shaping.They come in different colors,each being a different grit.When you think you're done spray the area with Testors metallic silver spray paint.Any imperfections will show right up.Add more putty until you have an
invisible patch.Take your time and when you are finished no one will be the wiser. I wouldn't think it would be ethical to sell this piece without disclosing your repair,but I have fixed or modified quite a few pieces this way.
Ed

[Jumijo]

If the shell was damaged due to a heat issue, adding styrene isn't going to help. It too will eventually warp. Faster and easier than the shell did as well. Same goes for thin soda bottle plastic. Buy a shell off of Ebay.

Jim

[FJ and G]

Geee, a very interesting and useful thread but I think I'll stick to repairing metal or buy a new shell for the time you'd spend repairing.

Plastic is nasty stuff. i wi***hey'd ban it from toy trains.

[thor]

Thanks to all who replied. I'd just like to make it quite clear that I have no intention of repairing the loco to be sold later. No, I deliberately butchered it to make a British outline loco similar to those on the link I supplied. The loco worked fine and the warpage didnt bother me - I just thought it gave me a perfect excuse to make an English looking steam engine to play with.

I have fixed the holes by using 5 minute epoxy as a filler, held in place underneath by masking tape, the result is solid enough to whack with a screwdriver though only a few years will tell if it'll hold up but I suspect it will.

I ground off most of the details leaving only the forward dome and funnel. Removed that odd bulge on the top of the boiler on the right side, cut off the front steps/ladders the cowcatcher and the footplates/running boards and the front lights.

Next is to fill the backwardsloping cab front and make it vertical, then cut spectacle glasses, the little forward looking windows in the cab and remove the square windowed cab sides and make it look like the link pictures, with a sort of half moon cut out instead of windows.

I went to a craft store and bought heavy gauge silver plated copper wire for the handrails and very small brass beads for the stanchions and the new running board and wheel arches will be made of card coated in epoxy although I'm tempted to try using styrene deli coffee cup covers for the wheel arches as they are exactly the right shape and I can fill them with epoxy to stiffen them.

These craft stores carry a wonderful array of delicate little jewellery findings and filagrees of all sorts, if you wanted to make Victorian looking ironwork, thats the place to go, dead cheap too ranging from 99c to about $4 max.

I also build boats hence the addiction to epoxy! Wonderful stuff, I couldnt do without it. If you buy a good epoxy (like Gougeon Bros. WEST System Epoxy) you can add filler to change its viscosity and increase its 'strength' (relative term) I have used talcum powder, micro balloons, finely chopped fiberglass wool and various metal powders all to good effect. I once even epoxied a sleeve over a fractured motorcycle frame tube and it held up fine for years! Great stuff but be careful, some people develop a violent allergic reaction, best to use disposable gloves and a mask to keep its gases from getting at you. If you get the reaction you can never go near it again!