I have bought 2 cast metal HO scale Woodland Scenic structures. The first one was built with some problems but the second one is a real nightmare. I am having trouble gluing it together. I washed the pieces with hot soapy water, rinsed it good. Then I filed the contact surfaces a flat as possible. I have tried both CA glue and epoxy and nothing seems to make a strong bond. Any suggestions? What kind of metal is used for these models? Can it be soldered?
I do not think they are worth the hassle. I think I'll go back to plastic or wood models. What has been your experience with metal?
My experience with metal models n parts has been that they can be very brittle, and typically are not able to be soldered. They are like solder itself, get it hot and it will just ball up. They melt at a lower temp than the solder. I have used JB weld with some success to repair broken items and have mixed feelings about all the white/pot metals, but for some applications it has advantages over plastic, such as weight. Not really an issue with buildings though. I have a bar kit or something in my pile of "to do" kits but thought it was way to small to be in any hurry to do it. Guess I'll try and stick with wood and plastic buildings.
I have had luck with the thicker CA adhesive since it has the consistancy of tube glue. The thin CA I use more with plastic. Woodland Scenics seem to have more metal flashing with their smaller pieces.
I used CA jell to assemble one of those kits. It takes forever to set, though, because it will not soak into the metal. You need to clamp the parts together for a couple of hours while the glue sets, even CA.