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Patching voids in styrene structures

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Posted by glutrain on Thursday, May 14, 2015 12:00 AM

Just a couple cents worth of an idea. I keep a swatch of black out felt on hand for just these type of situations. Stick it on with one of the "tacky" white glues and you stop all light penetration. When I need more, I usually find a couple of square feet on close out in the remnants stock at either a fabric or craft store. 

Don H.

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Posted by last mountain & eastern hogger on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 1:38 PM

Whistling

I'm with Mr. Otte on this one.  Just simply laminate over it. Easy quick fix and it is on the backside anyway.

Johnboy out....................

from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North.. 

We have met the enemy,  and he is us............ (Pogo)

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Posted by E-L man tom on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 9:50 AM

If it were me, I would do like I did to cover an extra window on a caboose that I recently kitbashed. That is, cut a piece of styrene (of approximately the same thickness) to fit as closely as possible in size and dimension of the hole, glue it in place, and, as has been mentioned, fill in the seams with Squadron Putty and sand it smooth. paint will cover the rest. And, if you're going to put some kind of exterior siding over the original wall, you don't even have to be too particular about the sanding. 

Tom Modeling the free-lanced Toledo Erie Central switching layout.
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Posted by Steven Otte on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 9:14 AM

I second those who endorse Squadron putty. Though laminating on a layer of .010" styrene would be a lot quicker and easier.

--
Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editor
sotte@kalmbach.com

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Posted by CTValleyRR on Monday, May 11, 2015 7:52 PM

zstripe

Paul D, 

Auto zone may have the spot putty...can't say for sure. Don't know about Hobby Lobby, never been there. All the big box stores, Home Depot, Menards, Walmart should carry the Yellow carp. glue and the Vinyl Spackle....what's iffy is the Squadron.

Take Care! Big Smile

Frank

 

Two hobby shops near me stock Squadron Putty.  The green stuff, not white.  Works the same, though.

Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford

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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, May 10, 2015 9:30 AM

JB Quik Weld, 2-part epoxy.

It was made for situations just such as this one.

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by Paul D on Sunday, May 10, 2015 9:18 AM

Thanks to all for taking an interest. Will sift through the suggestions and see what works. Many t'anks.

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Posted by G Paine on Sunday, May 10, 2015 9:03 AM
It looks like a City Classics building. I have made a number of these and use Bondo filler putty from Walmart to fill the holes. Sand off the excess with fine sandpaper as mentioned above. Paint with brick colored paint and it will not show.

George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch 

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Posted by cedarwoodron on Sunday, May 10, 2015 7:12 AM

First, use a flat blade chisel to remove the raised rims, then either use styrene disks to fill the void followed by a small amount of squadron white putty, further followed by increasingly finer sanding (400-600-1000 grit).

Or, chisel the rims off, sand finely, then just cover the three voids with a rectangle of .020 styrene. If you use thinner styrene, it will warp when cement is applied.

Cedarwoodron

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Posted by snjroy on Sunday, May 10, 2015 7:08 AM
For these situations, I use Testors putty, applied with a flat x-acto blade. Works well and it has a long shelf life. You might need two coats. Good luck!

Simon


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Posted by ctyclsscs on Sunday, May 10, 2015 5:45 AM

Very nice looking model!

I'm not sure if this would apply to every situation, but there is a good chance that the terra-cotta wall sections would have been applied to some type of brick support wall. In that case, you could even glue a think sheet of brick to the back of your cornice to cover the holes and represent the brick wall.

http://chestofbooks.com/architecture/Construction-Superintendence/Architectural-Terra-Cotta-Part-4.html#.VU81vN6PKM8

Jim

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Posted by zstripe on Saturday, May 9, 2015 11:19 PM

Paul D, 

Auto zone may have the spot putty...can't say for sure. Don't know about Hobby Lobby, never been there. All the big box stores, Home Depot, Menards, Walmart should carry the Yellow carp. glue and the Vinyl Spackle....what's iffy is the Squadron.

Take Care! Big Smile

Frank

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Posted by Paul D on Saturday, May 9, 2015 11:10 PM

Frank - Are all those off-the-shelf items? Auto Zone, Walmart, Hobby Lobby? Would like to solve this without a long wait and shipping costs.

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Posted by Paul D on Saturday, May 9, 2015 11:05 PM

Thanks, Rob, and I can do that. I have .005 Evergreen styrene, just not my preferred solution. Light's not the issue, just need to cover the holes and have a smooth back to the cornice, and your suggestion would certainly do that. Would simply prefer not to add material that has to be cut precisely, glued in place, and made to look like it's all one big masonary casting. Thanks for the suggestion and that may be what I'll end up doing.

NJ, I've heard of that stuff but I don't know if my LHS carries it. Will look into that. Thanks, men.

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Posted by zstripe on Saturday, May 9, 2015 11:04 PM

Evercoat Automotive glazing putty, Squadron white putty, Yellow Carpenter's glue and Vinyl Spackle, they will all work. Piece of cake.

Take Care! Big Smile

Frank

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Posted by doctorwayne on Saturday, May 9, 2015 10:56 PM

Since it's on the back of the cornice, any patch or repair is not likely to draw much attention - none if the building is facing the viewer.  However, to repair it, I'd punch discs of suitable size from sheet styrene of a thickness equal to- or slightly thicker than the depth of the holes.  Use solvent-type cement to affix them in place, then, if necessary, sand them flush with the existing surface.  To fill any remaining voids, dissolve some sprue material or the styrene sanding dust from the previous step in solvent to create a putty-like filler, and once it's hardened sufficiently, sand to remove any irregularities.

Wayne

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Posted by njguy on Saturday, May 9, 2015 10:51 PM

I've used squadron products fast drying white putty for those holes.  Let it dry..sand & paint.   Putty stinks to high heaven, but works.

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Posted by wp8thsub on Saturday, May 9, 2015 10:22 PM

Sometimes the easiest way to handle stuff like this is to cover the offending section of the wall with plain styrene.  With the concern about light penetrating, maybe the recesses could be filled first, but it's often tough to get the whole wall flat so it's presentable after you paint it.

Rob Spangler

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Posted by Paul D on Saturday, May 9, 2015 10:22 PM

Thanks, Jim. I tried to mic the holes but the throat on my dial mic isn't deep enough to reach the holes so I took a bite on the edge and got .200 as near as I could get, then took a guess. I was on the pattern under the overhang. Anyway, light shines through whatever is the thickness in the depth of the hole. I'm sure you recognize the model. Gonna try Bondo or similar. We'll work it out. T'anks. Pleased with the outcome of East Ohio St. with some minor adjustments still to make.

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Posted by ctyclsscs on Saturday, May 9, 2015 8:54 PM

Would you believe that the front wall is actually about .055 think at that spot?

I know those huge pin marks drive some folks crazy, but it was the only way to get those deep cornices out of the mold. Even with them, they are still a pain for the molder.

Jim

 

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Posted by rrebell on Saturday, May 9, 2015 8:23 PM

Mix your own mix, melted styene in liquid styrene cement, make it like peanut butter consistancy.

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Posted by Paul D on Saturday, May 9, 2015 8:02 PM

Yeah, MM, it's going to be visible but light's not the issue. you're right, dark primer would handle that. Thought about Evergreen 5/16 rod cut to .190 thick but that's not easy and I'd still have to fill the periphery with some kind of compound. Thought about a cut piece of .005 styrene and simply cover the back with that but prefer a filler. Thanks for the suggestion. It's an option. Maybe just the Bondo type product without the styrene plug. That could work. T'anks

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Posted by modelmaker51 on Saturday, May 9, 2015 7:21 PM

If this is going to be visible then I would cut some styrene plugs, then fill with some auto spot putty and sand smooth.

If it's not going to be seen and you'te just worried about light showing thru, the just paint it all black before adding the top color.

Jay 

C-415 Build: https://imageshack.com/a/tShC/1 

Other builds: https://imageshack.com/my/albums 

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Patching voids in styrene structures
Posted by Paul D on Saturday, May 9, 2015 7:12 PM

Well, though I grew up 15 minutes from MIT I don't have a degree in advanced technology so I hope the photobucket pic shows up. The process still mystifies me.

I need to fill three holes on the backside of the cornice on a HO structure. They're 5/16 dia, about .190 deep and above the roof line. Light shows clearly through the thin front wall of the cornice and I'd guess it's only .010 thick 'cause the whole cornice is only .200 thick. I need a patch to fill the 3 holes. Would like to do it with some kind of household product like a pop-top can of Dap, glazing putty, or similar. Something that sets up hard and can be filed & sanded smooth. Prefer not to order something online for $5 and pay $8 shipping. Has to adhere to styrene.

Any thoughts are welcome . . . T'anks

Cornice Flaws

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