Make sure when you fill the hole or install a patch piece of styrene you don't make it so thick the boiler weight won't slide into place. There isn't much extra room.
George V.
Another idea depending on the size of the hole would be to take some blue painters tape and put a piece covering the hole on the outside of the boiler. Make sure that it is completely sealing around the hole, and that the tape conforms with the contour of the boiler (don't push the tape down in the middle of it will bulge inward.) Then, flip the boiler over the fill the dome hole with some epoxy. It will fill the gap and conform to the tape. After the epoxy has set, remove the tape (which shouldn't stick to the fully cured epoxy.
I have used this technique to fill areas on flat surfaces, but it should work well for what you want to do as long as the tape is perfectly sealed to the boiler. If not, you are in big trouble. You might want to test it out on something else first to perfect the technique.
Modeling the D&H in 1984: http://dandhcoloniemain.blogspot.com/
doctorwayne Rather than putty-type filler, though, I'd cut similar sheet material, in as many layers and varying thicknesses as are necessary to fill the majority of the area so that it's on the same plane as the area of the boiler surrounding it.
Rather than putty-type filler, though, I'd cut similar sheet material, in as many layers and varying thicknesses as are necessary to fill the majority of the area so that it's on the same plane as the area of the boiler surrounding it.
I would always defer to Wayne's tips as he is a superior modeler. One idea: once you have that thin piece of styrene cemented inside the boiler shell where the dome was, you can use a piece of aluminum foil pressed into the shallow hole to create a pattern for the correct size to cut the styrene sheet he recommends as filler/plug. It's an old trick (but then, I am an old modeler) and it still works.
Dave Nelson
I'd remove the dome, then cement a fairly thin (010"-.015") sheet of styrene inside the boiler to cover the bottom of the opening, as Dave suggested. Rather than putty-type filler, though, I'd cut similar sheet material, in as many layers and varying thicknesses as are necessary to fill the majority of the area so that it's on the same plane as the area of the boiler surrounding it. Use solvent type cement for all of this work, not ca.When that has cured, use the putty to fill any gaps around the perimeter of the patch.
Wayne
If memory serves the dome area is empty so filing away the dome -- switching to sanding it once you approach the boiler jacket surface, would leave a hole. My first instinct woud be to fill the dome with plastic putty and let it harden, then file away and sand away the dome (and the putty). This is not guaranteed of success because often the putty "plug" just falls inside. So ....
Failing that, once the dome is filed and then sanded away (leaving a hole) a thin piece of styrene is cemented on the inside, alowed to set, then the resulting "trough" is filled in with plastic putty or Squadron white or green putty (I often prefer the white for this purpose) which is then wet-sanded smooth to match the boiler surface, taking care not to sand or file away the boiler bands or other desirable details. Don't press down too hard while sanding either.
The trick is to take your time.
What would be the best way to remove a sand dome from a Mehano/IHC 4-6-2 and fill in the gap left behind? Im bashing one and putting on a new dome closer to the firebox.