Fixing resin

[Gern]

Hi folks.

I've got myself a large resin kit and I need a bit of advice about fixing it together.

Am I OK to use CA to join the parts together?

As it's resin it's quite heavy and I thought of drilling holes in both parts to be joined and reinforcing the joints with a steel rod - probably cut from large paperclips. I know this is OK on plastic, but am I going to get any sort of bad reaction between the resin and the steel?

Once joined, all of the joints will need to be filled with some sort of material which will need to be moulded to shape. There are also areas on the model which have moulded texture which I might want to cover up and smooth out. What would you recommend me to use as a filler?

Gern

[stona]

Hi Dave, you are a brave man. I only ever built one resin kit in my life and it didn't go as well as planned

I have used a fair bit of resin in kits and have always found that CA holds it together. I'm sure you are well aware of the need to give the resin a thorough clean to remove any traces of release agents. I did only once had resin that seemed to be leaching out something that stopped the adhesive working properly, no matter how much I cleaned it, and I think I resorted to epoxy to fix it.

I've used brass as you are planning to use steel with no problem at all. I don't know, but can't imagine why your paperclip idea would cause problems.

Your usual fillers should work. CA glue and talcum powder or baking soda definitely works well for larger gaps but have a practice because it goes off very quickly and sets very hard, much harder than the resin!

Cheers

Steve

[Gern]

Thanks Steve.

The kit I bought has been built and painted but has fallen apart. I'll need to re-shape most of the joints and clean up the paintwork anyway, but your point about making sure it's clean is well made.

When you say you used epoxy as an alternative to CA, I've got some two-part Araldite. Would that work to fix bits together 'cos I could use enough to make sure any small gaps were filled as I join the parts together.

I've seen the CA/talc/baking soda tip before so I'll keep it in mind. However, the joints I'm talking of will need considerably more than just gap filling so I'll need some sort of filler that can be sculpted or moulded into shape. If that CA mix goes off that quickly, I can't see me having time to get it shaped before it sets. I was thinking of something like Milliput perhaps, but I've no idea if that will work with resin or if there are better alternatives.

Gern

[Guest]

Steve has got it covered , if I can add a couple of things - some of the smaller parts can be brittle so be careful on that one , also be really careful with any cutting or sanding - resin dust can be dangerous best bet is if possible is to wet cut and sand the parts , wear a mask and clean your work top and tools and hands after , if you can do any of the big prep work outside even better but I would still wear a mask .

Richy

[stona]

Araldite should work. You also have a chance to shape or sand it once it has set but before it has cured and gone rock hard.

I've not used Milliput with resin but it should work just fine. It's an epoxy too so same applies as above.

What is the kit? It sounds like quite a project to re-assemble it for the second time!

Cheers

Steve

[rickoshea52]

I've built a resin building kit from Artitec using araldite with no problems and using the same safety tips already mentioned. Last week I used resin parts for the first time from an aftermarket kit using CA with no problems either.

I don't see that using steel pins should present a problem as I have worked with GRP in the aerospace industry for year with no problem.

[Gern]

Richy - I've only done a tiny bit of work with resin, but I work at the sink and keep the parts wet and wear a mask when sanding resin. And I give everything a good rinse afterward. Maybe a bit OTT but I don't want to risk anything.

Steve - Looks like I'll be getting some Milliput then.The kit is one I'm looking at for the next GB so big secret until then! No major drama though 'cos there's only about a dozen parts so it's not like I'll be spending months just filling and shaping. The biggest concern I have is the weight on the joints, and you reckon I'll be OK to use my bits of paperclip, and the load-bearing joints are big enough for me to get two bits of rod in so I think I have that covered.

Gern

[Gern]

Thanks Rick. You posted while I was writing the above ....

Gern

[Guest]

Not OTT at all , that's the correct way to prep resin .

[stona]

If you have access to the inside of a join, where it won't be seen, the CA and baking soda trick works really well. Run some medium or thickish CA down the joint, sprinkle liberally with baking soda, blow the powder off after a few seconds and there you have a reinforced joint.

Cheers

Steve

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

I'm in the process of build a resin figure and used CA to bond the parts together so far with no issues, the small gaps I have used regular Squadron filler.

Adrian