I want to find out what you use to attach the aluminium barrels to plastics? Super glue? Epoxy resin?
Also what about painting PE does it need to be primed? It has been a while since I last made a model and the new after market kits are anunknown for adhesives.
Sorry I can’t answer the ? about the barrels but regarding the PE: Priming is not “essential” but it is a VERY good idea, for adhesion of the color coat(s) and to provide an even color under the color coat(s). Without the primer there could be variations in color between the brass and the plastic parts that will show on the finished kit.
Remember to lightly scuff the brass where it will be glued with some fine sandpaper so the adhesive(I use Krazy Glue but there many brands of Cyanoacrylic[sp?] cement avaliable) can get some “bite”
I used superglue for the metal barrels I’ve glued on. Epoxy would work fine too, though. Use whichever your more comfortable with.
Make sure you clean your PE parts so they don’t have oils on them. I usually use lacquer thinner, but others uses alcohol. Another good idea is to soak the parts in vinegar for just a few minutes (make sure you rinse well with water) to give the brass just a little etching. I haven’t done this on any of mine yet, but it’s a darn good idea!
You can use CA (super glue) or a 2 part epoxy to attach brass/aluminum barrels, resin and p/e parts to plastic. I personally like CA glue the best, you just have to line stuff up really quick with it.
Priming p/e makes sense, it’s not absolutly necessary but can help with adhesion and more even color. I usually don’t prime and just build the base coat up to even the color differences out. If you hve large areas of p/e, or an aluminum barrel, etc and don’t prime, it’s a good idea to scuff it with fine sandpaper before painting as this will give the paint some grip. I’d do it before priming also myself.
Eric
I like 5 minute epoxy for barrels. It gives me just enough time to adjust the barrel before it sets.
I’ll try some of the suggestions this weekend when I restart working on my Maus - the alum barrels and a M163 Vulcan -PE. I had scratch built a gun truck I was on in Nam in the late 70’s and when I looked in the box in the 80’s everything had just fallen off, there were two different types of plastics used. I’m not sure what i had used so I figured I had better asked.
Thanks.
A good brand of CA would work best, in my opinion.