I Just got a couple of aircraft models and I am mostly an armor and ships kinda guy. So my question is… These models have some really great resin cockpits, tubs and seats and controlpanel look really great! Except these delicate little parts are very firmly attached to these big a## blocks of resin. What is the best method to separate block from part? Any suggestions would be very appriciated.
The only way I know of is a razor saw. The resin is so brittle it is the only way I would recomended. There are numerous companys making usefull tools. I found mine on evil bay nice little tool.
Soulcrusher
X-Acto makes a razor saw blade that fits into the same handle as the #11 blades. These work very well for cutting resin. X-Acto also makes a razor saw that is about 5 inches long and an inch high and very thin. This tool also works well. Cut close to the line you want and finish the elimination of excess resin with 220 grit sandpaper on a flat surface, if the cut surface is supposed to be flat. Otherwise, finish the area with the 220 grit and sand to the proper shape. Be patient as the resin is very brittle, as stated above.
Gentle and delicate sawing.
There are saw blades for Xacto knives that are shaped like No. 11 blades. These work very well.
Safety First guys!
Cut wet when possible, (edit:) & wear dust mask when not possible to cut wet!
Edit: Swanny knew what I meant! [#oops] [#wstupid]
Always sand wet!
I use glass tile with wet&dry 400/600 grade 'sand’paper glued on, sitting in a (shallow) plastc tub with water & liquid soap, well, they need to be washed anyway!
stay safe!
Jon
Jon is correct, resin dust is toxic when breathed. Cut and sand wet and you will not need a mask, do it dry and you will need a mask. The Xacto razor saw is what I used to use but now have upgraded to the JLC razor saw – much better. Wet/Dry sandpaper laid on a hard surface with a small puddle of water is excellent for finishing off the pour stub cut. Glue pieces together with superglue or five minute epoxy. Resin pieces tend to have mold release agent left on them so be sure to wash everything in warm soapy water before starting your build. Good luck!
For very small parts I use narrow side cutters to remove them. Just be sure you hold on to them to prevent from loosing them.
A sonic cleaning bath is great for washing the resin parts prior to fitting, just dont pop your contacts in the same bath afterwards.
That is a great tip Swanny. I only recently became aware of the resin dust issue, wet sanding is much better than breathing through an annoing mask. Besides all of that dust it creates. Think I will try it next time and hang up my mask so to speak.
Soulcrusher
P.S. Sorry I forgot to give credit to Jon_a_its also for the tips!
Hi There,
When cutting resin I often use a tool that I make myself. For most cutting jobs I use a Swan & Morten scalpel in a No. 3 Handle. I take a blade (No.11 long and pointed or No10 round) and cut notches into the blade with a silicon carbide disc in a motor tool. Because of the short blade length I find these very manageable and suffer less splitting and breaking of resin parts than with a razor saw. Swan & Morten make a variety of blade shapes and these are useful after adapting as above when cutting the basic kit for conversions and removeing panels etc. There are photoetch blades available that fit in a scalpel but I find these often bend, blunt easily and are quite expensive.
As a safety note don`t notch the blade to close to the attachement slot as the blade may snap in use and wear some form of safety glasses when grinding the notches. I generally use my head magnifyer as I have to wear glasses anyway and feel two layers to be safe enough.
Give it a try
regards Gary.
For larger pieces I can safely maintain a grip on I use my band saw, for smaller pieces I use my Dremel with a cutting wheel, for really small stuff I use sprue cutters or an x-acto knife. I only use a razor saw on larger delicate pieces.
Thanks for all the great tips. We will see how it goes. [:)] When I get to this project I’ll be sure and post a few pics.