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Adhesives and Structure Kits <- Scenery & Structures <- Home

 Adhesives and Structure Kits

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Follow instructions in the kit to make them. I recommend using a hobby knife (I use an X-Acto medium duty) to cut the pieces from the trees. Trim all flash (extra plastic left from casting) away, and paint the desired pieces. I recommend painting the smaller pieces while they're still on the tree, to avoid painting your fingers. Use the thinner glue that comes in a cubical glass bottle, which has a brush included. Only use a SMALL amount, as extra will make the connection a mess, not stronger. The glue that comes in a tube isn't the same, but it will work. The only difference is the absence of the handy brush and the thickness of the glue.

A bit more on adhesives
Adhesive Setting time Curing time Strength Color Applications
Cyanoacrylate 5-60 sec 2 hrs high clear M, P, W
Contact cement contact 24 hrs medium light brown C, P, F, W
Epoxy 5-20 min 12 hrs high clear / yellow C, M, P, W
General purpose 10-20 min 12 hrs medium clear / yellow B, M, S, W
Plastic 30-60 sec 8 hrs medium clear S
White 10-60 mins 24 hrs high clear C, L, W
Yellow 10-40 mins 24 hrs high clear C, L, F, W
Metal Plastic Wood Cardstock styroFoam Styrene pLaster cardBoard

ALWAYS WORK IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA WHEN USING SOLVENTS AND PAINT.


This coal tower is from a kit.

Basic assembly

It usually works like this:

  1. Place windows and frames in the walls
  2. Glue the walls to the base, and add the roof
  3. Add the small details

Tips

  • When building walls, place the walls side by side upright on an old metal cookie tray and use magnets to hold the walls there while they dry.
  • Paint whatever pieces you can while they're still on the plastic tree.
  • Only use a sharp razor knife; dull ones are dangerous and don't work as well.
  • To create mortar lines in brick, thin latex grey paint and place it on the molded brick. Use a rag to wipe off the surface; paint will stay in the lines like grout does between floor tiles.
  • To keep bottles from spilling, cut a hole in the middle of a block of foam.
  • Put a rubber band around the handle of your razor knife to keep it from rolling around.

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