Looking for input on repairing raised panel lines

[Adam Baker]

Looking for some input on how to deal w/ the raised panel lines that I'm having to remove when cleaning up the fuselage joints on my 1/72 Micro Month builds I'm working on.

These are more leisure builds than anything, and seeing whether I can actually complete the build's in the required moth, so I have absolutely no interest in rescribing all of the raised panel lines, but the necessity of cleaning up the glue joints basically requires the removal of at least some of those lines that cross the joint.

How do people deal with fixing/replacing the removed raised panel lines? I've thought about maybe attempting to glue stretched sprue back in place of the panel lines, but I'd imagine that would be problematic, at best, and just a downright disaster at worst.

I've also thought about scribing in panel lines where the damaged lines were at, but I don't know how that would look, and it's not something I've ever had to do.

 

[moon puppy]

Adam I took some fishing line and replaced the raised lines with it. Just CA in place. Might want to play around with different string to pull it off. I didn't look great on mine, not even sure what it was I did it to.

 

[Prop Duster]

Seems counter intuitive :side: , but I have seen and done corrections for raised panel lines by scribbling the missing part(s). Even though the scribe is indented the "line" your eye sees (between the raised parts) is complete,
so it is less noticeable than a missing portion would be :idonno

 

[Rhino]

ldguy Concur with Prop Duster. Use your #11 knife blade, without the handle, and a straight edge, and scribe a new line. The plastic will raise a bit, and make it look OK, without sanding and re-scribing the whole sumbitch. Works for missing rivets too. Gently M'Boy! Gently!!

 

[Adam Baker]

Thanks guy.

Lightly scribing a line was the direction I was leaning toward, but wasn't sure it was the best option, but I'll give that a shot.

 

[Heavens Eagle]

I have been doing some heavy rework on my Me 323 that should apply here as well. Bob's idea is a good base, but you should use some fine stretched sprue. Light grey sprue seems to work the best, but any light somewhat translucent color will work.

Start by scribing a light v notch where the panel line will go. Not too deep or wide, as it will be the guide for where the sprue will go. Heat and stretch the sprue until you obtain some that is about the size of the panel line in the kit. When you have the desired thickness, tack one end into the groove with a VERY LITTLE bit of liquid solvent. An almost dry brush of solvent.

Too much solvent and it dissolves and you will have to start again.

 

[Adam Baker]

That was actually the other thought I'd had Paul. I've got plenty of stretched sprue, and I saved a lot of the large sprue pieces from these kits so I've got that to use.

 

[Heavens Eagle]

The trick is to not use too much solvent at once. For a 1/72 plane the line is probably pretty fine, so just a couple of light cuts with a sharp blade will suffice for the groove. I did this on my Me323 to make new stringer lines and then use thinned green stuff to make a fillet. Turned out the plastic sprue just didn't have enough resistance to being sanded to work well in that application. I sanded it all off and CA'd some annealed .008 copper wire into the grooves I rescribed. Then added the green stuff to fillet and sanded. It is working quite well, just am having to touch up until all the little craters get filled. The copper wire is resistant enough to being sanded that it is giving the desired effect.

 

[moon puppy]

Start by scribing a light v notch where the panel line will go.

That's where my attempt failed, it really stood out, if I had made a channel it would have blended better.

 

[Adam Baker]

Gave this a shot tonight, scribing a line and then dropping in stretched sprue. It sorta worked. But as soon as I hit the stretch sprue w/ glue, it almost completely dissolved.

I'll sand it down and rescribe it, and then I think its gonna take a very small drop of CA instead of using my styrene glue. Gonna give it one more shot, and if i have any problems, I'm just going to sand the fuselage smooth and move on. Just don't have any interest on these 2 builds to take a huge effort to correct it.

 

[phantom II]

Gave this a shot tonight, scribing a line and then dropping in stretched sprue. It sorta worked. But as soon as I hit the stretch sprue w/ glue, it almost completely dissolved.

I'll sand it down and rescribe it, and then I think its gonna take a very small drop of CA instead of using my styrene glue. Gonna give it one more shot, and if i have any problems, I'm just going to sand the fuselage smooth and move on. Just don't have any interest on these 2 builds to take a huge effort to correct it.

Have you tried Testor's liquid cement? It's very mild. :idonno

 

[Adam Baker]

No, last nights attempt was the first, and only, attempt so far. I do have some of the old black bottle Testors cement. I'll give it a go this evening and see how it goes.

Gave this a shot tonight, scribing a line and then dropping in stretched sprue. It sorta worked. But as soon as I hit the stretch sprue w/ glue, it almost completely dissolved.

I'll sand it down and rescribe it, and then I think its gonna take a very small drop of CA instead of using my styrene glue. Gonna give it one more shot, and if i have any problems, I'm just going to sand the fuselage smooth and move on. Just don't have any interest on these 2 builds to take a huge effort to correct it.

Have you tried Testor's liquid cement? It's very mild. :idonno

 

[Heavens Eagle]

You might try putting some solvent down in the scribed line area first to get it slightly tacky. I use a brush and try to get it dry enough that it will just barely craze the plastic. Much more than that and it will melt the sprue. CA will melt the sprue too. I have a very small chisel shaped applicator I use for doing small amounts of CA. Put a drop on a piece of glass, dip, apply.

Experiment and practice. I end up doing that a lot. I just try and visualize and think it through a bit first.

 

[moon puppy]

Doh!

We all forgot about the Archer resin decals. They have panel lines. Git'some

 

[Prop Duster]

Doh!

We all forgot about the Archer resin decals. They have panel lines. Git'some

'S good to have an [strike]old timer[/strike]-er- [strike]geezer[/strike] -gulp- I meant,... wise mentor, to remember the proper thing to solve a problem

 

[moon puppy]

Yeah I wish he come around more often, leaves the rest of us floppin around like fish out of the water. :frantic