Labelle wood car kit

I am not sure about the minwax.   If you want to paint it after assembly, will Minwax accept paint?    I don't know much aobut it, but the "wax" part of the name makes me ask the question.   

 

I have used plain old shellac yuears ago and recently used a urethane varnish.   both worked well.   

 

Any glue that will hold wood will work well for that.   For the metal parts, I dunno.  I think I have use the white glue on those in the past.

I've never bothered to seal any of the wood car kits that I've built beforehand.  That may be dependent upon the choice of paint that you use - solvent vs water based.  I rarely use anything other than solvent based paints, e.g. Floquil.  You can paint over MinWax with Floquil.

 

Glue - use Carpenter's for the vast majority - not for where there is a joint involving end grain - won't hold with any long term strength.  Try a film of Goo on the end grain and medium viscosity CA on the other part.

 

Metal parts - some simply and probably should be tossed and replaced with better - most if not all are available from PSC.  Attaching most can be done using medium viscosity CA.  Some may also require the film of Goo trick on the wood surface with the medium viscosity CA on the metal part.

 

Read the instructions several times for La Belle kits and locate find all the parts before you start.

 

Do not forget to have fun!!!

When I was building Walther's passenger cars, and the LaBelle cars, I used two part epoxy which resulted in bullet-proof cars that were not subect to warping and cracking over time as were some I'd built in HO using glues like Ambroid.  I'd still use two part epoxy for metal side on wood frame cars like the Walther's, but for wood on wood I now use carpenter's glue.  Testor's makes 3 types of similar glues, red tube for plastic, green tube which I'd use to attach metal parts, and brown tubes for wood, but I just use these for small parts.  Another carpenter's glue I use is Liquid Nails but not where I use the white carpenter's glue, which I'd use assembling a wooden car...but dunno how Liquid Nairs might work for your small metal parts' attachment, instead of the Testor's green tube.  With the vanishing of

LHS, I have found substitutes in the more common big box home stores.  I hope you

have access to a big box store or a Walmart with spraypaint cans, because I would

use that and not Minwax which I have used for residential woodwork repair, but not

for models. Maybe use the cheap gray spray primer to seal both sides before the

outside color coat.

I have never sealed wood before building.  I paint using solvent based paints.  I use CA (super glue) for everything.  It is quick and holds almost anything to anything else.  You could glue a dog to duck with that stuff.

 

 

When in doubt:

1. Read the instructions:  https://www.labellemodels.com/...6k9304cl036ftsl77j75

 

or

 

2. Sell the kit.

 

Matt

I confess, I did not seal the first wood kits I built either.   They are now 35-40 years old.   And guess what, there is some cracking and warping, but not that much.   They were painted with solvent based paint.

 

The worst ones are a couple of cabooses (Quality Craft) where the sides have cracked enough to see bare wood.    I may reapint them one of these days.

Well unless I built them when I was 5 I could have not run into that problem.

 

Did you seal any of them to see if that made a difference?

 

Thanks for the long term report.

I've always used Titebond yellow glue on all the wood kits I've built. As for end grain, smear a thin coat over the end grain first and let dry, then go back and glue the pieces together.

 

When the model is in the substantially complete phase, but prior to adding any metal details, which are affixed with ACC, I then seal all the wood inside and out with lacquer from a quart sized can. The lacquer can even be thinned a bit for better penetration into the wood.

 

Then I finish the model and paint with whatever I've chosen for the model.

 

Since lacquer drys VERY quickly, a trick to prevent drying in the can during storage is to take a deep breath and hold it. Then blow your breath into the can and quickly place the lid on. The CO2 displaces the Oxygen inside and helps prevent dry out. (This works with all types of paint)

 

I love these kits and have quite a few in HO and O. If you would like someone to build it for you let me know. Email. jwcrowley@peoplepc.com
Its best to pre-paint everything so the glue and seems do not show. Use oil base paints on metal parts to prevent paint from flaking off later.
Warping is not a concern if everything is properly glued together.
These are actually fun to build.

There is an easier way than blowing into a can of lacquer. Paint stores sell a pourable nitrgeon product to offset O2 in the can. That will really preserve the paint.

 

Dick

Thanks again to all who responded. I was not aware of the Labelle instructions - they will be be a great help. And the comments regarding sealing will also be helpful.

 

And no, Old Goat, the kit will not be for sale!