Question for all the kitbash and modifiers out there.

Gray, I would a 5 minute epoxy, ….have alcohol and a rag handy, ….mix your epoxy, glue the two halves together, and just before the epoxy locks up, wipe it in one clean direction with a rag half descent damp with alcohol, …you’ll have to learn to get the timing right, and don’t press to hard you push on the groove too much,….practice on some junk first,….

Pat

It looks pretty good.    In my opinion, it is really hard to get a smooth joint without sanding and then that means refinishing. 

One thing you can do if it will work out, is to make your joint where there is a seam anyway.   That way the seam line is natural.

A trick some guys use is to glue sand paper to a piece of glass and then sand the ends on that to get a smooth surface where the joint comes together.   I don't why they always mention glass for this, I think any flat surface would work.

Gary, I don't see the joint, so maybe it's pretty good already. 

@prrjim posted:

It looks pretty good.    In my opinion, it is really hard to get a smooth joint without sanding and then that means refinishing.

One thing you can do if it will work out, is to make your joint where there is a seam anyway.   That way the seam line is natural.

A trick some guys use is to glue sand paper to a piece of glass and then sand the ends on that to get a smooth surface where the joint comes together.   I don't why they always mention glass for this, I think any flat surface would work.

I agree that the joint is pretty good.  IMO, nobody will ever notice, especially since it's not the focal point of a signature scene.  One of my favorite sayings is "better is the enemy of good" - it definitely applies here.

Plate glass is used as a support for sanding because it is very flat and smooth and won't flex under pressure (well, you'll know immediately if it flexes!) - even the best piece of wood doesn't have those properties, although a good piece of laminate will come close for most applications.

Another trick, although it wouldn't apply here, is to put a downspout or similar feature along a vertical seam.

Painted, it will be fine. Don't sweat it. IMHO.

Ron H

So is non set epoxy alcohol soluble?

All thanks for the suggestions.  This piece is CA'ed together.  I need to build some more and have a good supply of 40 footers should I mess one up too bad.

Can you make your cuts a bit further from the rivet line? If so you could then sand them straight. The Northwest Shortline True sander is a handy tool for this when sanding at 90 degrees.

Also are the containers resin or styrene? If styrene, solvent cement is a better option and will weld any gap closed.

Pete

@NHVRYGray posted:

So is non set epoxy alcohol soluble?

All thanks for the suggestions.  This piece is CA'ed together.  I need to build some more and have a good supply of 40 footers should I mess one up too bad.

Yes, if you catch it before lock up,…

Petes got the right idea Gray, ….the glue he mentions will weld styrene together…

Pat

You could also do what trim/finish carpenters do. Instead of a perpendicular cut,  cut both pieces on a 45 degree bias. That way when you get to glue up, the joint will "disappear ".

You could also just take some runny superglue and drip it into the joint slowly... slowly.... until it fills up. Or, take some superglue gel and squeeze a little in and slowly... slowly... use a scrap piece of something to squeege/level it. Building it up in multiple coats for either method might be required. Do one side at a time.

Gee, if it's to be painted, why not just fill with JB-Weld?

Accept the fact that handmade is never going to be as perfect as machine made.

You are going to see a lot more imperfections than anyone else will. Also remember you're going to paint it, put it on a train car and its going to be moving.  You're not likely to see a minor imperfection.

Cut things as straight as you can. Deburr your cuts. Sanding/filing can be done but be careful with it.

If you tape off the rivets and use some small tools, you can probably get a little filler in there and sand it back without harming the rivets. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that containers take a lot of abuse, so they will look dinged up.  One way to hide the line would be to paint a streak of rust or dirt on it.

Agree with the filler or using a light dab of glue in the joint, I think with that and paint you won't notice it. The other thing is keep in mind 'real' trains aren't exactly perfect, they show flaws and such,with paint and a little filler it will look fine.

@Boilermaker1 posted:

Accept the fact that handmade is never going to be as perfect as machine made.

You are going to see a lot more imperfections than anyone else will. Also remember you're going to paint it, put it on a train car and its going to be moving.  You're not likely to see a minor imperfection.

Yes. You are sitting a few inches from the piece at your workbench. You are seeing things that will be essentially invisible from typical viewing distance, especially if the piece is moving.

Not that the suggestions above are worthless - they are not.

"Never let the Perfect interfere with the Good", to rephrase someone's comment above.

Depending on the size of the gap, you could try inserting a plastic or plastic-coated playing card, cut to the proper length,  sideways into the gap to fill the joint.

OK everyone, here are the pictures with one coat of silver.

You can see the rivet detail much better now,

You see why I can't sand as I would take the rivets off, one or two errant passes and they are gone, from a very small work area.

Also, and this seems to be a common problem with silver.  What looks like stress marks showing up, I didn't crack anything they are there from the start, whatever they are.

What's a container without a few "dings?"  Looks like a very well done model to me!

Chuck

@NHVRYGray posted:

OK everyone, here are the pictures with one coat of silver.

You can see the rivet detail much better now,

You see why I can't sand as I would take the rivets off, one or two errant passes and they are gone, from a very small work area.

Also, and this seems to be a common problem with silver.  What looks like stress marks showing up, I didn't crack anything they are there from the start, whatever they are.

It looks like your silver attacked either what you put down as a primer, or it attacked the base plastic if you sprayed directly on the plastic……however, it looks pretty good, …..I’d decal it, weather it slightly, and move onto the next,…

Pat

Most folks will judge your macro-work without the aid of a micro-scope.    IOW, is this sort of 'boo-boo' visible/obvious to the uninitiated standing erect at the side of the layout as the subject passes by at a scale 60 mph??  Probably not.

The exception will be if your handiwork goes before the squinty-eyed folks judging NMRA contest models.

Your work on the object-at-hand is Grade A, IMHO.  You're being too fussy...IMHO  Eliminating those nearly invisible defects is hardly a hill to die on when considering the overall, ever-growing project list before your lifelong participation in the hobby...IMHO, again.

OTOH...  Some have commented using a plate of glass as a flat surface for sanding matching surfaces.  I tried that...and promptly broke the plate of glass trying to safely store it away!  Better idea, thought I: The flat steel surface of my table saw.  I happen to have an industrial version of the same, with a machine ground cast metal flat table surface.  For sanding, it works as well as glass.  I also later acquired a scrap piece (about 12" square) of 1/2" thick Baltic birch plywood ( 7 plies of uniform thickness) from a cabinet carpenter doing a job for us.  I also use that for a sanding surface, periodically checking it's lie on that table saw surface to be sure it's acquired no shipbuilder's sheer over time...which it hasn't.

Meanwhile, back to your own critical standards of workmanship.  I once had similar angsts.  (I also once had hair on the top of my head, too!)  When I worked at the LHS after retiring from the corporate world, my fellow staff members would chide me for my own critique of my work.  They convinced me that it was time to graduate to the "Looks-good-enough!" standard assessment.

From which I proudly acquired a nickname...and a more healthy, satisfying view of the hobby.

KD...a.k.a., Lucas Gudinov