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yvesvidal

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Everything posted by yvesvidal

  1. I want to come back on the subject of gluing PLA parts, as we are experimenting: - My tests with MEK/Plastruct liquid glue are working very well for small parts. I believe the reason why it is so solid (like welded) is that the surface of each part is softened and fused, creating a very strong bond once dry. You still have to press very hard the parts for a few minutes. It does not offer the convenience and ease of Polystyrene bonding found on Plastic models. I will be able to use that gluing technique for the superstructure and small details. - For the hull parts, these are so big and so hard that the softening of the mating surfaces is going to require a very large amount of glue and time. So, I am resorting to Cyanoacrylate glue and two components epoxy for parts requiring fine adjustments. I think it will be overall more solid. I am also seeing different melting points for PLA of different colors (white versus light gray). The White seems very impervious to any softening.... - Other people have had good success with SCIGRIP 16 and specialized (and expensive) PLA glues. ACETONE is also an option although the fumes are nasty. I suspect that Acetone will evaporate too fast for large parts, anyway. - Some people use a 3D pencil, which is the equivalent of a welding iron, as it creates a 200 Degrees celsius bead of PLA, to bond two parts together. Results of course is not too sharp, as it adds materials and not strong either. Yves
  2. Aon, The white couplers fit incredibly tight. Yes, I have tested the glue and it is ultra solid: the PLA is welded !! However, you have to put a lot of glue and hold the parts tightly coupled while the glue dries. I also noticed that gluing different colors PLAs is more delicate, as far as gluing goes. As you mentioned, in some places, resorting to Epoxy glue may be the right thing to do, for a nice and secure bond. Because the parts are so large, I have to use a brush to apply the glue and use capillarity to work for me. Yves
  3. What a fantastic idea !!! Great artwork. I love the unusual subject, too. Yves
  4. I would skip the inner planking (I think they call that "ceilings") and leave that beautiful structure plainly visible. Instead, I would concentrate on building some of the inner compartments and structures. Yves
  5. Winnie, If you plan to put lights into this model (and you should do it), you will have to paint the inside of the walls with matte black paint. Otherwise, it will leak through the plastic or any white paint on the outside. Be very meticulous there and do not let a single area unpainted, on the inside. I had to fight this with my Trumpeter submarine and the Moebius 2001 Discovery space ship. Light leaks are ugly and ruin the overall appearance of the model. Yves
  6. I love it Hermann. You are ahead of me, showing me exactly what to do.... Yves
  7. A quick update on the Corvette Hull: As you can see, all the parts for the hull have been finally printed. We are talking of 2 weeks of non-stop printing. The hull is comprised of 9 vertical sections and one horizontal piece at the stern. They are labelled 1 to 9 from left to right. The section 3, 4 and 5 took between 36 hours and 41 hours each !!! The other sections have been detailed in previous posts. Overall, close to two spools of light gray PLA and 25% of the White PLA went through that process. If we calculate the cost of this massive hull, it comes to close to $45, for a 1.25 meter long hull. This technology, obviously, allows the realization of models at a low cost. I have started sanding very lightly the various sections and drilled the portholes. It is a lot easier to work on one section at a time, rather than on the entire hull. It is now time to assemble that behemoth. To glue the PLA, I am planning to use the special soldering cement available under the names of Plastruct or more economically the MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone), available at certain hardware stores or online for a fraction of the cost of these Hobby Shops little bottles. A Plastruct bottle is about $7 for an ounce, whereas I can get half a litter for less than $20, including shipping. The old Ambroid bottle has been refilled with the pure MEK. Same consistency, same smell, same gluing power. Yves
  8. That is so funny.... I was looking at the Micro-Mark catalog yesterday and came to the page where that kit is described. I was wondering, who could have fun building a Hearse Wagon with the miniature coffin inside from 1895.... The answer came today !!!! Kevin !!! LOL Yves
  9. This water is gorgeous and renders so well the cold and ominous fjords of Norway. Yves
  10. Quick update: printing of the hull couplers (8 of them) is done. Each took between 1:30 and 5:00 hours to go.... I am currently printing the pedestal (2 x 7 hours) and still have four major pieces of the hull to go through: another week of non-stop printing. With Virtual kit, you either need multiple printers or build two kits at the same time... :-) Yves
  11. Craig, I am buying the PLA filament from Amazon. The brand is Overture and each spool cost about $19 to $23 depending of the color. Spool comes with 2.2 pounds of filament, which gives you a lot to print. I have been able to do 4 sections of the hull, plus extra parts with less than one spool. I suspect that your plane will not take more than 1 spool. Only drawback of this technology: the material is incredibly hard..... not easy to sand or drill. Printing may not be that expensive, if you are not in a hurry. They may schedule you during the night and give you a nice price. Yves
  12. Time consuming progress..... 28 hours.... Hull_2 section: Even better....33 hours !! Hull_7 section: The positive side of these virtual kits, is that while the model is building itself, you can get a life !!! Yves
  13. Finally, someone will cover that MONUMENTAL kit from Trumpeter. I have been waiting for this moment, a long time. Thank you so much Winnie for launching this massive endeavor. We will all enjoy it immensely. For information, there is a very active Forum on the Titanic, in French (not sure if you can decipher it or not), but it has a lot of information and these guys are searching around the world for after-market parts to make the model even better than it is: https://www.laroyale-modelisme.net/f32-montages-titanic-sisterships and this one in particular: https://www.laroyale-modelisme.net/t25181-montage-titanic-trumpeter-1-200-par-le-barbenchon Yves
  14. Great choice and beautiful boat. I hope you will reproduce that stunning sail.... In 1/24th scale, it should make for a very nice model. Yves
  15. I agree with you Craig, there is a lot to learn with this new technology. The beauty of it is that you can print intricate internal structures (like what you are showing), which would be sometimes impossible to build (easily). I am currently printing another section of the hull (Hull_7) and that is planned for 33 hours, non-stop !!! Yves
  16. Hermann, There is no need for curing or washing. Curing is done automatically, as it cools from the printer. Washing is always something good to do, but there is no demolding agents used in the process. Yves
  17. You can pause it, but the beauty is to run it during the night, while you sleep. My current print (Hull section 2) is given for 27 hours.... Not to worry: these printers are designed to run a lot and are quite silent *at least the Creality Ender-3 V2 is thanks to the silent chips they use to drive all motors. The only thing you hear is the fan for the extruder and an occasional motion of the spool. Running it during the night is actually perfect, as the electrical power is cleaner and more stable than during the day. Yves
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