Thirtysecond
Western Thunderer
Some years ago I discovered Loctite 326. Apologies if some of you are already familiar with it. Basically any two Copper based materials (inc. Brass of course ) can be bonded to produce a joint which, in my experience, is as good as a hard solder one.
There are few things to remember.
Its particularly useful when you can't solder for whatever reason.
For instance I have been working on four Gauge One tenders which are already fully detailed, painted and lined.
And to these I had to add the two extra lampbrackets in the middle of the backplate which had been inadvertently left off in the production run. Soldering was out of the question.
I masked up the two places concerned and removed the paint extremely carefully with a piece of 1/16" angle ground to make a 1/16 chisel. Loctite 326 was applied with a cocktail stick to both surfaces and the brackets clamped for 10 minutes.
No need for touching up of paintwork and they look like they've been on there forever.
Downside? Its around £40 for a 50ml bottle!! Worth every penny though and it does last for years.
There are few things to remember.
- The surfaces must be thoroughly degreased.
- An activator Loctite 7649 is applied to both surfaces.
- Loctite 326 is applied to both surfaces and the joint clamped until it goes off (depends on temperature but usually minutes)
- Any extruded adhesive can be removed with a degreasing agent or solvent that doesn't effect your paint.
- Have a few tries on spare parts before attempting work on a valuable model!!
Its particularly useful when you can't solder for whatever reason.
For instance I have been working on four Gauge One tenders which are already fully detailed, painted and lined.
And to these I had to add the two extra lampbrackets in the middle of the backplate which had been inadvertently left off in the production run. Soldering was out of the question.
I masked up the two places concerned and removed the paint extremely carefully with a piece of 1/16" angle ground to make a 1/16 chisel. Loctite 326 was applied with a cocktail stick to both surfaces and the brackets clamped for 10 minutes.
No need for touching up of paintwork and they look like they've been on there forever.
Downside? Its around £40 for a 50ml bottle!! Worth every penny though and it does last for years.
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