Sticking tank tracks together

[Blueberryruby]

I posed this question on my workbench window but it may get a wider audience here plus be of use to people in the future....

How the hell do i stick the track together?! normal liquid poly didn't do it and when i tried using super glue on the sprue made from the same material it wasn't interested in sticking.

[Kitaholic]

Just found this if it helps

http://uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1151

[DavidWomby]

I don't do many tanks nowadays but I used to and I never did find a glue that would hold to that vinyl.

The way I did it recently was very nerve-wracking but worked well. I melted the ends together with very careful application of a soldering iron. In the past, I have also stapled them together and painted the staples - they don't show if you put the stapled section of track under the road wheels.

David

[Blueberryruby]

thanks guys, i've had a few suggestions on my work bench window as well. Use Araldite, staple it, melt it, and sew it together.

If i was to throw money at the problem i would have gone for that glue on Kitaholic's link above, sounds like it should do the job. However I think i'm going to try melting it mainly because it's free and if i get it right it should work nicely..... I shall report my findings with the class!

[JohnRatzenberger]

.... they don't show if you put the stapled section of track under the road wheels.

David

Even better if the tank has skirts & you can hide the join behind them; leave the skirts off until the track is on. At that point you may just be able to glue the track to the top of the wheels, etc.

[Blueberryruby]

.... they don't show if you put the stapled section of track under the road wheels.

David

Even better if the tank has skirts & you can hide the join behind them; leave the skirts off until the track is on. At that point you may just be able to glue the track to the top of the wheels, etc.

i'm not sure how to get the stapler in to the gap.... unless you staple before it goes on, but i'm not sure if it will go on like that as it's quite a tight fit

[JohnRatzenberger]

Yes, that is a problem, if the track won't stretch enough to get around everything. If you have skirts that cover the top half, sometimes you can lop a few teeth off a sprocket to gain some clearance.

[WheresMyMojo]

Revells AT-RT has a soft rubber-like figure, I successfully cut and off and repositioned the head using Poly-Zap. The label blurb sez ' Ideal for lexan, delron, nylon, polycarbonate and rubber. Dries strong, flexibile and clear'. I got mine from ModelZone before it closed but Ebay and some online modeling shops have it.

There appears to be two versions of this, looking at Ebay; GPT22 and PT22, which is what I used. Looking here though - http://www.nexusmodels.co.uk/building-m ... 1-2oz.html, the GPT22 version appears to have the same properties:

High-performance formula For lexan, delron, Nylon, polycarbonate, rubber etc,
Ideal for canopies and ARF kits
Won't fog if Kicker isn't used
Works best on: Lexan, Rubber, Most plastics, Delron, Nylon

[Blueberryruby]

Thanks for all the advise guys, it was really helpful! I opted to go for the melting option....

I started by looping the track (away from the model) and using masking tape to hold the two ends in the right place i used a heated knife and fairly quickly pressed it on the join and the smeared it gently. It worked perfectly, the plastic melted and fused the two ends together!

I then added it to the model. To do that i first removed the little wheel at the front, fitted the track, and then glued the wheel back in to place in order to pull the track taught.

You can see the join at the top of the track, in the middle. But this is going to be hidden by the side armour.





Thanks again everyone, i'm really happy with the result!

[Clashcityrocker]

Well done with the tracks Blueberry.

Nigel

[JohnRatzenberger]

FYI, the "little wheel" is the idler.

That works but can be an issue if the fit is really tight and the track pulls on the drying wheel and gets it out of line. It seems to have worked here but something to watch in the future. You might have to wedge or hold it in place to let the glue really dry.