Speed 400 Cloudster Project
Last year, a fellow modeler
(Van Wilson) sent me two
identical glue applicators to try out. I filled one of them with aliphatic
glue and have been using it with great success for some time. The small
pointed opening of applicator's tip lets you put just right amount of glue
where you want it. So today I filled the second applicator with the Weldbond
glue as shown below in preparation for the Cloudster's side window
installation.
I found the best way to glue the DURA-LAR windows
in place was to put a small bead of the Weldbond glue around the window
opening as shown below. However, the first time I tried to glue the side
window on, I really messed it up. When I pressed the DURA-LAR down
onto the glue bead, it oozed out onto the window inside %$#@* However, I
was able remove the window and easily clean all of the glue off of the
fuselage frame with a damp rag. I took the DURA-LAR cut out to the sink and
also cleaned all of the glue off of it with warm water. On my next attempt,
I applied the small bead of glue just as before, but this time I smeared the
bead of glue out into a thin film with my finger. Working relatively
quickly, I cleaned my fingers off with water and then put the DURA-LAR in
place over the window opening. I went around the edges of the DURA-LAR and
pressed it down onto to the smeared glue film with my finger. Then I
went around the edges of the DURA-LAR with a damp rag and cleaned off all of
the excess glue (this Weldbond glue cleans up really well with water).
The fuselage was laid on its side on the work
table and a piece of foam was placed over the fresh glued DURA-LAR window. A
smooth Maple board was placed on top of the foam and three steel
building blocks were placed on the Maple board for weight. This provided the
necessary pressure around the window to hold it down while the glue
thoroughly dried.
The picture below shows the end result of all of
my windshield and window efforts, with which I am most pleased. You can not
see it in this picture, but the forward edge of the side window's DURA-LAR
butts up nicely against the back edge of the windshield's DURA-LAR on the
fuselage's vertical frame. In summary, this particular part of modeling has
always been a big problem for me. However, thanks to Albert Pardue's advice
and recommendations, I think I have products and a procedure that I can do a
respectable job with from now on. Hopefully, this discussions will be useful
to some of you.
I still have to decide how to seal the bottom
edge of the windshield, but not today as I want to think about it for a
while. If you recall, Albert Pardue appears to have completely outlined his
windshield and maybe the windows also of his Eugene III with thin black
striping tape as shown below. I might do the same or I might just go around
the bottom edge of the windshield only with a piece of thin white striping
tape and not do the complete outline. What do you
think?.............................Tandy