assembly jigs

[a380]

hello all,
as i start my next model i have been thinking about one of the most frustrating problems i faced during the last project and ways to alleviate it. in a nutshell the issue was how to keep everything 'squared up' while assembling very small parts. i found holding multiple pieces at the needed angle while gluing, a hit or miss affair at best, resulting in an often sloppy finish. a simple example would be the triangular bulwark supports that have a lip on the exposed edge. gluing the right angled strip, which in my scale was 1mm wide, 6mm tall and made of .40 cardstock involved a lot of hair pulling! a really difficult part was the cable reel on the aft deck. gluing the brackets on both sides of the reel so that they were parallel and symmetrical took hours and multiple re-do's. a not too clear picture is attached. hope i am explaining myself clearly enough. i used tape, small clips, aluminum blocks (given by a friend who has a machine shop) to try to hold the shape while applying the glue. this 'jig' was the best i could do but things constantly slipped and i kept raking my brain to figure out how to lock the pieces in place while the glue set. anyway what do you do in similar situations? what tools/jigs/techniques do you use? i would love some ideas. are there any jigs available for small scale work? micro-mark sells some jigs that are interesting but they look too bulky for really small, delicate part. i am wondering if you have come up with solutions that you created yourself and would like to share. there was a post about using a sand box to hold parts together a while ago. interesting idea that i am going to explore but again, i feel it's good for larger assemblies like wings and fuselage of aircraft models. i have one idea myself and that is to use lego bricks. i figure i can use the variety of pieces to make a specific jig i need and use the gap between the individual bricks to hold at least a thin piece of card. what do you think? i bought some bricks recently and plan to experiment this long weekend. sorry for the long post but hope to have a fun conversation going. i will try some other modeling forums as well and see what's in the knowledge base.
thanks

[spaceagent-9]

has anyone ever tried artists eraser?

[Art Deco]

One of the advantages of card modeling is that, if you are making the parts before you assemble them, you also have the ability to make other things ... such as tools and jigs. I often make little cardstock tools and jigs of various sorts to aid in aligning parts or securing them while glue sets. So I guess my message is, don't overlook the modeling medium itself!

[Jim Nunn]

A380,

First it's NOT fair to show a plastic model .... That is a stunning model.

I make jigs out of card stock, bass wood and anything that will work. However it sounds like your glue is taking a while to set up. Or you may be using too much glue but I think that is doubtful looking at your model.

I am blessed with very good small motor control so in many cases I just hold the part for just a few seconds until the glue sets. But I'm getting ahead of my self and forgive me if I tell you something you already know. Crease the part and fold it such that it holds the final desired shape you want with out glue. Then apply a very small amount of glue on each surface to be glued and wait a few seconds and press the glued edges together. I use a syringe to apply glue with 28 gauge tube.

The type of glue you use is very much a matter of personal taste. What I look for in glues is a medium to fast set time with a reasonable slip time so that I can adjust the part. Both of which work ageist each other. Out side of the legendary Wiccoll Karton glue which is no longer manufactured I prefer ELMER'S Glue-All which used to be marked "New Stronger Formula!". Using very small amounts of glue this Elmer's will set as fast as Cyano glue.

Lastly remember if it was easy to build it would be plastic.

Jim Nunn

[Retired_for_now]

Jigs from card stock (see merzo's builds), clamps can be alligator clips (flat jaw) from the electronics store, and simple modeling clay can be used to create supports and alignment bits (might stain the paper depending on the type - the white clay is about as good as this technique gets).
If all else fails, look into something like a fly-tying vise (or similar specialty clamps with multiple rods and clamps on one fixture).
Set it up, then walk away and don't fiddle (he says, clenching his teeth).

Yogi

[Leif Ohlsson]

On the subject of jigs, the most out-of-the-box-thinking example that I've seen is Swampfox's sand-litter building-box.



Not so sure that it is applicable in your case, a380 (please allow us the privilege of being on a first-name basis at least; addressing you like this feels like talking to a robot of some kind... ), but at least it is worth mentioning while on the subject.

Leif

[a380]

thanks guys for your replies!

@jim: um...you think the model is plastic? actually mostly cardstock. the funnel and the vetilators are wood, the mast and the bulwark hand grip, the cylindrical bits (bolrads, search light) and the windows are styrene. the is also wire and thread. i did use thin ca glue to harden the card so that i could sand, drill, cut the parts. i posted wider views on another thread, scratch-built 1/50 scale 'klimek'

@yogi: will look into modeling clay and fly tying vise.

@leif: i had read about the sandbox. will try that too. sorry about not putting my name down. wasn't sure if it was correct protocol

amit

[Zakopious]

The sandbox is probably a bad idea for the many cat owners on this forum.

[IndiQa]

Originally Posted by Zakopious

The sandbox is probably a bad idea for the many cat owners on this forum.

Yes like "Why does my 3 master have 4 masts??!"

or

"Cap'n ! Cap'n !.. SHE BE TAKEN ON WATER !!!!"

[Jim Nunn]

a380,

I was just kidding you about your model being plastic, but you have to admit it would fool a plastic modeler and that is a complement to your skills.

Jim Nunn