How to guide for building resin kits

[derex3592]

Hey guys, as I am finishing up another resin kit, I thought I would try to put together a guide for people to follow that have never built a resin kit before. It sure would have helped me in the beginning! Here's what I have so far. Please feel free to share your thoughts!

How to build resin kits

1. Cut all flash and extra mold parts off. Leave or saw off ball joints depending on the situation. (sprue cutters, x-acto knife, sandpaper, razor saw.)

2. (WEAR A MASK OR A RESPIRATOR!!!) Sand down all mold lines/pour stubs and unwanted blemished so all areas to be painted are 100% mark free and smooth. Also use Tamiya white putty to fill in any holes, or cracks or whatever else. Sand completely smooth. (sand paper)

3. Drill holes for pegs. (Pegging EVERY single part with either brass rod or the center part of a wood toothpick isn’t a horrible idea) Assemble entire kit with pegs in place and make sure the position of all parts is correct. (The pegs should hold things fairly tight). Glue pegs in place with CA (superglue)

4. Wash all parts in warm water with Dawn dishwashing detergent. Let parts dry overnight.

5. Wear gloves and mask off areas where parts will meet for assembly later. (IMPORTANT!)

6. Use white primer (I use Rust-O-Leum White 2X) to prime all parts.

7. (WEAR A MASK OR A RESPIRATOR!!!) Sand primer smooth and prime again. Repeat this step until everything is 100% blemish free, all putty is perfectly smooth and everything is ready for painting. At this point use increasing grit #'s of sand paper all the way up to 12,000 polishing stuff. The primer should actually be semi-glossy and smooth as glass before you lay down paint.

8. (WEAR A MASK OR A RESPIRATOR!!!) Mask and paint parts as needed. Unmask parts if necessary and let paint dry 48 HOURS. No if’s and’s or but’s!!! DO NOT TOUCH.

9. Polish/buff painted parts with 100% cotton cloth.

10. Assemble parts with MINIMUM amount of CA (superglue) needed. (The pegs should hold things fairly tight)

11. Clearcoat with gloss if needed.

12. Apply decals/weathering as desired (if any).

13. Clearcoat again if needed with gloss or semi-gloss or flat.

14. Display and enjoy!

Edited May 26, 2015 by derex3592

[EXO]

LIKE!

[DarrinG]

Yep - GREAT post.

If you're a brush-painting enthusiast you can brush on Tamiya acrylic primer as well - correct?

After painting, I use a soft brush to shade the colors with a weathering kit (powders) . . .

[derex3592]

I've never tried brush painting primer. I've always used spray cans. There are those that airbrush their primer, but I'm to lazy for that I guess. Good call about the weathering. I forgot that. Pastel Chalks are my favorite choice for simple look great weathering along with the Tamiya Weathing Kits as long as you use them before they dry out.

1st post edited for content.

Edited May 26, 2015 by derex3592

[MechTech]

That's great, especially the safety concerns! I've read a couple of tributes to fellow modelers who have died as a result of working with resins (the dust getting into he lung specifically).

Since some resin kits can have gaping holes, you can also build up the gaps with simple CA and baking soda. The baking soda is also an accelerant for the glue. - MT

[Cesar Enrique]

That's great, especially the safety concerns! I've read a couple of tributes to fellow modelers who have died as a result of working with resins (the dust getting into he lung specifically).

Jesús Christ!! people really died for working with resin kits? It was a real surprice to read that...scary.

When I sand resin I use water with the sanding sticks, so the resin dust don't fly.

I will be more careful when working with those kits.

[Benson13]

Since I got my new resin kit this information is going to be really useful.

[Kylwell]

Resin dust can act much akin to asbestos in that the lungs will suround it leaving you with the possibility of cancerous cysts. You want to take that chance, go ahead & sand w/o a resperator.

Dawn works for some mold release agents but not all. A soak with Bleche White tire cleaner or a wipe down with lacquer thinner will remove most any mosld release. It's best to do this before any pinning or glueing.

"Pinning" is the term I've herd more concerning adding support to what are typically butt joints with resin. I also recoment coarse sanding the mating surfaces. If need be drill both holes overly large to give you slop room to alligne the pieces. Pinning is much more neccessary on load bearing joints. You can also use an epoxy or epoxy putty to join surfaces. I prefer Aves.

If you sweat excessivley and/or don't bathe regularly do wear gloves when handling the parts. Your natural body oils can contaminate the surfaces leading to poor paint adhesion. Prime with a resin specific primer like Mr. Surfacer Resin Primer. Promise, it makes a hell of a difference. Fill flaws with either Aves; big flaws, rubber impregnated CA; structural flaws, or Mr Surfacer 500; small flaws. Sand & repeat priming until smooth. Laying thick primer over the model time & time again will cause a loss of detail. Do final priming with something like Mr. Surfacer 1000. Or 1200. Or 1500.

Then paint & enjoy.

[derex3592]

Good tips and advice there Kylwell, thanks for the input. I wish I could get the Mr. Whatever it is stuff where I live, but it's just not around. I grew really tired of paying Tamiya pricing for their Fine Surface primer, I love it, but it's just too $$$ for me to use on resin or large plastic kits.

[DarrinG]

Bought a respirator!

[derex3592]

Good Call!!!

[Kylwell]

I usually end up ordering 12 bottles of primer @ a time. That way I have back up when the lhs runs out.

[EXO]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=705&v=CBHQ7lQGOf0

[milhouse]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=705&v=CBHQ7lQGOf0

That was a really awesome build! How he built it up is how I imagine some of the other builders on this site build... building with confidence (albeit with more care )...

Also, I liked that he used krylon primer.

[renegadeleader1]

Jesús Christ!! people really died for working with resin kits? It was a real surprice to read that...scary.

When I sand resin I use water with the sanding sticks, so the resin dust don't fly.

I will be more careful when working with those kits.

This is why I 100% refuse to work with resin. I could care less how great the kits look, I've lost family members to cancer and I refuse to go through that.

[Kylwell]

Genrerally speaking you have a better chance of dying from a shark attack but why risk it when minimal preparedness eliminates those issues. There are now concerns over the ultra fine particles 3D printers generate and if you do a lot of wood working you can run into issues, tho' generally the body readily breaks down wood cellulose.

Also avoid glues that use arge amounts of MEK or toluene.

[Jasonc]

Thanks for putting up these steps. Always a good thing to keep around as a backup for new and seasoned hobbyists. As for resin, I do work with it, and while not on large scales, I've always done it in an open garage with plenty of air coming in and out. masks are good, but the a respirator is much better. The main point is that you can use this stuff, and actually not have to worry so much about this stuff IF you are just mindful. That's really all it takes.

Exo, thanks for that video. I hadn't seen that one before, and I was blown away at his one day build, and the detail.

[Kylwell]

Thewn there's this way of dealing with sanding/grinding resin https://www.facebook.com/roboterkampf/videos/10153452826773156/

[EXO]

Thewn there's this way of dealing with sanding/grinding resin https://www.facebook.com/roboterkampf/videos/10153452826773156/

Funny... I have a similar set up... even funnier, he got it from mslz22... lol.

[Kylwell]

Funny... I have a similar set up... even funnier, he got it from mslz22... lol.

And I shall steal it from him... the cycle continues...

[DarrinG]

UH - that's cool. Will set that up too someday . . .

[MechTech]

Ha ha, that sucks! - MT

[derex3592]

BUMP for Captain Americas Invid/Inbit reissues! If you guys have any questions or wanna see some build pics of my stuff as Cap releases them, let me know! 

[Convectuoso]

1 hour ago, derex3592 said:

BUMP for Captain Americas Invid/Inbit reissues! If you guys have any questions or wanna see some build pics of my stuff as Cap releases them, let me know! 

Thanks!!!

[arbit]

Thanks Derex. Did these Invids need pegs to attach the parts, or just super glue?

[derex3592]

I went with pegs on most parts. 

[arbit]

15 hours ago, derex3592 said:

I went with pegs on most parts. 

Could you give a few snapshots of your peg tools and how you trim and place them?

[derex3592]

My peg tools consisted of toothpicks with ends chopped off and cut to length...LOL, I later tried very small brass rod, which is actually better if it's something you think that you might want to change the angle of the attached part, as it's slightly flexible. There's definitely a learning curve. 

[arbit]

I'd want to put strong friggin magnets at the ends of some of those ball joints to make them poseable. What do you think?

[derex3592]

sounds like a great idea!

[arbit]

I see people also use Revoltech or other ball joints. Seems doable.

[Podtastic]

Thanks Derex.

[kajnrig]

This might be of interest to some people. It came out a couple days ago and I figured it might be topical.