Wood-to-metal alchemy

[BF]

Do any of you experienced modelers have good tips for converting the
very grainy appearance of my plywood hull to a smooth, metallic
looking finish? I'd rather stay away from the mess and weight of
fiberglassing the hull, but I would like it to at least LOOK like
painted metal instead of painted wood... from a few feet, anyway. It
has been sanded, but now what? Fillers? Heavy basecoats? Suggestions?

Thanks,

Brian

[Mike Lyons]

Try Bondo Body Filler. Put it on as smoothly as you can as it dries
very hard. Then you can sand it glass-smooth with enough work. It
will stick to paint if you rough it up with coarse sandpaper first.

For small areas, Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty is easy to use.

[Thomas Lum]

Some have covered the hull in Titebond II glue, I covered it in
Fiberglass resin without the mat, smoothed out nicely. I have Bondo
on my turret and anywhere it flexes, it will crack off.
Tom

[BF]

Thank you, Mike. I've not put any paint on the plywood yet; I want to
take a few 'before' photos, and more importantly, not screw anything
up before I got some advice!

Brian

[garth knight]

i used sanding sealer and model airplane dope with some success on thin plywood in the past. It may take a few coats to seal the grain.

Al

--- On Thu, 7/3/08, BF <bfa...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Chrysanthos Kanellopoulos]

two component Iron super glue(BIson Cold Weld), teh kind that cojagulates
in 5 hours so you can work it. It becomes softer with water and will bond
better on flat plywood as part of it will be absorbed by plywood. Apply and
spread with some water, after an hour or two , when it's harder, hit with a
thick brush to replicate the stippling of some poor cast tanks, or simply
sand with wet sand paper when it's completely dry . A flat color will make
everything look more metal like. Use a mask , don't inhale this stuff as you
sand it.

Two components Epoxy glue will also work and will water proof your plywood.

Chrys

----- Original Message -----
From: "BF" <bfa...@gmail.com>
To: "R/C Tank Combat" <rctank...@googlegroups.com>

> __________ NOD32 3239 (20080703) Information __________
>
> This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system.
> http://www.eset.com
>
>

[Clark Ward Jr]

Bondo brand has a gallon-size resin that sells for $40 at Napa, Soaks
into fiberglass well, and spreads decently on M60 hulls. For the
price, it's good waterproofing, and I have plenty left over.

--
_______
/ |O| \ Clark in Georgia
###=======### USMC M60A1
###=======### KI4GYT
### ###

[Derek Engelhaupt]

I used the Titebond II spread over the plywood in layers and sanded
smooth between coats route. Lots of labor and drying time, but the
results are nice. Took about 3 coats per section depending on how
anal I was getting. By the end of the process, I was getting less and
less anal. I figured out that the next tank will be made of material
other than wood to avoid this step. To add a little "casting" look to
the metal I base coated the parts with some "hammered" finish spray
paint. Really subtle texture once over sprayed with the desired color
of the tank.

Derek

[Derek Engelhaupt]

metal=wood

[Henry Verheggen]

I thought about gluing thin styrene sheet to the panels. I would use a
thickness that could be easily cut with a knife or scissors so that
duplicating each panel isn't too much work.

[Robert Bottomley]

Try wood putty, put it on with a spatula and then take a piece of material
(plastic?) with a straight edge and scrape off the excess. This will fill
the grain very well. By the way, buy the water soluble putty and thin it out
a bit with water, this will give you a longer working time and fill the
pores better. I have done this on furniture many times and after it is
painted you can't even tell it is wood.
Bob

[Steve Tyng]

What kind of plywood are we talking about?

Steve Tyng

[Frank Pittelli]

BF wrote:
> Do any of you experienced modelers have good tips for converting the
> very grainy appearance of my plywood hull to a smooth, metallic
> looking finish?

Simply mix micro-balloons or "wood flour" (fine saw dust) into your
cheapest wood sealer or primer until it has the consistency of butter
and then paint or spread it over the surface. After it dries, sand with
100 grit to form a smooth surface with no grain lines. You can use
epoxy, tite-bond or polyester resin instead of sealer/primer if you want
a waterproof finish as well.

Frank P.

[Xirus]

The upper hull in my Leopard was done with polyester resin then sanded
smooth. Then a thin layer of body filler was applied to fill in the
imperfections left in the resin. The whole tank was then sprayed with
primer and then painted. I left my bottom hull untouched. But I think
I will get back to it once the tank is done and make it look nice.