"Using glue-soaked paper towels instead of putty!" Topic

Here's an interesting tidbit that a friend of mine just told me about.

He's been assembling some LARGE models – Wargods of Olympus Titans – and instead of using putty to fill in the small gaps during figure assembly, he uses thick kitchen paper towels doused with a liberal amount of superglue. And that's really all there is to it – the towels are thick enough that they pad the joints and make the parts fit together well. After the glue is dry, he trims the excess towel off with an exacto knife.

The end result looks pretty good! The method wouldn't work with big gaping gaps, but for the slight wobble that you often get from fitting together large pieces it seems to work quite well.

I've never seen anything like it before, so I figured I'd pass the tip along here.

-Alex in Alaska

Wow. I just got a flashback!

When I was a kid (about 10), I used to do make my terrain pieces with brown paper bags and white glue (PVA). Except that I would tear off the pieces (instead of cutting them) and then crumple them up before applying the glue (50% PVA, 50% water).

The reason was that we went through a very rough time when we first came to the continental US, and we didn't have money for a bag of plaster of Paris (for paper mache). And the bags were from previous grocery shopping. We did, however, have a large bottle of white glue, and so I gave it a go.

The results were surprisingly good too!

Dan

sounds similar to the technique of using talc with superglue as a filler.

I think I'd prefer 'putty' because I can sculpt nice detail into it… though I've seen paper mache putty that will hold nice detail as well.

If there is a way to glue the superglue-soaked towel to your self, I would find it. And probably also glue the figure to myself or the table.

Not that I am a klutz, or anything.

This will give a whole new meaning to towelling! :-O

I use baking soda and superglue myself. Once that sets nothing shifts it, but it does give a very rough finnish.

Robert

I've seen that done on larger resin models, but only to pad the joint when it isn't cast to fit snugly. Generally the model is pinned, the joint is padded and then the surface is finished with putty….oh and they used epoxy glue instead of super glue. I was told the technique originated with fiberglass modelers and those chaps that customize their cars bodies.

It would be interesting to see how well his models hold up over time using this technique, especially if he isn't pinning them.

I'm with mweaver on this one, especially since I glued by left hand's thumb and forefinger together this evening with the painted figure I was holding between them (don't ask). Thank the heavens for debonder or I'd still be trying to pry them apart without leaving too much skin behind. I did discover that the acrylic paints I used bond better to superglued fingers than to primered metal.

I assume the paper towel pieces are applied to one of the surfaces before placing the joint together such that the paper towel pieces act as a filler. It's the placing of them and the soaking with superglue that would be my downfall. So I would definitely want to see pictures in a "how to" article before I would consider trying this!

You need Wartowels. Wartowels are better than any other sort of towel and only three times the cost. Wartowels can be torn OR cut, not like cheaper inferior towels, and unlike towels available from some manufacturers, actually absorb rather than repel liquid. In addition, Wartowels are made from a renewable resource.

Only £5.00 GBP a sheet.

Pat

I used to work in the music field. We did repair work to "Resonite" (fancy name for plastic) music instruments. One method of patching or crack filling was to make a paste out of resin shavings and super glue. Important: resin dust and/or super glue are not good to inhale. Do this in a well ventilated area and wear a dust mask. Also, make it in small quantities as it will dry quickly.

Pat, how do they work with Warglue??????????????????????

Sounds like a soft paper gasket applied with superglue to me. Oh no, where is the nail polish remover!