ugly paper joints

Mattokun

New Member
Hello all,

And sorry if this was discussed in someone else's thread already...

I downloaded the model of a Dragon Quest Slime from some website (and if I ever find that again, I'll post it here, I think it was paper-replika.com, papercraftsquare.com, http://tektonten.blogspot.com, or some such site... I really don't mean to not mention the site!!).

However, when I put it together, the "transitions" between different parts became very obvious, and it's really ugly, see the 2 DSCF pictures.

What I mean is:
If you glue 2 parts together, you usually use the glue latches on one part, and glue the other part onto those latches.
But since "the other" part has a certain thickness, there will be a small ugly white rim at each connection.
I tried to illustrate this in the "glue latches.gif" pic, not sure this makes any sense at all, my MSPaint skills are more than limited...

For some models, e.g. airplanes with metal sheeting and gaps between the panels, I could imagine coloring the white rims with some black or dark color. But in the case of other, more colorful models, it seems impossible to get the exact color to hide those steps.

Is the solution maybe to put the 2 parts face-to-face, and then glue them together using some sort of support strip on the "invisible" side of the model (see my other pity attempt at illustrating this, glue latches2.gif; support strip in Blue)? Any thoughts on this?

Thanks all...
 

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ennder

Well-Known Member
Not a bad job on the model.

To answer your question: Most of us cut the "glue latches"
off (we call them tabs) and use a strip on the back side.
But this method cannot always be used. In those cases,
we color the edges, some use paint, some use water color
pencils, and some use color markers (go lightly with these,
they "Bleed" into the paper).
 
Z

Zathros

The best luck I have had with end to end joining is using ZIP DRY glue. Because of it's thick consistency. I rub some on each end to be joined, join the surfaces, then on the backside, rub a thick bead of Zip Dry. If there is room, I use paper strips. It is really important to work the paper so that before you glue it, ou see no edges in the dry fit. If it is off before gluing, it will be off after you glue it.

There are tons of models that loose it as thee joints show the edges. This even goes for models where the windows, as in a ship, are cut out and the edge is not colored. This kind of finishing work makes or breaks a model. :)
 

sjsquirrel

Member
Hello all,

....

Is the solution maybe to put the 2 parts face-to-face, and then glue them together using some sort of support strip on the "invisible" side of the model (see my other pity attempt at illustrating this, glue latches2.gif; support strip in Blue)? Any thoughts on this?

Hi Mattokun, This is indeed the solution as both Zathros and Ennder have said. Ideally the support strip will be invisible, and lightly coloring the edges of the cut paper makes the joint as seamless as possible. Generally I glue a strip to the back of one piece, let it dry, apply a bit of glue to the strip, then slide the second piece up to the edge of the first.

Where there isn't room for strips I just glue the edges directly to one another, but you must hold the pieces in place for 10 (or sometimes 20 or 30) seconds to allow the glue time to grab, then allow it to dry thoroughly before handling. Patience & careful cutting are key.

Over the years I've tried many things for coloring edges - colored pencils, watercolor paint, permanent markers, watercolor pencils, and others. A couple years ago I saw this 24 piece artist pen set in a Lee Valley catalog and asked for it for Christmas. It quickly became the first thing I reached for, and is now the only thing I use for edge coloring. There's almost always a color that's 'close enough', and working from the back (blank) side of the cut piece you can fairly easily color just enough to hide the edge. The only color the set lacks is a good red. They're expensive, but very high quality and they don't bleed. If I added up all the money I spent on other things only to be dissatisfied n the end, the money is well spent.

Cheers,

Steve
 

Mattokun

New Member
Thanks ennder, Zathros, and sjsquirrel.
I hadn't thought of the coloring option before gluing, I somehow assumed it would have to be after the fact.
I agree that such colorings make or break a model, and I'm really not satisfied with my work here. Since I'm a beginner, I must admit that my cutting is not accurate either, but I think with some better coloring the result might have come out a bit nicer (it was supposed to be a Christmas present for my wife, who loves the Dragon Quest games...) :)
Also, I hadn't known Zip Dry glue before, it seems that with the 67lb card stock I use, the butt joint would be thick enough to be glued together face-to-face, that seems like a good approach, I'll try that.
Again, thanks all for the inputs, as a beginner I really appreciate answer for such seemingly trivial questions that the pro's have figured out already.
Oh, and for the record, the model is not mine and I don't own any rights to it, it was taken from http://www.papercraftsquare.com/mario-sports-mix-slime-free-papercraft-download.html which links to http://nintendopapercraft.blogspot.com/2012/03/slime.html.
Thanks all.
 
Z

Zathros

We're never too young or old to learn, and people come up with ideas all the time, so it is always worth reading them. :)
 

tjbmurph

Member
I love finding new tips and tricks and products to make this hobby better! I'm definitely going to look into the Lee Valley pens...
 

lehcyfer

Member
My method for that.
01.jpg

03.jpg

04.jpg
 
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