Hi. I build mostly military tanks and would like to know what is the best way to get rid of the joining line on barrel. I've been sanding them then apply MrSurface 1000
on the joining line then sand it again but it is a hit & miss type of thing. Is there a better way ? Thanks in advance.
Thanh.

I try and glue my barrels starting at the muzzle end. What I currently use is Tenax 7R which is very hot. I line up the muzzle first and using a Touch-N-Flow applicator flow some glue into the gap on one side of the barrel. I then gently press the two half's together until a small bead of plastic oozes out. I hold this for 20 seconds or so and then move down the barrel and do that all over again. Once one side is completed I do the exact thing to the other side. When your done gluing you should have two small bead lines where the two halves went together. Let this dry completely and then using a flex file sand the bead down and you should have a nice smooth surface. Any defects can be corrected with Mr. Surfacer!

I also use a razor blade to open a slight gap between the half's if needed to allow the glue to flow between the two half's if needed.

After glueing,I will paint the seam with Tamiya primer,then sand it smooth

When I sand the seam on the barrel I use one of those foamed backed sand papers. There is less of a chance of making a flat spot with those.


cheers

Thanks for the replies. I will keep these in mind and try it on my next build.

Thanh;

I usually glue the 2 halves using a thin cement (but not super hot stuff like TenaX) run into the joint while I hold the halves in place - as it sets, I wiggle the halves around to get the best overall alignment and get the closest fit with least amount of gaps. I treat the 2-piece barrels the same as molded 1-piece items: I fill gaps with some thinned putty. I "sand" by SCRAPING the seams and cement-beading off using a new X-acto knife run diagonnally around the barrel - light diagonal scraping avoids creating flat spots, keeps the round shape of the barrel, and leaves a smooth dull surface. IF the surface is inconsistent, I use a very fine grit wet paper to "polish" the barrel after scraping.

Cheers!

Bob

I glue the barrel halfs together and use a foam fine grit sanding block to remove the seam. On halfs that don't fit quite right, I use a very thin line of putty on the outside edge of the seam. I put down glue on the inside of the seam and clamp the halfs together. Once dry, I pick of the fine grit sanding sponge and smooth out the lines. Just be careful you don't sand the barrel flat. Done that a few times and had to order an am barrel.

One thing I do after sanding the seams to a smooth surface is to wrap a bit of super-fine sandpaper around the barrel with gentle hand pressure and use a twisting motion to give the whole barrel a light buffing. Just wrap and then grip it like a knife handle in your fist, while twisting a free end with the other hand. By wrapping you sand the whole way round, avoiding (and sometimes even fixing) flat spots that sanding sticks can leave behind. It also shows up any areas that need a little extra work...

Tom