Well now that we have some of the tools in place and talked a bit about paint and glue lets look at taking those first steps and actually glueing some pieces together.Firstly one of the most important things for me, which also applies to so many things in life is preparation. Reading the instructions first may sound so blindingly obvious we all think it doesn't merit saying but it is the one most important thing to do. Read them at least twice and identify all the pieces before you even consider removing anything from the sprues. It may suprise a lot of people to realise just how many times pieces can look similar and end up being glued in the wrong place if they haven't been correctly identified first.
Next lay out your plot. Some of us will be lucky enough to have a place to work that can be left overnight but many of us will have to put things away again after a modelling session. (We all started there!) It is so important to keep a tidy work area that allows you to find all the important things quickly and efficiently. It is no good glueing two bits together than realising that you can't find the clamps you need to hold it together while it sets. So layout your work top so that you can find all your tools and pieces easily.
Assuming that you have everyting in place and you have removed two pieces from the sprues with your side cutters you are ready to start preparing the pieces for glueing. Obviously the pieces must be studied closely and all flashing, tags and seams should be carefully removed with a combination of scraping, filing, cutting and sanding. Time spent at this stage will reap benefits later when you come to paint the pieces and you suddenly realise that the seam stands out more than you anticipated after painting.
You must also prepare the pieces to fit by a combination of the above techniques. Once again do not cut corners here otherwise the two pieces when glued become animated with a mind all of thier own when they refuse to go together correctly. Getting incorrectly fitted pieces apart after the glue has set is not an option so the test fitting and preparation is of the utmost importance.
Once again preparation is significant so if you need tape, clamps, vices or any other supporting media get it ready and to hand before applying the glue.
Finally apply the glue to the two parts. Refer to the posting on glues to decide what glue is best for your application and put the two pieces together. If all your preparation has been put in place the pieces should go together easily, suport should be put in place while the pieces are left to set and the end result should be a strong effective and neat joint.
All that should be left o do afterwards is the minimum of cleaning up and, if it is a joint in two surfaces, the smoothing of the seam.
As with all modelling everything is part of a learning process but a bit of thought into some of these basics will help you to keep the mistakes to a minimum and keep a smile on your face.
Just remember that I do not offer any of these postings as a means of doing something, I simply pass on the results of my own learnings over the years, and, yes, I have made all the mistakes at some point or other myself!
