This morning I had another one of my bright ideas. (Or not.)
I like the look of clean tanks and thus rarely load them up with stowage items. On the other hand, stowage items make a model look more interesting.
Using a temporary adhesive that leaves no residue, I could get the best of both worlds.
Has anyone ever tried this or something similar? What did you use? Did it leave residue? How long did the adhesive last before drying out and cracking?
I know Tamiya Tape remains stable for a decade or more. A two sided version, preferably black, might do the job.
I am not sure if Blue Tac would hold up for years and it is bright blue.
I looked at various products but decided to ask before buying anything.
Damn and I was all ready to suggest a tiny blob of BlueTac. It can leave a slight stain though depending on the surface it’s on. I don’t know what it’s called or where you’d find some, but you know when you get a new credit card? That glue holding it to its backing card just rolls off…
I don’t know the answer, but I am sure it isn’t blutack. It becomes like bubble gum with time. I’ve switched to using patafix which seems better all around, but I haven’t used it that long, so it may end up being the same as blutack…
I’m using Patafix since 2016.It becomes gummy too and might leave a stain.
I would try White Glue.Its residue can be peeled off or washed with water.The downside is-it takes longer to grab and is not that strong as tape or Bluetac/Patafix.
Have any of you guys ever used magnets for this sort of thing?
One type of common and cheap magnet loses 5% of attractive force every 100 years. After 1,000 years, the magnet would still retain 60% of attractive force.
I vaguely recall some people around here using magnets for keeping models on bases. I know wargamers use magnets a lot.
I think Blu-Tac is out. The right white blue might work.
Funny aside. I bought some Vallejo mud stuff. Put it on a model a couple days ago. Did not like it. Discovered the stupid useless junk peels off in a sheet.
Consumer Reports said that Frogtape is the best paint masking tape that leaves no residue and won’t peel the paint off; however, some other reviewers offered mixed reviews saying that it will peel off satin or textured paint. Perhaps using little squares of Frogtape might work as a temporary stowage adhesive?
I was going to suggest trying magnets. I’ve never used them for this specific purpose, but I have used them on aircraft ordinance, connecting drop tanks or missiles to pylons.
You need a good drill, recommend a jig or press, then just drop a tiny neodymium disc in there and you’re done. The only drawback I can think of it is might be visible in the clean/removed version. You can paint over the magnet and they still work, but there could be a lip or step there.
Over the years, i have built dozens of high end card models and tried many different white glues (polyvinyl acetate). Aleene’s Tacky Glue is my favorite. Some of my card models built with Aleene’s are almost 30 years old proving the longevity and strength of that project. However, all white glues I have used fail the no residue requirement. They are particularly bad on any surface with a matte clear coat. White glue gets into the tooth of the paint, making it shiny. That very property is why some decal adhesives are a form of white glue.
@Tank_1812 I did not know that! It makes a lot of sense and now I want to try using magnets with some airplanes.
@Trisaw Thank you for the suggestion! The product page for Frog Tape suggests 17 days of hold. Every painter’s tape I have personally used eventually dried out, failed, and left an ugly residue. Conversely, I have 16 year old projects masked with Tamiya Tape that is still fully functional. It is really amazing stuff. I did some research and discovered Tamiya produces double sided tape for radio control vehicles. There is also another brand of Japanese double sided tape that looks promising.
@Ed_Bert That is another vote for the magnets! Thank you! I did some research and discovered lots of interesting things about magnets and decided to order some with very long term attractive force. It also occurred to me that magnets will make it possible to build all sorts of poseable gun turrets, booms, and walking legs for science fiction projects.
