I am building several freight car kits and, no matter how careful I am, I invariably bend one of the ladder stirrups on the corner of the car. Experience is showing that if this part is bent once, the likelihood of complete separation is quite high. Knowing that model cement will soften styrene, I wonder if there is a treatment that can be applied to delicate styrene parts to make them stronger - kind of like the opposite of model cement.
Does such a treatment exist? Any other suggestions for repairing or strengthening these ladder stirrups?
I have done the same thing. I just straighten the stirrup and paint it with liquid plastic cement(Testors will work fine). Then just ‘walk away’ and keep your fingers off of it for an hour, You will be amazed how strong the new bond is. If you have ‘tube’ glue, just throw it away. It will just cause problems…
You can also remove the plastic stirrups and substitute A-Line metal stirrups. I use 5 minute epoxy to attach them. ‘Super Glue’ really has no shear strength and they can break loose.
First off what are you using for “model cement” if your using something like Testors model cement throw it in the trash .Either use one of two products in my O/P Tenax7R or Plastruct styrene cement.
If you use Tenax hold on clamp the ladder in place I usually hold things like ladders with a pair of tweezers and then with a micro brush dip it in the Tenax and then just touch where the ladder meets the car. It will bond by capillary action. A some what easier method is use the Plastruct cement with a micro brush and put some on both surfaces you want glued let it tack up for a second or two and then with your tweezers place the ladder where it needs to be and leave it alone. I have started to use the brass etched detail parts and like them much better but detailing freight cars etc. is not high up on my list of priorities right now…
You can repair them with liquid plastic cement, as suggested (lacquer thinner works well, too) or simply replace them with metal steps. I use the ones from A-line for most of my freight cars, drilling appropriate holes into the bottom edge of the car’s side, then securing the steps with ca:
For cars like the one below, where the plastic steps are to be mounted on the sides of the car, I install them as per the manufacturer’s suggestion. Then, when the glue has dried, the step portion is trimmed away, leaving only the mounting section of the step and the moulded-on bolt heads. I then drill the bottom edge of the car’s side for the new metal steps, spacing the holes to match the mounting hardware on the car. The metal steps can be re-shaped as required, or you can custom-bend your own from brass bar.
Those small cross-section plastic stirrups tend to be fragile and are located at a spot where they are vulnerable to damage from handling. But I’m wondering if they are being damaged while you’re trying to install them. Check to see if the mounting holes might be just a little too small in diameter. Sometimes they fill up with paint and need to be reamed out slightly to the proper size to fit the mounting pin on the stirrup.
Just to be clear, the styrene stirrups are molded onto the car body, and have been accidentally bent once. Having been bent once they are somewhat weakened and, although still attached, tend to wave about. As I mentioned earlier, experience has shown that once the stirrup is bent once, it’s only a matter of time until it fails completely and separates from the car body.
So what I’m hearing is to acquire some quality styrene cement (not model airplane glue) and paint the weakened stirrups and stand fast. right…?
