Fairing the frames on a paper/card model

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I see some have said in the forums that you can not sand (or File?) a paper or cardstock model ship. Others have said maybe you can by soaking little super glue on the paper or card stock.
Since these models are planked, it seems that fairing the frames would be an important step.
Has anyone had success or failure in fairing the frames? I am asking because I have ordered Ship Yards 1/72 HMS Alert, and this is a new medium for me.
 
I have seen people fairing the hull, but first, the edges were reinforced with CA glue as you mentioned in your post. However, carboard model is a different bread of animal and hull planking designed in a different way as for a wooden hull. Shipyard's kits are using thin paper 0.5mm as the first layer (1 to 18, left and right in the picture below). Those pieces go edge-to-edge on the single frame. Such a method gives a good foundation for the next layer. This time, they are made from 0.8mm special paper.

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Thanks.
I see that acrylic paint is used. As far as I know, these paints are water based, as are some glues. There are admonitions against using water based materials on the paper. So the solution would seem to be to seal the paper or card stock before gluing and painting. If this is an accurate assessment, what would be used to seal the paper, and would that be necassary?
Anxiously awaiting the arrival of HMS Alert!
 
If I do a remake of this kit, one of the changes I would do is to add more paper to the frames and treat the edges with ca glue so I could fair the frames. This I believe would reduce some of the stray dog bones look. It would also provide a better gluing base for the first layer of planking, and make the second planking smoother.
This is my first cardstock attempt. I am installing the mast and bow sprit now. It's ok for a first time, not being quite as polished as I am used to.
One thing I noticed is that paper and card stock bends easily, and there have been a few bending mistakes. Fortunately there is enough material
in the kit to cut out new parts!
I was using my regular Exacto blades at first to cut parts and trim them, but safety razors are much better and do a cleaner job.
I do think I will do a rebuild after this kit, making use of the errors made on this one.
 
All the bulkheads are laser cut as well as all the planks and vertical backing parts. There should be no need at all for fairing on this kit.
 
You can glue some cardboard pieces each side of the edges of the outer bulkheads and smother it with white wood glue. Then it would be a much stiffer surface to sandpaper.
 
I would certainly not advise to use CA glue. Chances are that the shape changes and efforts to sandpaper the edges might lead to damaging the whole fragile structure. Personally I always cut the edges of frames with a sharp knife where and if necessary. Because of the limited thickness of the board the amount of removed material is very small.
Don’t make problems where they do not exist.
 
I tried that once with a mixture of epoxy and glass grain. It was no succes. The frames showed through the skin, so I had to strip it and use putty all over again. After all there was no need to go to such extreme measures... Just card would have done the trick much easier.
IMG_0341.jpegIMG_0342.jpegIMG_0344.jpegIMG_0346.jpeg

After removing the first layer of planking and doing the corrections it all ended up well.
IMG_0824.jpegIMG_0823.jpeg
 
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Glad I hadn't tried the fairing. On my Constitution, there are belay pins galore and the pin racks are full of belaying pins. On the Alert, there seem to be no pins in the racks except for near the main mast. Is this because she isn't square rigged and doesn't need them, or would it be advisable to drill holes in the pin racks and add pins?
Also pertaining to the gun carriages, again on the Connie, the guns are secured to the bulkheads, but not so on the Alert. I suppose loose cannons on the Alert would be just as dangerous to the crew as on the Connie. Any suggestions on how to secure the guns to the bulkheads on the Alert? On the Connie, I had eye bolts in the bulk heads to attach the carriages to, but there doesn't seem to be much material for doing so on the Alert.
 
As I have glued together more than 20 cardboard sailing ships, maybe my observations will also be helpful.
1) As Jimsky rightly pointed out, paper and wood are two different materials and many stages are different. Working with cardboard itself requires much less force than working with wood, everything should be shaped as precisely as possible, and the glue only serves to prevent the part from falling off :))
2) The laser cut frames do not require sanding amidships, but sharper curves appear at the bow and stern and something like the following may appear at these points (I mean the first layer, shown by Jimsky).
frames.jpg
The marked places do not need to be fairing in any special way, but in my opinion you need to smooth, slightly round these protruding corners. All sanding takes a few strokes with sandpaper - I use 220 grit.
In the photo below you can see clearly that you can sand cardboard frames, especially if there are sharp curves and bevels.

szkielet rufa.jpg
3) Soaking the edges with CA glue makes them very hard and fairing them ... much more difficult. If you soak it unevenly, the edge will still be hard in some places and soft in others, deforming the shape rather than smoothing and evening out.

4) You will certainly have some pieces of spare cardboard in the kit, so it is a good rule to test and try on something that can be damaged, rather than directly on the model. Check if this cardboard can be sanded, how much force you need to use, which sandpaper will be the best, etc.

Greetings
Tomek
 
Thanks OSeahorse.
I handled this kit at first as if it were wood and bent and broke a lot of pieces, but cut out new pieces. This is my first, and for the second I'll re do the Alert, hopefully profitting from the mistakes on this one. Using Aleene's Tacky Glue, but I think I'll try watering it down some as it can be quite tacky.
 
I tried that once with a mixture of epoxy and glass grain. It was no succes. The frames showed through the skin, so I had to strip it and use putty all over again. After all there was no need to go to such extreme measures... Just card would have done the trick much easier.
View attachment 237174View attachment 237175View attachment 237176View attachment 237177

After removing the first layer of planking and doing the corrections it all ended up well.
View attachment 237180View attachment 237181
 
Just my 2 cents worth. I usually try to get the laser cut frame if offered. These are made of a material almost like what a beer coaster is made from, albeit, thinner. With care, can be sanded with light pressure and care. No CA please. I concur with the statement referring to such. Reply is dead on. Card and wood, though the same, are Worlds apart in how you work.
Rick
 
I was thinking more along the lines of widening the frames to allow better gluing surfaces for the first layer of planking, and in doing so was thinking that some fairing of those frames would be called for. But the hull has come out ok, got the mast in and bow sprit on.
The last planking seems to have eliminated the stray dog bony look.
 
I made some mistakes with the rigging, re: those little 3mm pulleys. They are backwards, but I am not going to correct that. Lesson learned for the second Alert I am planning on doing.
This has more to do with 80 year ole eyeballs...bah! Humbug!
 
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