Repairing a cracked loco body - Flying Scotsman BR Green

[Fel1xp]

Having bought the loco online with a crack I wanted some help on how to fix a crack on the body shell. Its lucky its on the smokebox as the black helps mask it.

 

I thought I have 3 options:
1. Leave it

2. Glue it  (I'm concerned about glue residue and doing more damage)

3. Fill it and sand it (again will I just end doing more damage)

 

If you've done this before or got any tips it would be appreciated!

 

 

[RexAshton]

You'll need to use a liquid solvent rather than glue. Using something like butanone or MEK (both are the same thing) apply it to the crack from the inside so as not damage the paint. Press the crack together and maintain the pressure until the solvent dries (it's pretty quick stuff). You may find a very slight ridge along the repair which can be removed carefully with fine wet and dry paper. If the model is moulded in black plastic Bob, as they say should be your uncle. If its not black you may need a brush full of satin black jut to tidy it up.

[Right Away]

Smokeboxes, even on freshly shopped engines quickly lost their glossy finish due to the intense heat. You could take advantage of this after your repair by using Lifecolor Burnt Black or similar to effect.

[Steamport Southport]

It's Scotsman in preserved condition though, so I doubt it would get very dirty.

 

 

 

Jason

[The Johnster]

Even superstar preserved icons can lose a bit of lustre when the smokebox gets hot...

[RedgateModels]

Tamiya Semi-gloss black will be your friend, just make sure it's well mixed

[John Tomlinson]

In respect of getting inside to apply the glue, I wonder if the smokebox door will push out  - they sometimes do if the adhesive applied has been minimal.

 

If you do push try to keep a finger holding the smokebox side closest to the crack, as this might break off in the process.

 

John.

[cypherman]

Hi all,

I have a 1970's Flying Scotsman that had 2 really bad cracks across the boiler. Both going about halfway round the boiler. I used Hafix industrial super glue applied from the inside by very gently opening the crack and applying the glue.. Then holding tightly shut till it set. As this loco was going for a full repaint I was not worried bout any possible glue marks. Even so when it had set there was no sign of any glue on the outside. This is the engine after it's repaint. No signs of any cracks appearing now...…

Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures.

Edited September 26, 2019 by cypherman

[Fel1xp]

Thanks everyone! The glue from the inside worked a treat - there is still a hairline mark but I'll let this slide and if its still bothering me in the future then I'll get the sanding paper and black paint out.

Cheers

Felix

[John Tomlinson]

Now you'll be buying all sorts of duffers on ebay and sorting them out - well done!

 

John.