Heat source to melt tank tracks together.

[Mark-625166]

Good afternoon.

I have started building airfix models just recently and am building a 1:72 scale tank. The instructions are advising applying heat to join the tracks. What can be used to heat the two parts of the track together. Thank You Mark,

[Sailorman]

To be honest I wouldn't risk bringing a flame anywhere close to the tracks. They are very likely to melt!

I usually superglue the ends together and strengthen the joint with a small staple or two. I then ease the tracks over the wheels - very, very gently - and into place. Side armour must be fixed after the tracks are in place.

Where the tracks are covered by side armour I use two small staples.

Where the top of the tracks are not covered by side armour I use just one staple placed away from the track side that will be visible.

Hope this helps

[Captain Triggers]

Wot he sed!

And to add, by using superglue, you can glue the track to the individiual wheels thus giving the effect of track sag (after painting of course!).

[ironsides]

In the old days it was suggested that you use a small screwdriver heated gently over a candle to squash the pins flat, stitching or stapling was an alternative...

These days certain flexible CA glues should work well, remember to use a degreasent first though, depending on the type of plastic.

That aside I use a temperature controlled soldering iron often for this kind of work depending on the type of plastic involved... you can practice on pieces of sprue first...

Should be able to find one on Fleabay for a few quid...

wink

[Ratch]

I use a small soldering iron.

[Ian Jones1707820036]

I've always used a small screwdriver gently heated in a candle flame, which has worked well. You can test the heat on the track sprue, so you melt rather than evaporate the track.

[Kenneth ONeill]

I agree with Ian about the "small screwdriver"; if you start to melt the handle, it's "too hot"!

[Susanna Viljanen]

I have used an old X-acto knife blade heated on candle.

You might also try sewing the ends together with thin black yarn, or riveting them with staples.

[Sailorman]

Just a clarification. You shouldn't be trying to melt the tracks together. If that's the way you want to go you should just be "flattening" the tops of the pins that stick out and pass through the holes in the other end of the tracks. When you flatten the ends of these pins after you join the ends of the tracks they work like "rivets" holding the tracks together. The tracks themselves are not actually melded together.

[Alexander-833295]

Normally I just sew them together with some black/grey thread depending on the colour of the tracks. Sometimes I leave it at that, but I also find that sewing them together first is a good way of holding them together and in position if you are going to glue of heat them together. It also depends on how visible the tracks are (side skirts or hull armour like on a Churchill). However, I wouldn't recommend trying to sew together the small 1/72 or 1/76 scale vintage classics, as when I tried it on the Sherman, the tracks disintegrated.

[Richard-354699]

Hi

First Health & Safety warning!

When I was a kid more years ago then I care to remember I simply followed the instructions - doubtless you won't find them now - and heated a small screwdriver blade in a candle flame which usually worked very well!

Nowadays I use a small or medium stapler gun and they can be hidden behind track guards etc.

Hope this helps, stay safe and take care whatever way you fix them.

Best regards

Richard

[peebeep]

To join track ends together without hot screwdrivers, staples or thread I use gel superglue nuked with accelerator. For some reason this works a lot better than cyanoacrylate on its own, it may be due to the exothermic reaction bonding the glue into the track material.