Speeding up my assembly process?

[pantherf]

Okay... maybe I have been doing it all wrong these days but after cutting a part off the sprue do you guys sand it down?  I mean, so that there is NO evidence of being cut?  Now I can see details that will be seen and of course if the main parts have been freed from a sprue tree, but what about the 'almost' unseen parts like suspension components and such that might be covered up with weathering and mud?

It just feels like I am doing more 'clean up' these days than what I used to or am I just too anal... therefore spending WAY too much time doing it? 


Now please, be kind! 








Jeff

[Deano]

I tend to do the same thing Jeff , clean up all parts wether its going to be seen or not . I would rather all parts were clean than getting paint on and realising that a part has a great big seam line down it .....might be an OCD lol


Deano

[Leon]

I also clean all my parts after there cut Jeff.This ensures there will be no fit problems during assembly.

[paulh]

Same here
If its going on -clean it- BUT- not everything always needs to go on- e.g. top run of tracks if hidden behind plates as in modern armour

[TRM]

I think it has become habit for the most part. Sometime it would be the fit and sometime the "just do it" factor. I personally would fault you if you left the lines on a swing arm that was going to get covered in mud.

[`Boots`]

To be honest i`m guilty of both!! ............i`ve lost count of the number of times i`ve lopped the top edge of a drive sprocket cog off or slice a 1/35th shovel in half just trying to get that last ferkin` mm off from where it was attached to the sprue!!, i am a bit OCD when it comes to clean up and i really do go to town on any showing/visible area...........however i do know when to draw the line on covered/hidden/flimsy parts/areas of no signifigance etc.........it`s your build fella and like Dicky says....no one here is gonna say `ought, at the end of the day the aim of the goal is `completion not perfection`.........

[wbill76]

Since I blog my builds and also build for publication, seam clean-up is a must regardless as the camera knows and sees all! As Dicky mentioned, if you're building for competition, then it could be a factor there as well. If you're looking for a way to speed up your build time because you want to get more satisfaction out of completing a job and it's things that won't be seen, the choice is yours! Many times though the clean-up will still be necessary just to ensure good parts fit and assembly, so not sure just how much time you will save in the end depending.

[pantherf]

Well good... it's not just me and the consensuses is in and, WE ALL CLEAN-UP!  


I just find myself languishing away with sanding more than I had in the past. 







Jeff

[wbill76]

Oct 6, 2013 13:31:24 GMT -5 @dickyf said:

Yeah reckon it's largely unavoidable huh Jeff...the only blessing is there is some great to make the task easier...Flex-O-File is great for wingies, tank barrels, etc and a decent set of needle files always helps....don't spend silly money on 'Modelling Sanding Sticks' either, local drugstore....manicure aisle, emery/polishing boards, Ed Zachary the same but MUCH cheaper and they come in far funkier colours

Plus a few minutes with a razor saw and you can have as many sanding twigs as your heart desires in a wide variety of shapes and colors!

[imatanker]

I have a glass emery board that I have been using for almost 2 years now, and it cuts just as well now as it did when I bought it. Getting back to the sanding thing, I sand or shave almost everything on My models that is  Some times I get a little lazy and let stuff go but not very often