Time to add weld lines to the Panther G, I have a new tube of modelers putty, but need someone to inform me on how to apply it properly...
Thanks in advance!

John</p>

Well, I have found the thing that works best for me is the apply miliput and use a pin or modeling pick to scrbe the weld lines into it. Search the forums and you will find a number of how to articles on welds.

Do your self a favor and buy a small book on the different types of weld "Beads", There are several different types used in welding a tank together. The most common mistake modelers make is trying too make what would be a huge weld in real scale look like one pass of weld. this is not correct. Very large welds which is what you will be modeling usually require multiple passes called "Beads" a series on narrow welds built on top of each other. This prevents the base metal from over heating and possibly having the weld crack.  Lay the putty i the seem and take a pin and drag a series of lines in the putty. Then smooth them slight;ly with a wet finger. It should look like a bunch of stripes, NOT one BIG Weaved weld.

Read this article on making welds. http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?...tid=220&page=1

Gary

There ism some good info on that site. There are principles that even the welders of those years had to follow. If you wherewelding2 plates together that where almost 2 inches thick, if you tried to weld thejointin one pass the entire weld could crack. not to mention the intense heat building up at the arc location for an extended period of time. Stringers beads did mean heating the metal more times but the time exposure was much less, inturn putting less stress on the base metal.

Fantastic info guys, and this site is perfect,my only question is, what is miliput ? is it better than the very strong smelling modelers putty I have?

You could use Squadron Putty which is what i like to use. You can also use regular auto motive Nitro stain which you can get from any auto supply store.

Panthe G is correct in saying that auto body filelr will work. If the smell is an issue, use the milliput for sure. It does not smell, at least nowhere near as much as any of the putty mentioned. It dries hard too. You could drill and tap it if you wante to. I buy it on ebay. I could not find a seller in the states.

JB Weld works good,this you can pick up at an automotive store,kmart etc.

I use a screwdriver heated into a candle a very effective system look real and is not messy at all

you can use mutiple welds, you just have to use a bigger screwdriver , you can made the screwdriver lips fit your welds, most of the screwdrivers are so cheap and are used for adding my welds on my tanks, very tiny exemples.
look at my forums many guy's like my weldingstuff

a few fotos of welds added with heathed screwdriver

That's what I use....regular modelling putty and a flathead screwdriver heated in my Micro torch. I just look at photos of Israeli tanks being upgraded and try to get close. Most of the Shermans rebuilt for the IDF were done pretty fast and the primary purpose was speed in getting it in the field and not overly concerned about a "factory" appearance. Most of the turret overhang welds were pretty heavy.

Those welds would be the incorrect type for thatpositionand size of weld. that is the basis of this post. That weld in 1:1 scale would be 2 inches wide and you cannot make a 2 inch wide Weave weld. It will crack straight down the center.

I have an old wood burning kit and the iron has an end designed to take different tips. I take an exacto knife blade, snap it off at the tip to make a flat tip and use that to make weld marks.

Mike.

Yeah, there's lots of ways to do it, just don't go over board.

See what you mean. After looking close at IDF welds, I agree that welds on my M-51 are too wide and I do see the seperate lines you mentioned. . After the show this weekend, I think I will do a little updating and just may look over one of my M-50s.

Thanks for the welding expertise.
Bill

I have some JB Weld ,but I was thinking this stuff would harden to fast or be tough to sand out if a mistake was made,any thoughts?

You have to realize that your also working with a very small amount of material. The JB weldshouldstaypliablewell long enough for you to score your weld lines in. Actually you would want it to start to set up just slightly. The lines will be more defined without the putty balling up on you. . Try it just on a practice piece of plastic and see how much you can work with at a time.

That sounds good,i'll give it a try, I guess I like the fact that the smell is not an issue in my indoor shop,and that the welds will be made out of what will be a very hard substance accually called weld, Haha
Will post pic's for your comedic enjoyment!

Does anyone know of a website with photo's of a Panther G ,showing high res closeups of weld lines and detail?

I'm sure you could google it and find plenty of photos of weld types.