treker_ed Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 (edited) I currently have in my stash quite a few models that without nose-weight will end up being tail-sitters - from airfix 1/48 canberras to the new tooled1/48 lightning. Doing a bit of research on here over the last day or so, I've noticed several posts on here regarding using lead (in its various forms) to weigh down the nose on aircraft to stop them being tailsitters! Being a fairly dense material it is ideal for adding weight and a very malleable material as well! Is there any one from the MIlton Keynes area that would be able to point me in the right direction to get some from somewhere - at the moment the only stuff i can easily get my hands on is from Wickes - Lead Flashing for roofing and the cheapest one they have is 3 mtrs long at £55! Many Thanks Edited January 16, 2012 by treker_ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldrick Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 I currently have in my stash quite a few models that without nose-weight will end up being tail-sitters - from airfix 1/48 canberras to the new tooled1/48 lightning. Doing a bit of research on here over the last day or so, I've noticed several posts on here regarding using lead (in its various forms) to weigh down the nose on aircraft to stop them being tailsitters! Being a fairly dense material it is ideal for adding weight and a very malleable material as well! Is there any one from the MIlton Keynes area that would be able to point me in the right direction to get some from somewhere - at the moment the only stuff i can easily get my hands on is from Wickes - Lead Flashing for roofing and the cheapest one they have is 3 mtrs long at £55! Many Thanks Hi, try a fishing shop. You should be able to pick up small lead weights for pennys. Regards Dave.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 I use fishing weights in various sizes and if it is a 1/72 kit plain old plasticene works. Also the old fashioned lead shot fishing weight that you pinched onto your line (dunno if they are allowed to sell that these days) was good too either in plasticene or I used to set it in CA (when I had a job) or candle wax. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark M Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 see if there is a window firm local who amres leaded windows you can get off cutts of lead very cheap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prenton Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Lead weights from the fishing shop are the answer! They come in various sizes, and can fit in a matrix of either blu-tack (if not exposed to paint) or milliput (if likely to be exposed some time in the future). I have a pack I got a couple of years ago, of various sizes, and they work fine. The reason I have given the options (although I have used blu-tack and white-tack myself) is that I have heard from some modellers who actually have kits they did a decade ago (yes, I know....!) that blu-tack will exude an oil that eventually will seep through gaps and ruin paintwork many years after you have done the model. On the other hand, milliput, once it sets hard, will not. So, depending on price, you makes your choice..... Good luck! Philip (aka Prenton) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little-cars Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 (edited) I sell a product we call liquid steel for nose weights. A 200g bottle is £3. And I'm in MK! Paul little-cars Edited January 16, 2012 by little-cars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamwalker Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 I sell a product we call liquid steel for nose weights.A 200g bottle is £3. And I'm in MK! Paul little-cars I use lead airgun pellets and a pair of pliers, fish weights are not lead now eco friendly not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayprit Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Companies that replace tyres, Kwik Fit, Bridgestone, Halfords etc, etc have loads of waste lead from when they balance your tyres, they throw your old ones into a scrap bin and fit new ones to tyres they have to balance, just ask a fitter for a few. You can cut pieces from the lead weight, or, even melt them into smaller weights. Ideal for adding weight to any model(especially the really big tail sitters) or model railway rolling stock. I have a "Prince August" mold set with ladle for melting on stove gas ring. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treker_ed Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 Thanks for all the pointers! at the moment i have the following kits that will need weighting and hence why i need a good source of "weighty" material Canberra PR9 (airfix 1/48) Canberra B2 (Airfix 1/48) Vixen FAW.2 (Airfix 1/48) Typhoon (revell 1/32) Mig 29 UB (Revell 1/32) B24D Liberator (Revell/Monogram 1/48) A400 Grizzly (Revell 1/72) F15 Strike Eagle (Academy 1/48) B29 Superfortress (Academy 1/72) C97A Stratofreighter (Academy 1/72) Victor K Mk 2 (Revell 1/72) For the two canberras it advises at leasat 120gms of nose weight to prevent them from tail sitting - the previous one i made i could not get enough weight in the nose area and have had to use the prop that comes with the kit and would like to avoid this if possible on the next ones i do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treker_ed Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 I sell a product we call liquid steel for nose weights.A 200g bottle is £3. And I'm in MK! Paul little-cars Paul, do you only sell over the internet or the old fashioned way as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplasticsurgeon Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Are any of you friends, neighbours, relatives having a conservatory installed any time soon? I scavenged a lifetime supply of scrap lead flashing when my sister's was installed about 15 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousAA72 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 You will need an awful lot of nose weight in the Canberra's!! Wheel Chocks!! Could be your saviour. Flatten wheels and then add wheel chocks at the rear of the main wheels (and front as well if you decide for aesthetic's). This extends the 'footprint' of the wheel area touching the ground and sghould stop the nose going vertical! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basosz Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Balance weights for car wheels are abundant and very easy to get (my dad is a car mechanic). .22 lead air pellets which were on sale (I have a .177 air gun so I'd rather not use those pellets for the modelling) If you can get it: depleted Uranium Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wavodavo Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I work in garage, so I use the stick-on wheel weights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treker_ed Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 i've finally managed to find a reasonably priced source of lead flashing - Jewsons! 3mtrs long, 15cms wide - same size as from Wickes and B&Q etc but only £26.00 (inc vat). Considering this weighs abot 5kg i think this will last for some considerable time i've also acquired a bottle of "liquid" weight for those small jobs that have an internally enclosed space for hiding weigt in! Thanks for all the suggestions - in the end the lead was the most cost effective over a long term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marky sparky Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 I use strips, about 5mm wide, of lead (or feels like it) from equatic centres for holding down plants. Not sure of the length but a good few mtrs. Doesn't cost much either. I have also used coins, 1p - 5p - 2p super glued in the nose or the most forward point of the main landing gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 The Canberra PR.9 is not too difficult to sort, as the huge nose allows plenty of room for lead. The B.2 is a different story, as the tranparent nose forces leaves less room. Strips work very well here as they can be bent to the shape of the areas around the front gear well. You might also have to add weight behind the rear cockpit bulkhead. Another good location is in the front of the engine nacelles. Using white metal seats is very helpful in these cases. The liberator might be even more difficult ! To glue the weights in place, I use sylicon sealant. It does not attack the plastic and as it remains soft it prevents the weights to detach in case I drop the model during the build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depressed lemur Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 I always ask at my local garage every time i get new tyres. They "never use the 5g weight" so always throw them in the waste with the sed ones. This is a free source of small weights which have the advantage of a self adhesive back!! Feel free to try this option in MK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Fleming Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 There is a clay for fishermen (To use instead of lead weights) - can't recall the name but has the advantage of being able to be squeezed into small spaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnT Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 I use strips, about 5mm wide, of lead (or feels like it) from equatic centres for holding down plants. Not sure of the length but a good few mtrs. Doesn't cost much either.I have also used coins, 1p - 5p - 2p super glued in the nose or the most forward point of the main landing gear. Euros should be readily available at no cost soon ok then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Laidlaw Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Euros should be readily available at no cost soon With regard to the malleable fishing weight (a tungsten powder in a malleable matrix - it's called tacky weight over here in the colonies), it isn't as dense as lead, but might do in a pinch. On a side note: whilst looking for the name of the before-mentioned weight, I found the Mr. Crappie sinker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixII Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Companies that replace tyres, Kwik Fit, Bridgestone, Halfords etc, etc have loads of waste lead from when they balance your tyres, they throw your old ones into a scrap bin and fit new ones to tyres they have to balance, just ask a fitter for a few. You can cut pieces from the lead weight, or, even melt them into smaller weights. Ideal for adding weight to any model(especially the really big tail sitters) or model railway rolling stock. I have a "Prince August" mold set with ladle for melting on stove gas ring. Good Luck I always ask at my local garage every time i get new tyres. They "never use the 5g weight" so always throw them in the waste with the sed ones. This is a free source of small weights which have the advantage of a self adhesive back!! Just a small note of caution, the above works very well though i would just suggest if using 'scrap' weights give 'em a wash first. Reason? While most CAR brake pads are non asbestos, high performance brake pads still contain asbestos. I doubt if any garage will separate contaminated weights from non contaminated, though i would love to be proved wrong! Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcanicity Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Being very much a cheapskate, I pick wheel balance weights up out of the gutters from where they fall off cars. Once you get your eye in when strolling around town, they're fairly common to see. I've found three or so in the last few weeks by this method, and have a good stock at home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corporate Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 (edited) Some very expensive options being suggested here. I just slice open a 12g shotshell for an ounce (28-30gm) of shot, typically #6 or thereabouts, pour that into the nose cavity (fenced off with a bit of plastic or cardboard) then pour epoxy resin on top to bond it all together. If you don't have any shotshells you probably know someone who has. Tony Edited June 7, 2012 by corporate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marky sparky Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Money! 1p 5p and 2p pieces if space allows. Lead weight from aquarium shops (Wyvale etc), these hold plants down. Lead flashing from Church roofs, bugger, er, damn ssshhhhhh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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