HGW seatbealts - how to make them less 'springy'?

[nmayhew]

hi all,

I am using HGW's seatbelts for the first time and although they are fiddly to make, the detail is better than anything i have seen in photo-etch or resin

however...

the belts are still quite springy and, unlike photo-etch,  if you bend them into shape they just tend to spring back

any ideas on how to get around this?

the belts are glued together with PVA / Gator Grip glue, so anything water-based will be a no go.

Kind regards,

Nick

[Clunkmeister]

I ball them up and rub them between by fingers. Don’t overdo it, but do it plenty enough and they’ll get soft and pliable. You can also wet them a touch then installing them and let them dry that way. 

They'll maintain their shape. 

[GazzaS]

I just use CA to stick them where I want them to stick.  I never expected them to lay like real belts will lay.

[nmayhew]

6 hours ago, Clunkmeister said:

I ball them up and rub them between by fingers. Don’t overdo it, but do it plenty enough and they’ll get soft and pliable. You can also wet them a touch then installing them and let them dry that way. 

They'll maintain their shape. 

thanks - i guess for part of these (P-47) belts I can't do that as I have already assembled the waist straps

i had read about the crumpling up but thought that was for the original paper ones, also that if too crumpled they would be difficult to thread through the buckles etc

anyway, i will give that a go on the shoulder harness and see how it goes

thank you

1 hour ago, GazzaS said:

I just use CA to stick them where I want them to stick.  I never expected them to lay like real belts will lay.

yeah that's exactly what i am trying to avoid though

oh well

i have asked HGW themselves btw and if they come back I will revert here

 

[DocRob]

Like Ernie, I rub them between my fingers, before assembly with the PE buckles and glue them in with CA when ready. I can't think of a way to pre form these belts and lay them loosely into the seat. The moment of gluing the bellts on to the seat always scares me a little. Just Yesterday with my Arado build, I managed to get a CA smear on the leather part of the seat, while doing it. It was easily hidden with some matte varnish.

I use to fiddle the belts through the PE buckles, while these are on their fret. It makes the assembly process much easier.

Cheers Rob

[Bomber_County]

Totally agree with balling them up and leaving the buckles on the fret and threading the belt. The soaking  in water works very well, I then drape into position. I have also added someone thinned canopy adhesive and the draped to set in position.....

[Clunkmeister]

Like Phil said, thinned canopy glue works well, although my ham hands always seem to make a real cock up of it all.

Funny how it is with HGW belts.   We ALL fight these things tooth and nail, and every single time we're forced to whip them into shape, but with the exception of the few common applications offered by RB Productions, they're by far the best appearing belts out there.