# Shell repair.



## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Some used trains have taken abuse. Sometimes they are so bad you wonder how did it ever get that way.
What I have here is a simple fix. Here is a shot of the subject.'










This guy found a hot iron. It only infected a flat surface. I started with a small drum sander to make a crater.










Then I resorted to Bondo scratch putty. No mixing just straight out of the tube.










The trick was to let it completely dry and then sand with 320 paper.
A very thin second coat is necessary.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

T-Man said:


> Some used trains have taken abuse. Sometimes they are so bad you wonder how did it ever get that way.
> What I have here is a simple fix. Here is a shot of the subject.'
> 
> View attachment 563261
> ...


Soldering iron?
What kind did you use?
That stuff is not cheap.


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

From the look of the shell it appears to have collided with an iron.

Bondo scratch repair comes in a small tube just don't mix it up with the Metal repair which is a little more. Both were under 5 bucks.

The finish.










The red plastic is so red that the painted section looks brown. I almost went with a black just to accent the red but I stuck with a red. Also I went through 4 tries. The last one was just a fine sanding. The first coat was after the second round. Here you see the circle if the reflection is right.










Another method I use is with polishing compound. Here is a different shell.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Looks good. Another T Man save for the book. 
On the one you fixed, is a corner missing a piece?
If so, I kind of like the look, file the other side to match the curve?


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Yes it does. I like the caboose it has a metal cast frame. The shell is beat up. Three of the four steps are missing.


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