Zimmerit, another method

[Marcel de Groene]

Hi guys,

I'm probably not the first one to struggle what material to use making Zimmerit and it will probably not the last topic on this subject but I would like to share my experiences. In my "Frundsberg" topic I have showed my turret with zimmerit applied. The turret was done the way Tim Bowman does it, with a kind of plaster(gips for the Dutch guys).



I preserved the plaster with wood glue(houtlijm) to make it stronger. The plaster is very vunerable to bumps. Furthermore is it hard to apply on a surface that already has a final layer of paint and therefore doesn't stick easily. So I decided to experiment a little more. I had my mind set on "acrylic mastic" (acrylaat kit) for a while and gave it a go. Results are very promising. Material is very easy to apply, has a long working time and is easy to remove when the resulys aren't satisfactory. Furthermore does is stay flexible so it can take some punishment. Below some results.








My homemade zimmerit tools(Mikes tool pack got lost in the mail)





The result. To smoothen the result I use a soft brush and plain water and soap. This has to be done direct after applying the acrylic mastic.



Finaly the horizontal lines are added using a fine screwdriver or something similar. This can be done directly or after an hour or more. The mastic will be fully hardened after two weeks(still flexible after hardening)





The zimmerit can be painted within 30 minutes after applying. Make sure to use water based paint only. I haven't tried oil based paints yet.





All ready for rebuilding, starting with Bob Morey's wonderful set of early G exhausts and weathering the rear panel. More pictures of the final result will follow. Thanks for watching.

[Robert E Morey]

Hi Marcel,
I prefer milliput for zimmerit,but it is very time consuming to apply. But once on it is very tough. My concern with flexible mastic would be paint adhesion - will paint stick to it long term? If it chips or peels off then it exposes the white mastic color underneith. If paint sticks ok, then you have found a great solution!

Your zimmerit is looking great! I can't wait to see the finished rear end.
Best regards,
Bob

[Marcel de Groene]

Hi Bob,

We just have to wait and see. When using plaster you have the same problem. Mastic however will be more adhesive I guess. I use it a lot around the house and haven't experienced any peeling just then that the usual wear being exposed to the elements and the sun. Both of those will not touch my "cat".

So far the first to layers attached good. Thanks for the kind comment.

[Steve Norris]

Hi Marcel.
Nice finish with the zimmerit.
Although i have always used Milliput in the past, I have found that it results in an over thick coating and is time consuming to apply. Like you i have done a bit of experimenting and settled on using wall tile adhesive mixed with some brown paint to give it a light sand colour. I have found that using tile adhesive gives a more scale appearance, is very quick to apply and as an added bonus very cheap. I have had no issues painting my zimmerit and if the paint is damaged the light sand colour of the tile adhesive shows through and does not look stark white.
Finally i would like to say that you have produced a great looking Panther that you should be very proud off.
Regards
Steve

[Marcel de Groene]

Hi Steve,

Thanks. I considered tile adhesive as well. If this gives me trouble I will change to that. I presume you use the ready made stuff. I only had the powder at hand and exprimented a little with that but it gave me the same problems I had with the plaster. Doesn't stick very well over an already painted model. The ready made adhesive will probably look more like the mastic I use now, only a little rougher in the finish.

[Marcel de Groene]

The rear side has been finished. Check out the new pictures.



Final paint layer. Attaching the exhaust will be next.





Exhausts have been weathered, camouflage en dust has been added.





Deck has been camouflaged and weathered as well.



Thanks for watching

[Robert E Morey]

Marcel,
The exhaust and reworked rear end look awesome! I really like your camo paint and color. The zimmerit looks great. Only one minor thing, you may or may not want to fix. The screws on the exhaust housing should have the nut showing instead of the flat head of the screw (ie turn screw around so nut is on outside). Otherwise perfect!

Fantastic job, I hope you are pleased with result!
Best regards,
Bob

[Marcel de Groene]

Hi Bob,

Very pleased with the result indeed. I have been looking for pictures concerning the nuts but on those I found I couldn't make out how they were placed. I will correct this. Thanks for letting me know. Two things need to be made, the thing were you hang the bucket on and the guidance for the starter crank. Will try to make those next week, and maybe a Notek light, but I'm not sure if the early G carried that.

Regards,

Marcel

[Thomas Merzbach]

Looking great....
Thomas

[Tim Bowman]

Hi Marcel

Your Panther looks perfect! as I said before, I really like the two-color camo. Paintwork and finish are outstanding!

Thanks for sharing your work with the rest of us.

Kindest regards
Tim

[John Fitzsimons]

Love the camo scheme. Very well done both zimmerit and paint job.

[Kent Wiik]

Hi Marcel,

Looking good! You can be proud and pleased with your Panther build.

I have been looking for pictures concerning the nuts but on those I found I couldn't make out how they were placed.

....and maybe a Notek light, but I'm not sure if the early G carried that.

Have a look at page 4 in my saga:
(scroll down a bit)
http://www.armortek.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... c&start=45

The Notek convoy light was possible at least on early Ausf G.
The armour exhaust guards were attached to the rear plate with castle nuts.

Kind regards
Kent

[Marcel de Groene]

Hi Kent,

Illuminating as usual. Funny to see we had the same thoughts about making castle nuts. I also used locking nuts to make my own castle nuts without seeing this on your page. Used them on the rear starter plate.
Thanks for your comments. Well appreciated as always

Regards,

Marcel

[Marcel de Groene]

Hi Marcel,
My concern with flexible mastic would be paint adhesion - will paint stick to it long term? If it chips or peels off then it exposes the white mastic color underneith. If paint sticks ok, then you have found a great solution!

Bob

Bob, just spoke with a professional painter. It seems there is now "non crackling" flexible mastic available which ensures paint to stay untouched for longer periods. Looking at the tube I bought I consider myself lucky since this is the "non crackling" type. Didn't notice this before.

[Marcel de Groene]

It's been more than a year now and the paint still sticks like it has been done yesterday. I think I might say that the experiment succeeded.