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Engine turned dashboards or other parts


Paul Payne

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Has anyone discovered a technique for simulating this surface treatment? I was thinking of both aluminum sheet stock as well as plastic (maybe with bare-metal foil?) I would like to scratchbuild a hot rod dashboard with this treatment. Thanks!

Back in the early 80's, I scratchbuilt a 60's Watson USAC Dirt Championship car, which needed an aluminum firewall and instrument panel. But, how to "engine turn" the aluminum! I had a sudden idea!

Old-fashioned typing erasers are impregnated with a mild abrasive, that will scuff aluminum! So, I bought one, ran it through a pencil sharpener to get a point on the end of the rubber, then cut the wood pencil-style shank and drilled into the cut end to superglue a length of brass rod in it, and firmed up the sides of the rubber tip with superglue as well. I simply chucked in my Dremel tool, and mounted the tool in my drill press. Voila!

After a bit of pracice, the thing worked perfectly--good enough to help that car win First Place at the 1985 IPMS Nationals in Indianapolis.

I wish I had the car to photograph, but I sold it to a model race car collector about 6 weeks after the Nats, for more money than I ever would have guessed anyone would pay for a builtup.

Biscuitbuilder

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