StevenGuthmiller

Shows you how much I know about model railroading! Steve

I'm slightly amazed at how closely this all parallels my building philosophies!! Are you sure we're not the same guy? Steve

I build one project at a time and can generally keep everything that I need to remember sorted out in my head, but when I get down towards the final assembly stage, I will often make a list of the order in which I want to assemble everything. Sometimes you can avoid some pretty annoying issues if you pay close attention to order. Steve

Looks fabulous!!........Maybe? Steve

Makes complete sense. I've never done that, but I can see how the soap might help. I'll have to give it a try next time. Steve

Close to both, but neither one of those. At least not from the Johan kits. Steve

I don’t think I’ve ever seen wires on a ‘60 Merc, but of course, I’m no expert. Wires seem to have been fairly common and popular, (at least on restored vehicles) with Mopar, Cadillac, and some Buicks, but I don’t recall them being a particularly big thing with Ford, except for some wire wheel covers on some models over the years. Steve

I dump the powder on when the glue is extremely fresh, and shake it around vigorously to ensure even coverage. Don’t be stingy with the powder. Excess can be saved and reused. I don’t “tamp down” the powder because I’ve found that it can have the tendency to make the powder look clumpy, or if you’re not careful, the dry powder on the wet glue can “slip” or “slide” slightly, which can create bare spots, or at least unevenness. I mask any necessary areas, slightly thin white glue, brush it on a section, (I’ll often divide a floor into 3 or 4 separate sections) making sure I have complete coverage, and then immediately dump on the powder very liberally and shake it around. Immediately after, remove the tape while the glue is still wet. Let the glue dry completely and then blow any specks of powder off of areas where it’s unwanted, or brush away with a soft brush. You can touch up small bare areas if they occur by lightly dabbing more thinned glue on the area with a small brush and dumping and shaking more powder. Steve

The only issue that I would see with that is that epoxy is thick and doesn’t flow, or self level. I’ve never tried it, so I can’t say it won’t work, but I have to think that it would be difficult to apply evenly and smoothly. Steve

The type of paint will make a big difference. You want something that dries slowly. Steve

Just my opinion, but all paint work should be completed WAY in advance of assembly. Certain sub-assemblies can be painted as a unit, but clear coats on the body should be considered part of the painting process and should be finished before you begin any final assembly. Steve

I don’t think it will matter. As long as it’s something with generally the same properties. You just want something that spreads easily, covers completely, and dries hard enough to hold the powder in place. That can be any number of things. As someone else mentioned, paint the floor with a similar color to the powder your using. If all goes well, you will have sufficient coverage at that point, but if not, you can always spray a flat or matte paint over the powder once the glue has completely dried. As you can tell by a good number of my photos, I like to use a metallic powder on occasion. It gives an increased illusion of texture and while it may look a little over the top in a close up photo, it looks about perfect to the naked eye. Steve

I use Elmer’s white glue as well, and haven’t had much problem with it. There are a few things to watch for. Thin the glue “slightly”. 50/50 is way too much. If I’m starting with a teaspoon of glue, a couple of drops of water is enough. If you’re applying the glue over a solvent based paint, such as enamel, it can have the tendency to want to draw away in some areas, leaving bare spots, but if you continually brush the glue over those areas, eventually, they will remain covered. Work in smallish areas. Don’t try to do the entire tub floor in one shot. The glue needs to remain wet enough to hold the powder, so if you work in too large of an area, it can begin to dry too much in some areas, causing the powder not to stick. Find at least one place where you can “divide” the tub in half so that you are working in a small enough area to prevent drying too quickly. Mask off areas that you do not want covered in powder, work quickly, and remove the tape immediately after the powder to prevent pulling off the glue and powder as it dries. Remember, you can paint over embossing powder if you should choose. Steve

The 4x4 parts can also be had in the ‘70 F-100 kit. Steve

Steve

Yup. Maybe just give it a kiss to get it going. 😁 Steve

I’ve loved Johan kits since I was a kid! Their attention to body detail and accuracy is second to none! Interiors and chassis detail were on par with the time, but those short comings can often be addressed with some modern kit kit bashing. They produced a lot of unusual and unique subject matter that will almost certainly never be reproduced in kit form. I appreciate what they did for the model car hobby, and I have many kits and finished models that I treasure immensely. Steve

100%. The tube is often too long and cut straight which interferes with paint flow. I’ve also had to slightly shorten and cut them at an angle. Steve

He’s got a good point, and I totally agree with him There’s absolutely no need to spend gobs of money, or to have a stable of a half dozen different airbrushes, unless you’re doing something particularly specialized. A simple, basic brush will do just as well as some big fancy multi-hundred dollar machine if it’s in the right hands. Just like many things in our hobby, I think people seem to be prone to overthinking simple things. Steve

I agree completely! My first experience was decades ago with a cheap Testors airbrush, which was nothing but trouble from the onset. Following that experience, I begged off of airbrushing for probably another 10 years before I decided to try again with a simple Badger 200 single action siphon feed brush, and then it was off to the races! I never looked back!! Steve

That’s not just a “siphon feed”. It’s also an “external mix”. A whole different ball of wax from an “internal mix”, which is what your gravity feeds are, as are most siphon feeds. Steve

They certainly do! Or at least they used to. Again, a siphon feed versus a gravity feed for airbrushing models is a completely moot point. With good equipment, (doesn’t matter what type) you can get professional results regardless. Steve

I’ve been using a siphon feed single action Badger 200 NH for probably 25 years with zero issues. Nothing to do with whether or not it’s a gravity feed or a siphon feed. There are obviously other issues. A lot of people have been using siphon feed airbrushes for a long time. Just out of curiosity, I searched for Vevor airbrushes on line and discovered that you could purchase a dual action gravity feed Vevor online for $25.00. That right there is probably your biggest problem. 😏 Steve

No officer, it's not filled with cocaine. It's the latest material in mattress filler technology. Steve

By "rigamarole" I mean having to experiment with a dozen different products and doing it based on what particular color you can happen to find that is close to what you have in mind, and then having to worry about if it's going to be a successful combination or not. I can't begin to tell you how often I see people beginning their paint job experimentation with a "hey, I really like this color" along with a picture of some obscure paint can that they found in some hardware store, and then they proceed to F up their paint job because they have no idea whatsoever what primers, or clear coats, or whatever, is going to work with it, and then they have the temerity to ask why it all turned to feces in the end. When I paint a model, the amount of "work or expense" doesn't even enter the equation. I'm not the least bit concerned about putting forth whatever effort is required to ensure perfect results, or how much it costs. What I'm looking for is continuity and simplicity. A painting procedure and the materials necessary to ensure that I'm going to get reliable results that I can count on every time, regardless of the color I choose. Yes, I use multiple coats of primer, color and clear, but I don't do it because I like spraying paint. Those multiple coats have reasoning behind them that I won't get into here. When I begin a paint job, I don't have to check my inventory to see if I have the correct thinners, reducers, retarders, accelerators, etc, etc, etc. All I need is the same small handful of the same products that I always use, and in the end, I know that the finished result will be a success every time. If my memory is correct, I've stripped 2 paint jobs in the past 10 years, (possibly more) and neither of them had anything to do with a failure of the products or procedures that I use. That's all that matters to me, and the philosophy has served me exceedingly well for a loooong time. As I said, it's "my opinion" that lacquer is the only choice. I didn't say that it had to be everyone else's only choice. Use whatever you want. I'll continue to produce excellent results without ever having the tiniest degree of stress over what my outcomes are going to be. I know that before I even start. Steve