Pete J.

I don't generally use flux when soldering with rose metal. I just make sure to hit the areas to be soldered with a new sanding stick just before soldering. It works fine. As to the soldering unit, I do it in small sections, less than 1/2" at a time, and move to the next area. It really doesn't impact the strength of the joint to remelt rose metal like silver or lead solder. Rose metal in my experience flows out nicely.

Well, I'm glad we have that all worked out. I recall reading some time ago that the issue with CA is that in most formats it is very brittle. If you have parts expanding and contracting at different rates it doesn't have the flexibility to withstand the shear stresses. That is why one of the old tips for breaking a CA bond is to put the part in the freezer and then run hot tap water over it. Actually the best way I have found for bonding diecast is to solder it with roses metal. However that is beyond the skill level and equipment available to most modelers as it requires precise temperature control. Most diecast metals have a melting point at or near the temperature of normal solder around 400 degrees so using a normal soldering iron or torch would be very risky. I have done this with a resistance soldering unit and a bit of experimentation to find an amperage that will bring the diecast just below the melting point. That point is most likely above the 200+ degrees needed to melt roses metal. Once that balance is attained then the rest is rather easy as long as you give the metal a good key with sandpaper. I would still use two part polyester putty to fill and smooth over the top.

What surprises me are the number of very expensive "classic" cars in this rallye. I suspect it is more about finishing rather than how fast you did it. Kind of an old style adventure. I also would love to do this the first year after I won the lottery! Perhaps we could share driving duties? Perhaps a Porsche?

Bill, your distinguishing between polyester and epoxy was interesting and made me do a little research. I always assumed that epoxy was anything that required a catalyst to harden. A little more research revealed that the term is used somewhat loosely with regards to adhesives and other commercial products, which is probably what cause my confusion. The scientific definition seems to be "a class of synthetic thermosetting polymers containing epoxide groups". By definition, because polyester resins do not belong to this group they are not epoxys. But both are thermosetting. Apparently the catalyst creates the heat in both to set them. I will not make that mistake again and am glad to know the difference. On the same subject, I also always thought that baking soda was strictly a filler and added no strength to CA glue when mixed. I was also wrong on that. Here is what the materials lab as Swarthmore College had to say on the subject. All very interesting. A monomer, such as methylcyanoacrylate (the substance in super glue), with two electron -withdrawing substituents can be polymerized with very mild nucleophiles such as Br, CN, amines or OH. The monomer polymerizes on contact with many surfaces. Most often it is initialized by the presence of water (the OH ions from water). If you have sodium bicarbonte present, traces of water (from the surface or air) will react and make NaOH. The reaction is the following: NaHCO3 + H2O -----> NaOH + H2CO3NaOH is a very good starter of the polymerization reaction. It will make the reaction go very fast. Since this is an exothermic reaction (energy gets released) the H2CO3 will break up into H2O and CO2 . The water will evaporate and that should be the fume you have noticed. You should also see the CO2. So apparently baking soda and CA do have a chemical reaction which causes the CA to set faster. Interesting.

Go down to your local auto paint store and buy a pouch of this stuff. It is a two part epoxy and works amazingly well. Get the thin stuff if they have it. It hardens to sandable in about 20 minutes. Open time is about 5 minutes. It is designed to work with metal so it expands and contracts without cracking. The thin version feathers out beautifully so you have no putty lines. Also works amazingly well on plastic. It is my go to putty. I am very happy they started putting it in pouches because it keeps much better with the air squeezed out. It is also dirt cheap compared to all the "hobby" putties. If I recall I paid under $12 for it. One other thing, the catalyst needs to be kept in a small old paint jar. The Tamiya jars are great for it. Since there is enough to last several thousand models, the catalyst will cause the tube to crack over time. Also, in the amounts we use, you just need the tip of a toothpick full of catalyst so it is easier than trying to squeeze it out of the tube.

Well maybe not jihadies but you are running through the Mongol Hordes and across the wilds of Siberia for a good portion of the race. This looks like a "gentlemen's" race but a large portion seems to be on unpaved roads and in crazy weather conditions. I would feel a lot more comfortable with some serious truck around me! Perhaps just as a support vehicle if nothing else. Perhaps an old WWII Dodge power wagon would be a good choice!

This could be interesting! Lots to choose from. Probably have to run under a P to P banner though. Two radically different challenges.

I really wish people who are requesting parts would stop posting "I need a part" or something similar! Tell us what you need in the title! Something like "needed for a 56 Chevy" or the like. I'm as inclined as anyone to help someone out with parts or kits if I can, but I quit looking at posts for help without telling me what they need in the title. Done wasting my time reading posts that I can't do anything about. A little courtesy would be nice. Sorry for the rant.

I don't know how many posts I have seen here that bemoan the fact that "they use to have .... and threw/gave or sold it all". Many regrets have been voiced here. Think of it this way. Nothing you own now will be cheaper in the future. It costs very little for a good box and a place to store it. Rebuying it will be very expensive. Now some things, such as paints and glue will not last so toss that, but tools, kits and accessories are worth keeping. No regrets!

Brookhurst hobbies http://www.brookhursthobbies.com in Garden Grove is another good shop. If you are in San Diego, Discount Hobby Warehouse has two locations one in Kearny Mesa and one in San Marcos. The Petersen museum is a great place to visit but there is another one that is more for the pre war cars and it is spectacular. The Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar is a real stunning museum and shouldn't be missed.

It was said in jest and I know that there are only a few of us with the budget for such things. However, it still remains the best option for center drilling. I can and have drilled our pieces with a #80 wire gage drill bit with walls as thin as .003" . I will also say that once you have a lathe, you find all kinds of handy things to do with it. I use mine frequently for repairs around the house and on cars. Very handy tool.

Buy a lathe?

Tim, just caught up on your work! I love the photos of all the parts. I know it would not make sense to do it, but it would be jaw dropping to just take the parts and mount them in a picture frame like Tamiya use to. It is hard to appreciate them individually when they are all put together. I also know it has to be done, but it breaks my heart to see that gorgeous frame in paint! Your metal work is stunning! Too bad there isn't some way to have it painted and not painted. Excellent work my friend.

The main regret I have is I wish I had watched less TV and spent the time at the modeling bench. Too late to recover that now!

About the "could have redone it" part. It is not that hard to get ahold of the 956 kit and there are several companies that do the Rothmans decals. The best build would be the Tamiya/Scale Motorsport kit. That kit has everything. They are hard to find, but not impossible. The basic Tamiya kit was reissued in the Newman livery not that long ago and are selling for about $30 on ebay. The decals can be had for $15 to $30 depending on quality.

Have you joined the KC-135 page on Facebook? https://www.facebook.com/groups/44427839881/ A lot of us oldtimers there.

1972 to 1981 KC-135 driver! Wurtsmith and Fairchild. Got to love a Steam Jet!

Totally off topic, but I noticed what looks like some Air Force memorabilia in the mess. Are you ex/retired Air Force?

Most assuredly. I came of age in the heart of the muscle car era(mid 60's) and a lot of my friends were really into them. Somewhere along the line, and I am not sure where, I became enamored with sports cars. I think it was my experience with John Frankenheimer's movie, Grand Prix. Small car with great handling got my attention. That was cemented when I went off to the Air Force. My classmates in pilot training all had nice cars but few of them were muscle cars. There were a few Shelby Mustangs and one AAR 'cuda but the rest were an eclectic collection of sports cars. Everything from a Saab Sonnet to cobras. I owned a 72 240Z and the time but there were plenty of Triumph's, MG's and Austins. There were a few Corvettes(the car of choice of ring knockers) but 4 and 6 cylinder sports cars were the norm. The base commander had track days on the large concrete pads on weekend. No drag races. I would like to believe that young pilots were more taken with "dog fighting" on curvy roads that straight line acceleration contests.

I guess the question becomes, how many times do you want to buy a compressor and airbrush? Buying a cheap tool several times to "upgrade" can be more costly and frustrating than spending the money on a top quality tool up front. After 50+ years of building stuff, I have learned this the hard way. Will you be leaving the hobby soon? If not, you will grow into a good airbrush and compressor. This applies to other tools a well. As an example, 10 years ago, I bought a Sherline lathe thinking it would be a cool tool to make a few parts. Over time, it has become a go to tool for a lot of things. I found I can repair things around the house. I have made parts for my car and lawnmower with it. That was never the intention but having a quality tool inspires creativity and encourages you to use it. The frustration of a cheap airbrush and compressor may just sour you on using it and your skills may stagnate. Think about your long term goal as a modeler.

RB Motion. http://www.rbmotion.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=77 There not cheap and they are not labled by "Scale" so you need to know what size and shape you need. They are the best out there. Tons of differant sizes to work on everything up the 1:8 scale.

I have to agree with you. My daily driver is a 93 MR 2. Backing out of a parking space can be exciting especially if there is a huge pickup or SUV on either side. I have to back up 3/4 of the way out to see anyone coming. Annoys the heck out of me when someone starts blowing their horn 'cause I can't see them. Wife's Lexus has the camera and cross traffic plus pedestrian proximity warning. Backing out of a space is far less stressful when next to the current class of behemoth pickups and SUVs that seem to be all the rage.

Donut tires? New cars? The "space saver" spare has been around for a long time, like about 50 year or so. First car I owned with one was my '74 911. In fact I still own the little compressor that was included to blow it up. It was a little 12 volt german compressor that plugged into the cigarette lighter. It has come in very handy more than once.

No, I can't either, but I can see someone putting a WRX Sti through a rehab, or perhaps a Camaro or Corvette. Not every car is deserving of being carried forward. You don't see a lot loving restorations of Pintos, Mavericks or Valiants. There are unloved cars from every era. Don't judge all, by one. There are a lot of great, exciting cars out there that will have a cult following in 2045.

Yea, we probably were hard on cars. We lived in western Nebraska and had 5 miles of gravel roads to drive on to get to pavement. The roads were rough and rutted during the summer and you could see the dust cloud kicked up by a car passing and all that went into the air cleaners. The winter roads were even rougher as the fall mud froze into really contorted shapes. The suspensions took a beating and the bouncing loosened up everything. The old cars squeaked and rattled. The gravel peeled the paint off the underside of the car but luckily it was a dry climate so rust was slow to form. Exhaust systems would go first with the sandblasting they took on a daily basis and Detroit made them out of mild steel so the rust took them pretty quickly. Tires also took a beating on those roads, so yea, cars had a rough life. I also remember when I lived in northern Michigan when I was in the Air Force. The rust was a killer of cars. People had old beaters for the winter and saved their "good" car for the summer. I remember that Ziebart had a booming business there. Drilled holes in the panels and sprayed a waxie gunk inside to reduce rust. Also undercoated the frame with a black tar. That is because car makers didn't have the electrostatic rust dip that they do on the new cars. Also the old lacquer paints just didn't stand up to weather the way the new urethanes do. Sun burned paint was the norm on the road. I love seeing the old cars of my youth. Every manufacture had it's own look and were quite easily spotted. Much more chrome and other external adornment. The interiors were downright garish. I really enjoy going to car shows and seeing well cared for or restored cars of the 50's through the 70"s, but to own one as a daily driver, NO THANKS. I'll take my modern car.