Straightliner59

I may have to give it another go. I'm better equipped to do it, now. I was able to hand cut a working rack and pinion for a dragster in 1986, but, having the engine in back, that was a straight shot, from the butterfly to the box. That setup is very simple. I've had the thought for at least fifteen years, now, because I would really like to have one for my Surfers car.

That looks great! Did you make a worm and sector, for it?? I only ask, because I've been trying.

Cue "Twilight Zone" theme.

I noticed the same thing! It really doesn't fit, at all, in any manner which is useable. Thankfully, I have my gravity feed brush which has a small cup permanently mounted. I think Badger makes a paint cup that has a curved tube. It seems like that might be a better option!

That's definitely the way I would go, if it was just about a '55 Chevy! This is all about the Badman! See above!?

Not sure about maximum hardness, but, it's fairly quick, I would guess, since it's used on floors. Maybe a couple of hours? I've heard a lot of guys use foam brushes with it. I just use a big, fat, soft-bristled brush. The stuff flows, beautifully!

Thank you, Francis! See, what happened, is I've eventually become pretty good at solving self-created problems!? Sometimes, thinking about how to do something, or make something actually keeps me lying awake, when I go to bed in the mornings.

I've tried too many methods for engine-turning to keep track of! The one that most satisfied me, I don't remember. It was whatever I used to do the windscreen on my NTF car. I never had much luck with erasers--even coarse ones. As for the Badman, it just is what it is! A goofy, neat kit. You're right--I am certainly having to go farther out of the way to get it to where I want it to be, this time around!

Gosh, that's a lot! No wonder I couldn't remember! Thank you. Sorry, David!

Exactly--whatever works!?

Actually, I use the resistance unit, a lot, during construction! I like the iron for smaller details, because a droplet of solder on the tip will usually heat the joint enough to affix the parts--It really works well for tabs and such. I have an extra power unit. I think I got it for about $50. The tweezers can be pretty expensive, but a web search will turn up an article or two on building them. It looks pretty easy. I pieced my setup together f8nding separate components online, mostly on Ebay. I bought a cheap foot switch for about $10. It's definitely a worthwhile investment!

Thank you, sir! At least I feel like it's getting somewhere! Thanks, Ian. It worked out, very well. Total control, complete uniformity! I'm hoping I can manage the same with the injector manifold. First off, today, I want to share a few photos of what's left of my first Badman. This is right about 50 years old. As you can see, I used fishing line for the plug wires. Even then, I hated the look of thread, for plug wires, and was already searching for a viable alternative. Fishing line wasn't it! At least it was smooth. If I run across more of the engine parts, I may reassemble it, to display with the new model... Two of the things that I think are requirements, in order to maintain the model's identity are the engine badging on the fender/door area, and the spoiler on the front of the car. The badging's handled, leaving the spoiler. I want that big ol' expanse of aluminum to look a little snazzier, so, I'm back to playing around with engine-turning...again! As you can see on the test piece, I had varying degrees of success. The best, most consistent patterns were achieved using a 3/32" dowel (the smallest I have), wrapped with fine steel wool, and superglued in place. The two lower rows were done with this. It really looks beautiful. It's about 50% larger than I want. That means I need to find 1/16" dowels, or skewers, to see if I can create a better-sized pattern. I had some untested Model Factory Hiro foil that's pattern is intended to replicate engine-turned aluminum. I applied it to the plastic kit piece. As far as I'm concerned, it's a pretty hard fail. The pattern is too easily damaged, and, it just doesn't quite look like it ought to. I forgot to mention, in my last update, that I had cut and test-installed the side "glass". Work continues on the manifold. Thanks for looking!

I've been wanting a different airbrush than my Badger 100G, so I'd have something with greater capacity. Got a great deal on this on Ebay. Right at $50, shipped. Works perfectly!

Pierre, I thought the side-mounted oil cooler was only at Daytona? I'll have to dig out my MRRN issue, and see, because I can't remember!?

I made the tops for the inner door panels, and added a trim strip, to give it a more finished look. For the strip, I started with .060" half-round, and laid it on the benchtop, between two strips of metal banding I'd picked up somewhere, in one of the board yards I used to work at. Then, I only needed to sand across them all, until the top of the half-round was flattened. That made the half-round not just look like a strip of half-round. Also seen are the new axle and spindles. Finally, I wanted to look at the gold leaf over a paint color. Since I was curious whether those leaking Testors lacquer cans might still work, I shot some on a spoon that was primered. Seems fine. This can was Root Beer. It won't be this car's color. Comments, questions and critiques are always welcome. Thanks for looking!

I like it! ?

I enjoy machining plastic! I've played around with some Delrin, too. It really turns, beautifully. I was making 1/43 scale tires, with it.

If you're from out-of-town, Scale Model Supplies is a must see! And, once you've seen, you're sure to happily give them some of your money!

I'm not sure that's much of an option. They're already radiused in the kit, and to open them further would put me into the trim. I kind of want to keep that. I appreciate your thoughts, Ace. Thanks!

Thanks, David! I just finished milling the second one, a bit ago. I think I have the door thing solved, as well--I hope so, I almost have one of them finished!?

I am a believer in "one can never have too many drill bits"!?

Not a big update...I have been trying to sort out the interface between the inner and outer door panels. I may have it figured out. These strips of styrene white glued to the outer side of the inner panels will tell the tale. I probably won't get a chance to work on them until tomorrow, some time, once the glue's had time to dry. Also, I have started playing around with the manifold. It's Weiand, and has different-looking throttle bodies/runners. This will likely end up like the Enderle small-block stacks I did--make one good one, then mold it! Anyway, this photo shows them, in rough form, opposite the Hilborns, on the other side. As always, comments and questions are always welcomed. Thanks for looking!

Gloss under the decals should cure it!

I have a whole bunch of HSS, as well. I bought some Chinese bits, at one point, but they were so hit and miss, that I just buy US made ones, mostly, now. I've started buying all that stuff, in bulk. The carbide bits do work best in the machines, for sure. And, they do grab, when they exit. I'm too lazy to switch bits!? My favorite quality of the carbide bits, is that they don't "walk", when starting a hole. That makes them excellent for boring round or hex stock. When I got my flashing, it was a bundle of 100 5"X7" sheets. I don't know how many are left, but I've used a ton of it! A fair amount of it has ended up in the trash ?, but there's a whole lot of it in my display case, now! If I recall, correctly, it's about .007", once the coating has been sanded off.

Jack did these for me, many years ago!