StevenGuthmiller

Here are the results of my vinyl top plan. As I stated above, rather than try to mask the trim, or sand it after paint for foiling, I decided to use the trusty "foil under paint" technique and foil it first. I foiled, then masked to try to get as little paint on the trim as possible. Then I shot a few light coats of Duplicolor black primer, a couple of light coats of MCW "vinyl top paint" and then a final coat of black primer. I then gave it a little rub down with some WD-40, followed by a washing to shine it up a little. I made one very advantageous discovery during this operation. The paint that I used did not stick well at all to the foil, which made it very easy to remove the paint from the trim with nothing more than a little light scraping with a sharpened tooth pick! No thinner required!! Keep in mind though, that being as the paint did not adhere well, that the foil needs to be cut close to the trim to be certain that it does not flake off where you don't want it to. Steve

Right! ? Steve

Thanks Ryan. On past projects I've used regular flat paint for the vinyl top shot from a distance to give a little texture, and then just lightly sanded the trim smooth. But in this case, I'm planning on using a textured paint, so I'm going to try an alternative approach. My plan is to foil the trim prior to painting and then I will clean the paint from the trim with thinner after the top is finished. (The foil under paint technique) I use this technique liberally on other aspects of a build, and although I have yet to use it in this circumstance, I'm pretty confident that it will work well. I'll be finding out quite soon. Steve

Thanks everyone! My next task was to mask and spray the undercoating on the front wheel wells. What a masking nightmare! I wound up masking and spraying one side at a time to make the masking more manageable. It worked out okay, but what a PITA!! No room for getting any over spray on any exposed surfaces at this stage of the game! Steve

I purchased a bottle of the adhesive for this purpose, but haven’t tried it yet. Steve

That’s actually pretty encouraging news. At least this proves that they’re aware that there is a problem, and that in order to retain their customer base, the issues are going to need to be addressed at some point. I have enough of the old stuff to last me a project or two, and at my current rate of production of about 1 project per year, I’ll be ready for some more some time in 2023. ? Steve

Thanks guys. Didn't get a lot of time at the bench this holiday weekend, but I did manage to get the headliner sprayed with some Tamiya TS-46 "Light Sand", the front of the radiator bulkhead shot with flat black, and the wheel well portion of the firewall "undercoated" with some MCW "vinyl top" paint. Next I will shoot the top, and then the front fender wells. Steve

My local hobby shop now carries many of the MCW enamels in the small jars. I'm guessing that there's a good possibility that MCW would carry it if you want to thin and airbrush enamel. Otherwise, I agree. MCW and Scale Finishes should both carry the ready to spray lacquer. Steve

That’s fine. Just wanted people to be aware. Steve

Just remember, if you use Tamiya primer, you're choices for many of the commonly used chemicals for paint stripping will be limited. Products like Super Clean, Purple Power, Easy Off oven cleaner, etc, are not going to help you. Duplicolor primer is dissolved by these products and they will consequently work if you should happen to need to strip a lacquer paint job. Steve

Thanks everyone! I had just enough paint remaining to finish the magnetic hood hinges. They just need a little clear. Steve

Thanks guys! Not the whole panel, just the necessary bits. Steve

I think I've got the rear panel and tail lights pretty much wrapped up. Steve

The top is yet to be painted. It will be black. Steve

Thanks folks! With the polishing finished, I was able to move on to detailing the rear panel. Still have the perimeter trim to foil, and I'll paint the inside of the tail light bezels argent, then I can continue on with the vinyl top. Steve

You knocked that puppy right out of the park!! I wish that I would have taken the extra steps on my '60, but that was some years ago, before I had the confidence to do these kinds of mods. Fantastic Dodge Bob! You're father would have had no choice but to be proud! Steve

Thanks guys. Not the best paint job I've ever done, but it'll do. A little more trash in the paint than I would have liked, and a little bit of blush on the hood, but you have to be looking for them pretty hard. I guess they can't all be perfect. Steve

I think the polishing is finished. Now I can get ready to start painting the rear panel, vinyl top, and under coating the front fender wells. Steve

Judging by all of those funny little yellow faces that this post generated, I'm assuming that some people took this statement in a "literal" sense. I didn't think that I had to spell it out, but I'll just say, yes, I know, nothing lasts forever. I suppose that it was my mistake to expect that it would be understood what is generally meant when someone says that something "lasts forever". Apparently, from now on, I need to be more precise in my statements. At least on this forum. Steve

The big question to me is, if you can’t rely on the product to maintain its integrity while it’s still supposedly within it’s useful lifetime, (both of my pens went bad in a matter of months) can it be relied upon to maintain it’s integrity afterwards over the life time of the model. Unfortunately, I don’t think anybody can answer that. I can’t speak for other’s intentions for the legacy of their models, but when I build one, especially if it’s a vintage model, I fully intend it to last a generation, or more. Therefore, I try to do the best that I can not to use products that I feel might have the potential to fail prematurely. I don’t use paint that I feel might fade over time, or clear coat that has proven it’s potential to yellow within a couple of years. I avoid using decals that might peel and fall off or glue that could fail over time. I want my models to look as good as possible for as long as possible. That is the fear with this product that brought me to the realization that I can’t trust it. in the end, It’s not up to me to tell anybody what they should use on their own projects, but I also feel like it’s worth while to raise the red flag and get anybody that might have these same fears to think about it and consider the consequences of using something untested such as Molotow on their treasured heirlooms. I don’t mean to bust any balls, I’m just asking that people take these factors into consideration before they jump in with both feet with something that’s just as likely to be a bust as it is likely to be a triumph. Steve

I’ve been doing this a while too, and I still have Testors bottles from 30 years ago that are still usable. It will be interesting to see how Molotow holds up over that period of time. Steve

Paint will last forever if it's sealed properly. Steve

He certainly is spending money if he's throwing away half of the product that he purchases. Flushing it right down the toilet. Steve

Next time you are at your local home improvement store, stop in the painting section and pick up a roll of masking paper. That way, you can save your printing paper for your printer. Steve

There's nothing I can do to help. You just explained why it's garbage. At this point, the only way that I feel like I can help is to try to convince people not to waste their money on it in the first place. Yes, I probably do. But the products that I use work. I don't promote things that I know are problematic, unless I have a solution to that problem. There are obvious reasons not to like this product. I'm sure that I'm not the only one, and there are more and more learning about these reasons, the hard way, every day. I'm just trying to save people the hassle. That's my "advice". Steve