StevenGuthmiller

Lacquer thinner will work regardless if you're using lacquer, enamel or acrylic. It will pretty much remove anything. Steve

Engine is finished!! Now I need to finish up some under hood detail and the engine can go into the chassis. Steve

I'm sure that would work as well. I don't particularly want a lot of thinner an the "tool" anyway. Too much thinner can run onto the surface of the body if you are not careful. Plus I like something sharp so that I'm not just taking the paint off of the surface of the script, but can actually remove as much of the paint as possible from the sides of the script. If possible, I prefer to eliminate the paint that is "crawling" up the sides of the scripts and badges so they appear to be resting on top of the surface of the body, and not down in the paint. I sharpen the tooth picks at an angle. Any accumulation of paint can also be easily trimmed off. Steve

For lacquers, Scale Finishes or MCW. Both offer great paints and the color availability is almost endless. Steve

Let me just say, to anyone who is thinking that somehow Molotow ink is in itself going to help you get better scripts than any other paint.....you're wrong. It might look closer to chrome when finished, but applying it is no different than applying any other paint. If you're not the type of person who is steady enough to lay down a perfectly straight line with a paint brush, it's going to do you no good. This is not a knock on Molotow, it just seems that more and more people are getting it in their head the Molotow ink is some sort of magic bullet, but in the end it's just paint. If you couldn't do it with Testors "Chrome Silver" in the little jars, you're not going to do any better with Molotow ink. Steve

I'm sorry Curt. Maybe I wasn't clear enough, but that's exactly when I do the scripts. If you're asking "why not do the rest of the body trim before color as well", my answer would be, it's easy to clean paint from a small detail like a script, badge or door lock, but I sure as heck wouldn't want to try it with an entire model. In other words, it would be way too much work! I really can't help you much there Curt. I use automotive lacquers and even though I use as many as 4-5 primer coats, 3 or 4 color coats, and up to 5 clear coats, I never have problems with detail hide. Of course the scripts are done only over the 5 primer coats and 4 color coats and not the clear. The '61 Buick photos above show a detailed badge on the trunk lid that was so faint that it was nearly non-existent, yet I managed to still do it with this technique. I suppose that if you are worried about detail hide, you can always put your foil on earlier in the process. I like to apply it as close to the end of the painting process as possible just because it means less paint to remove from the script. It's just a little more difficult to cleanly remove more coats from the script. Steve

I use a combination of the conical Tamiya swabs and sharpened tooth picks dipped in a little bit of lacquer thinner. Some will sand or polish the paint off of the script, but I find I get a cleaner look with the thinner, plus there is the danger that you might sand all the way through the foil. I have had that happen. Personally, I find that I get the best results if I wait until right before my final color coat before applying the foil to the script. Then I shoot the final color coat over the entire body, let it dry until it can safely be handled, and then clean the paint off of the script. Of course you are using lacquer thinner so you need to be careful of the rest of the finish. Once the scripts are exposed to my satisfaction, I commence with the clear coats over the top of everything. I apply the rest of the foil after clear coats and polishing. A good tip is to still try to trim the foil as close as possible to the script. Edges of the foil can be visible under the paint. Steve

No. They're a completely different design. Not compatible with the average rattle can. Steve

Sorry Steve. Don't have any of them anymore. Steve

Skip the Molotow get some "Bare Metal Foil" and use the "foil under paint" technique. You will get much better results than with the Molotow pens, and you don't even have to have a steady hand! Steve

A box of 800 Diamond round tooth picks will do the same thing for a lot less money! Steve

That's one of the best parts about Duplicolor spray paints! The "Fan Spray" nozzles put all other spray can nozzles to shame!! Steve

This kit has been around since the beginning of time in one version or another! I remember having a number of the "Quick Silver" version when I was just a kid. Steve

That actually looks pretty nice! I think if you cut out the old lens and inserted these from the back side of the body, you would have the perfect solution. Even the way it is, we need to realize that this photo is an extreme close up. It's not possible to get this close with the naked eye. If it looks this good this close, it will look great with the naked eye. Steve

Hey now! There's a subject that you never see! Great job on a rare old Johan kit!! Sorry, resin or not......nice job! Steve

Yes, but the real question is, who's staying, and who's leaving? I suppose that I better not pursue this discussion. Political! Steve

Hmmm. Is it any wonder that people are moving out of California in droves? Steve

Wow! That's quite a haul!! Any interest in getting rid of a few? I see a nice '63 Mercury convertible that I could see in my stash! Steve

Doesn't look too bad for a first shot at it! Steve

Even on something this small, masking tape is your friend. Personally, I would cut a small rectangle of foil and apply it to the inside of the bezel. Next, I would run small pieces of Tamiya masking tape around the outside edge of all four sides of the foil. (burnish the edges well with a tooth pick) Then a light coat of whatever paint you use. ( I use Testors "Stop Light Red") If it needs another coat, wait a half an hour and hit it again. Before the paint is dry, remove the tape and you should have a perfectly rectangular marker light. Not quite as easy with round markers. Steve

Nice!! There is a house across the street from my place of employment that has had a '57 Belair 4 door hard top sitting in the driveway for the past couple of years, and it's painted in this exact color scheme. Steve

Yes, I'm using one of his pre-wired distributors, but I wanted a standard coil that mounts to the intake. Just wanted to add another splash of color under the hood. Steve

Yup. doing it in yellow. I might see if I happen to have a decal close to the Accell decal also. Steve

I'm guessing that the water is there for positioning purposes. So you can move it around once it makes contact with the glass. Steve

I unwrapped the sheet after my last response and they are printed on very thin flexible film with a mild adhesive. So all that is required is to cut around the edge, peel it off of the backing, lay it on the inside of the glass and burnish it down. Seems like it should work pretty slick. Steve