StevenGuthmiller

That's it Yuri! I am no longer looking at your builds! You make the rest of us look like a bunch of chimps!! Seriously, another beauty! & I think you're even a better photographer than a builder! It's no fair that you should be that good at 2 things! I hate you!! Steve

Snow tires on a Vette....I love it!! Steve

I've heard of the baking soda thing but have never tried it. Do you apply it the same as flocking? Steve

That makes sense too Tom. Luckily, I've never really gotten into the flocking thing. But I do have a couple of projects on the horizon that I may try it on. I'll take your suggestion to heart. Steve

Looks like it would have required some work Tom. But all in all, it looks pretty solid. Steve

Very nice Chuck!! What are the wheel covers off of? Obviously not '61 Ford pieces. Steve

I got ya Roger. I do the same thing. I get the foil layed down just tight enough to trim it before I start burnishing. But I still get a little adhesive surounding it. Any place that the foil makes contact with the paint it will leave a tiny amount of adhesive behind. Then as you rub it down, it will gather in corners, recessed areas around scripts etc. Depending on paint color, you'll never see it, but I always find a few areas on pretty much every build. Maybe I'm rubbing more or I could be just getting foil with too much adhesive on it, but either way, it needs to be cleaned off & the WD-40 has always worked well for me. Steve

Understandible Pete. I don't keep WD in the aerosol can in my shop either. I keep a small container for cleaning with a q-tip. The only thing that I spray in my shop is primer & paint. Steve

Thanks for all of the kind words everyone! I'm a little surprised this thread is still alive. Not even one of my better builds! I guess '59 Buicks are quite popular. Thanks again!! Steve

Wow! Looks like you have your work cut out for you! But it looks like you're getting somewhere. If you had been in the right place at the right time a few months ago, I gave a very nice original '60 Buick convertible body & top boot to a fellow modeler on a different forum. I built a hardtop using most of the parts from the convertible so I had no use for the spare body. Good luck with the "59!! Steve

I've got a million different things in my shop that would screw up a paint job Pete, including Super clean, oven cleaner, paint thinners, airbrush cleaners, brake fluid, a hundred different kinds of solvents & cleaners etc. I just refrain from spraying down my work bench with them before I paint. I never discriminate against a useful tool because of what it might do. I just use precautions. Steve

Yeah....it's kind of a toss up between '58 & '59 isn't it. Although I think the designers of the cars in '59 must have been on something. Only someone who's tripping a little could possibly come up with a '59 Caddy or Buick! Steve

I would definately at least try the WD-40. It might be the answer you're looking for. Steve

I found out about that big piece of foil under the paint the hard way a long time ago Tom. Not only may it leave an edge that's noticeable, I also found that the color of the paint over the foil may differ from the rest of the body. Yes.....I agree, cut you're foil as close as possible to the script. Another good thing to try is if you don't like the way your scripts look after clear coats, (ie. not shiny enough) you could always use the same technique & clean the clear off of the script with some thinner. Steve

I burnish the hell out of the trim when I'm foiling & a lot of times the hard rubbing will take off any residue it leaves, but most of the time I'll still find black smudges here & there that is leftover adhesive that didn't get rubbed off. More buffing will generally remove that but the WD is much quicker. I do all of my paint polishing before foiling. That will help polish the trim you're about to foil so it's nice & smooth. Areas such as windshield frames & vent windows as well as larger areas such as rocker trim, I'll sand as well. You're correct, the smoother the surface & the more you burnish, the smoother the foil job. Steve

I've used WD-40 & then just washed it off with dish detergent. It's not that hard to remove. Although I would still wait until your sure you're done painting before I used it, just to be on the safe side. Steve

I remember that too Harry! It's a little disturbing to think hat a product that was used as a skin softener & insect repellent was also such a wonderful solvent. Being in the drywall/painting business, we used it to remove masking tape residue. I've also used it to remove stickers from everything from new dishware to motorcycle windshields. Only problem is, I haven't seen the stuff in 20 years. Come to think of it, I haven't seen an Avon lady for that long. Is there such thing as Avon products any more? Steve

Not gonna guarentee anything with that. I'm refering to the adhesive used for BMF. But it's surely worth a try. Won't hurt anything. Just don't try to paint over it as Pete said. Another product that's good for removing those type of things is the old Avon product called "Skin So Soft". If you can find any. Steve

Oh I know that Pete! Any type of oil will destroy your paint job. Even oil from your fingers can be an issue. I keep a small plastic paint container with about a half a teaspoon of "uncanted" WD in it. And I make sure I only use it in the final stages of the build when painting is done. I just like it for cleaning adhesive residue after foiling because it's so effortless to use. Takes me seconds to clean all of the foil residue from a body. Steve

If you're looking for something for cleaning up things like foil adhesive residue that won't harm your paint, I suggest WD-40. A dab on a q-tip will remove it instantly. Just don't go crazy with it or you'll end up removing the adhesive from under the foil too! Steve

My trick is to try to foil your scripts as closely as possible. Just like as if you were doing them normally. They don't have to be perfect, but as close as you can get within reason. Then apply your last coat or 2 of color. I usually foil before my last coat. the less paint you have to remove from the script, the better. Then after the paint has dried enough to handle, remove the paint from the script with a fine pointed swab dipped in a little thinner. The less thinner the better. You don't want to damage the paint around it. Then I clear coat afterwards. Steve

I like to do my fine scripts with the foil under paint technique, in which case it's pretty hard to do without clear coating over the foil. All of the rest of my foiling I do after clear. This technique is the best I've found for foiling scripts & I can guarantee you one thing.......I'm not going back!! Steve

I have a bit of a soft spot for the '59 Plymouths myself. My dad had a aqua colored '59 Savoy 2 door sedan when I was about 6 or 7 years old. I remember it sitting on the side street of our house for a year or 2 not running. It was a second car & my dad never got around to fixing it. But I sure remember using it for a playground! I spent many hours behind the wheel of that old Plymouth traveling the world in my imagination. Eventually my dad sold it & I had to resort to other forms of ammusement. Steve

A couple of fresh progress pics of the Merc. Clear coats are all on & the body is waiting for a final polish after a couple of days curing. The interior was painted with Testors flat black & a mixture of Testors "Stainless Steel" Metalizer & flat green & then shot with a coat of clear lacquer to give it a nice satin sheen. Steve

Thanks Dave. I love researching & painting these old annuals in the most unusual colors they came in. Sometimes colors they didn't come in. Steve