peteski

Only $425? There is a Can-Do wrecker on eBay with starting bid of $469, with Buy-it-now price $650! No takers yet. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Revell-1-25-Peterbilt-Can-Do-Wrecker-Model-Kit-Sealed-Content/324221657248

PVC pipes (used for household plumbing) and compressed air are not a good combination.

I wonder if those truck air reservoirs are replaced regularly to prevent them from bursting. I suspect that there might be water condensing in them, possibly rusting the inside of the tank. They rather be safe than have the tank blow up. That is why air compressors with tanks have drain valve to drain the condensation. I hope the one you got was an new one rather than the ones they were scrapping. But I guess if you have been using it for 30 years, that tank doesn't owe you anything either way.

I had one of those days . . . and it looks like the forum software is acting up. Thanks Bill.

I had one of those days guys . . . and it looks like the forum software is acting up.

I have plenty of problems in my life, but so far that was what irked me *TODAY*. After all this thread is about what irked us "today". All in all, it must have been a good day (so far).

What irked me today? well . . . It was right on the forum. Someone included 9 copies of the same photo in their post, then someone else promptly replied to that post, quoting all those duplicate photos, just to give a one-liner attaboy reply. Come on people - think before replying to a very lengthy post - it is easy to edit/ trim the included message. I always do - maybe I'm just being too considerate. Ok, rant over - I feel slightly better.

Ah, the Nitrile rubber glove stand - very handy! What was the reason for posting the same photo 9 times Ace? And then slusher quoting that photo nine more times, just to praise your stand? What's wrong with this world? You guys must really like to scroll a lot.

I always use clear epoxy, and never had problems. I never tried (or had a need to try) the colored stuff. But if you think it will help you to get consistent and reliable results - go for it! You mentioned that you have no problems with JB Weld. That is an epoxy too. Why not just use JB Weld for the emblems? It will work fine - you just have to wait longer for it to harden.

Oh, why do they have to keep coming out with these quirky cute cars. I really don't want to buy any more kits, but I might have to make an exception here.

Even with the 5-minute epoxy there is still plenty of time to mix it thoroughly Maybe your mixing technique is not optimal? I use a round toothpick and the epoxy is on a piece of masking tape stuck to a flat lid of a medicine bottle. That way can hold the bottle kind of like a palette. I don't just stick the toothpick straight down into the epoxy and swirl it around. I also hold the toothpick parallel to the mixing surface and scoop up the epoxy down to the bare surface of the masking tape, then twirl/roll the toothpick. I keep repeating this until I can tell it is thoroughly mixed. If not mixed properly, you can see swirls in the mixture as the hardener is sightly different viscosity than the epoxy. It needs to end up homogeneous liquid.

I never encountered epoxy or CA glue beading on aluminum foil. Sounds like your foil is coated with something that causes beading. Either way, scuffing it will not hurt.

The only explanation I can find for your epoxy failures is insufficient mixing. I can't think of anything else (especially if you use that double-syringe dispenser. You really need to be diligent in mixing it. if you don't mix it well enough, some parts will set while others won't. It really isn't that difficult. Lots of modelers successfully use epoxies. Aluminum foils have shiny and dull side. I suspect you use the shiny side out (for that chrome-look). The dull side should have enough roughness for the adhesives to adhere to it. I suppose you could scuff it a bit, but not sure what you'll use not to rip the delicate foil. Again, this is all very delicate, and the glue will easily separate from the foil. You need light touch.

Secret to epoxy is to mix it *VERY* thoroughly! Very, very thoroughly. I never have problem with epoxy not setting properly. Mix, mix, mix. Dod I mention: mix? Seriously. Mix it on some disposable surface (I use a piece of masking tape on a flat medicine bottle cap), then after it is mixed, apply to your emblem. Apply it very sparingly - just enough to fill the embossed emblem. if you put on too much, gently skim it off, so only the emblem is filled with glue. And baking soda and CA glue is the worst idea someone ever came up with. Use the proper thing to harden super glue: CA accelerator. I have tried half a dozen varieties, and BSI (Bob Smith Ind.) accelerator is by far my favorite. I couldn't build models without it. Also make sure that the foil is perfectly clean. Same goes fot the model surface where you will be taking the emblem impression. Of course the more pronounced emblems will reproduce better than the shallow ones. But the foil needs to be burnished down well in all the crevices (but don't puncture the foil - work it slowly). No matter what glue you use, the bond to foil is not very strong,so you have to handle and trim it carefully.

Sears? Are they even still around? I thought that they (and K-Mart) went bankrupt. Plus I seem to recall that the Craftsman brand was sold to another company.

No, epoxy is by design made with separate resin and hardener. I'm not sure if I understand your statement. What exactly is the problem for you?

Aluminum paint consists of metalalic particles. If the paint coat is applied properly (not too lightly), the primer color is not important - the metallic particles are totally opaque.

Sweet ride Jason! My GF had one of those too (before I met her). She said that she loved driving it. I'm promised her that I'll build a model of it. I started it years ago, but it is still unfinished. I have the Tamiya and Revell kits, BBS wheels, the Merlot Mica paint, and even photoetched the required emblems. I just have to get back to that project one of these days.

Detail Master and Pro-Tech (Charlie - he is a member here) sell ignition wire. And if you don't mind something a bit larger diameter, 30 AWG wire wrapping wire also works well.

Yes, you are quite familiar with your CAD software. I just meant that you must have spend dozens of hours on the computer, just on the Delage project.

You must have spent dozens of hours with your CAD programs! That's dedication!

My first digital camera was a CASIO QV-200 I bought in late '90s. It used AA batteries for power. Built-in 4MB (not GB) memory. Photos could be taken at 320x240 (0.06 megapixel) or at the high-res of 640x480 (0.3 megapixel) ! Photos were uploaded to the PC via a serial COM port (not USB) connection! The Nikon Coolpix I'm still using is an 8 megapixel camera. That was right a the highest photo resolution for cameras back then. It uses CF cards and has a magnesium alloy metal body. When it first came out, it was in the "Prosumer" range, and cost over $700. I bought it to take model photos at my model club's contest, to be submitted to the Scale Auto and Model Car magazine. it is a great camera for model photos. Nowadays they show up on eBay for less than $100.

Amazing! Question? The mesh is full of random triangles, but the rear part of the roof seems to have orderly arranged, and evenly distributed triangles. Was that part of the roof "cleaned up" by you?

When I'm composing a post and I add photos, I can see them in the compose window. I'm using a PC, not a tablet or phone. If you want to go one step further, on top of the compose window (on the right side), there is a "preview" button. But I never use it because I'm happy with what I see in the compose window.

I jus posted my setup to show a curved backdrop. It is not very large and sits on a piece of wood, so I can move it easily. As you can see, I use my regular workbench magnifier fluprescent lamp as the light source (I swing it fromo my workbench to the photo stage for takign pictures. The tripod is needed because I'm using that single 30W fluorescent magnifier light as a light source, and my 15-year-old Nikon camera needs long exposures (at the smallest aperture). Often a second or longer. I can't hold the camera steady that long. That camera takes awesome macro photos, and I have no smart phone with sensitive camera, it is the only choice I have. It is really not that fancy.