peteski

The "expert lady" who said that propellant was hardening was full of it. You are correct in stating that it is the binder (clear resin in the liquid paint). Maybe she meant to say "binder"? Anyway, propellant is a gas, usually propane, so it does not harden and turn into a transparent yellow resin. The leaky cans are usually due to a tiny void opening in seam where the side of the can is attached to the bottom. Since the can sits upright, the liquid (under pressure) will slowly seep out and harden. If the propellant was leaking, it would invisibly escape from the top of the can (usually from the valve).

There should also be an option to retract a bid (if you have a good reason, it is not a big deal).

For cleaning the wax residue from Shapeways FUD and FXD (or whatever they call those nowadays), I use either Bestine (it is a rubber glue solvent containing Heptane), or Naphtha (either VM&P Naphtha from a hardware store, or Ronsonol Lighter Fluid). Assuming that the fingernail polish remover is Acetone, the above chemicals are less aggressive than Acetone. I had bad experience with Acetone actually making some small parts soft and brittle.

"Oily anal discharge" can do the same. That was listed as a side effect of Olestra (the short low-calorie oil substitute used in potato chips).

I update my earlier post with some of the info you asked for. Sorry, my documentation skills are poor.

Yes you can use it for painting model cars, and yes I do. There are dozens of really nice colors available (and while some cost over $10/bottle, there are lots of cheap ones too - look in dollar stores). These are similar to 1:1 automotive lacquers - you need to use the same methods you would use for painting your model with 1:1 automotive lacquers. You need a primer/barrier coat over bare styrene. Here is my last build where I uses a nail polish. Nail polish is very viscous and needs to be thinned for airbrushing. I used PPG medium temperature reducer (thinner). I don't have the ratio (I thin it until I think it is usable), but it was probably around 50/50 ratio. I used Tamiya fine white primer for the undercoat (decanted and airbrushed). Then I applied a Testors Wet Look clear. No sanding/polishing/waxing was done to this model. As far as the number of coats and thinning ratios go, I don't really keep track (and I've built this model few years ago). I should make notes of my panting procedures, but I always forget to. Plus, that would further slow down my already-slow builds.

Hey Mike, that is a very nice model, and an interesting history lesson. Thanks! Or should I say "tanks!" Growing up in Poland in the late '60s and '70s, I have seen plenty of scars left by WW II. Then a school field trip to Oświęcim (Auschwitz) concentration camp left lots of images permanently imprinted in my mind. We should never allow what happened then to ever happen again.

Assuming you are asking about 5-point harness, do a Google search for 5-point seatbelt and look at the images.

Yes, the headlight's shape also screamed "Citroen", but I didn't have the time to research the actual model details.

To me "thirsty car" is a gas-guzzler (car that burns a lot of gasoline). Not something I would advertise for a small family car. Besides, that thing had such a small engine that I would never call it "thirsty". Unless it had a big hole in the gas tank and leaked gas like a sieve.

To my eyes, they have a different color. Regular BMF chrome has a warm silver color (like Nickel, or Stainless Steel) where aluminum foil is more bluish-silver. Quite noticeable when compared side by side.

Not yet - I need to first get better at 3D CAD. It takes time (and I have lots of already started non-CAD projects). I hope to do that someday and to get my own machine, but for now I can ask my Railwire friends to print my designs (when those are ready). And you're right - I do remember posting a link to that Photon thread elsewhere in the forum.

Looks like something that could be fairly easily designed in CAD and 3-D printed. Then that could be made as a master for making more resin copies. Mayne some 3-D designer could be talked into rendering this item?

Isn't the surface of the nose where the emblem is located convex? So the mold's surface will be concave. How do you squeegee a concave surface? Curved squeegee?

While the high voltage statement is accurate, it is not a capacitor. The CRT tube itself acts as a capacitor - the CRT itself holds the high voltage charge. Be careful with those!

If you want to see many examples of what can be done with Photon printers, check out https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=45736.0 It is a very lengthy tread, but if you just scan through it and look at the photos, you'll be amazed. I know I am!

It seems that the solutions provided so far (pumping and alcohol rise) are for lack of any paint coming out of the pen. That doesn't seem to be your problem. While I don't have a solution, I wonder of the liquid chrome (paint) inside the paint thickened up, so when it dries the metallic flakes will not lay flat, align, and create the chrome-like surface? Can you tell if the liquid that turns into regular silver paint is thicker than what you remember it to be when the pen worked properly? I suppose that is would not also hurt to thoroughly rinse out the tip and the cavity that holds the tip. I would use 99% Isopropyl Alcohol, but 91% should also work. I would take the tip out and using a pipette, flush out the cavity that holds the tip. Then soak the tip in multiple baths of alcohol to dissolve the paint caked up in there.

Yeah!

Thanks - makes much more sense now.

Interesting info. But since this is about plating, may I suggest that you change the subject of this thread. "Spoon test" is not very informative or describes what this thread is all about. You only have 3 days to edit the post.

What I see in it is some sort of weird angular version of AMC Pacer. Looks pregnant!

If Pledge Restore is a new name for what we in the past called "Future" floor finish, then if the car is already finished in glossy surface, there is no need to apply it before decals. If you apply it after decaling, then it will act like a clear coat sealer for the decal. I'm not a user, other than as an occasional dip for clear model parts. But if the paint coat on your model is flat then applying a coat of "Future" woudl give you a glossy surface which is desired for decal application. Then after decaling, you can apply the top layer (for the same reason as mentioned above).

Arts & Entertainment (A&E) channel? The Learning Channel? I remember when these showed wholesome programs. I haven't watched them for years though (not included in basic cable service I'm getting). What has this world come to? I also remember when MTV and VH-1 actually showed mostly music videos. Obviously thought, enough people watch the stuff those channels show. I also don't get the popularity of all the reality shows on TV (like the Bachelor or Survivor).

To me the term seems to be very clear (but often misused). Professional (or a Pro) is a person who's profession (and income) is whatever he does for a living. If someone builds models for profit, then he is a Pro builder. So if someone builds model for sale anywhere (doing it on commission, or even doing it on eBay), he is Pro. But by that definition, one of those eBay "Pros" can also be a hack - as long as he can sell his models as they were (poorly) built.

While not a fan of those plastic Aztec airbrushes, the engineering plastic they are made of is (or should be) resistant to lacquer thinner or other solvents like acetone. I would be surprised if the plastic parts were affected. But those airbrushed have sealed nozzle units and they cannot be disassembled for cleaning. I suspect hat most of their failures is due to clogged nozzle units. As mentioned earlier, some water-based paints actually curdle when exposed to strong solvents (like lacquer thinner). If that happens in an Aztec, the nozzle is trash. It makes most sense to get airbrushes made out of metal and ones which can be fully disassembled for thorough cleaning (when the need arises)..