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peteski

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Posts posted by peteski

  1. 1 hour ago, LDO said:

    It will probably never go hunting. IMHO, hunting is just too expensive in Texas. For the price of hunting land access for a weekend, I could fill a freezer with ribeyes. That's nuts. 

    But it is not about the "food" - it is about the thrill of stalking the prey, right? :D

  2. 18 hours ago, espo said:

    You might check out Home Depot and Lowe's. They both have an Electrical Supply section and they offer many different sizes on a spool or even fore sale by the foot.   

    Not anything remotely close to 0.4mm overall diameter.  That is about 0.016".  30 AWG wire-wrapping wire is about that diameter (including the insulation). 

  3. 1 hour ago, BubbaBrown said:

    Castrol Super Clean not purple power will strip just about anything.  Put the kit in something and let it soak for a few days, you are not going to hurt it.  Some guys for years have used oven cleaner which is lye, I don't like being around or smelling that stuff.

    Main active ingredient in Castrol Super Clean is lye (Sodium Hydroxide), which is the same as in the original formula Easy-Off oven cleaner.

  4. Sorry to hear that it didn't work out. Stop signs really mean stop. Complete stop, even if just for an instant.

    Hopefully you did learn from your mistake. But don't worry, many long-time drivers out there roll through Stop signs.  That is one of the things that irk me (should post this in the other thread).  I almost got in a fight with the driver behind me because I dared to completely stop st the stop sign, even though there was no cross traffic. The nitwit behind me expected me to roll right through and got really pissy when I came to complete stop, forcing him to jam on his brakes.  Imagine that - actually stopping at a stop sign.

  5. The car in question is a 1960-61 Velorex Convertible. But I also accepted as correct 1971-73 Velorex 465-0 convertible.  See explanation below.

    Michael invited me to run this week's quiz - thanks Michael!

    Remember - do not post your answers here. PM me your guesses.

    Here is this week's automotive subject.  Good luck!

    QuizCar001.jpg.8fdcea4358cbbd499463b34264372680.jpg

     

    Here is the convoluted story of this auto challenge.

    I was doing some research on the cute turtle-like vinyl-skinned Velorex-Oscar 3-wheeler.  Looking at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velorex I saw a photo of the red convertible.  I thought it would be a perfect subject for the Auto Quiz!  That page also stated that Velorex started making 4-wheel vehicles in 1971 and stopped production in 1973.  That was model 453-0.  The caption on that red convertible did not show either  model name or year, so I assumed it was a 453-0 convertible from that year range.  So I created last week's quiz using that photo and info.

    When the guesses started to come in, I was made aware that it was not a 1971-73 Velorex Convertible but a 1960 convertible.  That is 9 years before the supposed production start of 4-wheeled vehicles.  Here is some proof:

    A photo showing a license plate "1960" ( http://www.eurooldtimers.com/temp/stroj_zoom_15171.jpg )

    stroj_zoom_15171.jpg.adf2c62c93c85d60965e8b42f5b37f05.jpg

    Also a photo album which has photos of a blue car and it labels it a 1961 453 (not a -0) convertible.

    https://hiveminer.com/Tags/435%2Cvelorex/Timeline

    32746294343_895726193c_b.jpg.49e368e87b6e2c2de91740c6e99034be.jpg

    A website showing the same red convertible I used in this quiz calling it a 1960 convertible (no  model number given)

    https://auta5p.eu/lang/ger/katalog/auto.php?idf=Velorex-1960-20157  (check out additional photos there).

     

    Couple additional sites showing Velorex 4-wheel vehicles.

    http://www.tresbohemes.com/2015/09/cutest-little-boho-chic-car-ever-made-meet-velorex-oskar/

    https://www.veteran.hu/regebbi-szamainkbol/2023-negykereku-borond-velorex-435-0-1972

    Due to the conflicting info, I accepted multiple answers.  I suspect that the convertible was some sort of low volume run (prototypes maybe?) and the much boxier looking 435-0 vehicles were then produced in 1971-73 time period. 

  6. I have both kits (unbuilt) and yes, the AMT kit has the tires and wheels undersize,and the tires have too high of a profile.  Revell tires look ok, but IIRC, there is some issue with the wheels too.  I would have to dig out both kits and look at the again.  I was thinking of using the Revell wheels with the AMT model, but again IIRC, there was some problem with that.  I haven't looked at these kits for probably over 10 years.

  7. I have tried the dissolved plastic, method but I find that it takes a very long time for the solvent to evaporate (days, weeks, or even longer, depending on how much solvent was in the mixture and how thick the filled area was), and the plastic never seems to get as hard as it was before it was dissolved.

    I rather use CA glue  and if needed mix it it with either styrene shavings or talcum powder. It also use accelerator (BSI brand) to harden it.  No shrinkage at all. I then work it (sand/feather it) within about 1 hour after hardening. the CA glue continues to harden, so it eventually becomes harder than the styrene, making it difficult to sand the filled area smooth.  Some use baking soda as filler - I stay away from that method. Baking soda is water soluble and if some of it was left exposed to ambient air, it can absorb moisture from humid air, dissolve and start oozing out f the filled area.Besides, baking soda violently accelerates the cure of CA, often bubbling up and even smoking as the CA hardens. BSI accelerator provides gentler hardening action.

  8. That tape is supposed to have the edge of the adhesive treated with some substance which absorbs water from latex paint and swells up, supposedly sealing up the edge perfectlyy.  If used with organic-solvent-based paints (like hobby enamels or automotive paints), the frog tape will not give any advantage over standard masking tape.

    I bought some years ago (without understanding how it works) and tried it on a model, but I found it too stiff for masking models.

    For masking models, just like others have mentioned,  I use the 3M Blue painters tape (for filling in larger areas), and Tamiya tape for fine masking.  I also use Parafilm-M and liquid masking agents.  It all depends what type of masking I'm doing.

  9. Cale, if you know the rules of the road and you have done some driving with your learner's permit (and you survived so far), you'll do fine.

    After my test was over my instructor told me that I drove like a cowboy and that I should take it easy and go slower! I'll never forget that. I still passed it and got my license. :D

  10. 14 hours ago, Mark said:

    No, the lead was added to increase the octane rating, to allow higher compression ratios.  One article I read awhile back stated that this could have been accomplished by adding alcohol to the gasoline (as is done now).  But the lead was chosen because it could be patented as an additive, while the alcohol blend could not...

    But alcohol has less energy than gasoline, so the ethanol blends give you poorer gas mileage than a pure gasoline.  I don't think that the lead additive had the same effect.

  11. 5 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

    You're exactly correct as far as you go, but "gasoline" is actually a blend of several "-anes"...like octane, alkane, heptane, isobutane etc., as well as some "-enes". "Aviation" fuel is simply a very high percentage of octane. A small percentage of tetraethyl lead USED to be added to lower-grade fuels to mimic the higher-octane-content of more expensive grades, but this has been eliminated for the most part.

    These products of the distillation of crude stocks are blended to get specific combustion characteristics in engines, including anti-knocking, easy starting in cold weather, and resistance to vapor lock in hot weather. https://newsroom.aaa.com/2013/06/what-is-the-difference-between-summer-and-winter-blend-gasoline/

    Also see:    https://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/fuel-consumption/summer-fuel.htm

    And ONE reason motor fuel is more expensive than it used to be is because lead can no longer be used to boost octane ratings, so a smaller percentage of a barrel of crude is available to produce high-grade fuel.

    Different grades of crude will also yield their fractionated components in varying proportions. 

    "Light sweet crude" with a low sulfur content is the most in-demand of the crude oils, as it contains a disproportionately large fraction that is directly processed into motor fuels.

    Thanks Bill. So there is really something to this Summer Blend stuff. I don't recall price of gas dropping when going back to the Winter Blend.  Also, info from those websites seems to confuse things even more.  One of the sites states:  The difference between summer- and winter-blend gasoline involves the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) of the fuel. RVP is a measure of how easily the fuel evaporates at a given temperature. The more volatile a gasoline (higher RVP), the easier it evaporates.

    The other one states: In order to reduce pollution, summer-blend fuels use different oxygenates, or fuel additives. These blends, the EPA claims, burn cleaner and also help compensate for a limited oil supply.

    Which is it? Oxygenates or RVP?

    My car uses the lowest (87) octane gas with up to 10% Ethanol (alcohol) in it. That should be super-cheap! :D

    I also thought that the lead in gasoline (which was called "regular gas" after unleaded gas was introduced) was not to increase the octane rating but to lubricate engine's valve seals.  That is why cars with older engines should run on today's unleaded gas with lead additive added.

  12. Bill states that all these adhesives are chemically same as the Elmer's white glue.  But doesn't' the Formula 500 glue adhere much better to smooth surfaces than Elmer's?  Elmer's can easily be peeled off smooth surface. Elmer's when dry is not crystal clear. It has slightly milky look, while Formula 500 dries crystal clear and glossy?

  13. You can also use cardboard boxes like the ones used to store promo models. Either get them from Spotlight Hobbies, or use ones meant to store baseball cards.

    Spotlight Hobby boxes:

    http://www.spotlighthobbies.com/one-dozen--12--spotlight-hobbies-model-car-boxes.html

    Baseball card boxes are available is different length. Here is one example:

    https://www.blowoutcards.com/supplies/550-count-cardboard-storage-box-50ct-bundle.html

  14. 23 hours ago, Pete J. said:

    True, but if you look to the other instruments, there are some bizzare combinations.  For instance the altimeter still has an analog 100' hand with a digital read out in the center for thousand foot increments and it still has a manual input for altimeter setting.  The hand is still run by a bellows and mechanical movement.  The backup artificial horizon is still a pneumatic gyroscope with mechanical internals.  No computers or digitals there.  The airspeed indicator is still analog run by a pitot tube and static port even though the central display can give a digital read out in indicated, true and ground speed.  Stuff we use to have to calculate using a "wiz wheel".  Also the Mach meter is still analog.  Of course most of this is backup if the electrical system fails but it is still interesting to see the continued value of the old mechanical

    /analog systems. 

    Yes, it is a good idea to have very basic analog or even mechanical gauge backup system in an airplane.  Unlike in a car, you can 't pull over to the side of the road in an airplane is some fancy digital readout dies on you. I hope that they always keep a mechanical fail-safe instrumentation on airplanes.

    Although is seems that they got rid of those fail-safes on some airliners with glass cockpits. This one still shows the blanked out circular openings where I suppose those analog gauges would reside.

    Airbus_A330-200_flight_deck_forward_disp

     

    airbus_a380_cockpit_during_day.jpg

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