peteski

But "real" plating of plastic parts is very modeler unfriendly. The plated layer of metal can't be easily scraped for good glue joints (much less fully removed). Trumpeter issued a kit or two with that kind of plated parts and everybody hated it. Electroplating also uses all sorts of nasty chemicals (which are dangerous and hard to dispose of). Professional resin casters (like Modelhaus and others) send their resin parts out to be vacuum metalized. It doesn't seem to be a big problem. And it is much friendlier to the modelers (and it looks good too).

Good for you! But this is not about tools - it is about preventing the small parts falling down into the "floor abyss" or being eaten by the "carpet monster". You know, those tiny parts you accidental drop on the floor, never to be found again.

That is why mine is fastened with Velcro!

Yes, plastic can be electroplated, but I'm just saying that the "plated" parts in plastic kits are not plated but vacuum metalized. It is a different process.

My neighbor made me an apron (I provided the fabric) with a strip of Velcro sewn onto the bottom edge. I have the other part of (self-adhesive) Velcro stuck under my workbench. Works like a charm, except when sometimes I decide not to wear it while working and then I almost always drop something on the floor! Still haven't learned to make sure to always wear it! Jewelers/watch-makers have been using this type of apron for many, many years. The beard thing looks usable, but to me it is too tight around the neck to be comfortable for long periods of time. Aprons have much looser fit around the neck.

Now I'm confused. Sure the hobby ones are safe since they are designed to work with those hobby paints. But I thought that we were discussing turkey basters. Those are the ones I've seen where some not made from polyethylene.

Now I understand! Thanks! Learning more tricks and techniques . . .

Very interesting!

Nice! Mustangs are beautiful airplanes.

I pretty much use BSI CA line of products and they all work well.

Typical hobbyist language... When you say acrylic, do you mean water-based paints? (Because there are plenty of organic-solvent-based acrylics). If you mean "water-based acrylics" then some of those paints will curdle when mixed with alcohol, while others will be fine. But regardless, denatured alcohol is a good cleaner/degreaser for parts (metal and plastic) before painting.

And make sure it is polyethylene (the slightly milky, soft, waxy looking plastic). I've seen basters made from crystal clear plastic (either acrylic or polystyrene). Those will be attacked by strong solvents in paints. Unless of course the paint is water-based.

I don't think that is a good idea. Plasti-Dip uses solvents similar to what is used as solvents in model paints. If you apply it over paint it might start attacking/dissolving the paint.

Lets think about this for a bit: Molotow is alcohol-solvent-based. The tip is made from some sort of fiber. If the tip is clogged up with dry paint why not soak it in a solvent. How about the same solvent used in the paint itself (alcohol). SO soak it in either 99% isopropyl alcohol or maybe in denatured alcohol. Or if that fails, lacquer thinner or acetone will do a good job of dissolving the dried up paint. No need to use SuperClean. All the liquids I mentioned will dry with no residue, and you will be able to use the tip again without rinsing the tip in water.

Plating (electroplating) is not what is used on plastic model kit parts (at least on majority of kits). The "plating" we see on kit parts is vacuum metalizing. This process is totally different from plating.

Ah, so you put some resin in the female mold, then you put the male mold in and squish the resin out. Some resin comes up the vent holes. Then you put it under pressure and let it cure. But aren't those vent holes still filled with resin? If so, then you just break the cast parts off those stubs of resin in the vent holes?

Greg, by "pour stub" I meant the pools of resin shown here in the center the mold.These are solid funnel-shaped cavities (the top part is large, then there is a small opening going down towards the part's cavity). I was wondering how this funnel-shaped piece of hardened resin is detached from the molded mirror.

I believe that the "revive it" stuff is another iteration of the original Future Floor Finish (which in its previous iteration was called Pledge FloorCare Mult-surface finish) There used to be a great website called "the complete Future" maintained by a modeler called Swanny, He used to keep up with all the name changes, but he shut it down couple of years ago. Um, wait . . . I just checked and it is back! http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html But if the "revive it" stuff is really Future, he has not updated the website with that info. Not sure if he is even updating it anymore.

Is the decal paper specifically made for ink jet (not laser) printing? I don't have any pointers on the proper ink jet printer setup (I print my decals on Alps thermal transfer printer), but I can tell you that even if you manage to print the decal correctly, if you apply it to a non-white surface all the non-black colors are translucent and will not show their true colors. All the standard consumer color printers (CYMK) use translucent colored inks and they need a white background to have the colors properly rendered. My Alps printer is also a CYMK printer but it can also lay down a layer of opaque white ink as an undercoat for the color (CYMK) inks which print over the white. For more info on CYMK color model see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMYK_color_model

Yeah, yeah, the clear primer stuff is not a typical primer but an adhesion promoter when painting plastic parts on 1:1 cars. As a side-note, Tamiya's metal primer is a clear primer too. Isn't that ironic, don't you think?

Thanks for even more "casting secrets" Greg. And the mirrors came out really nice! You mentioned flash, but how did you brake the mirrors off the pour stubs? With the same stick?

Yeah, that is amazing! They also often cut out scenes out of the programs to shorten them (and make more time available for commercials). We sure live in strange times.

I've heard some of those horror stories too. But in my case, it was an eBay item (and USPS Priority Mail delivery). I should have been clearer.

I appreciate you posting photos of how you are making the molds, etc. It is like getting free education from an experienced caster. Thanks!

I had this happen to me few months ago. I even went looking for it at my adjacent neighbor homes - nada. The package was delivered the next day as if nothing has happened. I wasn't home to ask the mail carrier what happened. Weird! Like you said, the mail carrier had to scan the barcode on the package to show it as delivered.