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peteski

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Posts posted by peteski

  1. I've always found it odd that the term "master" anything is used when there is no qualifying standard. I believe some trades (maybe plumbing and carpentry?) have levels of competency that starts at apprentice, and works toward being a master. I'm a fabricator. I've heard others refer to me as a "Master Fabricator", which I found odd, since there's no standard of competency to rate fabricators. Time, itself, is not a good gauge. I know fabricators with well over 20 years experience that just aren't that good. Likewise, I've been building models for more than 50 years, and am not at the level of the guys you all have mentioned above. It would be interesting to have, maybe, an annual event to qualify model builders as "Master Modelers". I would think there would be a set of standards, and one would have to meet those standards for, maybe, 5 years running (to prove consistency) to be awarded the title. This would not be a contest- there could be any number of titles given to anyone who qualified. Just a thought.

    Tom

    That pretty much sums it up. My official title at work is "Master Engineer" but that really doesn't mean anything. It is just one pay-grade higher than "Senior Engineer".

    But like Harry said, being a Master of your domain is definitely good thing.  ;)

  2. Very nice additions (as usual).  So with English Language signs and European-style trailer, does the diorama represent some location in UK?  Or are there other countries in Europe where English language is used on signage?


    The style of the warning signs looks American to me, but maybe it is an international standard.  I live in US and until you added the forklift and the trailer, that diorama to me could have easily depicted  shipping docks in USA.

  3. Both FedEx and UPS use USPS  for the final part of the delivery for certain kinds of shipments.  Service like FedEx SmartPost is one such example where FedEx and USPS are both involved in the shipping process.  UPS does the same thing but I don't recall the name of that service.  But just lat week I have  received a package which had a UPS shipping label with both UPS and USPS tracking info on it.

     

    UPDATE: I think that service is called UPS Mail Innovations

  4. I usually buy a 1 gal. can and using a funnel I pour the thinner into 1 qt. can.  Then I use a turkey baster to dispense from the 1 qt. can into a smaller container for my current paint job.  I use a whiskey glass because is it bottom-heavy, very stable. and easy to clean.

    whiskey-glass-250x300.jpg

     

    WARNING: Make sure that the turkey baster is either glass or a solvent-resistant polypropylene.  Some basters I've seen are molded from clear polystyrene.   Thinners such as acetone or lacquer thinner will attack and melt polystyrene.  I prefer polypropylene as glass can easily shatter.

    Polystyrene is usually crystal clear, hard, and has a somewhat metallic sound when tapped. Polypropylene is slightly milky or cloudy in appearance and it is not as hard. It also produces a duller sound when tapped.

  5. Like you already found out, there is no standard display base design shared between manufacturers (or sometimes maybe even between different production runs from the same manufacturer)!

    The only sure way to get the clear cover that fits your base would be to find another Hot Wheels model just like it which has the clear cover. If this particular run of the model did not include the clear cover then you just have to keep looking for a match. Or bite the bullet and just put the model in the case you bought. You could probably trim the model's base so it fits in the case you bought..

  6. You can get frisket material that's essentially a sheet of masking film with a sticky back that comes on a removable backing. Illustrators use it for masking. 

    I've been using it to make masks (using a cutting tip in a compass) for painting nice clean round whitewalls on vintage piecrust slicks.

    You may have to do some experimenting to find one that's compatible with whatever type of paint you're using though.

    http://www.grafixarts.com/products/frisket-film/

    Frisket material (still on its backing) doesn't seem to be sturdy enough to be feed through one of those cutting machines.

  7. For foil-casting things like emblems or door handles I used 5-minute epoxy.

     

    I don't see any viable alternatives for larger pieces. Other materials either shrink when drying, take forever to dry, or are too soft/flexible or fragile to be useful. 2-part resin is IMO the only option.  It hardens by chemical reaction (not by evaporation of a solvent), it is very thin when liquid (allowing it to easily fill the mold) and hardens to a durable material.

  8. If the sticky side has transparent adhesive (so the seat belt color is visible, you could stick it to a piece of Saran Wrap then cut the belts out.

    Another idea is to remove the adhesive. Naphtha (Ronsonol lighter fluid) should soften and melt this type of adhesive, but it might be messy.  But the adhesive backing might also be preventing the material itself from fraying.

  9. I wholeheartedly agree that the metallic particles in that line of paints are way too large (especially on a 1:43 scale models)!  What were they thinking when they came out with that line of paints?  :wacko:  This problem is especially noticeable when taking photos of those models. They look like dune buggies or bass boats with metal-flake finish.

    As mentioned, often the metallic flakes themselves contribute to the final color of the paint (they aren't always just gold or silver).

    I don't think straining will work (even if you found mesh with opening small enough to prevent the particles from passing through. Why? because the mes will quickly clog with the metallic particles  and won't pass any of the liquid through. The other problem is that paint is so viscous that it will not be able to easily pass through those small openings in the mesh.

    I have a piece of mesh on the end of the suction tube of my airbrush and it also can clog with metallci particles wile I'm painting (using metallics with very fine particles).

    What you could try is to let the paint sit for few days. Metallic particles usually settle down on the bottom of the jar. Then just pour the top part of the paint out into another jar.  But if there is some pigment, that might also be on the bottom of the jar.

  10. I've used it to clean parts, too, but I found it can leave a very slight "oily" residue, so, like you, I use isopropyl alcohol mainly for that.

     

    That's odd. And the Naphtha was fresh(not reused)?  I used both, Ronsonol lighter fluid and VM&P Naphtha, and when fresh out of the bottle they leave no residue at all.

    Now most of the time I use Naphtha for degreasing N scale model locomotive parts. Those are made from Delrin or similar plastics (resistant to most solvents).

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