peteski

1) like others said - til it is as viscous as 2% milk. I never really make a note of the proportions. 2) It shouldn't - it has a fairly mild solvent. 3) The smell is probably mostly Isopropyl Alcohol. Like most others have mentioned, I say stick with its dedicated thinner - don't cheapen out and use substitutes.

LOL, isn't it just amazing? It is all H0 scale (it started as a train layout which grew and grew). I wouldn't call it a diorama - it is more like a huge model train layout, or maybe a better name would be an "exhibit". It is also not just a guy - it is a team of dozens of people who work on this exhibit full time building and maintaining it. There is an entire Youtube channel devoted to this exhibit. They even show behind the scenes stuff (how it all works). it also generates revenue (you have to pay admission). Official website: http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/ and Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MiWuLaTV

Very well done! What surprises me is that even in large scale like 1:12 they molded the rear quarter window louvers as a solid pieces. I have couple of 1:24 ESCI kits of those cars and I'm planning on making those louvers as see-through pieces with 3-D printed parts (once I figure out how to design them).

I have a partially built one I picked up for much less than $85. I assume you need a set of its rear wheels to use as fronts? If you promise to post some in-progress photos of your modeling I think those wheels can find its way to you. PM me.

That is exactly what I was going to say. Over the years there were many different formulations of polystyrene and dyes used to tint it. Plus, different companies use different sources for their raw materials. Next are dozens of different paint brands which modelers use (and those paints can have different chemical composition). So what Snake proved was that the red dye in the plastic piece he painted and the paint he used did not react. But that is a very small sample of what is out there.

The Demise of Alps printers has been greatly exaggerated. There are still many Alps printers out there chugging along (including mine). If you go to http://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/models/decals.htm and then scroll down to the section titled Custom decal companies you will find several customer decal makers. That list is fairly up to date. But remember that simply scanning a decal as a bitmap and then putting it in a PDF or another vector file format will not magically turn the scan it into a vector graphic format.

If they don't stock it at your local friendly hardware store, then can custom order it for you.

At home I have an old Akai component system stereo from 1980s: 2 cassette decks, CD player, equalizer, receiver and a timer. I also have DC player in my car (2006 Scion xB - same car as Toyota bB). I don't have any portable DC units but I really have no need of one of those.

Yes it is almost 49 C! It is getting a bit toasty in some parts USA this Summer. Some say this is global warming, others call it global climate change. Some think it is a natural cycle, others that humans contributed to the warming. Yet others say that it is just some random occurrence. Then there are also those who just stick their heads in the sand. You choose which you believe.

That is a classic Zeppelin! It is good to know that I'm not the only person in the world who still buys and prefers CDs to MP3 downloads.

Eh, those are weak! I get the "good: stuff, IPA99 at a local True Value hardware store (in the paint thinners section). It is 99% IPA and sold in gallon containers. Not very expensive either. Works even better than the others and still just as safe on Polystyrene or ABS.

I think I get what you are asking (but it wasn't obvious). Unpainted plastic looks like . . . unpainted plastic. If you are ok with that, then leave it bare. but f you want the plastic parts to look like the material original car parts are made of (usually metal, either bare or painted), then you paint the plastic parts too. Having said that, I have seen some good looking models which had unpainted bodies (they were just polished). But that only works on certain colors (often the lighter color plastic bodues are somewhat translucent and they will look "plasticky", even when polished).

This is not something that irked me specifically today, but I just thought of it. Some people's emails have a very annoying tag on the end. Things like "This was sent from my Verizon 4G smart phone", "This was sent from my super iPhone5", "This was sent from my wonderful Apple iPad", or similar. I really don't give a rat's-a$$ what device you are sending your email from! To me this is just gloating about how much of a technology-whore you are. Oooooh, I have a wonderful iPad! Fine, you can sit on it! All I care about is the meaningful contents of your email - I don't need to know how you sent it. Peteski This was sent from my supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Dell Optiplex, Win XP SP3, Seamonkey 2.33.1

It's easy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caller_ID_spoofing

You could get even better light distribution using white-color walls (not aluminum foil). It seems sort of counter-intuitive, but it works.

Actually the parent company, RPM owns both brands (and many more). They most likely are produced in separate factories using totally different formulas. Here is a list of all the brands they own: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPM_International

With flat paint spray cans you really need to shake the bejesus out of them. The flattening agent settles down and needs to really be agitated well to get back into suspension. Shake it vigorously 3 times as long as you think it is necessary. Then test-spray onto a cheap plastic spoon to verify how it looks (before spraying the model).

Tenax 7R is basically Methylene Chloride. IPS Weld-On 3 is pretty much the same stuff (but much less expensive). I get it usually in 4 oz. or Pint size cans from my local True Value Hardware store. But (like anything else) it can be purchased online. Here is some good info about the IPS adhesives: http://www.eplastics.com/plexiglass_glue

I don't think the IRS scam is related to any data breaches. I think the scammers just call either random or sequential phone numbers. As far as faking caller ID, most of the scammers and sales-pitch callers do that. It is really easy to do. The best one I've seen so far is when the Caller ID showed my own phone number calling me!

That is an odd li'l fellow. Looks like it is sulking. The steering wheel comes up half way up the windshield. It would be interesting to actually see a driver inside it hanging onto the steering wheel.

Very helpful thread! I like to use the correct firing order, even in 1:43 scale. I also scratch-build the ignition coil and made some spark plug boots (which aren't really visible on this engine). But I have to fess up that I didn't wire up the primary side of the coil to the distributor or the 12V ignition lead from the firewall to the distributor - I couldn't find insulated wire thin enough to look in-scale for 1:43.

Ah, sounds like the device which fried protected its circuit breaker from blowing.

No, that is on Wednesday! But like you, that was what I thought I'd heard too.

The propellant (butane or other gases) partially exists in a liquid state (mixed with the paint). When decompressed rapidly as when punching the hole in the can and then removing the awl out of the hole, that will quickly decrease the pressure inside the can causing the propellant dissolved in the paint to start turning into gas (boiling). That will cause the paint to foam up and it will come out through the hole. Think of what happens when you shake a can of Coca-Cola and then you open it up. This can be done, but make the hole as small as possible and after puncturing, keep the awl in the hole, using it to restrict and cotntrol the release of pressure. When done slowly, you won't lose too much paint. Also be sure to do this in some area which will not be messed up by paint splatter and wear face protection and old clothes (just in case).

Relative humidity is not the only factor we need to consider when painting. There is a difference in 54% RH 65 deg. F, and 54% RH and temperature of 80 deg. F. The combination of those 2 values gives you the dew point. I would have no issues spray-painting when it is 54% RH and 65 F but doing that at 54% RH and 80 F is a bit risky.