peteski

IIRC, Microscale sells sheets of decal stripes of various widths and colors.

Hmm, thought this saying was about how to make fortune owning a hobby shop, or in model kit manufacturing.

I wouldn't call it a "feature", as it is not really promoted or advertised by anybody. It is just how the eBay bidding works (since the beginning). I can see one dislike it as a seller, but not sure why someone would be against it as a buyer. After all, it is still what the maximum amount a buyer is willing to spend on an item (it is irrelevant whether the bid is placed days earlier or in the last 5 seconds). Or you enjoy the nickel-and-dime bidding?

Here's a more advanced LED installation - pretty much every light on this wrecker is illuminated. I built it about 25 years ago. Back then white LEDs were just starting to become available (but not in small packages, just standard 5mm size), and they were very expensive (I remember buying single one for $9 to experiment with). So in this model , the white lights are small 1.5V light bulbs, but red and amber are LEDs. Because of this, and because I also wanted a light bar which flashed, I build a custom power supply/flasher which is in the wrecker's bed. The whole rig needs 12V at close to 1A. I first thought of hiding 8 AA cells in the sleeper, but the frame would bow under that weight, so I run the lights from external 12V gel battery (like the ones used in emergency building lights).

Exactly, that is why I asked the question. These require fairly high (50V or higher) AC voltage.

Does the battery connect directly to the rope, or is there a small module in between? Or maybe there are some electronics inside of the battery case?

While MEK and Methylene Chloride are both solvents for polystyrene, Methylene Chloride is a much more aggressive solvent and it also evaporates much faster. MEK is mild and slower. Both have their own specific uses for some modelers. To me there is no reason to buy either in gallon size - I don't build that many models, and I also use other adhesives.

Well, I have never encountered any aluminum alloy (inducing Zamak, aka. "white metal" of"pot metal") which would melt at such low temperature. I have no idea what the BMF Chrome foil alloy consists of as I don't have any way to analyze its chemical composition. Due to BMF's foil low melting temperature I speculate that there is some tin or maybe other low-melt temperature metals. Pewter itself is a alloy. Silver and gold are not only too expensive, but they have rather high melting temperature. I doubt there is any silver in it either. Lead would be a good candidate as it is very soft, malleable and has a low melting temperature, but in today's world (where lead is one of those bad 4-letter words), if there was lead in BMF, I would expect all sorts of warnings on the package. It would be really interesting if some member here has access to spectroscopy equipment to find out what the foil is made of. Of course if one wants plain (but thin) aluminum foil, BMF makes that Ultra Bright Chrome, which seems to be just aluminum foil.

Ah, electroluminescent "rope" Sweet! Don't see those used often, as they need higher voltage power supply than just plain batteries (usually included in the purchase). I've been known be guess wrong from time to time. I'm just so used to this proliferation of LEDs into every part of our life, not seeing other types of light emitting devices being used often.

Thanks for the info guys!

I absolutely agree Steve . . . but for that we will have to patiently wait until he logs into the forum again.

LOL, no kidding! I should just keep a save a copy of my explanation, and paste it when needed to educate people that it is *NOT* just aluminum foil. BMF Chrome (or now Improved Chrome) is *NOT* just aluminum foil. It is made for some sort of secret (or not so secret) alloy of soft metals. It is much softer and more stretchy than aluminum foil, and if you compare it side by side to Al foil, the metal has a warmer color (sliht hint of orange orange hue). The fact that is it *NOT* just aluminum foil is what makes it so useful for areas with complex curves, or deep depressions we often have to "chrome" on model cars. To convince yourself that I'm not just blowing smoke, take a soldering iron, then put its tip to a piece of foil. It will melt instantly (like it was solder). Do the same with Al, foil and nothing will happen. I hope this will teach all the skeptics or uninformed modelers that BMF is not just another Al foil.

Well, since he has not visited here (to post any sort of a reply) since he originally started this thread, how can he possibly thank all of us? He can't. Maybe when he logs in next time, he will give all of us a big "thanks". Fair? We don't know why he has not visited since May 1st. Could be something serious, or maybe he just dropped out of the hobby in disgust of the sub-par materials he used. When I answer someone's question, I appreciate being thanked for (even if just using the "like" buttons we now have), but in this case the discussion has gotten out of control.

Looks very useful. Where do you get them?

Yes, hand-painting images on clear decal film is a handy way to make home-brew decals. Enamels (like Testors) work well. Not sure how well water-based acrylic enamels will stick to the paper, but I suspect it will work too. If you try using "hot" lacquers, those might affect (melt) the clear film. As Todd mentioned, applying dry transfers to the clear film, then applying the resulting image to the model is also a good way to deal with dry transfers (which would otherwise be difficult to apply to curved model surfaces) There are multiple sources of clear decal paper. I get mine from Bare-Metal (Foil) company. For what you are planning the decal paper made for laser printers (not ink jets) will work the best.

No? I bet you dollars to donuts that the green underglow is emitted by . . . green LEDs. Unless there are live flames under the car being showered by powdered copper.

Well, it isn't that clear. If you check their profile, last time they visited the forum was on May 1st (the same day they started this thread). So they have missed all the drama of the last 75 posts or so. Unless they read all the posts without logging in. Just to remind us all what the questions were about, here is a copy of the initial post: I was wondering if any of you have had any issues with Rust-oleum Painters Touch 2X Ultra cover? This evening I painted the hood of Moebius Ford F-250 snow plow truck. I put it in my Micro Mark drying oven for about an hour. When I removed it, not only was it still VERY tacky, it had glossy and dull areas on the exterior. It was dull over the areas that were stamped on the bottom to simulate the insulation. I've never had much luck with Rust-oleum spray bombs. They never seem to dry completely. I live in the Cincinnati area and I've been to local hardware stores and even the big box stores and no one seems to have Krylon anymore. Did they go out of business? The questions were valid and the entire post was clear, and well stated. While I have not reread all the posts in this thread, I have feeling that we have not answered most (or even any) of the questions. So when he returns to read this thread, there will be nothing to thank us for. Ain't this fun? So, has anybody here successfully used that specific type of paint on a plastic model (no primer brand was mentioned by the OP)? There are some other recent threads here about problems with Rustoelum in general - maybe he found them, and decided against using that brand of paint on models in the future. He then asked about availability of Krylon paints - was that question addressed by anybody? Yes I know, I'm being serious and logical - I need to cut that out.

Sorry, all out of all cheesy comestibles.

Yes, Eldorado, Riviera and Toronado of that time shared the same design, with the usually differences in the body panels, interiors and engines. The Caddy also had 4-wheel disk brakes, which is something very rate in Amercan cars of that size. It also has digital climate control (with built-in access to diagnostics), and mine also has the optional digital gauges. The '59 Caddy was the epitome of the '50s "fins" body style, and that makes a unique example of the cars of that time period. I think the designers realized that they "jumped the shark" and the 1960 Caddy had its fins trimmed, making it, IMO, a better looking car. That is not to say that I don't like or model the '59 Caddy.

Thanks! The '59 Caddy was way over the top with those huge fins (vertical stabilizers). '60 has fins, but it is more restrained. With all those straight lines and sharp edges, mine looks like a freshly pressed suit - elegant. But we are straying off topic here. Sorry!

Yes, Testors in a round bottle is the same liquid cement that has been around for decades in square bottles. Tamiya cement has also been around for a very long time. There are actually couple versions of Tamiya cement (different viscosites and drying times).

Thanks Jeff. '79-'85 were the same body style. Many (including mine) had the infamous HT4100 EFI V8 engine, but mine is ok so far. Hopefully by 1985 most of the issues have been worked out. I also had a '84 Eldorado as a daily driver in the '90s for few years, and that one did have an engine problem. That was before I was aware of the known issues. It is a very elegant looking car, and the convertibles are very nice too (IIRC it was the car featured on the old "Hart to Hart" TV series).

Me too. This is my '80s (1985) Caddy. I like its classic long-hood, short-back profile, and the sharply creased fenders that look like tiny fins. While it is smaller than the previous whale-sized Eldorados, it still has that soft boat-like ride quality. The soft white leather seats just add to that experience. But with 4-wheel independent suspension, torsion-bar suspension on the front, and stabilizer bar on both ends, it corners surprisingly well. This one has a 60/40 split front bench seat.

Ah ok, this is not the yellowing 5-minute epoxy. This one takes long time to set, and will likely not yellow. Like I mentioned, 5-minute epoxy is the bad stuff for clear lenses.

Actually, there is an aftermarket company, MODELER'S in Japan, which made a set of lenses. Not sure if they still make them. I bought them several years ago. I just dug them out to take the photo. The cost was 600 Yen (about $6US nowadays). They feature both, smooth lenses and ones with striations (which are on the inside part of the lens).