BigTallDad

THE BUCK. I glued three layers of coffee-stirrer wood together and sanded it to shape. I made it extra deep because the plastic tends to curl up at the base of the buck, so this gave me room to sand the drawn plastic to shape. THE SETUP. Rather than use a whole lot of plastic for one tiny object and to avoid having to make multiple bucks, I resorted to aluminum foil to seal off the area surrounding the piece to be drawn. THE RESULT. Using scrap plastic (from a blister pack), I made about six of these, then selected the best of the lot. I found that the heat gun needs to orbit the plastic around the buck; otherwise one side will draw down farther than the other. SANDING TO SHAPE. After using fingernail clippers to get the rough shape, sandpaper came into play for the final portion. I held the backer with a surgical clamp to avoid the “pling, I wonder where it went” disaster. BMF. I laid the first piece of BMF on the inside of the backer, placing it slightly over the center of the diagonal, then burnished it down. The second piece was applied in the same manner and overlaps the first piece just a little bit. The finished product is actually smoother than it appears in the picture. THE LENS. Using more of the blister pack plastic, I created a straight edge, measured, and cut to size (in this case the height of the lens opening). After scoring the horizontal and vertical lines, the plastic was cut roughly in half. The two pieces were then placed side-by-side and cut to the proper length (actually the width of the lens opening). The white stuff you see is double-sided masking tape, which held the plastic firmly and allowed a certain amount of precision for scoring and cutting. FINAL RESULTS. Five minute epoxy was used to glue the backer to the lens. The part on the left is an ’85 SVO assembly.

Very nice build. I also like the Viet Nam campaign ribbon for the front plate.

I like to keep the footprint small, so it doesn't take up too much space. Most of the time I use the cradle in a free-hand mode. If I need to clamp it down, I'll first attach the cradle to an over-sized base and clamp the base down. Plan B would be making the sole plate on the cradle a bit longer and/or wider, at the cost of taking up more space.

You might want to read the tutorial again; I used 1/4" plywood but suggested thicker wood might have less wobble...I also mentioned using a drill press. I'm the consummate pack-rat, so I keep things like the wooden disks. and on rare occasions I can actually find what I'm looking for.

At last, you can control your own destiny and make fanbelts just about any size you want. OK campers. For those of you who built one of these, read on For those of you who didn’t, shame on you. Here’s the article http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=102101 I started with plywood and made a disk, then put a nut & bolt through the center. Make sure the bolt is straight or you’ll get some wobble. My disk was 1/4"; a 3/4" thickness will reduce wobble, and a drill press (that's another story) really helps. Use double stick masking tape, found at golfing stores (they use it to put new grips on clubs) and mount a piece of rubber. I used a section from a bicycle inner tube. Start up the drill and use a pencil to mark a circle; this becomes the reference point to cut the actual circle. Measure the diameter of that circle. Now, measure the length of the fan belt you need. Wrap some thread around the two (or more) pulleys, cement it together (but not to the model). After the cement dries, cut the thread and measure the length. Divide this length by Pi (3.141592) and you now have the inside diameter of the fan belt. Unless you have a very steady hand, you might want to use something for a tool rest. I prefer a fresh # 16 blade because of the steeper angle. Also, make sure that the cutting edge of the Xacto is properly oriented regarding the direction of rotation. Another, perhaps better approach would be the use of an Xacto with a blade that swivels. Using the pencil-mark circle as a guide, turn on the drill and use the Xacto knife to make the inner cut, gradually working the blade into the rubber. I found that higher speeds work better. Move the Xacto just a little bit and cut a larger circle. Remove the newly created fan belt and install. This is a nice, flat fan belt, unlike those ugly round O-rings. If you’re really obsessive, you mount the fan belt inside out on a hole-saw and taper the edges just like the real thing.

Is there any interest in seeing the schematics etc? I could put a tutorial together.

A 12 volt adapter (or two 6 volt lantern batteries, for shows). All of the logic circuitry is in an external box as are the switches; the box is connected to the base via phone wire/jacks.

This is the control box Here are some shots showing the lights The ones below show the headlights on low beam (top photo) and high beam. Note that the taillights are on in both pics. Next come the parking lights. The top photo has only the parking lights and the bottom photo also has the brakes applied, accounting for the brighter rear lights. Finally, the turn signals; it took several shots to get each light at the exact moment it came on. I used a model railroad crossing flasher to perform the on/off cycling. Here's the circuitry http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=102782

My 1:1 with a 327 regularly dined on GTOs. The model has fully functional lights (hi/lo headlights, taillights, brake & turn signal). I had to remove some plastic on the taillights and parking lights so the lights could be seen. I sanded the backside of the grille to get the see through effect The display base is a piece of mirrored plexiglas cut into the "bowtie" emblem shape. The model is attached to the base and wiring for the lights goes up through the rear tires/wheels.

PART ONE. I'm working on a 48 Ford woodie convertible thought I'd share some tips for bending the wood. Although I've never tried it, I firmly believe that strip styrene can be bent in the same manner using a food dehydrator. The first thing you need is a template. There are several ways to do this: (1) cut along the seam, trace the outline on a business card, then repair the cut seam with styrene (this is how I did it); (2) use an old cabinet makers trick with a compass. Place some paper on a heavy object and align the model. Scribe the outline from the model onto the paper PART TWO. Take the paper and glue it to some wood, the cut along the line with a scroll saw. Add some auxiliary strips, then drill out for nuts/bolts. In the end, you'll end up with something like this. I made mine thick enough to do several strips at a time. Soak some wood (coffee stirrers work well) in tap water for a day or so (or boiling water for about 10 minutes), then clamp them up. Note that the top part is notched out to allow the portion that goes over the top of the door; if you don't do this, the thickness of the material being bent will cause mis-alignment. The toothpick/rubber band makes this bend quite nicely. PART THREE. After several days' drying time, the wood is ready for removal. While not machine-shop precision, the wood conforms to the body well. Glue the piece in place (you might want to put some finish on it first)

Here's a promo I re-did a little while back. I disassembled it, painted the interior the proper color, repainted the body, and did some minor paint on the bottom of the engine. It's a curbside and the hood is closed, so I only did the two or three parts visible from the bottom. This matches the 1:1 I had a few years ago.

Use an approach similar to drilling distributor caps http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=101796 Use tubing slightly larger than the diameter of the support brackets and cut it a little bit longer. The multiple-size tubing will center the bit and the extra length will keep it straight.

For a wall mount, I'd get rid of the base and use two French cleats attached to the back. http://newwoodworker.com/frenchcleat.html

I currently have two knives with #11 blades (utility and BMF), a #14 blade, a curved blade, a chisel-point blade, a photo-etch saw blade, and a swivel-point blade. That way I don't have to bother changing blades all that often (assuming I can even find the blades to begin with).

Huh? I've carried a pocket knife for 65 years and my knives are always sharp enough to shave hair. I've never cut myself to the point of requiring stitches. Adding a plastic shield might make it difficult to remove the tool from the cradle; as it is, you lift the handle straight out of the slots.

I decided to build a storage rack for Xacto knives. The first attempt, using a distributor cap, was a dismal failure...when I had the blades pointing up it was (let's not go there) and when they were pointing down I couldn't see which one it was and they got very dull very quickly. I decided to use a horizontal array and stack them vertically, ala the Easy Rider Rifle Rack At the top is the "utility" handle; next is the BMF (I put a pencil eraser on it, so it won't roll, can be identified, and when I switch blades on the utility handle, I move the eraser to that handle), then come the various other blades. The bottom slot is the scriber, and the chisel point is on the base. Start by taping two pieces of wood together, then drill 3/8" or 1/2" holes about 1" apart, drilling towards the back of vertical center. Then using a scroll saw or a sabre/razor/etc. saw, cut the openings; make sure there is a bit of upwards slope, so the great god of gravity can exert his influence. Take the tape off and glue to a base. I'm using seven slots; if you go higher, increase the size of the base. The nice thing about it is the small footprint and ease of access, allowing me to put it on the back of my workbench.

What parts are you pinning? Small ones, such as outside rear-view mirrors, door-handles, etc. ? If you're dealing with plastic, the following might help (all bets are aside with other materials, such as die-cast, paper, and so on): As far as the make-up of the pins, I use styrene rod the same diameter as the holes drilled. While in the primer stage, set the part in place, outline where it fits on the body, then drill a tiny hole in the strongest structural part (with regard to the part) of that area. Tape the part on the area and then, from the inside, drill a corresponding hole on the part (but not so deep as to damage the part). Glue some styrene rod (same size as the drill size or slightly smaller) in the part, then trim the rod back to about 1/32" or so. After painting, make sure the pin on the part fits, making adjustments as necessary, in the desired location. Apply your favorite adhesive, and attach the part.

Stellar tutorial. You and I have the same mind-set, although your skills are better than mine!

Things you need. Empty aluminum can, cutting mat, Xacto knife, steel straight edge, nibblers, fingernail clippers, and sandpaper. I bought my nibblers from ModelMark, but I’ve since seen them at Harbor Freight for about eight dollars. A word of caution: when you cut the aluminum with an Xacto knife, the aluminum will have a burr edge and can be quite sharp! Knock that edge down with sandpaper, lest the profanity prevail. Insert the aluminum into the teeth of the nibbler; making sure the aluminum is square with the nibbler, take a bite; remove the chad (send it to Florida); Insert the aluminum a bit farther, and take another bite. Move the aluminum, allowing enough space for the part representing the clip, and repeat the previous processes. Once you have reached the end of the aluminum, cut the weights off with the Xacto and straight edge. When all is said and done, you should have a strip of Tees (the letters) all connected at the top. The top of the Tee is the weight and the leg of the Tee is the clip. Using the nail clippers, cut off one Tee; the length of the top can (and does) vary, depending the weight requirement. At this point, you can mount the weight on the painted wheel. It is highly recommended that the weights be installed before mounting the tires. Place a dab of five minute epoxy on the wheel and cover it with the weight; while holding the weight in place, bend the clip over the wheel edge and epoxy the clip to the inside of the rim. Use a tiny clothespin or non-marring clamp to hold the assembly until the epoxy has set up. EMBELLISHMENT. For those gonzo modelers requiring absolute perfection, you can further tweak the appearance by thickening the weight (but not the clip) with epoxy then painting it with lead colored paint. Obviously this is done before the weight is attached to the wheel. In addition, larger weights can be lightly sanded with a Dremel to give the curved effect seen on real weights. The same approach can be used to create wire looms for plug wires. Just make the Tee a little bit larger.

My first car was a '47 chevy, as shown here http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=102026 Old age (I'm 72) might be stepping in, but to my recollection. the welting appeared to be a rubber tube covered by canvass, then sewn.

Is this anything at all like rubber cement (like you find at office supply stores)?

I don't know if this has been posted somewhere else, but it's a new idea to me. I suspect there might be a few groans followed by "Why didn't I think of that?" Those slide grips you use to close laundry bags, tighten parka hoods etc. can also be used with rubber bands. The slide grips can be found at Walmart, in the Camping Supplies area. Open the slide by pressing the button, then slide the rubber band through. The optional straw segment is used as a stand-off, to prevent the slide from contacting the part being glued. You now control the tension on the rubber band...no more wrapping multiple times to get the desired tautness, and removal is a breeze.

Another alternative for springs is using aluminum rod and a machine screw. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and look for a screw that looks to be the proper size. Find a rod (local hobby shop or a large Ace Hardware store) with a diameter that looks good, such as 1/64" or 1/32" (or metric sizes too). Place the machine screw in a vise, then wrap the aluminum rod around the screw keeping the rod in the screw grooves. When done, remove the screw by unscrewing it. RESULT: same-diameter coils that are evenly/identically spaced.

Not really; the engine was a '53 Powerglide (higher compression ratio, more horsepower) coupled to a 3 on the tree so I could quickly dispel any thoughts of an "old man's car". Besides, a true old man's car had 4 doors.

What body style? For a coupe/hardtop/convert use a hardtop/convert donor kit; for a sedan or fleetline, use the fleetline as a donor kit. The interior tub for a fleetline and sedan is longer than the tub for a coupe/hardtop/convert. I had a horrible time getting the windshield and vent windows to fit. The frame on my donor kit was warped, and I ended up attaching the model to the base so all four wheels would touch.