Karmodeler2

Cal, I could not agree with you more. Well put!!!! Now let me know when we can get to "snappin' " cause there are a few fingers I would like to snap!!! David

Hey Bob, It's not nice to call people names....that's how all the drama starts!!!!

Hey Tim, I thought that was you in the pics (I went to your site to check out this vette....VERY SWEET work....and alot of it. I hope Dirk and I will be at your show this year and I hope to see this indy vette......that is really nice!! Good seeing you in ATL this year and your better half too!!! David

Thanks for doing it early....I have a busy week and this one is definitely...........we'll see Friday!! David

I thought that they might be. I almost got out my opti-visor (you know, your vison goes when you get older) to check it out, but I could not find where I put it. (yeah, that goes too!) Thanks for the help. This forum is really helpful at times! Some of you guys are really talented and helpful....thanks! David

Hey Jim, when I saw your second sentence on the post line,(how do you do them?) I could not help but hear the stewardess say, "place the small flat metal end into the square metal end until it clicks. Lift up on the shiny metal top to realease!!!) David

Ben, I'm not sure how comfortable you are with your airbrush and how far apart you are willing to take it, but I break my gun down ALL the way, clean it, (pipe cleaners, q-tips, and lacquer thinner) and put it back together almost every time I use it. Especially for Alclad chrome. And they do make a clear for it to keep it from rubbing off, but I have never used it. I make sure the parts are the last thing to go one and I handle them with gloves. You might be better off using the largest tip/cone combo for your gun instead of the smallest or medium range one. The chrome itself is so thin, it should be like water and therefore go through the gun pretty easy. Hope this helps. David

Ben, As you will see, there are as many techniques to apply this stuff as there are modelers on this forum. However, this paint is a MODEL paint and will not stand up to the harsh elements or have the UV stabilizers in it to contend with the element of weather. I got the feeling you were using this on a 1:1 trailer hitch. Also, I use a different technique and I disagree with the 15 psi. I use 4 to 5 psi and mist it on. I have written about this and you can find it under tips and techniques on this forum on the link below. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=26234 Good Luck. David

Hey Dick, It has been on the MC show pics and I'm sure people are tired of looking at it, so here is a link to the build. I finished it in Nov of 08 and it's kind of made the circuit. I noticed you had an ACME sign in your living room, so if you are there next year, you might see it in person. I am bringing it, but not entering it, for display in the commercial class since that is one of the themes. David http://s194.photobucket.com/albums/z83/Karmodeler2/Singled%20Out/

It seems like it is, Dick. I saw some of it in Atlanta this Nov and thought I would try my hand at it. Thanks for the compliments! David

Okay, My other post was labeled Lace and Razberries, but I thought it sounded nicer this way. I shot the off white color (Tamiya Racing White) on the lower portion and have cleared the whole thing. Now in 4 weeks, I can buff it out. For those who did not see the first post, I shot HOK FBC gold, put lace on the model, then shot HOK Razberry on top of the lace.(I practiced on spoone first). I used a different lace for the surf boards, and edged them with the cream color. In the first pic, I tried to get my camera to focus (FOCUS!!!!) on the guard that was on the light about 3 feet above the model, but it kept wanting to focus on the lace. The thin black line that runs from left to right across the light reflection(about 1/3 from the bottom of the light square) is part of the guard on the light. I was trying to show the smooth quality of the PPG clear, but my camera would not let me. Hope you enjoy it.......if not, that's okay too. David

Roger, You can brush Alclad on, but you will not have the effect of the paint to it's full capabilities unless you airbrush it. It is kind of a waste of $8 paint when you brush it on. I have done so, but the greatest effect (and coverage) is to airbrush it. I recommend a double action if you are going to get one, for alclad paint because of the control it gives you. Below is an excerpt from a post on the 30 November about another question about alclad. Hope this helps. David One thing to keep in mind is that the only allclad paints that need the gloss base coat are Stainless, Polished Aluminum, Chrome (and there may be one more). ALL of their others can go straight onto plastic with no primer (although they do not recommend this, it can be done......you will learn a lot this way by just trying things and not being afraid to fail once or twice along the way,....that's how some of these tips come to be!!!!!). Also, get you a bag of plastic spoons at the Dollar store for about a.......yes, a dollar,.......and try your practice shots on the back of the spoon. On the inside of the spoon write what you sprayed on the back of the spoon. It's a cheap way to practice....and if you drill holes in the handles, you can hang them up with the back of the spoon showing for your own "paint chip" rack, and when you need a color you like, grab the spoon, look on the inside to see how you mixed it, and there you go. It's also helpful in repairing a model that you mixed a custom color for...and forgot how you mixed it!!!!! BLACK BASES ONLY One thing to keep in mind with the "black bases" needed for the particular allclads: these paints are translucent, not opaque. The light needs to pass through them, hit the base, and come back up through to give you the "Chrome" look(or one of the others). You can use dark colors, then put a coat of Future on the part, then allclad it. As long as the final coat had the deep shine, you will have the reflective property you are looking for. The best result I have found (and you will find many on this board, this is just mine) is to use a double action Paasche airbrush with NO MORE THAN 4 to 5 PSI. Put a cheap surgical glove on your left hand (if you are right handed) and hold the part in your left hand. Take your airbrush and push down all the way for the air, and slowly pull back on the trigger while spraying your index finger around your first knuckle. You will start to see the allclad come out in a very fine mist or spinkle(you need the glove to see this, that's why the glove) and while you are holding your trigger finger still, move your gun from your knuckle to your part you are holding with your fingers on your left hand. Rotate the part and let the allclad "sprinkle" onto the part. Because you are opening the hole on the gun to such a small opening, it tends to clog real easy and fast. No problem. Put the gun back over on your knuckle, pull back a little more aggressively, clear the clog, and then start the misting process again, then move it over to the part, rotate the part, and repeat. It takes about 5-8 times of doing this....but man!!! What great chrome!!!! While this may take some time, it WILL keep your chrome looking like chrome, and not some fancy silver paint. This technique has worked for me countless times. I wish you luck! (you can do this on spoons too....shoot the black, future if you want it, then the allclad....you can play with pressures, flows and the like and not have to mess up the real thing while you are learning). Experience is the best teacher.....after all it should be....it's the most expensive! David

Hey Harry, Can you point me to the yellow brick road? And who is the Tin Man.....you or Gregg? David

Hey Spyder, (did you mom really name you "Spyder"?), I have to agree with you. It seems that when those claiming to be tolerant have their tolerant views stepped on, they quickly become intolerant. David

I thought that might be the case. If you can pull out on the wheel (or rim, if the wheel comes off) toward you to try and get the pin to come out just a little bit, you might can get a pair of end nose cutters under the lip of the pin to pull it out. Otherwise, I think you might have to put tape around the surrounding areas and grind the head off the pin. Is the hole that the pin goes through accessible from the back side? might can use a punch and come in from the back. Could you grind an area of the backside to make the hole accessible? David

Now I have to come up with a FOURTH solution? Just teasin' you. I remove a set of wheels like this before. I was able to pull out the rim enough to get a screw driver or some metal blade on it to get it out. Also, you can use your dremel, carefully grind off the dome of the pin, slide off the wheel, grab the remaining pin with vise-grips and twist and pull. you can use styrene rod and make your own caps (button caps or other..craft store). Is it a metal pin in a metal hole? might have to grind off the button cap. I put masking tape (with a hole punched in it) over the button when I ground mine off. Good Luck, David

Hey, if it's metal to metal, and you used CA (super glue), you can use Acetone to deactivate the glue joint.

depends on what type of glue you used. Tube glue (I know, some still use it), you can dip it in water, place a sheet of wax paper or aluminum foil on freezer floor (important step.....no, make that VERY important step) and put in freezer. If tenax7r or something of the like, you can try re-wetting the area to soften the joint. CA? cut em off, switch them and CA them again. good luck! David

Hey Bill, I knew something was up on Monday because I tried changing it and it said the same thing. I even replaced one of my sentences with "Stop, Drop and Roll won't work in Hell" and it would not allow it, so I left everything alone because of it. I think the huge pics in the sigs may have done it. Maybe the great one himself will explain to the masses. Might be the beginning stages of Government rationing. David

I would JUMP at the chance to own these wheels. I machined the rims and all the 60 lug nuts for the truck in my avatar. The front rims took me 6 hours a piece and the rears took 8 hours a piece. That does not include the time to do the lug nuts and the "hog's head" on the rear wheels. So let's see, that is 6 x 2 plus 8 x 4 and that equals 44 hours. His price is $59. So $59 divided by 44 is $1.34 and hour. If you can find someone to machine rims (or anything for that matter) for $1.34 an hour, MAN YOU BETTER JUMP AT THE CHANCE! I wish I had known about these, this would have saved me a lot of time (not to mention the 2 and a half hours into the second rim when I screwed it up and had to start all over again!) At $59 dollars (let's say 60 for easy math), that is 10 bucks a wheels. If you had a machine shop do it for you, there is no way they could buy the aluminum, write the program, cut the wheels and sell those for 10 bucks a wheel. You should get them......but that's just the machinist in me talking!!! David

Hey Bob, Nice build....looks like an NNL winner to me. If you took such great measures to accurately detail the side trim to such a beautiful example of the real car (in fact, it some photos, it appears to be a candidate for ROM...that's Real or Model for those playing the home game), why did you not do the wipers as well. I'm sure you like the custom look in having them body color. and yes, I'm yanking ya chain! David

Hey Ernie, My sister-in-law is going through Chemo too, so I will add your name below hers on my prayer list. I trust God will comfort you during this difficult time. As far as your decal sheet, I'm almost speechless!!! I just told a vendor at the NNL in ATL last month that someone needs to do a sheet of decal stuff for the engine and other areas of the car. 4 weeks later, you put this sheet out....Amazing!!!!! (hey, I also told them it would be nice to have a '57 Aston Martin.......any help with that too? ) Thank you so much for you time and effort for doing this. I would definitely appreciate one. My email address is: Karmodeler2@aol.com. Thanks, David

I got to see Frank's work in ATL last year and I was hoping, along with some others, that he would return this year. His work was amazing!!! I hope he makes it next year. Thanks for the kind words. David

Thanks Charlie, and Ken, Randy and Andy. Every once in a while, I get lucky with something new. I might try this again on another "far out" project. Something fun while I'm in the middle of a full detail build. David