Karmodeler2

I think these two gentlemen have mentioned something that I hope will not be lost by anyone. Buying tools/aftermarket stuff will NOT improve your building skills or make you a better modeler. Just look how many hours David took to ENSURE (not just accept, but ensure) that his model was correct. He says he's over 50 and I'm sure he did not just start building a year ago. You are looking at talent, which can't be bought, but was finely honed, and still is being honed, to what you see here. The excuse that he, or I have expensive machines is a moot point. You can buy a race car, but you would be no Jeff Gordon (or Earnhart for you "3" fans). David chose to spend the time honing the skills needed to build incredible models. It was a choice on his part. I see a lot of models, with tons of detail, but the basics are missing. Therefore, you have a model, that is not that well done, with $100+ of photo etch, and it's still a model that is not that well done. For the gentleman who asked if he should hone his basics or try a really high detailed build......hone your basics, or you will be wasting your time and your finished product will be something you (probably) would not be proud of. A model sitting on 4 wheels, a body that sits parallel to the ground, an engine not canted to one side (unless it's suppose to be), and panel fit and finish are just a few of the areas I work on all the time and these are very basic. The more you hone your basics, the better your work will continue to be. Look at Dirk Joseph's work. He spends countless hours on engineering, fabricating, and mocking up that most do not realize it when they see his work. They think he just "modified" a few kit pieces and that is all. He does it so well, you think it's just "modified". It is normally scratch-built or engineered so well, that it looks correct and acceptable in the real world. Nice work from both David and J. You both have talents. And I'm not trying to highjack your thread J, just wanted to add my 2 cents. David

Hey Jim It is my understanding that the statements below that I found online sum it up the way I view it. I could be wrong considering the source: To put it simply, acrylics are water or alcohol based and usually non toxic (with the exception of alcohol based acrylics obviously). Acrylics thin and clean with water or alcohol. Enamels are an oil based paint and are quite toxic. They are the old school of model paints and are slowly being replaced with acrylics. This is mainly down to their toxicity and the fact that they thin and clean with enviromentally damaging white spirits. A number of myths surround enamel paints (mainly spread by proponents of acrylic paints back in the day). They DON'T ruin brushes as many people say (people simply don't know how to clean them properly) and they take hours to dry not days. They're perfectly suitable for painting small details on models and will not ruin anything (not even plastic - after all for 40 odd years enamels were the only paints available to paint plastic model kits). I have always thinned the normal enamels with lacquer thinner (the model master ones and the square bottles we got as a kid that had the white tops with the testors logo on top). I thin the Tamiya short fat bottles with their thinner, or alcohol or water. (The last one I could never get the paint to do "right") I thin the Tamiya spray paints with lacquer thinner. As far as drying, the acrylics should dry faster and be ready for a similar clear within a few hours. I would use the Tamiya fat bottle clear. It's docile and won't affect anything. You can always spray the back of a spoon, wait a bit, clear it with different clears to see if there is an adverse reaction or not. David BYW, Tamiya acrylic paint used to be sold in little fat bottles, then the smaller, skinny ones came out, then they went back to the fat ones again. Where they are now, I'm not sure. It should say on the bottle "acrylic enamel". I would use alcohol or their thinner to thin them.

Ensure your black is glossy. A quick coat of Future floor wax will help. Dries in about 30 minutes if shot thin. Then, put on a rubber glove (if you are right handed, then put one on your left hand). Using a double action air brush, set your PSI to no more than 5 or 6 PSI or as low as you can read to around 5 PSI. Then pull slowly back, while pointing the gun at your gloved hand, and holding the part in your gloved hand. When you start to see it coming out like fine specks or small particles, move the gun and start misting the part. Check your hand again and make sure the tip is not clogged. If it is, then just pull back more, unclog it, then repeat the process above. You should be misting it on VERY LIGHTLY and it takes several coats to get it to look like chrome. The glove for me helps to see the rate at which it is coming out. I find that a fine mist of 4-5PSI is best. David

Okay, I think I found something similar. While this is bigger than the one I have (sounds personal to me), you can still see the little grooves cut into the surface. David http://www.axner.com/kemper-k31-zig-zag-saw.aspx

well.......what did it say?

Hey Steve, you just reminded me. I had a guy give me a very small, delicate tool that looks like a small yellow plastic handle with a tapered piece of metal sticking out of it. It is very small (no longer than the distance between 2 joint lines on the inside of one of your fingers....unless you're Andre the Giant) and the tapered metal, when you look under the magnifier, is actually like a rasp, with little fingers sticking out from it. He says it is used in ceramics to remove small hairs and particles from the piece before firing and that he uses it to grab small hairs and stuff out of the paint when it's wet. Looking at it , it looks smooth, but pull it through two fingers with a light grasp and you can feel the roughness of the metal. I have not used it yet, but it looks like it would be the cat's meow when it comes to removing hair from wet paint. I always end up hitting the model with tweezers and knocking a dent in the fresh paint and have to start all over. I will use this and let you know how it works. Maybe you could do some research and find out what it is. David

Thanks John for the answers. I guess that I should have read the first post....you did say HOK. I saw it after I asked the question...thanks for answering it. Love, David

What scale is it? And did you use base and clear? and did you buff? And one more and I'll go away. What paint product is it? Thanks, David

This looks totally cool and something different for the tables. Ricky Couch did one of these (before the little red wagon kit came out.....he took the van and did it) and it inspired another cool one from Dirk Joseph. See the first link below for a cool VW Van turned into pickup (once again, the van was out before the pickup). I can't wait to see this one finished. Also, Morgan Barclay did one in metal that is really cool too. It's in the second link. You can see what he started with and where he ended below. Really cool.....and all done in brass, lead, and tin. No Bondo. Looking forward to seeing your "finished" point. Very Inspiring. David http://public.fotki.com/ScrappyJ/vw_vanbus/ http://s194.photobucket.com/albums/z83/Karmodeler2/Morgan%20Barclays%20Ford/

There is a really nice one in the Bad Medicine Dragster. If there is a big demand, I could cast it. It seems like this comes up pretty frequently. David

Welcome aboard. Since you "used" to be a serial killer, and we sometimes have people that get out of hand, maybe we could use your services and take care of the whiners here.....I see this working out to be a win win for everyone!!!! Yes, people, it's sarcasm. relax!!! And welcome aboard. David

Hey Mike, how is the Fisher kit (the Alfa)? Is it as nice as his others? David Here is the link to his Cunningham that I just finished. It was a nice kit. David http://s194.photobucket.com/albums/z83/Karmodeler2/Cunningham%20C4R/

Sounds like you are doing everything you could do to cut down on the gremlins. I think straining is the only thing that might take out the last gremlin roaming around. And I'm sure it will sand out of the clear....I do it all the time and it never shows when I'm done...I think you will be okay. David and your room looks really nice. Most of us would kill for a place like that!!!! David

Super glue will work well too. You can fast dry it with the "Kicker" and then sand immediately. It dries pretty fast. Some guys use what is called "Micro Ballons" but I could never get it to work well. It's a filler (fine like baby powder) and you add it to the CA to give it more of a "gap filling" property. Spot putty works well too. David

Not a problem Gary. I was just trying to think of all the "gremlins" that seem to come out of the wood work when you paint. I use the cone shaped filters you get at the paint jobber (the Dupont store or the PPG store or where ever you get your paint). If I really want to strain it and I'm worried about imperfections, I use a mesh that I get from Small Parts. They have them down to 1 micron which is really really small and will filter out every piece of trash known, and unknown, to man!!! Also, with vacuuming the area, you might want to wait 45 minutes or so after vacuuming, if the motor of your vacuum is in, or near your booth. They tend to kick out a lot of dust, and stir a lot up when you use them. Unless it's one of those Herpa kind, it probably is doing more harm than good. Might want to get a longer hose and put the motor in the next room. David http://www.smallparts.com/s/16310161?ref_=sp_sc_1_2_lf&searchSize=20&searchNodeID=16414371&searchKeywords=mesh+screen&refinementHistory=subjectbin%2Cbrandtextbin%2Cenc-merchantbin%2Cavailability%2Creview-rating%2Cdate%2Cis_prime&searchBinNameList=subjectbin%2Cbrandtextbin%2Cenc-merchantbin%2Cavailability%2Creview-rating%2Cdate%2Cis_prime&searchRank=relevancerank

I have 3 K&r kits and they are nice. I have not built them yet, and even though they are expensive, they are nice. My friend bought the XJ 13 and it's a nice kit. David

Thanks Dirk for the reminder. I got so focused on talking about primer that I forgot the most import part....sanding. Yes, you want to mix up some water and Dawn, and I even put some directly on the model sometimes. It will keep your paper from gunking up with primer or paint or clear. Thanks Dirk for mentioning this. David

I either use Tamiya white primer or the Plasticote white primer (I think it's T-235...I know Car Quest carries it). I am a firm believer in white primer under every color coat when I use primer. Sometimes I choose not to use primer, but only when it's a model paint or something docile that won't attack the plastic. The Audi R8 I'm doing now has no primer, it's just Tamiya base and clear. If you use an automotive primer carefully, and put on light coats to build up the primer, it should prevent the bases and clears from attacking the plastic. Go to McDonald's and get some free spoons and try those first to see if there is a compatibility issue or not. Most automotive primers will protect the plastic. I have had some of the HOK bases attack the plastic, but I did not prime them first (my mistake). I sand the body entirely first with 600 to remove any blemishes and unevenness in the panels. You would be amazed at how the panels on a model "rise" up at the edges. Go get a new body out of a kit and hold it up to the light and look down the side of the car....it looks like an accordion. That's the first step I do to get the body prepped. I also use a pin vise with a needle chucked up in it to deepen all the panel lines on the car. In fact, I do this first, then the sanding, so I don't sand away any body lines. I go so deep with the pin vise that if you look on the inside of the body, you can see the white line forming on the plastic on the inside of the model. It gives the panels depth. If I prime, I then will prime it, and after about an hour or so, I will wet sand it with 800 to smooth out any imperfections, then I will wash the body thoroughly with soap and water, rinse thoroughly and then let air dry for an hour or so to make sure the water in the crevices is gone. I am wearing gloves at this point to keep from putting any oils from my skin onto the primer. To ensure you have a body that is dry, you can use your double action airbrush to just blow air in tight spots to make sure you are "water free". I then shoot my base and with in 10 minutes or so, if no taping or two tone is required, I shoot the clear. I try to get a chemical and a mechanical bond by doing this. If your base has dried, and you have not used an adhesion promoter, you are really only getting a good mechanical bond at best. A chemical bond is one where the chemicals, still being in a wet state (meaning, they are not cured and dry) will bond with each other. An adhesion promoter will do just that. It allows the base to be active for several days to accept the clear coat and bond chemically and mechanically to each other. This is primarily used in the 1:1 world, but I have had the PPG clear not want to stick to some of the Tamiya bases after I have done a two tone or something, and now I add the adhesion promoter to the Tamiya base to keep it active longer. You should not have a problem with model paints when used exclusively. hope this helps. David

Gary, I'm not sure of your mix ratio in the first sentence above, but it sounds like you mixed it 2:1:1 or 2:1:3 if I read that correctly. I tend to shoot it 4:1:1 for the 2021 Concept and will sometimes add more reducer to get it to flow on the last coat. One thing with urethanes, and you will notice this on your hood, is that they tend to build up right at the edge of a panel line or the edge of the piece, if it's separate from the model if you spray too many coats. This can be knocked down when you sand it. Or, if you spray light coats, and stop spraying when you have an "orange peel" looking finish, it will level out and as you build coats, it won't do this. It is very hard to take my own advice when I spray because I'm so impatient and want it to look smooth out of the gun, but if you do this, you will see an improvement. There have been occasions where I have followed that advice and the difference is amazing. It's the waiting that kills me!!! I wait 10 minutes (set a timer, it's easier) for flash before the next coat and I stop at the orange peel look. When I do this, it always seems to work better. I also don't spray much over 20-25 when using my airbrush for the stuff and my full size guns I spray at about the same at the tip (I have a gauge on them). As far as your imperfections, are they affecting the silver or just the clear? You can have particles in the Hardener, that are clear in nature, but cause the effect you see. Did you strain the mix after you mixed it and before you shot it? Was your airbrush thoroughly cleaned (read: disassembled) before your clear coat? If you can only see them at the angle, and it did not affect the silver (or base coat, but silver in this case), then it's in the clear and probably a small hair or something to that effect. You will be able to sand this out and polish it as if it were not there. A good rule of thumb to protect your investment in the PPG stuff or any line, is to store them in either zip lock bags or some air tight container to prolong their life. Also, with the gallon of clear that I have, I put a fresh piece of saran wrap under the lid each time I use it. It seals better that way and I do this for all of my QT containers and bottles too. I thoroughly clean the lip and the lid and then use saran wrap for the final protection. I also store them in a cool dry place and this drives my wife nuts. They are in the bottom of my food closet in the kitchen. But they are in a air tight container. Hope this helps. Ask Bob Downie about the dehydrator thing since he has the knowledge on that. I don't think that the dehydrator should have caused it.....it would be all over the model if it was a dehydrator issue.....that's my guess. David

Thanks Clay for your selflessness and willing to die for our country and for me. I appreciate my freedom and I am fully aware of the price of it. Thank you for serving and your dedication to your job as a Marine. This is the only branch of service that really "trains" their folks the way they want them. I was in the Air Force 16 years and really enjoyed meeting the Marines. It's like they are a different breed and when we studied them in college in Sociology class (I know, I had to take it, did not want to), they rose to the top as being the only branch that can de-program a person from the way they were brought up and re=program them the Marine way. Thanks for your service. I could not have made it through Paris Island. I'm not that tough!!! David I got out over the Anthrax issue, so what I'm about to tell you goes against what I did, so just bare that in mind. If you are going to stay past 5, you might as well stay for 20. It's a good retirement and the medical benefits are far superior to what a civilian company could offer you.(right now you are young and don't need it, but you will age....trust me, and the health thing is HUGE when you are on any meds or need medical attention. My Father-in -law was a heart transplant patient for 19 years, 9 days and while he was living, the military paid, in full, for his transplant and his meds every month. Imagine the cost if you had to do it or it was supplemented by your civilian employer. And with the medical world going the way it is, you can imagine what the cost of "free healthcare" is going to cost you. My father-in-law stayed for 37 and my wife is working on 23+ in the Reserves. I would have stayed had the Anthrax issue not been the "straw" for me.

It's called Dykem layout fluid and you can get it in the container or the pen like a sharpie. It is a HazMat item so it has to be shipped by truck.(not plane). You can get it at the address below. You can spray it through your airbrush, just clean it with lacquer thinner when you are done. It is very thin so it will run easily if sprayed heavily (I guess all paints will run if sprayed heavy enough!!) I use it all the time for machining, cutting and grinding. David https://www.shoprutlandtool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/AjaxCatalogSearchView?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&pageSize=12&beginIndex=0&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=1&isItem=true&showResultsPage=true&pageView=image&searchType=ALL&searchTerm=dykem&searchTermScope=4&searchTextValue=dykem#AjaxCatalogSearchResultView?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&searchTerm=dykem&resultCatEntryType=1&pageSize=12&beginIndex=12&sType=SimpleSearch&searchTermScope=4&pageView=image&identifier=1282918856257

That's exactly what I was thinking.....it's almost as much work to make everything out of brass in FULL scale, and it is in 1/4.....even easier for the nuts and bolts!!!

Hi, I'm Jeff Sauber. I build models and like it here. Sincerely, Jeff Sauber (stolen by David Morton)

The primaries are over....I lost.....but support is......well support! I welcome it.....even if I'm a loser!!!! Thanks Dirk for the nice comments. I appreciate it and you have done the same for me in the machining realm to bring my game up to a better level and I thank you for that. While I like you as a friend, I don't like competing against you cause you bring it hard and strong and it makes me a better modeler to step up and run with you. THanks for all the motivation!! David And Keck, Don't make me come out there and "re-arrange" things in your home!!! David

Hey Mike, ask Bob Downie about the dehydrator and if the paint ever settles more after out of the dehydrator. Since I am using mother nature, the time it takes to cure is much different than the time it takes to dry. (I think Bob can cut and buff in about 8 hours and he uses all kinds of paint. His name on this forum is Zoom Zoom). You are correct that "gassing out" is where the chemicals release their solvents and the like and settle down to their final state. If you could imagine a rough surface, not as drastic as a gravel road, but something like this in scale. You spray the urethane down and it looks really sweet. The clear coat fills in the rough edges and "smooths" everything out. Well, if after 16 hours or so, you cut and buff it, you can polish it to a shine. However, that surface under the polished one, is still there, and as more solvents leave the clear coat (gas out), the clear coat fills that void by shrinking down a little. In a few days, you have a rough finish that was not there when you polished it out. It is my understanding that the dehydrator accelerates this process and removes all the solvents and expedites the dry and cure time by using dry heat to do it. In the south, humidity is our enemy. I use CO2 instead of compressed air to get around some of this. I have yet to use a dehydrator, but I do use my oven, and will get it up to about 100-120 (lowest setting) and put my car body in for just a few minutes, rotate it around (on the hanger it's on) and then remove it. I do this several times to flash cure it. Similar to the oven bake type jobs, but I can't leave the model in there because it would melt. I still wait for a month, even after doing this. I am sorry that I confused you with so much information, but I wanted to give you as much as possible to motivate you to try it. Some of what I have shared I had to learned myself and it would have been nice to have some of this up front, so that is why I shared so much. David