Ferbz

Bursting was one of the things mentioned online about damaged cans. I would think something like that would be the worst case scenario, but also not out of the realm of possibility. Yeah, there's no sign of leaking at all which is a good thing 👍 I was also considering decanting it by spraying it into a jar then using my airbrush to apply it. I still might do that. Thanks for the advice!

I recently ordered a can of 100ml Tamiya spray lacquer online and it arrived with a dent in it a little larger than the size of a dime. I looked up safety concerns online about using dented aerosol spray cans and the info I discovered was enough for me to not risk using it. The dent is near the bottom seam as well as near the side seam (both of which apparently are high risk areas for potential problems). The seller has kindly refunded my payment for it and told me not to bother returning it but to dispose of the dented spray can. I will likely do what he suggested but I'm curious: Have any of you had any problems with using dented spray cans, particularly with dents in these areas? I've used spray cans of various and paint types for many, many years but I don't have any experience using dented cans since I almost always buy my spray cans in person at a store and have never come across a dented can on the shelf:

I didn't take any pics since my phone doesn't take pics very well 🤪 I appreciated @Lurch209 's post of pics from the show. Does anyone else have any pics they could share? It was a great show with tons of great builds!

Indeed. Still, I've packed them and moved/transported them in the past without anything coming loose. Maybe it was just a matter of time? Move and pack them enough times and something is bound to happen! 🤪

So much info to sift through here! Thank you guys 🙏 Mixing surfaces...different quality brands...different hardening times......🤪 I should mention that for the most part, my completed builds always sit in a display cabinet and hardly never get moved. I rarely take them out except for when I need to take pics and I've not packed them to transport them to a show in many, MANY years until recently. Also, I've recently moved out of state so naturally they had to get packed and transported. This may have caused the suspension parts I have on the two builds I mentioned to come loose. My builds span about 30+yrs and I'm grateful they've pretty much survived all the travelling they've had to do lately.

Ah-hah! Mixing surface is something I've never considered. Thanks for that tip! I've almost always used index card material because it's easy to mix then throw away. What surface do you use? Glass? Most of the surfaces I assemble using epoxy are painted or are dissimilar materials (like spark plug wire and styrene) and like I said I've had success doing so up to now with the 5yr old and 20yr old build I mentioned. I'm beginning to think my two epoxy adhesive failures might indeed have to do with both not scuffing the surfaces, and not being super clean surfaces. BTW, I'll just mention here that the majority of my assemblies involving 5min epoxy have little to zero stress placed on them. I've mainly used 5min epoxy due to the nature of the fact that most of the parts I glue together for assembly are because they are either painted or are dissimilar (like the previously mentioned spark plug wire).

Lots of good information that I can glean here, thanks everyone! I'm pretty 'OCD' about nailing the right amounts to mix. My OCD even extends to making sure I've mixed the two really well before applying, but looking back I think my problem might be a combo of things: I use so little epoxy at a time that I never use up even the smallest squeeze bottles. So I keep using them even tho I start to feel more and more resistance when I squeeze them to dispense the amounts that I need. I'm also cheap, thus I tend to resist buying fresh bottles maybe more often than I should 🤪 My 'cheapness' also extends to the fact that I'll buy the cheaper hobby store epoxy rather than the better hardware store brands. I also don't sand/scuff my parts before using epoxy. It's not always possible as some parts are just too small, but I can see where this could've benefitted the adhesion of some of my assemblies. I've been at this hobby for quite some time but it still amazes me how there is always SO much to improve on and learn about technique, materials, etc!

I've used 5min 2-part epoxy successfully and confidently for many years and have used a variety of different brands. Lately though, I have noticed parts on some of my previous builds coming loose! So far, two of my older builds have had suspensions coming apart where I have used 2-part epoxy to assemble them. One of the builds is about 5yrs old, the other build is over 20yrs old. All my other builds seem to be holding up fine (for the moment!). I'm thinking maybe I came across bad 'batches' of epoxy at the time of those builds? or maybe 2-part epoxy has a shelf life for it's strength/reliability? Or maybe there are epoxy brands that are more inferior than others? Any insight would be grateful. I'd hate to think that my builds will start deconstructing themselves over time even though I've used epoxy which is known to be a very strong, reliable adhesive 🤪

I just discovered this.....very cool! It's looking really good so far 👍You mentioned you fixed a bad chop on it. I'd love to see what you started with.....😎

Thanks! It's progressing slowly but surely 😉 I never know how my builds are going to turn out as there are so many potential pitfalls and changes that can happen along the way to completion. In my mind it looks pretty cool tho! 🤪

Thanks! Yeah give the eraser thing a try! Dont use the rock hard erasers. You'll want the more softer, rubbery ones. This way, when you cut your thin sanding block from it, it'll bend and conform better to your curved body surfaces 👍

Initial pass at doing the primer/putty/sand process on the body has begun 🙂 Although I've always enjoyed doing custom body mods, I've never liked doing the paint prep part of applying and sanding putty. There's no way around tho if I want the paint job to come out any kind of decent so we'll muscle thru! I use the big tube of 3M Glazing Putty for this process and aside from sanding sticks, I'll cut block erasers into thin pads to use as 'sanding blocks'. One more round after this ought to do it.....

Thanks for posting a pic of my Green/White chopped 53 Ford hardtop custom! It was indeed a great show with so many great builds 😎

I just came across this post. The price makes this attractive to me! Can you handle the parts ok after spraying this? I notice handling parts after using Molotow chrome pens alters the shininess.

Very cool 😎 What do you use for adhesive on aluminum? 2-part epoxy?

Thanks! I think the Shoebox Ford lends itself well to being a 3 window coupe. In hindsight I would've curved this top rear corner of the side window openings to closer mimic the more pleasing shape of the 1:1 chopped Plymouth 3 window car. But maybe leaving it as is gives it that obvious hastily modified look instead of it feeling like a thoughtfully designed custom (which it's not meant to be anyhow)?

It's the first time I've used it and I think it works well. I found that it's pretty soft in that you can easily dent it or press divots into it so keep that in mind when you get around to trying it out. The particular tape I have is more like a sticker in that it has a paper backing you have to peel off before you apply it, which is convenient 😉 Cut the shapes you want, then peel and stick! It's also thicker than say BMF so it's not as flimsy or delicate, which is also convenient.

Yeah, I'm always on the lookout for materials I can use for detailing etc. 😉 I've heard of some folks cutting up aluminum soda cans for things which is clever. I once used pie pan aluminum for making these fender guards on my 39 Ford. They didn't polish up as nice as I wanted, but they get the point across and look pretty good otherwise I think:

Here's a bit of an update: I found some aluminum tape in the garage that seems to work well replicating interior panels. I think it's normally used for dryer exhaust hose ducting? It cuts easily with scissors and adheres really well. I made some door panels and covered them with the tape and did the same for the sheet styrene panels I used to box in the rear seat area. I also found a textured version of the tape and used that for the flooring to replicate stamped panels, altho it kinda looks more like sound deadening material the more I stare at it lol I scratch built a mount for the seat since it sits too low in the interior tub without it, and painted them with spray can aluminum. I also thought I'd try a weathering wash on the seat just to see how it would look. I've never done weathering of any kind before.....kinda fun! The frame was painted red with the undercarriage surfaces painted a dark gray. The body is now in first primer, which always shows the bodywork that needs finetuning. Onwards and upwards....🙂

Bitchin' stuff! How are the color ones done? Acrylic?

Haha! Yes, I recognize your name now 🤪👍

Thanks! Yeah, I'm an artist as well and know talent when I see it. Chris has it in spades 😉

Ah, that makes sense. Thank you!👍

Thanks! No cammer. Similar to the real car, I plan to build an early Chrysler hemi motor for it.

Thank you!