Dave Ambrose

I've gotten good service from Megahobby.com

The Tamiya thinner definitely has some (unknown) amount of toluene in it. For cleaning, I use a 50-50 mix of denatured alcohol and Windex. It cleans off all sorts of stuff; dirt, acrylic paints, and other organic materials. Don't know what you might substitute for thinning your paint. Maybe piggyback a couple of bottles on a kit mail order? Cheers, Dave

So long as you keep the resulting size above a few hundred atoms, you can cut magnets without them becoming non-magnetic. Best to use carbide cutting tools as some of the magnetic materials are very hard and abrasive. Also, the turnings stick to pert near everything. Cheers, Dave Ambrose

Have good light available. My main bench has two fluorescent fixtures and a lamp with a magnifying glass.a As a ten year veteran of presbyopia, it helps a lot.

I've been using hot melt glue to attach parts to sticks. Recently, I came up with an improved method that uses a couple of popsicle (aka craft) sticks to make a quick and dirty stand. The attached pictures are pretty self explanatory. Everything is assembled with hot melt glue and literally goes together in a minute.

I got my order for a double dragster kita Stutz racecar for my daughtera Moebius Moonbusa handful of PE detail parts. The resin Edelbrock flatheads really look nice! I'm gonna have fun building the moonbus too.

I like seeing all the car genres. I keep mooching ideas. But, we need a good place for open wheel, and road racers.

Thanks. I found them at our local Michael's. I never go there as the local ones are totally craft oriented. Cheers, Dave Ambrose

Can anyone recommend a metalflake paint for 1/25 model cars? I remember using some when I was a kid, but I haven't seen any in the local hobby shops. Something I could shoot in an airbrush would be especially nice. Thanks, Dave Ambrose

I don't have a black hole. I haven an entropy fairy that pays weekly visits to my workbench. They're worse.

I really like where you're going with this project. Count me in too. Cheers, Dave Ambrose

How much time between coats? To me, "relatively quickly" means 10 minutes or so; alternately, a couple of medieval moments. :-) Thanks to everyone for their answers. I hope this paint works out. Its chemistry is a lot less toxic than the lacquers I have been shooting. Cheers, Dave

I'm about to use Tamiya acrylic paints for the first time and I have a couple of questions: 1) How much do you thin it with the Tamiya thinner before spraying it through and airbrush? 2) Does it have any interactions with Model Master enamels? 3) Is there anything else I should know about this paint? It smells like it has a bit of lacquer solvent in it. OK, that's three. Good thing this is an indulgent forum.

I normally use wire-wrap wire because I have plenty left over from my freelance electronics days. It's a solid core with kynar insulation. Kynar doesn't stretch, so it won't go over the distributor cap. Sometimes you can find short, prestripped wirew-wrap wires at surplus electronics dealers. Get those, and just slide the insulation off the wire. If you can strip the wire cleanly, you can strip enough to grab with pliers, then cut off 1.5" of insulated wire, and just slide the insulation off. I'd be surprised if that technique works with PVC insulation, but it's worth a try. If you have an alligator clip handy, you might try stripping the wire with that. Open the clip, put the wire down the clip, hold the clip closed, and pull the wire out. No-Nik wire strippers will definitely remove the insulation without damaging it. They're expensive new, but you might find one surplus. There are also hand wire wrapping tools with a built-in stripper. Googling "hand wire wrap tool" gets you a few vendors. Sorry. I didn't mean to write a treatise. Hope this helps. -- Dave Ambrose

The rubber bumper MGBs were raised 1.5 inches compared with the chrome bumper cars. I never had much incentive to build an MGB since I have the 1:1 sitting in the garage. Cheers, Dave Ambrose

I had good results using WEST System epoxies for layup work. You can get the epoxy, and pumps for a fairly nominal price, and it will work much better than resins intended for bonding. Whatever resin you decide to use, DO NOT mix it in a waxed paper container. The resin will dissolve the wax, which will then inhibit catalyzation. It's a mess to clean up. I like to use yogurt containers. You can also get polyethylene mixing cups for about the same price as a cup of yogurt. I've also seen some bamboo fiber roving for surfboards. It's flexible and will take to a compound curve. I haven't tried it so you might be better off with the lightest fiberglass cloth you can find.

I don't think I caught the paint type. If it's acrylic, add windex to your alcohol until it's 50% by volume. That should take it off. Alternatively, DOT 3 brake fluid from the 1:1 model store should take it off. Cheers, Dave Ambrose

I'll add my recommendation for the shop compressor. I'd also suggest that you get a filter on the line too. You'd be amazed at how much stuff seeps through the compressor filters. If you're concerned about noise, get yourself a CO2 cylinder and regulator. It's completely silent, and the gas is clean. Cheers, Dave Ambrose

Since nobody else has mentioned them; I've had good experience with MegaHobby.com. They shipped what they had promptly. When they couldn't ship what I'd back-ordered, they refunded my money. I also thought their shipping charges were pretty reasonable. Cheers, Dave Ambrose

The California Surfing Museum in Oceanside, CA had some miniature surfboards in their gift shop that would probably be perfect for this build. What era of surfboard are you seeking? Cheers, Dave Ambrose

Thanks to everyone for their advice. I will definitely use primer. One question: Is the adhesion promoter you mentioned an additive? Thanks again, Dave Ambrose

Has anyone used Testor's One Coat lacquer on a Jimmy Flintstone model? Did it need a prime coat? Testor's claims it doesn't. If you did prime before painting, what did you use for primer? I'll be using an airbrush, if it matters. Thanks, Dave Ambrose