Method to take the shine off of your drag slicks..

[Lucius Molchany]

If you want to take the shine off of your drag slicks chuck them into your Dremel and hold them against 120 grit sandpaper at the lowest RPM setting.

[lucky 130]

To de shine the sidewalls, baking soda and water and a tooth brush.

[Lucius Molchany]

Good tip!

[NOBLNG]

I use a #220 sanding stick to do regular tires and then a stiff stainless steel brush to do the recessed area of the treads.

[Lucius Molchany]

Cool!

[deuces wild]

I use scotchbrite on the sidewalls to knock the shine off of them... Makes it look like real rubber...??

[Skip]

On 10/29/2024 at 5:59 AM, deuces wild said:

I use scotchbrite on the sidewalls to knock the shine off of them... Makes it look like real rubber...??

I've used the same method for as long as I can remember, like I first saw something like it in Model Car Science when I first started building model cars. Their tip, I think it was from Don Emmons was to use fine steel wool to buff the tires and take the shine off. A long time ago I switched to a well-used Green Scotchbrite pad to buff the tires, a new pad is too aggressive for my likes.

Has anyone tried an Air Eraser and Baking Soda to de-shine the tread and sidewall areas?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

[NOBLNG]

I have a blasting cabinet with some well used crushed glass in that I used on these tires. A bit aggressive for street tires likely.

[deuces wild]

Dang, those^^^^^look great....??

[Lucius Molchany]

Very realistic!

[peteski]

On 11/3/2024 at 11:34 AM, Skip said:

A long time ago I switched to a well-used Green Scotchbrite pad to buff the tires, a new pad is too aggressive for my likes.

Those pads come in different "grits".  Besides green there are also gray and brown colored versions.  Those are not as aggressive.

An Air Eraser (miniature blasting gun) with any type of abrasive media (like baking soda or aluminum oxide) will work well too.

[bytownshaker]

Check out 

 

[PatW]

I just go over the tread area with a sanding stick.

[Rescued customs]

On 11/3/2024 at 5:16 PM, NOBLNG said:

I have a blasting cabinet with some well used crushed glass in that I used on these tires. A bit aggressive for street tires likely.

Where did ya source these tires ? 

[NOBLNG]

6 hours ago, Rescued customs said:

Where did ya source these tires ? 

They are from this kit.

[Rescued customs]

Nice thanks I appreciate it 

[Ace-Garageguy]

I first saw the glass-bead-blaster method used by a European heavy truck modeler, and have been very happy with it.

Doug Whyte's method is also tops.

And I've used a paste made from Comet and a toothbrush to dull sidewalls for many years, and sanded drag-slick treads with 180 since I was a kid.

Real tires aren't shiny unless they've had Armor All slathered all over them, and new ones are definitely "glossier" than older ones, and recently made tires, when new, are shinier than old bias-plies from the '50s were when new.

So it's every-job-is-different for me.

[gary jackson]

i think ive used laquer thinner before

[oldcarfan]

I've never tried this, but someone told me onetime they put their tires in a rock tumbler with a fine abrasive to remove the shine. Seems a little aggressive, but who knows?