Andrew McD Posted February 4 Posted February 4 I get nervous just scribing body panels and here you are chopping and sectioning a body into pieces and reassembling them. This is quite the education! 1
David G. Posted February 4 Posted February 4 Holey Moley Greg! I've tried using a soldering iron and/or wood burner to weld and modify model kits in the past with mixed results. The factor that gave me the most difficulty was the seemingly random dimensional changes due to the shrinking and compression of the styrene. It seems that when a lot of kits are molded, the styrene has a lower density initially and heating it with a soldering iron causes the styrene to "lose some air". The styrene becomes more dense and shrinks. You seem to have a handle on that, well done! I admire your courage. David G. 1
NOBLNG Posted February 4 Author Posted February 4 10 minutes ago, David G. said: Holey Moley Greg! I've tried using a soldering iron and/or wood burner to weld and modify model kits in the past with mixed results. The factor that gave me the most difficulty was the seemingly random dimensional changes due to the shrinking and compression of the styrene. It seems that when a lot of kits are molded, the styrene has a lower density initially and heating it with a soldering iron causes the styrene to "lose some air". The styrene becomes more dense and shrinks. You seem to have a handle on that, well done! I admire your courage. David G. Thanks David. I made a spatula tip for the iron from an 8-32 brass machine screw. I also chopped up some of the kit sprue into little pellets for filler. I can pick up the pellets with the hot iron and after a second or two it liquifies and can be sculpted into the seam. I’ve had a bit of “cold lap” in spots where I’ve feathered the edges and when cool I just hit it with a bit of Tamiya thin to cement it solidly. All in all it seems like a useful technique. 1
Zippi Posted February 4 Posted February 4 Great looking mods Greg. The work around the A pillar is looking pretty nice. 1
NOBLNG Posted February 15 Author Posted February 15 (edited) I gouged out the sectioning seams inside and out, then filled them with half round Evergreen and Tamiya extra thin cement. I made some new A pillars for it but still need to add some Milliput and shape them. When I lowered the entire roof it looked like it had a real rake to it, so I raised the front back to stock height.🙄 Edited February 15 by NOBLNG 1
customline Posted February 15 Posted February 15 This is quite an adventure, Greg. I've got to find my little soldering iron. 1
NOBLNG Posted February 19 Author Posted February 19 (edited) I made a windshield blank from a pop can, taped it in place and then added some Milliput to blend the A pillars in. I corrected the hood corners and re-engineered the door/A-pillar/ hood interface. I had to trim about 1/8” off the rear edge of the roof to get a smooth glass angle. I’ve made glass patterns from card stock so I should be able to make new glass from clear flat sheet. Also removed all the chrome trim…not sure yet if I will replace it with smaller half round? Edited February 19 by NOBLNG 4
johnyrotten Posted February 19 Posted February 19 Awesome work Greg. Are you using a dedicated soldering station, with temperature control or an old school cheap electric soldering iron? 1
NOBLNG Posted February 19 Author Posted February 19 13 minutes ago, johnyrotten said: Awesome work Greg. Are you using a dedicated soldering station, with temperature control or an old school cheap electric soldering iron? Thanks! Old school cheapo. 1
johnyrotten Posted February 19 Posted February 19 18 minutes ago, NOBLNG said: Thanks! Old school cheapo. 19 minutes ago, NOBLNG said: Thanks! Old school cheapo. Thanks for the reply, I find the technique really interesting. 1
NOBLNG Posted February 19 Author Posted February 19 (edited) 24 minutes ago, johnyrotten said: Thanks for the reply, I find the technique really interesting. This is the first time I’ve tried it and I just had one of the A pillars break loose…so I recommend experimenting with it on a junk body. Edit: here’s a link to Doug Whyte’s video where I got the idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uupXs7M1R6s Edited February 19 by NOBLNG 1
customline Posted February 20 Posted February 20 I agree with John, Greg. This soldering thing has me wondering about the possibilities. I just watched the video. Amazing. The technique might take some practice but well worth the effort. 2
Ferbz Posted February 20 Posted February 20 Great section job! Are you familiar with the Polynesian custom car? It was built by Valley Custom in the early 50s: 2
Lunajammer Posted February 20 Posted February 20 4 hours ago, NOBLNG said: Edit: here’s a link to Doug Whyte’s video where I got the idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uupXs7M1R6s This is brilliant and totally new to me. Dying to try it. But it also reminds me of watching a video of Gene Winfield do leading. Looks easy in the hands of a master but I could see a potentially aggravating learning curve. No guts no glory, eh? 1
NOBLNG Posted February 20 Author Posted February 20 (edited) 2 hours ago, Ferbz said: Great section job! Are you familiar with the Polynesian custom car? It was built by Valley Custom in the early 50s: Thanks! No I was not aware of that car but was wondering what Jim meant in his first response. I did however run across your old build today. I was thinking that the Corvette coves might clash with the rear fender bulges….but it looks good on yours. Edited February 20 by NOBLNG 2
johnyrotten Posted February 20 Posted February 20 8 hours ago, customline said: I agree with John, Greg. This soldering thing has me wondering about the possibilities. I just watched the video. Amazing. The technique might take some practice but well worth the effort. Because I'm a welder/fabricator by trade, you can see how this would interest me. Plus, it's always rewarding to learn a new skill or technique. I'm looking at this in the same way one would look at the way body shops have gone from using filler and paint to paint less dent removal or how we switched from lead to fill seams to polyester fillers. Old school vs new. 👍 1
customline Posted February 20 Posted February 20 2 hours ago, johnyrotten said: Because I'm a welder/fabricator by trade, you can see how this would interest me. Plus, it's always rewarding to learn a new skill or technique. I'm looking at this in the same way one would look at the way body shops have gone from using filler and paint to paint less dent removal or how we switched from lead to fill seams to polyester fillers. Old school vs new. 👍 Same here, John. I was a welder back in the day. I also did some body work with lead, wax and paddle ( with mixed results) 🙁. I'm going to do some experimenting with a "cheapie" iron. It looks like fun. 2
Ferbz Posted February 21 Posted February 21 (edited) On 2/19/2025 at 8:41 PM, NOBLNG said: Thanks! No I was not aware of that car but was wondering what Jim meant in his first response. I did however run across your old build today. I was thinking that the Corvette coves might clash with the rear fender bulges….but it looks good on yours. Thanks! I think the corvette side coves will work on your project just fine. Altho I did extend and 'massage' the overall shape of the rear fenders to kind of teardrop them a bit, which probably helps a little. You can see what I mean slightly better in these shots. Keep going....you're onto something! Edited February 24 by Ferbz
customline Posted February 21 Posted February 21 (edited) I'd like to try that Corvette cove on a Fleetline 🙂 Edited February 24 by customline 1
David G. Posted February 22 Posted February 22 It's all coming together quite nicely Greg. I continue to be impressed by your styrene sculpting skills. David G. 1
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