Rolls-Royce No Chemicals, No Paint, No Harmful Glues

[Anglia105E]

37 minutes ago, stitchdup said:

another thought. if its something you wont use often you could sharpen short sections of pipe. 

Good thinking Les . . . That would indeed be a possibility.

I have just found a product on Ebay, which is only £8.99 and free delivery. Here is the link :https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265508480198?_skw=Hollow+Punch+Set&itmmeta=01KAPMGPD0KAKNP8JEXHE7EN4T&hash=item3dd189e4c6:g:FH0AAOSwk5tcj9Z0&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1ftgxk--rXBNqSoPmtJWNWfYkuCIAdoc%2BYohQec%2BqfWg6LEuf4ZKAuJolZcMlE6DsQRgAe%2F3eoK18kG31kUxXnffmA7%2FDP%2F7hGDYLyeIMMerSxIFBnw8Er5AY%2FPxJCRXlNvRO08lopUt50BX4tEPkt5YQeRSrD67xNzJmzmzRCOi4K1TCD1%2B7%2BoXwF2LMWIyneCsTU1oOt%2B8734BWK0C13do%2F%2Bv5RLia58XGtRVgv9v6Atg%2FXeYF%2BBXlR47iDE6ZCN3%2Fte%2F0E791KvW32Po3U6oZ7xt9yhHBtI5DCClEmkp1g%3D%3D|tkp%3ABFBM9ubC1NVm

Two photos below also

David

[MarkJ]

David, what is the diameter of the outer ring? If it's less than 19mm you will be good to go with that hole punch kit you posted. I'm sure it should cut through a wide piece of masking tape. Man, I'd like to get one of those kits too.

[Anglia105E]

3 hours ago, MarkJ said:

David, what is the diameter of the outer ring? If it's less than 19mm you will be good to go with that hole punch kit you posted. I'm sure it should cut through a wide piece of masking tape. Man, I'd like to get one of those kits too.

Mark . . . The outer diameter of the ring that I have to paint in black is 12 mm, as shown in my sketch and the outer diameter of the wheel is 17 mm.

This tool on Ebay should be just what I need, and it doesn't cost much.

You could place an order on Ebay if you want one of these kits for yourself ?

David

[MarkJ]

5 hours ago, Anglia105E said:

Mark . . . The outer diameter of the ring that I have to paint in black is 12 mm, as shown in my sketch and the outer diameter of the wheel is 17 mm.

This tool on Ebay should be just what I need, and it doesn't cost much.

You could place an order on Ebay if you want one of these kits for yourself ?

David

David. I think somebody mentioned a store called Harbor Freight which I have a few miles away in the next town that I'm going to check first but I surely want this tool in my arsenal.

Mark J.

[Anglia105E]

13 minutes ago, MarkJ said:

David. I think somebody mentioned a store called Harbor Freight which I have a few miles away in the next town that I'm going to check first but I surely want this tool in my arsenal.

Mark J.

Okay Mark . . . Harbor Freight sounds good and we don't have those stores here in England . . . This might turn out to be a very useful tool.

David

[Anglia105E]

The Hollow Punch Set was delivered today, and this evening I began testing the procedure to see what might be possible . . .

Several issues were noted, as I tried different methods of using this tool. The first attempt involved laying a piece of wide blue masking tape directly onto the wooden table top surface. The smaller centre circle seemed to cut out okay, but the larger circle from which I needed the outer piece of tape, was not really successful.

Then I tried using a piece of styrene sheet instead of the table top. Also, I noted that the black permanent marker pen was bleeding under the tape, but this was mainly because I applied the black marker to some paper that was too absorbent . . . The styrene sheet did not make much difference, so I tried using a block of wood and again there was no significant improvement . . . I haven't tried using my cutting mat so far, but this can be tried out at some point.

I am using a lightweight hammer, until I can find my heavy mallet, so this might help later . . .

Possibly the wide blue masking tape is at fault here, because although it is very good tape, the roll has been stored in the loft, which has now become much colder and also rather damp . . .

This process needs a re-think, and I am not yet sure if it will work for these chrome wheel embellishments. I was expecting this tool to be easier to use. to be honest.

David

[stitchdup]

do you have an old leather belt? or shoes? i'd put the tape on that before punching it, and i find the punches work best if you start with the centre. when you do the outer edge first they tend to tear when the inner bit is done. if you dont find your hammer, the punches you have can also be used in vice which might be more controllable 

[johnyrotten]

I use a smaller cutting mat a sacrificial surface, and always check the cutting edge condition. Any burr or rolling of the edge will give you a problem. Even the factory grind,if it's poorly done. One of the issues of "economy tools". The age of the tape could be at fault like you're thinking. Hopefully you figure things out,I'd feel bad giving a poor suggestion. 

[Anglia105E]

13 hours ago, stitchdup said:

do you have an old leather belt? or shoes? i'd put the tape on that before punching it, and i find the punches work best if you start with the centre. when you do the outer edge first they tend to tear when the inner bit is done. if you dont find your hammer, the punches you have can also be used in vice which might be more controllable 

Thank you Les . . . I do have an old leather belt, so that might help. Also your suggestion to use a vice is a good idea, so I might try that approach. Maybe I need some new wide blue masking tape . . .

So far Les, I haven't tried an actual Silver Cloud wheel, as I am experimenting on flat surfaces first, but I do have plenty of wheels for tests.

David

[Anglia105E]

11 hours ago, johnyrotten said:

I use a smaller cutting mat a sacrificial surface, and always check the cutting edge condition. Any burr or rolling of the edge will give you a problem. Even the factory grind,if it's poorly done. One of the issues of "economy tools". The age of the tape could be at fault like you're thinking. Hopefully you figure things out,I'd feel bad giving a poor suggestion. 

Thank you John . . . I shall probably use one corner of my large cutting mat as a sacrificial surface, which is a good suggestion. The tool does appear to be cheaply produced as you say, so it is possible that the cutting edge is not as sharp as it needs to be. I am testing by using an 8 mm punch for the central circle, and then a 10 mm punch for the outer circle . . . When I do the actual pieces after the tests, I shall use 10 mm for the central piece and 12 mm for the outer piece.

The two pieces of masking tape will be transferred to the actual chrome road wheel in order to apply the black permanent marker pen, which should not bleed under the tape . . .

David

[MarkJ]

David, I would have painted the whole wheel cover black. Punch the big ring first then put the small ring inside the big ring, punch again and end up with a doughnut shaped mask that can be put on the cover where you want it black. then repaint the cover with chrome and then remove the mask doughnut to reveal a black ring on the wheel cover. 

Mark J

[Anglia105E]

20 minutes ago, MarkJ said:

David, I would have painted the whole wheel cover black. Punch the big ring first then put the small ring inside the big ring, punch again and end up with a doughnut shaped mask that can be put on the cover where you want it black. then repaint the cover with chrome and then remove the mask doughnut to reveal a black ring on the wheel cover. 

Mark J

Thanks Mark . . . That is an interesting alternative, and I hadn't thought of painting the whole wheel cover in black. Further along during this process I could pursue that approach, particularly if the current approach is not working . . .

All suggestions and comments are most welcome, thanks to all .

David

[Big Messer]

One thing that I noticed is the residue stuck on the tape from the wood table. This may affect the crispness of the paint separation. Try putting the tape on something like glass or some other smooth surface before cutting.

[MarkJ]

3 hours ago, Anglia105E said:

Thanks Mark . . . That is an interesting alternative, and I hadn't thought of painting the whole wheel cover in black. Further along during this process I could pursue that approach, particularly if the current approach is not working . . .

All suggestions and comments are most welcome, thanks to all .

David

David, I would show you what I mean but my work area has been temporarily removed from the table I work at. I would use one of my many wheel covers in my stash that would look as close to the wheel cover you are working with. i'm sure you have a solution, and it will turn out perfectly fine.

Mark J

[Anglia105E]

34 minutes ago, MarkJ said:

David, I would show you what I mean but my work area has been temporarily removed from the table I work at. I would use one of my many wheel covers in my stash that would look as close to the wheel cover you are working with. i'm sure you have a solution, and it will turn out perfectly fine.

Mark J

Don't worry Mark, and over the next few days I shall be trying out various different methods . . . I have brought down my vice from the loft, and also my mini grinder so I can sharpen the cutting edges of these hollow punches . . . I watched this video, which explains how the cheap Chinese hollow punch set does not cut well out of the box. The man shows how to use a grind stone and a block of wood for a guide to sharpen the angled cutting edge of the punch . . . Here is the link if you want to watch the YouTube video . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYLCTk38HDs

David

[Anglia105E]

1 hour ago, Big Messer said:

One thing that I noticed is the residue stuck on the tape from the wood table. This may affect the crispness of the paint separation. Try putting the tape on something like glass or some other smooth surface before cutting.

Interesting that you should mention the surface of the table Jose, as I was thinking that I should be using a smooth surface rather than a more porous surface.

Thanks,

David

[Big Messer]

14 minutes ago, Anglia105E said:

Don't worry Mark, and over the next few days I shall be trying out various different methods . . . I have brought down my vice from the loft, and also my mini grinder so I can sharpen the cutting edges of these hollow punches . . . I watched this video, which explains how the cheap Chinese hollow punch set does not cut well out of the box. The man shows how to use a grind stone and a block of wood for a guide to sharpen the angled cutting edge of the punch . . . Here is the link if you want to watch the YouTube video . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYLCTk38HDs

David

First check if the edge of the punches are smooth. Ragged edges, no matter how sharp, will not cut properly. Check by rotating each on your fingertip, you should be able to detect irregularities. You can put a sheet of fine sandpaper on a flat surface and polish them, then you can go ahead with sharpening.

[Big Messer]

Also your paint tests were performed on porous surfaces (paper and wood) that will absorb paint or marker unevenly. Try testing on plastic or metal. You should see some improvement.

[Big Messer]

5 hours ago, Anglia105E said:

 I shall probably use one corner of my large cutting mat as a sacrificial surface

If your cutting mat is like mine probably it is not smooth enough.

[Anglia105E]

4 minutes ago, Big Messer said:

First check if the edge of the punches are smooth. Ragged edges, no matter how sharp, will not cut properly. Check by rotating each on your fingertip, you should be able to detect irregularities. You can put a sheet of fine sandpaper on a flat surface and polish them, then you can go ahead with sharpening.

Okay Jose . . . That sounds like good advice to me !

David

[Anglia105E]

Just now, Big Messer said:

If your cutting mat is like mine probably it is not smooth enough.

My cutting mat is super smooth !

[Big Messer]

1 minute ago, Anglia105E said:

My cutting mat is super smooth !

Drag your nail over it. 

[Anglia105E]

3 minutes ago, Big Messer said:

Drag your nail over it. 

Dragged nail test done . . . Smooth

[Anglia105E]

Today I was able to make some progress with the circle cutting process . . . This time I placed the piece of wide blue masking tape onto the cutting mat, and I made sure to position the tape immediately above the support leg for my work surface. Also, I used the heavy mallet hammer instead of the smaller lightweight hammer.

The 10 mm circle was cut out perfectly at the first attempt, whereas the 12 mm circle failed at the first attempt, but came out nicely at the second attempt . . .

Then came the tricky process of precisely positioning the two pieces of masking tape onto an actual chrome wheel. The 10 mm disc piece went on first, and the 12 mm outer surround piece was pressed into place secondly . . . I carefully pressed down the edges of both pieces of masking tape, to minimise any leakage or bleeding of the permanent black marker pen when it was applied next.

While the end result is not great, I can see how this works now. Hopefully I can learn from this first application of one black circle on a spare wheel, and maybe I can improve as I carry out further attempts of the whole process. This is probably one of the more difficult tasks that I have come across during my model building career.

The heavy hammer does need to be wacked hard multiple times on the head of the punch, and the two punches did require some grinding of the cutting edges.

Using the cutting mat as a base is a good idea for sure, but I might try brushing on some black Vallejo acrylic paint rather than using the marker pen.

David