1/2" Scale project still in progress (somehow)

[Franck Tavernier]

Nice bulb Chuck!

I recently painted headlight bulbs for a French railcar with Tamiya acrylic paint clear yellow X-24. I turned like you my bulb from a translucent styrene rod... I use too, clear red X-27 for sidelights...

[Chuck Doan]

Thanks Jerry!

Certainly a good point Mr. Nick.  There are a few new things in this project, plus the new scale. But yeah, pretty much same old same old. But it's fun. We'll see what turns up next.
 
Ray, I use a speed control on the "lathe". I run it pretty slow and use mostly files to do the shaping . I had no melting issues with either part. I haven't tried acrylic, but too much speed or a dull cutter may be the culprit.

Thanks for the heads up Franck. I haven't colored clear parts in ages.

[chester]

I haven't tried it for modeling but in my work have turned clear Lexan at a medium speeds in the lathe with no melting. I've even been able to achieve a highly polished result.

[NORCALLOGGER]

Don't know if this is pertinent to the conversation or not, but.

A while back I was making some lamps for a coach, 1:20 scale
and I turned down some large (plastic/acrylic?) beads on the drill press with a file
of course it left the finish cloudy,  I had resigned myself to telling everyone
that they were frosted glass.  When I glued them to the finish washer shades
with AC they became crystal clear where the glue made contact.  So smearing a little AC over the entire bead cleared up the whole situation, so to speak.  Don't know if that was a fluke
or if it would work in other situations.

For what it's worth.
Rick Marty

[Chuck Doan]

Thanks for the tip, Rick! I like accidental discoveries like that.

[Ken Hamilton]

the entire bead cleared up the whole situation, so to speak.  Don't know if that was a fluke

I don't believe it was a fluke, Rick.  Basically, you added a clear coat which filled in the
light-dispersing peaks & valleys on the surface and created a smooth top surface that
"cleared" the part.

You would get similar results (ie: a smooth finish) by dipping the parts in Furture floor wax
or sprayed them with clear gloss.  Car modelers to that all the time.

[mobilgas]

Chuck,   i seen on your Fotki site that you are going to change the 7-up sign's to coke   i think the 7-up signs look real good!!! and the coke signs are a whole lot new'er than the 7-up.....i think the new'er coke sign's dont fit the age??? of the building and the way your weathering the garage dont want to get anyone mad at me, being im NEW just throwing my 2 cents in. signage and getting it right for the time frame your modeling in, i think is real important. a-lot of signs were put up when the building was new and aged with the building as time marched on.     Craig       MICH.

[Chuck Doan]

Not a problem, Craig! I haven't fully decided which sign to use. I also have no idea what time period I am modeling, but it could be the nineties or even later. The Coke signs came out in '69, so I would be covered...Flickr has a lot of great weathered ones on it. I am even considering a third attempt at a sign...

[NORCALLOGGER]

I don't believe it was a fluke, Rick.  Basically, you added a clear coat which filled in the
light-dispersing peaks & valleys on the surface and created a smooth top surface that
"cleared" the part.

You would get similar results (ie: a smooth finish) by dipping the parts in Furture floor wax
or sprayed them with clear gloss.  Car modelers to that all the time.

Hey that "quote" thing is cool, first time I ever used that.

Ken, 
What you say makes good sense and I should have realized what was happening at the time.
I wonder if the Future or the clear spray would interfere with the binding of the AC to the surfaces being glued?

I have used the Future "wax" over flat paint on wood to give a good "Varnish" finish to wood passanger coaches before so am not surprised that it would work on the beads.

I guess we are poaching on Chuck's thread here and better quit.

Thanks for the info.
Rick Marty

[RoughboyModelworks]

Stunning work as always Chuck. Now I know who swiped my back porch door 

Paul

[Chuck Doan]

I haven't gotten a lot done lately, but I did finish a ubiquitous hose reel wheel deal. I modified a Galaxie Limited '48 Chevy wheel by turning the rim to a more correct profile and then drilling out the lug nuts. I then added a raised center hub with aluminum tubing, and some raised lug bumps using .050 brass tubing. I finished it off with some hubcap clips (correct for the '48) made from .005 styrene. I embossed a rivet, but they all but disappeared after painting. I only did 3 clips, and drilled out the rivet holes on the other locations.

I painted the wheel the same as the vent pipe I did previously: Testor's Flat Black from a spray can, and then hairspray, another Flat Black coat to seal, then Floquil Polly Scale brushed on in water thinned coats. I used a hair dryer to speed up the drying and got the crackle effect again. Then it was chipped with a stiff brush and water. Gouache and pigment powders finished it off.

I glued it onto a couple of pins topped with model RR nuts. Still needs some old red air hose wound around it, and a connector pipe.  For reference, it is .68 in. diameter, about the same size as a U.S. dime.


Original kit wheel on the left. Posed on a print of a '48 hubcap clip I found on the internet.







http://images50.fotki.com/v393/fileME4f/3e9de/9/777399/7342487/3874940006_883cd7516b_b.jpg
Bigger pic

[finescalerr]

Going from "before" to "after" is rather a stunner. Is it real or is it Memorex? -- Russ

[MrBrownstone]

Hey Chuck,

That last photo... would fool anyone I know
(think I would have a harder time trying to tell/convince someone is was a model)

love the dirty around the wheel on the siding too.. 

fabulous work...

Mike

[lab-dad]

Looks perfect to me!
I was gonna say something about the hole for the valve stem but silly me, you would never forget something as important as that!
Thanks for the SBS, good info!
Thanks for posting!
-Marty

[TRAINS1941]

Wow just keeps getting better everytime.  When I think you have done it all you come up witht the detail part no else has thought of.
Thanks for the info on how to do it and for posting the pictures.

Jerry

Ps Stay away from those fires out there!!!!!