Search found 181 matches

by Rocketeer
Fri Nov 30, 2012 11:38 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Anyone tried the Grex Airbrushes yet?
Replies: 7
Views: 11000

I bought a Grex (previously owned a Badger, no experience with Iwatas or Paasche). It works very well; I can lay down a nice thin line or cover a large area. The pistol-grip seems very natural to me, more like a full-size spray gun. You control the amount of paint going through (the size of the spra...
by Rocketeer
Wed Oct 31, 2012 1:50 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Source for extremely small LEDs
Replies: 8
Views: 7232

I've used Ngineering LEDs on a couple of my models. The tricky part is soldering on the wires, but using my Optivisor and a soldering iron tip filed down to a point, I got pretty good at it! They also offer similar-sized resistors, useful to limit the current through the LEDs. The teeny LEDs are gre...
by Rocketeer
Mon Jul 30, 2012 10:35 am
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: How do I properly size the power requirements?
Replies: 4
Views: 5312

Re: Main power in parallel, I believe...

Hi Scott, Well, a bit of both, based on diagrams I've seen. The resistors and the LED's need to go in series, and the sets of LED's/resistors then get wired in parallel. Is that correct? And based on further research, if that is correct, then to size the resistors I would take the total voltage ava...
by Rocketeer
Thu Jul 12, 2012 10:05 am
Forum: Construction
Topic: How to build up a solid surface on plastic?
Replies: 11
Views: 11735

JB Weld is not really workable; it's sticky and viscous, so won't hold a shape and sticks to your fingers, to boot. If you choose to use a putty you'd do better to get two-part plumber's epoxy ribbon, or, if you have a good hobbyshop nearby, Milliput (I suggest Milliput White) or Aves Apoxie Sculp. ...
by Rocketeer
Thu Jul 05, 2012 7:41 pm
Forum: Construction
Topic: Question about best choice of material
Replies: 63
Views: 128036

You might look into a material called Renshape, a material intended expressly for model building.
by Rocketeer
Thu Jul 05, 2012 11:59 am
Forum: Construction
Topic: Question about best choice of material
Replies: 63
Views: 128036

If the model has a lot of straight lines you might consider using styrene sheet. It's a lot easier to get a smooth surface using plastic than wood.

Fill seams and build contours using Aves Apoxie Sculp or Milliput White.
by Rocketeer
Wed May 30, 2012 3:48 pm
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: Problem with brass to brass joint
Replies: 7
Views: 12223

Kylwell wrote:File & solder, it's your best & strongest bet. If you don't have a soldering iron, get one or buy a butane torch and experiment.
With plenty of flux.
by Rocketeer
Thu Apr 12, 2012 9:49 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Perfect mirror metal finish - options and suggestions?
Replies: 16
Views: 24377

I've seen BareMetal foil on large surfaces, and there tend to be wrinkles. And the foil has a slight yellowish sheen. I've had "chrome" plating done on model car parts, and the result is far superior to any of the alternatives. It's not really chrome; the process uses pure aluminum, electr...
by Rocketeer
Fri Feb 10, 2012 10:34 am
Forum: Construction
Topic: New model builder with a dumb question for you all!
Replies: 7
Views: 6062

Depends. If you plan to paint your model, you'll want to eliminate the seams between pieces (like the seam between the two halves of a rocket body, for instance). In that case, you would apply glue all around the part. Usually you'd use liquid cement (comes in bottle with brush in cap); hold the two...
by Rocketeer
Tue Feb 07, 2012 12:18 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Brass and patina
Replies: 3
Views: 3110

(Although I've never done this) I'd brush with a mixture of gold and steel (probably Testors enamels), dullcoat, then weather with washes of blue-green and burnt umber oil paints.
by Rocketeer
Mon Feb 06, 2012 9:31 am
Forum: Construction
Topic: Source for large, thin o-rings?
Replies: 7
Views: 12147

It may help to know what sizes you're looking for. Looking at the spec for o-ring sizes (NAS1611), it appears you want a size -040 (2.864 inside diameter, 0.070 cross-section and a size 034 (2.114 ID, 0.070 cross-section).
by Rocketeer
Fri Feb 03, 2012 11:54 am
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: TOS bridge overhead light pattern
Replies: 12
Views: 17632

Acrylic gloss medium might be a good choice; it comes in different stiffnesses, and one of the stiffer variants would work very well, I'm sure.
by Rocketeer
Tue Jan 31, 2012 10:09 am
Forum: Construction
Topic: Putty post primer error
Replies: 8
Views: 6617

What putty were you using though.. If it's squadron and you are filling seems likely it will shrink after a few months. Good point. Squadron Green putty is an especially notorious shrinker. Squadron White seems to be a little less susceptible to shrinkage, but nowadays if I have a lot of bodywork t...
by Rocketeer
Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:05 am
Forum: Construction
Topic: Putty post primer error
Replies: 8
Views: 6617

The "prime, putty, sand, repeat" cycle is notorious among modellers. In a recent study, 102% of those polled said it was their least favorite part of building. :D
by Rocketeer
Tue Dec 20, 2011 3:37 pm
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: Fillet shaping tool
Replies: 7
Views: 10152

I think you re-invented the sphere... :D I think it is a really cool little tool. Is that a round push pin? Yep, a round push pin. Low buck! :D One guy suggested using a bit of rod to shape the fillet, but the spherical push pin has the advantage of being the same shape no matter what direction the...
by Rocketeer
Tue Dec 20, 2011 1:09 pm
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: Fillet shaping tool
Replies: 7
Views: 10152

Fillet shaping tool

I may well be re-inventing the wheel here, but I thought I'd tell you about a little cheap tool I just made. At the last meeting of the local sci-fi modelling club, I added slanted tubes extending out of the back of my spaceship. The problem was how to fair those tubes neatly into the body. We had a...
by Rocketeer
Mon Nov 21, 2011 12:34 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Chrome "erosion"-anybody seen this?
Replies: 8
Views: 7765

I've seen that before. I suspect that what happens is that the final coat of clear lacquer doesn't adequately protect the shiny aluminum layer, which gets oxidized into (transparent) aluminum oxide. I've also seen model cars (Revell, mid-eighties) where the final clear lacquer coat was omitted, and ...
by Rocketeer
Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:46 am
Forum: Construction
Topic: Need 1.875" OD plastic tubing
Replies: 9
Views: 10443

If it were me, I'd build a frame (four or five circular bulkheads strung along a slender tube), then wrap it with two or three layers of 0.010 sheet. You could get your taper with little trouble, and it'd be light and glue-compatible.
by Rocketeer
Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:32 am
Forum: Construction
Topic: Easy Cast clear epoxy, bit of a rant
Replies: 7
Views: 10102

A guy i know got better success with clear epoxy when he started mixing twice; first he'd mix the two parts in one cup, then pour it into another cup and mix it again. There's always some unmixed liquid adhering to the sides of the cup; pouring it into another cup prevents that unmixed bit from gett...
by Rocketeer
Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:04 am
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: I'm going small
Replies: 13
Views: 18041

kerick wrote:Don't forget how many more LEDs and FO lines you can put in a large build compared to a small one.
Yeah, you're right. That would also be roughly proportional to the surface area, I suppose, and so would rise as the square of the increase in size, just like the greebilizing. ;)
by Rocketeer
Sat Sep 17, 2011 6:47 pm
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: I'm going small
Replies: 13
Views: 18041

...The amount of work involved on a large project seems to be exponential factor over a smaller one. Hmm; this got me thinking. I suspect it goes up as a square. For one thing, a model that's three times as large has 3^2, or 9, times as much surface area to greebilize. And the underlying structure ...
by Rocketeer
Sat Aug 27, 2011 10:27 am
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: Making a mold
Replies: 7
Views: 9319

What you're trying to make is a hard-shell mold, so you might try googling a bit using that term. I believe I've heard of the shell part being made from plaster-of-paris or fiberglass.
by Rocketeer
Mon Jun 06, 2011 10:57 am
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: Hatch hardware
Replies: 6
Views: 8613

Seems to me that you want some sort of gooseneck hinge, like a lot of cars use for their trunklids.

I've built about a zillion over the years for my model cars; I bet a Google search on "model car door hinges" would produce a lot of how-to articles.
by Rocketeer
Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:44 am
Forum: Construction
Topic: How best to clean parts.
Replies: 14
Views: 16835

Stu Pidasso wrote:Fire?
Nuke it from orbit?
by Rocketeer
Mon Apr 18, 2011 12:38 pm
Forum: Construction
Topic: Is there a good photoetch kit?
Replies: 3
Views: 4264

I've used the MicroMark system, and it's very well thought out, with clear and easy-to-follow instructions. It's also very complete: all the chemicals, the trays, the etching tank, apron, rubber gloves, goggles, etc. That said, there's a bit of a learning curve involved; my first three tries were al...
by Rocketeer
Fri Apr 01, 2011 8:52 am
Forum: Construction
Topic: very oily resin kit
Replies: 27
Views: 46281

My luck with resin which is exuding "oil" is poor. I have had some luck with grinding away the oily area and replacing it with Milliput. Once long ago I was able to save a piece by mixing Milliput and water to a thin slurry and then applying multiple coats over several days to "seal i...
by Rocketeer
Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:55 am
Forum: Construction
Topic: Micro Krystal Klear
Replies: 7
Views: 5347

I've used this for small flat windows, and it works fine. Not so good for curved windows, though, as surface tension can pull the clear film into some odd curves. Another thing you should note is that it remains water soluble--so if, sometime in the future, you decide to wash your model to clean the...
by Rocketeer
Wed Jan 19, 2011 12:00 pm
Forum: Construction
Topic: Silicon molds
Replies: 4
Views: 3100

There are a couple ways to do this. 1. Make the vents part of your master; glue thin styrene rods onto the master. 2. Cut the vents into the silicone after it's cured; a sharp knife (I've used my scalpel) does this easily enough. 3. Reorient the part so the bubble-catching features are oriented upwa...
by Rocketeer
Mon Dec 13, 2010 3:00 pm
Forum: Construction
Topic: Filling pinholes and bubbles in resin
Replies: 12
Views: 14883

That is nasty! One thing that will work is to fill holes like that with baking soda and then solidify it with crazy glue. You can flatten and do some shaping of the powder as you are packing it in. I've never had problems with this method-I have one model that's 10 or 11 years old and is still soli...
by Rocketeer
Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:31 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Dullcote sticky one week later?
Replies: 9
Views: 6405

Matt. QUIT MESSIN' WITH IT. :D

Let it sit for a week, then try a light Dullcoat.