Search found 181 matches
- Fri Nov 30, 2012 11:38 am
- Forum: Finishing
- Topic: Anyone tried the Grex Airbrushes yet?
- Replies: 7
- Views: 12049
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...
- Wed Oct 31, 2012 1:50 pm
- Forum: Lighting & Electronics
- Topic: Source for extremely small LEDs
- Replies: 8
- Views: 7520
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...
- Mon Jul 30, 2012 10:35 am
- Forum: Lighting & Electronics
- Topic: How do I properly size the power requirements?
- Replies: 4
- Views: 5537
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...
- Thu Jul 12, 2012 10:05 am
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: How to build up a solid surface on plastic?
- Replies: 11
- Views: 12138
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. ...
- Thu Jul 05, 2012 7:41 pm
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Question about best choice of material
- Replies: 63
- Views: 144194
- Thu Jul 05, 2012 11:59 am
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Question about best choice of material
- Replies: 63
- Views: 144194
- Wed May 30, 2012 3:48 pm
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: Problem with brass to brass joint
- Replies: 7
- Views: 13019
- Thu Apr 12, 2012 9:49 am
- Forum: Finishing
- Topic: Perfect mirror metal finish - options and suggestions?
- Replies: 16
- Views: 25799
- Fri Feb 10, 2012 10:34 am
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: New model builder with a dumb question for you all!
- Replies: 7
- Views: 6324
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...
- Tue Feb 07, 2012 12:18 am
- Forum: Finishing
- Topic: Brass and patina
- Replies: 3
- Views: 3257
- Mon Feb 06, 2012 9:31 am
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Source for large, thin o-rings?
- Replies: 7
- Views: 12673
- Fri Feb 03, 2012 11:54 am
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: TOS bridge overhead light pattern
- Replies: 12
- Views: 18760
- Tue Jan 31, 2012 10:09 am
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Putty post primer error
- Replies: 8
- Views: 6857
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...
- Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:05 am
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Putty post primer error
- Replies: 8
- Views: 6857
- Tue Dec 20, 2011 3:37 pm
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: Fillet shaping tool
- Replies: 7
- Views: 10590
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...
- Tue Dec 20, 2011 1:09 pm
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: Fillet shaping tool
- Replies: 7
- Views: 10590
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...
- Mon Nov 21, 2011 12:34 pm
- Forum: Finishing
- Topic: Chrome "erosion"-anybody seen this?
- Replies: 8
- Views: 8128
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 ...
- Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:46 am
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Need 1.875" OD plastic tubing
- Replies: 9
- Views: 10716
- Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:32 am
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Easy Cast clear epoxy, bit of a rant
- Replies: 7
- Views: 10664
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...
- Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:04 am
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: I'm going small
- Replies: 13
- Views: 19177
- Sat Sep 17, 2011 6:47 pm
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: I'm going small
- Replies: 13
- Views: 19177
...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 ...
- Sat Aug 27, 2011 10:27 am
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: Making a mold
- Replies: 7
- Views: 9557
- Mon Jun 06, 2011 10:57 am
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: Hatch hardware
- Replies: 6
- Views: 8850
- Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:44 am
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: How best to clean parts.
- Replies: 14
- Views: 17994
- Mon Apr 18, 2011 12:38 pm
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Is there a good photoetch kit?
- Replies: 3
- Views: 4505
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...
- Fri Apr 01, 2011 8:52 am
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: very oily resin kit
- Replies: 27
- Views: 54280
- Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:55 am
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Micro Krystal Klear
- Replies: 7
- Views: 5476
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...
- Wed Jan 19, 2011 12:00 pm
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Silicon molds
- Replies: 4
- Views: 3244
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...
- Mon Dec 13, 2010 3:00 pm
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Filling pinholes and bubbles in resin
- Replies: 12
- Views: 15660
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...
- Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:31 am
- Forum: Finishing
- Topic: Dullcote sticky one week later?
- Replies: 9
- Views: 6673