kurtvd19

Andy: The boom looks great! I was going to suggest that you cut duplicate parts for each piece for the other side when you fit the first side but I got busy with a restoration customer and forgot to post. I always find it helpful to do this when I am building paired pieces. It's always easier - in my opinion - to cut duplicate parts and assemble the twin pieces at the same time. Cutting duplicate parts means not having to measure the first piece to duplicate it later and doing the assembly of the two parts sequentially avoids forgetting which part went on first or something else that can turn out to be a problem later. This will be a great model when completed. Take care, Kurt

Andy: The ship is owned by US Gypsum, the name is Gypsum Integrity, and you are correct that it's not on the Lakes. It is currently off the coast of Sierra Leone near Freetown. I just did a Google and located it using Marine Traffic. It was built in 2009. I was told it was built in Brazil as were the models. The models came in through NOLA and were then shipped to Chicago and someplace in Europe with the European model making it one piece. Very heavy stone bases and glass cases. I set the model on a table in my shop on top of a sheet and then took the case off and watched small pieces fall out. Didn't lose any pieces. As far as the Brazil build I was told this by the same guy who said it operated on the Lakes so I am not positive. I like what you are doing with the build and conversion of the model. Kurt

Andy: I envy you working in the larger scale. I have attached a photo of a self unloader boom that was part of a builders model of a gypsum carrier that I repaired. Looking behind the remounted boom you might note the absence of the superstructure. It, the boom and all sorts of stuff was in need of repair when the superstructure came loose during shipping of the model from S. America to Chicago. The model was in approximately 1/100 scale and some of the photo etched railings were almost tied in knots from bouncing around in the case - all were replaced as it's impossible to straighten small photo etched rails. The boat operates on the Great Lakes and I was able to work from photos of the full size boat as well as the other twin model that made it unharmed from S. America to Europe. The parts came loose because the "professional" model shop painted the Plexiglass deck and then glued to superstructure down to the painted deck and the paint didn't hold. The Plexiglass wasn't even sanded to make a good surface for the paint - but I didn't contract to fix anything that wasn't broken. Wish I had taken a photo of the model before I started the repairs. Kurt

I have wanted something like these calipers but didn't know this tool actually existed. After seeing the original post I jumped onto eBay this morning and got a great set for $25. Place sent a notice that they have shipped already! Kurt

Dan Al's carries the Badger RR colors - same identical paint as the Marine paints. If you ever need to know the exact match between RR and Marine let me know - I have the master list. All the Marine colors except 6 or 7 have a RR match. Comes out of the same 5 gallon container. Kurt

Dan: I agree with Chuck. I don't think you would be happy with any of the Model Expo paints compared to Badger - you know my bias - but I think the ME paints are horrible compared to any other paint. Kurt

Tom: The trick to making round holes in styrene is to use a brad point drill bit in a variable speed drill at a slow speed. The brad point bit has a sharp center point and the cutting edge of the drill bit is at the outer edge of the bit. The initial contact with the surface is with the point and then the outer edges making a circle around the point that is cut before the inner surface of the drill bit touches the plastic. Makes for a real neat hole without danger of grabbing the plastic as an ordinary bit can do. Use a slow speed on the drill and very thin plastic can be cut easily as well as thicker resins. Just don't ever use these bits on anything other than wood or plastic. Kurt

Richard: The advice I gave originally would apply to this as well as anything ship related. The better the underlying surface is cleaned and any gloss removed, the better the acrylic will adhere. Maybe a very fine wire brush can be used to get into the nooks - it has to be very fine as you don't want to have to sand the surface. I have some fine wire brushes that I think came from a jeweler supply but i think I saw some similar brushes from Model Expo or Micro Mark. But if the surface is matte or dull now this probably isn't needed. Can't tell from the photo if the highlights are just from the light or due to having a gloss surface but I suspect the lights. Kurt

Richard: As long as the underlying paint is clean and not a gloss finish the acrylic should adhere just fine. Clean as Andy suggested and lay on very light coats of the acrylic until complete coverage is achieved. Kurt

Very nice job Mike. The Fly looks good too. Kurt

I have been using a micro-chuck from UMM-USA I can chuck it into my full size drill press or into my dental drill - std 3/32 dia shaft Very good concentricity. http://umm-usa.com/onlinestore/product_info.php?cPath=21_161&products_id=3338

I have a garage sale drafting table that I use to hold plans near my main modeling bench. It's easy to move out of the way or closer to the bench. For small sized plans I use it as shown in the upper right photo. For larger plans I attach the plan sheet(s) to a piece of foam core illustration board and then Set the foam core onto the small ledge on the bottom of the drafting table and use a spring clamp to hold it in place as shown in the lower. I can move it closer to the bench as shown in the upper left photo. By putting the plans on foam core boards I can have multiple sets of plans able to be used as I usually have at least two projects going at a time. There are also small tables meant for lap top computers that could be adapted in a similar manner using the foam core pieces. Kurt PS:The hand on the table is a Halloween hand that will become part of a "Don't touch the models" plaque with a butcher's cleaver and cutting board for our next model show.

Dan: Great work as usual and a very interesting subject. Why the 1/36 scale? Was it to arrive at a model of a specific size for the museum's display? Take care, Kurt

Still time to sign up for the conference. The Wednesday tour is filled but room for others at everything else. The model show looks good this year with 20+ models on exhibit. Kurt

Harvey: Make up an oversize laminated piece from two or more strips and knock off the corners of the square piece and then round it off. A laminated piece will resist warping as long as you glue it up straight. Best to use a straight grained wood like Poplar like Geoff used. A single piece of wood can always warp over time where a laminated piece will not. Kurt

There is still time to sign up to attend this year's conference but the seating for both tours is filling up fast. Registration forms are on the NRG web site - www.thenrg.org We would hate to see some not be able to attend because they waited too long to register but seats are limited.

Richard: I would have suggested you try the Badger Acrylic Modelflex Marine Paints rather than the Air-Opaque paints - as the marine paints come in the colors you will probably wind up using on boats/ships. But you have the idea - get proficient with one paint and then you can switch to another having figured out what happens when you change ratios or settings. The nice thing about the Marine paints is that no thinning is needed. Shake and spray. Let us know how things go. Kurt

Richard: I would follow their directions as it's always best to keep things simple. If that's the thinner they recommend I would stick with it or at least do a test thinning with the thinner and also with water and compare results. If they do not specify the thinning agent go ahead and try water and do a test on a similar surface to your intended model finish. Let it dry well and then check for adherence. If it's OK then go ahead and thin with water and consider it safe to use indoors w/o a lot of precautions. Kurt

Richard: Not knowing the exact ingredients in the thinner, I can't say for sure. Badger paints don't need to be thinned to spray but if they thicken (maybe the jar lid was left off overnight or something causing evaporation) then distilled water is used as thinner making them essentially harmless as the over spray dries so quickly that one doesn't have much exposure to inhaling the stuff. I used to use Floquil paints and can remember the results of blowing my nose after a painting session - not pretty - made me go out and get a good respirator. They used some pretty nasty stuff in the paint and the thinner. Read the contents of the thinner and let that be your guide. If it's essentially water or alcohol I don't see a problem but if it contains stuff that's at all dangerous take precautions. With acrylics being pretty much benign - I have been told by a chemist that you might get an upset stomach if you drank the acrylic paint, but it wouldn't do any harm - I would feel very safe with a cheap drug store or home store face mask (3M makes them as well as others). I retired my respirator completely when I switched to the acrylics and don't even use a filter mask now. I have a spray booth but usually only use the light and keep the exhaust fan shut off as it can affect the paint spray when not spraying directly into the unit to get the sides of the object being painted. Kurt

Richard: You said you were going to be using acrylics - this is good for the "mess" situation. Acrylics have virtually no odor and the spray is harmless to you (unless you look into the front end and get a face full - like a loaded gun). As to the mess, the over spray is not an issue like it is for solvent based paints, as the over spray is dry before it gets to anything other than your intended target - the model. A drop cloth on the floor will catch any of the over spray as dust - take it outside and shake it off. Clean up is done. When airbrushing outside the air movement may blow the paint away from the model so try to do it in an area where you are sheltered from the breeze. Good luck. Kurt

Richard: Yep, that's their moisture trap. Just keep an eye on it and if/when you see water in it depress the rod and let it empty out. I have a regulator moisture trap as well as in-line traps on all of my hoses. Have never had a drop of water in the in-line units as it's all been trapped in the regulator's trap. Only reason for the in-line traps on my hoses is that I use them for demonstrations for Badger away from my shop and don't always provide my own compressor. Redundancy is not needed. Take care, Kurt

Richard: You most certainly need a moisture trap with any air brush set up. However, you might have one built into the air pressure regulator already. If the regulator has a clear plastic bottom with a knurled knob or other type of drain cock to open the drain you have a moisture trap. If your regulator is not so equipped and in-line moisture trap can be placed in-line into the air hose. They usually just require you to cut the hose and insert the moisture trap being careful to properly orient the moisture trap with the air flow - there should be an arrow pointing the direction of the air flow or "in" and "out" molded into the ends of the trap. Keep an eye on the moisture trap - in-line or part of the regulator - as accumulated moisture needs to be drained out. The regulator trap is emptied by opening the bottom drain cock. The in-line unit is detached from the hose and emptied. Failure to have a moisture trap will cause problems eventually as compressing air always results in moisture being produced inside the compressor system and when it gets into the airflow while you are spraying paint you will not be happy even using acrylics. If you need to buy an in-line trap most places that sell air brushes also sell the in-line traps. All of the manufacturers sell them so they are readily available. Kurt Full disclosure - I am a consultant to Badger Air Brush Co.

Pat: Yes, it certainly is a consumer level machine - and I have read your posts about the quality afforded by these units and agree that they aren't for us - at this time at least. I saw the anchor chain and the cowl ventilators you have made available to us. I work with a commercial model maker on some projects and the higher quality machines have cut into their business quite a bit. The APMM - Association of Professional Model Makers - have made this topic a key point in their last few annual conferences and there is always something about new and better technology in their newsletter. They are getting out in front of this market and learning to use it to enhance their products - time is money - and these units sure save the time. I think the fact that these progressive libraries are getting on board is interesting and that their making the purchases will speed up the technology coming down in cost - like the first electronic calculators being very expensive and able to do only a few functions evolved into the calculators we use today and cost so little. Kurt

AT last night's meeting of the North Shore Deadeyes one of our members told us that some of the Public libraries in the NW Chicago suburbs are getting 3D printers for the patrons to use. He brought in some samples of stuff he "printed" out the other day while stetting one of these units up. Had a length of chain that was impressive just in the fact it was individual links joined together - too rough and big for model work but still impressive. Kurt

I just became aware that Testor's has made the decision to discontinue the Floquil line of paints as well as several other lines. I am not effected being a user of Badger Model-flex Acrylic Marine Paints but I know a lot of you use the Floquil stuff even with it's horrendous odor. Maybe this will be the tipping point to make the switch to acrylics I switched to the Badger acrylics in 1999 after Testors discontinued the Floquil Marine paints w/o even the courtesy of an announcement immediately after acquiring Floquil. I haven't used a Testors product since then because when I made several inquiries to Testors about the unavailability of the Floquil Marine paints they never replied and it was months before the hobby distributors could get an official word regarding the dropping of the line. Apparently they wanted to sell as much of the remaining paints as possible. I guess they thought it was better to let the hobby shops watch the unsold stuff dry up in the bottles. Kurt HERE IS THE LETTER FROM TESTORS Friday, May 17th, 2013 Dear Valued Partner, I am writing to inform you about changes that are taking place at the Testor Corporation. For over 80 years, we have provided premium paints and finishing systems to the craft and hobby industry. Today, we announced that we are transforming our business in order to more effectively address the changing needs of our consumers and their interests. We’ve made the decision to exit the following businesses within the Testor® Brand family - Pactra®, Floquil®, Polyscale®, and ColorArtz®. This will enable the Testor Corporation to return to our foundation of success – providing premium, innovative product that inspires creativity. We will continue to accept orders and ship product for a limited time based on available quantities. Going forward, the following brands will be critical to our success and development – Testor®, Model Master™, and Aztek®. These brands will be infused with marketing support, innovation and operational efficiencies. In support of this, we have announced a consolidation of operations at our Rockford facilities. Over the next several months we will provide updates critical to your order and delivery needs as well as product availability. We assure you there will be no disruption to service during this transition. Our commitment to the Testor brand has never been stronger. By implementing these changes, and the ability to leverage all of Rust-Oleum’s world class services, we are more strongly poised to take your business to the next level through product and merchandising innovations, and increased customer intimacy. Please contact me or your sales manager directly with any questions. We appreciate your business! Best Regards, Kristin J. Schiro Director of Sales & Marketing