kurtvd19

Floquil paints have been discontinued by Testor's - the owner of Floquil.  There may be some floating around on eBay or a hobby shop shelf but I seriously doubt that Engine Black would be one of the colors still not gobbled up.  I know one modeler who's bought 27 or so bottles of a specific Floquil clear finish - off eBay.
The attached photo is the 12 pound gun painted with Badger Modelflex Marine Color Wrought Iron Black (#16-413) an acrylic paint.  It is the same color as Badger's Dirty Engine Black  (#16-05).  This is a somewhat weathered Engine and/or Hull Black which are both dead flat black and look way too stark on guns.
Kurt
 

Floquil paints have been discontinued by Testor's - the owner of Floquil.  There may be some floating around on eBay or a hobby shop shelf but I seriously doubt that Engine Black would be one of the colors still not gobbled up.  I know one modeler who's bought 27 or so bottles of a specific Floquil clear finish - off eBay.
The attached photo is the 12 pound gun painted with Badger Modelflex Marine Color Wrought Iron Black (#16-413) an acrylic paint.  It is the same color as Badger's Dirty Engine Black  (#16-05).  This is a somewhat weathered Engine and/or Hull Black which are both dead flat black and look way too stark on guns.
Kurt
 

Try the chisel and knife - on some scrap first - the chisel and knife are easily controlled and will be needed constantly through your modeling and while power tools are great and I use them a lot,  the Dremel can be a very aggressive cutter and can get away from you and can ruin a piece of work very fast.  Try both methods on scrap and then go with the one that works best for you.
Kurt

Try the chisel and knife - on some scrap first - the chisel and knife are easily controlled and will be needed constantly through your modeling and while power tools are great and I use them a lot,  the Dremel can be a very aggressive cutter and can get away from you and can ruin a piece of work very fast.  Try both methods on scrap and then go with the one that works best for you.
Kurt

It's an airbrush for me for 90 percent of my painting.  I use acrylics and airbrush cleanup is easy.  The secret to airbrushing small areas is to use an airbrush meant for detail work vs one meant for larger areas. 
Spray cans are of limited use in my opinion with the hobby brands, Testors, etc. being OK but the use of hardware store paints (spray or cans) is to be avoided due to the size of the paint pigments.  Model paints are in the 1 micron range while hardware store paints, meant to cover in one application range about 17 to 32 microns and will obscure details..
To avoid water based paints from raising the grain of basswood or other woods a coat of shellac sprayed or brushed will seal the wood and the water based paint applied over the shellac will not raise the grain.
Kurt

It's an airbrush for me for 90 percent of my painting.  I use acrylics and airbrush cleanup is easy.  The secret to airbrushing small areas is to use an airbrush meant for detail work vs one meant for larger areas. 
Spray cans are of limited use in my opinion with the hobby brands, Testors, etc. being OK but the use of hardware store paints (spray or cans) is to be avoided due to the size of the paint pigments.  Model paints are in the 1 micron range while hardware store paints, meant to cover in one application range about 17 to 32 microns and will obscure details..
To avoid water based paints from raising the grain of basswood or other woods a coat of shellac sprayed or brushed will seal the wood and the water based paint applied over the shellac will not raise the grain.
Kurt

It's an airbrush for me for 90 percent of my painting.  I use acrylics and airbrush cleanup is easy.  The secret to airbrushing small areas is to use an airbrush meant for detail work vs one meant for larger areas. 
Spray cans are of limited use in my opinion with the hobby brands, Testors, etc. being OK but the use of hardware store paints (spray or cans) is to be avoided due to the size of the paint pigments.  Model paints are in the 1 micron range while hardware store paints, meant to cover in one application range about 17 to 32 microns and will obscure details..
To avoid water based paints from raising the grain of basswood or other woods a coat of shellac sprayed or brushed will seal the wood and the water based paint applied over the shellac will not raise the grain.
Kurt

It's an airbrush for me for 90 percent of my painting.  I use acrylics and airbrush cleanup is easy.  The secret to airbrushing small areas is to use an airbrush meant for detail work vs one meant for larger areas. 
Spray cans are of limited use in my opinion with the hobby brands, Testors, etc. being OK but the use of hardware store paints (spray or cans) is to be avoided due to the size of the paint pigments.  Model paints are in the 1 micron range while hardware store paints, meant to cover in one application range about 17 to 32 microns and will obscure details..
To avoid water based paints from raising the grain of basswood or other woods a coat of shellac sprayed or brushed will seal the wood and the water based paint applied over the shellac will not raise the grain.
Kurt

I have the extended fence option and use it most of the time. 
I got my saw long ago before the tilt away fence was std. so I retrofitted it by getting the new ***'y from Jim and returning the original.  Anybody with an older version should get this upgrade - in my opinion. 
I have the tilting table and have actually used it very little.  However, it was a life saver when I had to cut a bunch of  1/2 x 3/32 strips with 45 degree bevels on the long edges for a set of barge covers for a 1/72 model barge for a legal job on a tight schedule and the tilt table paid for itself on the time saved vs sanding accurate angles on about 6 ft of strip wood. 
The tilt table is a bit awkward to use unless you cut some wedges to match the angle you are cutting and put these wedges under the saw base making the table level with the bench top - in effect, tilting the saw (this tip came from Jim).
Kurt

I have been working with some 0.5mm machine screws and nuts for shackles on a 1/12 scale sailboat model.  I absolutely need magnification to even see them and threading a .5mm nut onto the machine screw is a real challenge.  I wonder what the floor in the shop looks like where these things are made.  I bought double the number I need in anticipation of several disappearing when dropped - even with my jewelers style pull out bench extension I know I will wind up dropping some.
The source I use is Scale Hardware  http://www.scalehardware.com/miniature-hex-bolts-c-1 If you are looking for slightly larger stuff such as 00-90 sizes then PSME - Precision Scale Model Engineering  http://www.psmescale.com/  has nice stuff for a lot less.  The catalog is expensive but the owner will take phone calls and tell you prices, etc.  Just got some 00.90 screws and nuts from him - very good service from both of these places.
Merry Christmas,
Kurt

I have been working with some 0.5mm machine screws and nuts for shackles on a 1/12 scale sailboat model.  I absolutely need magnification to even see them and threading a .5mm nut onto the machine screw is a real challenge.  I wonder what the floor in the shop looks like where these things are made.  I bought double the number I need in anticipation of several disappearing when dropped - even with my jewelers style pull out bench extension I know I will wind up dropping some.
The source I use is Scale Hardware  http://www.scalehardware.com/miniature-hex-bolts-c-1 If you are looking for slightly larger stuff such as 00-90 sizes then PSME - Precision Scale Model Engineering  http://www.psmescale.com/  has nice stuff for a lot less.  The catalog is expensive but the owner will take phone calls and tell you prices, etc.  Just got some 00.90 screws and nuts from him - very good service from both of these places.
Merry Christmas,
Kurt

The Byrnes saw is by far the best and I would urge anybody in the market to save up for one.  Don't settle for the others as you will always be wanting the Byrnes saw and you will be forever wishing you had not wasted the money on the other saw. 
 
However, I wouldn't part with my Preac saw either.  Both the Byrnes and Preac sit on my saw station all the time and I use them bot - a lot. 
 
The Preac saw can be made to work better than the day it was new by sharpening the blades with an alternating bevel to the face of the teeth.  There is no set to the teeth of the slitting blades used on the Preac and simply putting a bevel onto the face of the teeth will greatly improve the ability of the saw to cut wood.  Also, depending on the blade, removing every other tooth on the blade and then sharpening the faces of the teeth, alternating the bevel on each tooth will make a blade that cuts wood like you increased the HP of the saw by a factor of 3.  Lloyd Warner of Warner Woods West showed this technique at a NRG Modeler's Seminar and I know several guys who swore at their Preac saws just love them with the altered blades.  Of course, nothing will help the 1/4" limit of the thickness the Preac can cut, but with the altered blade one can cut through 1/4" boxwood like it turned into basswood.
 
So, can you live w/o a Byrnes saw?  Yes, but you will wind up wishing you had one.  And, heaven on Earth is having both a Byrnes saw and a Preac saw on your bench.
Kurt

MARBLES.  Use cheap easily obtained marbles to keep air out of the can.  As the liquid is used up drop marbles into the can to keep the fluid right up to the top of the can.  As to ease of use I would suggest a smaller container like the plastic or glass jars sold for airbrush use - they come with caps.  Dispense a small amount into the small jar and add marbles to the big can.  I use a cheap soft plastic pipette to transfer liquids out of bigger containers into smaller containers - no need to worry about the marbles pouring out.
Kurt

The Byrnes saw is by far the best and I would urge anybody in the market to save up for one.  Don't settle for the others as you will always be wanting the Byrnes saw and you will be forever wishing you had not wasted the money on the other saw. 
 
However, I wouldn't part with my Preac saw either.  Both the Byrnes and Preac sit on my saw station all the time and I use them bot - a lot. 
 
The Preac saw can be made to work better than the day it was new by sharpening the blades with an alternating bevel to the face of the teeth.  There is no set to the teeth of the slitting blades used on the Preac and simply putting a bevel onto the face of the teeth will greatly improve the ability of the saw to cut wood.  Also, depending on the blade, removing every other tooth on the blade and then sharpening the faces of the teeth, alternating the bevel on each tooth will make a blade that cuts wood like you increased the HP of the saw by a factor of 3.  Lloyd Warner of Warner Woods West showed this technique at a NRG Modeler's Seminar and I know several guys who swore at their Preac saws just love them with the altered blades.  Of course, nothing will help the 1/4" limit of the thickness the Preac can cut, but with the altered blade one can cut through 1/4" boxwood like it turned into basswood.
 
So, can you live w/o a Byrnes saw?  Yes, but you will wind up wishing you had one.  And, heaven on Earth is having both a Byrnes saw and a Preac saw on your bench.
Kurt

MARBLES.  Use cheap easily obtained marbles to keep air out of the can.  As the liquid is used up drop marbles into the can to keep the fluid right up to the top of the can.  As to ease of use I would suggest a smaller container like the plastic or glass jars sold for airbrush use - they come with caps.  Dispense a small amount into the small jar and add marbles to the big can.  I use a cheap soft plastic pipette to transfer liquids out of bigger containers into smaller containers - no need to worry about the marbles pouring out.
Kurt

3D printing and rapid prototyping is taking a toll on the traditional commercial model shops that industry uses to make prototypes for testing and for executives to touch and feel.  Two club members have recently had big down-turns in their commercial model shop business due to so many businesses now using rapid prototyping/3D printing to make samples for evaluations.  There will always be work for these guys as the 3D printers just can't make an 8 foot diameter frying pan, a 12 foot Iguana emerging from its egg or a 6 foot tall egg for a housewares show or large architectural models though a lot of the auxiliary stuff for these large models is able to be done cheaper than by the model maker now using the new technologies.
We already had a model with a lot of 3D printed parts (first photo) as well as one with almost the entire model done in 3D printing (second photo) take awards at the WI Maritime Museum's 2014 Show/Contest.  Both models are by Pat Matthews.  Like photo etch parts qualify as scratch built materials if the builder does the art/design work and a commercial printer supplies the photo etched metal the 3D pieces designed by the builder qualified the 3D parts as scratch built so both models took awards as scratch built models.
Kurt

3D printing and rapid prototyping is taking a toll on the traditional commercial model shops that industry uses to make prototypes for testing and for executives to touch and feel.  Two club members have recently had big down-turns in their commercial model shop business due to so many businesses now using rapid prototyping/3D printing to make samples for evaluations.  There will always be work for these guys as the 3D printers just can't make an 8 foot diameter frying pan, a 12 foot Iguana emerging from its egg or a 6 foot tall egg for a housewares show or large architectural models though a lot of the auxiliary stuff for these large models is able to be done cheaper than by the model maker now using the new technologies.
We already had a model with a lot of 3D printed parts (first photo) as well as one with almost the entire model done in 3D printing (second photo) take awards at the WI Maritime Museum's 2014 Show/Contest.  Both models are by Pat Matthews.  Like photo etch parts qualify as scratch built materials if the builder does the art/design work and a commercial printer supplies the photo etched metal the 3D pieces designed by the builder qualified the 3D parts as scratch built so both models took awards as scratch built models.
Kurt

Keith:
I will check into making this article available for downloading from our NRG Store.  
The type of parts not suitable for printing at this time are stanchions and hand rails that are better done in photo etch as well as things like the telescoping or lifting towers of fire boats - originals are of strip steel with numerous "X" cross braces - again better done in photo etch.  Essentially these are thin cross section parts w/o strength at the scale thicknesses - the parts that traditional injection molding has not reproduced well either.
Kurt
 

Scott:
This tool or one like it makes working with photo etch so much easier and precise that I wouldn't work without it.
Kurt

Richard:
It is called silver soldering because the solder has a high silver content. 
A more accurate term is actually silver brazing as the molecules at the joint change physical form and link with the silver solder and the other piece.  This takes considerably more heat than simple soldering.
Kurt

Richard:
It is called silver soldering because the solder has a high silver content. 
A more accurate term is actually silver brazing as the molecules at the joint change physical form and link with the silver solder and the other piece.  This takes considerably more heat than simple soldering.
Kurt

Richard:
It is called silver soldering because the solder has a high silver content. 
A more accurate term is actually silver brazing as the molecules at the joint change physical form and link with the silver solder and the other piece.  This takes considerably more heat than simple soldering.
Kurt

We used the original Chopper in a production setting 8 hours a day - the groove can be filled with epoxy to level the surface.  We would spread the glue at the end of the day and it was good to go in the AM - usually for a week or two.  The secret to good square cuts is a sharp blade and use it for think strips - nothing over 1/8" thick.  Use a miter box for the thicker stuff.  Also, it will not work well with real hard wood like boxwood unless it's real thin.  It's a RR modelers tool and they use basswood 99% of the time.
Kurt

We used the original Chopper in a production setting 8 hours a day - the groove can be filled with epoxy to level the surface.  We would spread the glue at the end of the day and it was good to go in the AM - usually for a week or two.  The secret to good square cuts is a sharp blade and use it for think strips - nothing over 1/8" thick.  Use a miter box for the thicker stuff.  Also, it will not work well with real hard wood like boxwood unless it's real thin.  It's a RR modelers tool and they use basswood 99% of the time.
Kurt

We used the original Chopper in a production setting 8 hours a day - the groove can be filled with epoxy to level the surface.  We would spread the glue at the end of the day and it was good to go in the AM - usually for a week or two.  The secret to good square cuts is a sharp blade and use it for think strips - nothing over 1/8" thick.  Use a miter box for the thicker stuff.  Also, it will not work well with real hard wood like boxwood unless it's real thin.  It's a RR modelers tool and they use basswood 99% of the time.
Kurt