Tips Tricks and Tutorial site now open on Facebook!

Just opened a new tips, tricks and tutorials group. Will take time to build but now is the time to get in early and make it into something decent.https://www.facebook.com/groups/modelttt/

Thinking about a reboot

I am considering redoing some of the articles here and picking up where i left off. its been a long minute since i have had any time to actually enjoy the hobby. all going to depend on interest.

Glues and Adhesives in modeling

here is a short list of the current Glues and Adhesives that i use almost daily

every one of these products in the pic below have their uses…..except 1

by the time i am done writing you will figure out which one i do not use and have not since i was about 11 years old.

first and foremost, i use Liquid Cement on a constant basis

it does not matter which name brand you use, these are perfect for almost any job where you have to join styrene to styrene on a model. their strongest point in their favor is the fact they are water thin. this allows something that other glues cannot accomplish. by the use of capillary action this glue is actually drawn into seams and crevices. simply hold 2 styrene parts together and use either a brush or a touch and flow applicator ( pictured in the forefront above ) to place just a drop of cement on the seam, it will creep into the seam and allow for a strong bond in a short amount of time.

Next up is Super Glue or any other form of CA glue.

name brand does not matter, i normally keep one thick and one thin on my bench at all times. thin is great for any time you are adhering dis similar items together and there is no gap or roughness between them. the thicker super glue is for when you have a small gap to fill and can even be used as a body filler when used in conjunction with baking soda. do not use either of these on clear plastic as they do tend to fog them.

 

next we have the ole white school glue…

i find myself using this for quite a bit when modeling, from a brush on mask, to window and headlight glue. get a new bottle about once a year as it does thicken up in the bottle a bit.

next up is another of my favorites as an adhesive

it is a clear acrylic, i use it to add PE emblems when completing a model, it is also a great adhesive for flocking

 

now there is only one left i have not mentioned.

in this day and age, there is no reason for this to be on anyones hobby bench anymore. it is thick, stringy, causes more problems than it solves. the only reason i even have this tube is that it came in a parts box i bought off e bay lol

 

i have never even taken the top off to see if it is still liquid or not.

 

now please remember, these are my views alone, you are entitled to your own opinions and favorites

keep slingin plastic and putty

wayne

 

Decanting Paint my Way

i will start this one as simple as i can….

I AM CHEAP!!

ok now that being said, i cant stand the cost of paint. for what it is, the prices can add up very quickly for a multi color finish or even the basic stock one color job.

the average car modeler buys the 3oz cans of both primer and paint
the going prices of these equate to a single paint job running between 12 and 18 dollars depending on where you buy and the brand you buy.

with the unregulated air pressure and oversized spray nozzles you can expect to get 2 cars worth of primer from a 30z can and 1 5 coat finish ( 2 mist coats and 3 wet) from the color

i dont think that is good enough or cost effective, so i decant everything into different bottles and shoot them through my airbrush.

with that same amount of paint in the cans, i can get 6 cars worth of primer and enough paint to cover 3 cars. all this because the airbrush allows you to control paint flow and air pressure so there is less wasted product and you are laying down thinner coats of paint.

i always get the same questions any time i try to explain this to anyone.

arent you afraid the can will explode?
doesnt it make a mess?
why should i bother when i can just use the can?
no i am not afraid the can will explode because i make sure that cant happen, no it doesnt make a mess when done properly, unless you have more money than sense there is no reason not to decant your paints, it makes the same amount of product go roughly 3 times further, many times with better results.

first i grab a can of primer for this demonstration
i bought this one for 6.99 plus tax from autozone. its a 12 oz can but the process is the same for the 3oz hobby size.

if you think of how a can of spraypaint is manufactured, it is easy to understand why this works.

as you can see, the dip tube extends to the bottom of the can and the propellant settles at the top.

when you invert the can…

the propellant is exposed to the dip tube and can be expelled without losing any of the paint.

keeping the can inverted, depress the nozzle until all the propellant is expelled.
dont be fooled here, the propellant is a gas and it saturates the paint. once it stops spraying because of no pressure, stop depressing the nozzle, shake the can for 10 seconds, flip the can again and depress the nozzle again. you will be surprised at how much additional pressure builds up in that time. repeat this step 3 or 4 times until it no longer builds pressure.

the propellant is now expelled and it is safe to “open” the can.

i use a nail for this next step because i am kinda neanderthalish lol

it is easiest to use the seam of the can as a target here, as you can puncture the can both top and bottom on the same side of the can.

the hole near the bottom of the can is where the paint will stream out of when we are done

the hole at the top is to allow air into the can which lets the paint flow out in a stream rather than gurgling.

once you have your 2 holes, it is a simple matter of finding an acceptable container to store your paint in.

i am partial to these

you can find them either on the internet or even restaurant supply stores. most come with a plastic clip on cap so you dont have to worry about your paint evaporating and the squeeze bottle design is ideal for filling paint cups on air brushes with no waste.

now all thats left is to use a small clean funnel (i have one i use for this purpose alone ) and pour your paint from the can into the bottle.
clean out your funnel as soon as you are done so it is ready for your next one.

thats all there is to it, you now have a squeeze bottle of your paint you can fill your airbrush with and saved yourself some money in the process.

even with the cost of the squeeze bottles ( currently under 3 dollars for a 6pack) you have more than doubled the usefulness of your paint without wasting any product.

New Forum

Decided to restart the forums from scratch.

so hop on over and introduce yourself

we would be happy to have ya

http://kitbashkorner.forumotion.com/