Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

Many videos on youtube on how to decant a spray can. Look for one from Brett Green the guy who runs Hyperscale.
Max Bryant

The couple vinyl kits I have built I did this. I packed the limbs, torso, etc very tightly 3/4 way full with newspaper. I then cap it off with latex caulk.

Max Bryant

yep the dollar store or if you have a Haror Freight in your area.

Max Bryant

Have you tried looking at a fabric store?

Max Bryant

Mightymax, is it possible to airbrush Delta Ceramcoat paints??? I've often wondered this. Do you have experience with this? Did you thin it with 90% alcohol? You can thin with distilled water but they (craft paints) still want to be difficult to spray. I never tried alcohol so that experiment is on...

If you plan on airbrushing and want go cheap. Then go to Hobby Lobby, Michaels or some Wal Marts and get some craft acrylic paints. Some brands are Delta Ceramcoat, Plaid, Apple Barrel, Folk Art etc.... Huge color selection Now find a bottle of Future acrylic floor polish. Now sold under the label P...

Try using HOT water. soak in very warm water then blot with a hot but not wet towel. This seems to work wonders on the decals in Hasegawa and Tamiya airplane kits. Once blotted do not touch or add decal softner.

Try experimenting first to see if it works for you...

Max Bryant

There are several youtube videos on this very topic.

Cheers
Max Bryant

John, I saw your Viper at the O'Hare show and thought it was really well done. The only thing I did not like and it is only a personal opinion, was. The grey you used was too dark for my taste. Congrats on the Silver. When i saw it, I knew it would win something. And no I did not Judge....... Cheers...

Yes but unless you push yourself you'll never get beyond that H. The last airbrush I bought, I bought because I was running up against the limits of the airbrush. Needed something finer and gravity fed. But then again I started @ 17 with a Thayer & Chandler illustration brush. Like I said I hav...

If you stripped it I would just try priming it with an acrylic primer.

Max Bryant

Get a Paasche H set and end it! I got my dad to buy an H when I was in High school 35 years ago! I still use the same one! Along the way I have acquired Badgers, Thayers, Aztecs, both single and fancy double action brushes. My Paasche H was good then and still gets the job done! It is easy to clean....

I have paint that is 35 years old and still useable. As noted if it is still liquid then it probably is still useable. just stir thoroughly.

Max Bryant

First thing I thought of was the Simpsons' episode where Homer wants to be an inventor. He invents a makeup gun and shoot Marge in the face. She replies "I think you have it set on Who.. :) Wonder what is the proper way to thin Mabelline and the proper pressure to spray it is? Post or Pre shade...

I saw that commercial months ago in the wee hours. The thought of anyone airbrushing their face made me laugh!

Max Bryant

I have never thinned with Future for brush painting.

However. Thinning craft paints with Future does make them spray through an airbrush like a dream!

Max Bryant

I grew up modeling in the 60's,70's,80's and used those little bottles through my Paasche H3 all the time. I just thinned them with hardware store mineral spirits that my Dad kept in his basement workshop, with never a problem. The silver never fully dries and will burn your fingerprint into the fin...

Also a used 'Bounce' dryer sheet will polish it up nicely

Max Bryant

I have been using the same Paasche D-550 for the last 30 years! Of course they no longer sell it, so I cannot comment on the new product they put out. Max Bryant I guess I should ad that I did add a Norgren/Badger air regulator and moisture trap onto mine. Mine is not silent but very quiet. I used ...

I have been using the same Paasche D-550 for the last 30 years! Of course they no longer sell it, so I cannot comment on the new product they put out.


Max Bryant

Elmers glue. Seriously once your canopy is glued down. Go back with some elmers on a toothpick and fill the gap. Let it dry. Repeat if necessary because elmers will shrink a bit as it dries. Once dry you can go back and blend in if needed with a water moistened Q-Tip or finger. Once blended let it d...

Years ago I experimented with getting a chrome. I used Floquil 'Old Silver' and when dry I polished it to an amazing finish using the silver powder that comes with SNJ paint. This was years ago and it was when Floquil was made by Floquil. Testors now makes Floquil and I don't know if the same formul...

Really? I have a 1969 Z-28 model I made when I was 18. That was 30 years ago. I used white Electrical tape for the hood and deck striping. Looks as good as it did 30 years ago! Hmm, are you talking about the color-coding "phasing" or "phase" tape? I've never used that, only the ...

True, although my problems with it would be that by design it stretches and the adhesive tends to ooze over time. I don't even use it for electrical connections anymore because of some messes that were created with it. -Rog Really? I have a 1969 Z-28 model I made when I was 18. That was 30 years ag...

I bought the 7"x10" mini-lathe from Harbor Freight several years ago and have had really good luck with it. It's solid and very heavily built. The extra, interchangeable drive gears let you do things like cut different sized threads. I'd recommend these lathes to a hobbiest without hesita...

Electrical tape is vinyl tape and comes in many colors.


Max Bryant

I prefer Floquil Old Silver. Spray it on and it looks like oxidized aluminum. You can buff it up to a nice polished shine. I once did some experimenting. I buffed SNJ polishing powder into the dried Old Silver finish. Just astonishing is how I felt. Floquils seem to take handling and masking better ...

In my personal experience if you seal that metalized finish it will change its appearance. You can buff up a really nice polished aluminum finish. Then shoot clear gloss over it and it transforms into an oxidized aluminum finish. Takes away the effect of polished metal so I try to not use a sealer c...

House of Kolor makes dry pearl powders you can disperse into a clear medium, like a gloss coat - Future. You have to keep them shaken to ensure uniformity when using Future, though. Search House of Kolor pearl powder Their internal links are all java... Similar product by Pearl-X and available at H...

I have used color pencils (especially white) to detail instrument panels in model plane cockpits. I also used a drafting lead holder with 2H lead to draw over raised panel lines. Just hold the tip kind of at an angle and draw it along the panel line. Seal with clear.

Max Bryant