Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[Thom]

8 hours ago, MechTech said:

Despite the cold, got a couple of rattle can coats of paint on the lighthouse. Then quickly brought it inside to cure and stink up my shop

A long time ago I bought a nebulizer from a thrift store. (if you don't go to thrift stores, I HIGHLY recommend you do). It works awesome as an airbrush compressor. Only problem is I was jerry-rigging the hose for it and it has a slight pulse to the airflow (like most straight compressors do without a tank. With the cold weather, I thought now is a good time to make the compressor work right for its new job. I've seen people add old soda bottles in-line with the airflow to act as a capacitor and eliminate the pulses. So I thought I'd do the same, but more rugged. So I got some 1" copper pipe fittings since they were the cheapest way to make a metal tank (low pressure tank).

 

Then I machined male/female rims into the edges to make them easy to solder together securely.

Here are the two tanks joined together with the ribbed inlet and the outlet tube which is rough until I add the fitting to it. The output will always bleed off, so this is a low pressure sett up. There is a tank connector built into the inside end caps.

Here is how everything will fit into the existing case. The power switch and outlet will all be on top to make it easier to use. I'm adding a handle to the top to make it tactical too.

 

Thanks for checking in everyone! - MT

I'm confused and don't know what to cheer on first... Great stuff!

[arbit]

MT, I've got my kid's nebulizer in the kitchen hamper. They've outgrown it, but I knew it could come into good use one day.

[electric indigo]

MT, what's the pressure output of that nebulizer compressor? I guess you're safe from blowing yourself up?

[arbit]

It's used for inhaling asthma medicine with a mask.  I never felt it was that strong. 

But Google tells me that these things are doing 1.5-2 Bars, which should be perfect for airbrushing.

Edited December 21, 2020 by arbit

[MechTech]

Thank you guys for your inputs and comments! Maybe this should become a tutorial?

Decades ago I used to have one of those Badger piston pump airbrush compressors. Two problems with it. 1) it was noisy enough to wake the dead! 2) It pulsed the output air which affects your coverage and spray shape. As you know, piston pumps have so much power they can compress an air cylinder. So you have to have an air regulator or valve to allow some air to bleed-off or it will blow up your air line (or turn your airbrush into a mini-tornado). I also have a small shop air compressor with regulator, but once again, it will wake the dead!

There are two QUIET and less expensive air compressors ($20s-$40s new) you can use for airbrushing, Nebulizers and the larger aquarium air pumps. Most nebulizers use a small plastic/rubber piston and most aquarium pumps are usually an electromagnetic armature on a rubber diaphragm. Neither of them can be put under too much strain or they will blow themselves apart! So I am using a bleed valve on this compressor set-up. The attached photo is my bleed valve. Note the hole in the bottom. You can use an aquarium valve to do the same thing with some hose, mine is left over from the Badger.

Originally I used the plastic nebulizer line and drilled a hole in it to bleed off as you'll see in the first link. I did a quick search and found some people who did the same thing (saved me taking photos):

http://plasticcaffeine.blogspot.com/2010/08/spray-heaven.html

http://nelman.blogspot.com/2009/07/poor-mans-modeling-neb-kit-hose-hack.html

http://otakuonabudget.blogspot.com/2014/06/poor-mans-airbrush-setup.html

You can see in the first post that the lines are not smooth, they are kinda dotted from the pulse. That's OK, I touched up a 1/1 scale Tomahawk cruise missile model and it worked great doing that. It will still work for covering paint over a certain sized area, but it may affect doing fine lines. So you need some sort of air capacitor to absorb the pulse. You can use soda bottles with plumbing (like the last link), or you can use an old tank of some kind. Once again, the air will ALWAYS be bled-off until it goes through the airbrush, so this is low pressure. That's where my tank project came in. It fits inside the nebulizer and SHOULD (I hope) clean up the pulses.

All air compressors can put water in your line (bad for lacquers), so a small filter like the second linked guy used is a good idea. My shop compressor has a water trap on it and they do catch a lot of water, especially in humid areas. Winter weather with the heater on making the air dry will greatly reduce the humidity. When I spent hours touching up the Tomahawk there was no condensation in the line and the compressor didn't get hot (like a piston pump would).

I'll post more as I get time to work on this. Any ideas or suggestions you guys have are welcome as always! - MT

[arbit]

Mechtech, Talking about using household appliances, I've got this vaccum food sealer with an external pump and container. Do you see any reason why this wouldn't be good for vacuum a small dose of resin?  Any advice/precautions appreciated.

 

[Gabe Q]

Wow, lots of cool stuff going on here. Thank you for the tips on the compressors mechtech!

I currently have a 1/72 Legioss in the works. 

[MechTech]

@Gabe QThanks Gabe! Another classic kit comes to life!

@arbit Evil Great minds think alike! I bought one of those fairly recently too at a thrift store for the same exact purpose (my wife got rid of our old one)! I haven't used it (this time around ) yet. I don't think it gets the draw of -29/-30 of mercury that is recommended for casting, but I think it would sure be an improvement! Check this dude's tiny vacuum out: https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/degassing-epoxy-resin-on-the-very-cheap/

You MUST use slow setting resin though. That stuff with a 5 minute pot life will cure before you can get the air out. That I HAVE tried and failed miserably! Years ago I vacuumed the resin and then mixed it too. Also failed. As soon as you mix it in the air, that 7 plus atmospheric PSI forces air back in during the mix. I even thought of making a mixer/poorer that worked in a vacuum chamber to further minimize bubbles.

Another thing to remember is that the molds need to be made that way too. The vacuum will take air bubbles in your cured mold and make them tiny balloons which will distort your shape. The last time I tried was nearly 20 years ago and I also knew little about casting back then. Let us know how it goes! - MT

[arbit]

11 minutes ago, MechTech said:

@Gabe QThanks Gabe! Another classic kit comes to life!

@arbit Evil Great minds think alike! I bought one of those fairly recently too at a thrift store for the same exact purpose (my wife got rid of our old one)! I haven't used it (this time around ) yet. I don't think it gets the draw of -29/-30 of mercury that is recommended for casting, but I think it would sure be an improvement! Check this dude's tiny vacuum out: https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/degassing-epoxy-resin-on-the-very-cheap/

You MUST use slow setting resin though. That stuff with a 5 minute pot life will cure before you can get the air out. That I HAVE tried and failed miserably! Years ago I vacuumed the resin and then mixed it too. Also failed. As soon as you mix it in the air, that 7 plus atmospheric PSI forces air back in during the mix. I even thought of making a mixer/poorer that worked in a vacuum chamber to further minimize bubbles.

Another thing to remember is that the molds need to be made that way too. The vacuum will take air bubbles in your cured mold and make them tiny balloons which will distort your shape. The last time I tried was nearly 20 years ago and I also knew little about casting back then. Let us know how it goes! - MT

I only recast small parts for lighting, such as engine parts.  I've given up on buying expensive containers of silicon molds, so I use the Blue Stuff now which is fine for small parts. So I'm thinking of vacuuming AFTER the resin is in the molds. 

Any vacuum improvement over my own mixing will be great. Your link looks exactly like what I'm planning to do, except I'm using a specially made vacuum food container. And he got excellent results too.

 

[MechTech]

@arbit That's cool! I would try vacuuming the resin in the cup and in the mold. You may find that the volume of resin changes depending on the mold size and shape. Keep us updated! - MT

[electric indigo]

Even if you use vacuum, mold layout is important. Imagine how the resin flows when it fills the mold, and avoid air traps or build extra venting channels in problematic places. Some of these traps will not clear even under vacuum.

If you have a lot of tiny air bubbles after mixing the resin, most of these will disappear when you slowly pour the resin into the mold in a thin stream or along a piece of wire.

[electric indigo]

Made a second pass over the dark green since it was a tad too dark, and painted the canopy.

 

Edited December 22, 2020 by electric indigo

[Ignacio Ocamica]

Making some progress with my 1/60 zentran soldier. Decided to add articulation to the chest/torso. I'm happy with the sculpt/proportions from the torso and chest/head/shoulder/back armor. I just have to scribe some details to those parts.

Also a couple pics showing the leg, crotch armor and one foot

[MechTech]

@Ignacio Ocamica Your sculpt is looking awesome! I'm looking forward to seeing the completed model.

@electric indigo The color change looks good. - MT

Edited December 23, 2020 by MechTech

[Thom]

20 hours ago, electric indigo said:

Made a second pass over the dark green since it was a tad too dark, and painted the canopy.

 

Looking sharp from the pointy end!

18 hours ago, Ignacio Ocamica said:

Making some progress with my 1/60 zentran soldier. Decided to add articulation to the chest/torso. I'm happy with the sculpt/proportions from the torso and chest/head/shoulder/back armor. I just have to scribe some details to those parts.

Also a couple pics showing the leg, crotch armor and one foot

Great sculpt work! Can't wait to see him standing tall.

[MechTech]

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! For those in the Commonwealth, HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!

Have you ever finished building something and it didn't work like it was supposed to? I put the compressor all back together and it was WAY more noisy than before I hacked it. I was really confused. Went to sleep on it and the next day realized the air filter somehow disconnected which makes it totally noisy! Thank God it works great now!

Here is what I started with, a PM-7 Nebulizer (from Picclick).

Here are the tanks with the bracket I made to support them in the case with the valve rounded out to easily fit in a round hole in the case.

I took the original case front, cut out/moved the air filter (because it will get in the way), then I cut everything out but the "frame" going around it. That was covered with metal screen.

You can see here where the filter was moved to the side and glued in place (Acetone is awesome ABS glue). Then the tanks and screened cover all fit into place.

The updated and "tactical" version (because it has a handle). The handle also helps protect the air bleed valve. The power switch was moved to the top and the air bleed valve is easy to get to. Two partial holes were drilled around the switch and filled in with red/green permanent pen for stop and go. It actually works! Now the air flows smooth and there is a little buffer under load between triggering the brush. Now I can finish the lighthouse. If you guys are interested, I can do a tutorial for other machines too. Thanks for checking in guys! - MT

 

Edited December 25, 2020 by MechTech

[pengbuzz]

4 minutes ago, MechTech said:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! For those in the Commonwealth, HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!

Have you ever finished building something and it didn't work like it was supposed to? I put the compressor all back together and it was WAY more noisy than before I hacked it. I was really confused. Went to sleep on it and the next day realized the air filter somehow disconnected which makes it totally noisy! Thank God it works great now!

Here is what I started with, a PM-7 Nebulizer (from Picclick).

Here are the tanks with the bracket I made to support them in the case with the valve rounded out to easily fit in a round hole in the case.

I took the original case front, cut out/moved the air filter (because it will get in the way), then I cut everything out but the "frame" going around it. That was covered with metal screen.

You can see here where the filter was moved to the side and glued in place (Acetone is awesome ABS glue). Then the tanks and screened cover all fit into place.

The updated and "tactical" version (because it has a handle). The handle also helps protect the air bleed valve. The power switch was moved to the top and the air bleed valve is easy to get to. Two partial holes were drilled around the switch and filled in with red/green permanent pen for stop and go. It actually works! Now the air flows smooth and there is a little buffer under load between triggering the brush. Now I can finish the lighthouse. If you guys are interested, I can do a tutorial for other machines too. Thanks for checking in guys! - MT

 

Gotta love picclick! I use them to find stuff I need without spending a fortune (when I have the money to do so!). Really thinking about this for my long-dormant airbrush ( a gift from my folks years ago).

[arbit]

39 minutes ago, MechTech said:

Thanks for checking in guys! - MT

So cool. I'd like to see a video of you airbrushing with it!

[Dobber]

On 12/22/2020 at 12:28 PM, electric indigo said:

Made a second pass over the dark green since it was a tad too dark, and painted the canopy.

 

Wow! That looks fantastic!

Chris

[derex3592]

Santa was good to me and the model bench this year! LED desk lamp, lots of cool stuff for photo etch and other tools! 

[MechTech]

@pengbuzz @arbit Thanks guys! I'll have to put something together, maybe a pictorial with drawings to show everything.

@derex3592 Nice catch! Funny, I just got the clear window cement earlier today to put windows on the lighthouse. Hope it works good!

Speaking of Model Master, for all of you Model Master Fans, they're goin' bye bye! - MT

"As a manufacturer of paint products, we have a long history of producing hobby kits and supplies. To that, we are evolving our strategy to focus more keenly on Testors, our flagship brand and are discontinuing our Pactra, Aztek, and Model Master Brands as the demand for these products continue to decline".

[arbit]

30 minutes ago, MechTech said:

Speaking of Model Master, for all of you Model Master Fans, they're goin' bye bye! - MT

Too bad. I guess they didn't evolve with the times.

Speaking for myself since I am not at all skilled with paints and chemicals, the only reason I was able to get back into modelling is these Japanese hobby supplies. They have a really long shelf life, and dont go bad as soon as you open them. Amazing stuff compared to what I grew up with, and got me turned off the hobby because I just couldn't get anywhere.

Edited December 26, 2020 by arbit

[pengbuzz]

3 hours ago, MechTech said:

@pengbuzz @arbit Thanks guys! I'll have to put something together, maybe a pictorial with drawings to show everything.

@derex3592 Nice catch! Funny, I just got the clear window cement earlier today to put windows on the lighthouse. Hope it works good!

Speaking of Model Master, for all of you Model Master Fans, they're goin' bye bye! - MT

"As a manufacturer of paint products, we have a long history of producing hobby kits and supplies. To that, we are evolving our strategy to focus more keenly on Testors, our flagship brand and are discontinuing our Pactra, Aztek, and Model Master Brands as the demand for these products continue to decline".

I wonder if they'll simply reintroduce long-used colors under one unified line ("Testors")? I know Testors is now owned by Rustoleum corp. (check the label):

[MechTech]

@arbit I agree. The Testors paints don't last long even unopened. I STILL have Tamiya paints from 20+ years ago! That's just ONE reason Testors is failing. Enamels are also less "convenient" needing thinner for cleanup. They also have more competition than ever. The hobby industries main problem is less people building models. The hobby industry has actually been shrinking since the 80's. We had issues when I was working in a hobby shop back then. Virtual reality is replacing reality - sadly. As an example, we decided to carry Legend of Zelda game cartridges even though we didn't sell video games. We had people coming in out of the wood work for them. But an R/C car or even a model kit was a hard sell! Fewer people buying models today. You KNOW I build models with my children on occasion, but they spend most of their free time on video games even though they do like models.

@pengbuzz Yeah, They were bought out a while ago. I personally think they are making a mistake. Testors is a decades old American name, but the Model Master Line usually had better quality and selection. They also had nice innovations. I STILL have a cool Model Master hobby knife from the 80's that also had blade storage in the handle. We'll see... I commented earlier on buying the window maker/glue like @derex3592 bought. His has the Model Master label on it, mine has the Testors label on it - same exact package and glue.

Maybe there is STILL hope for Testors! Just so no one thinks I'm anti-Testors or anti-American hobby industry... - MT

Edited December 27, 2020 by MechTech

[Chronocidal]

So, I can say with some certainty that the quality of the Model Master stuff is at least partly dependent on care and storage of the bottles.  My dad has a ton of those, and he's always careful about cleaning the lids and storing them in cool dark spaces, and they've lasted him easily thirty years or more.

The quality may have fallen off in recent years, but I still have a ton of them myself, since I started using them in the early 90s.  The Testors thinner and smaller paints were never quite that good, and I did have bottles of those that dried, but I think all of my Model Master ones are still viable.

As much as I enjoy the easier cleanup with acrylics, I feel like there's just something more reliable about enamels.  They've always seemed more brush-friendly to me.

[pengbuzz]

6 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

So, I can say with some certainty that the quality of the Model Master stuff is at least partly dependent on care and storage of the bottles.  My dad has a ton of those, and he's always careful about cleaning the lids and storing them in cool dark spaces, and they've lasted him easily thirty years or more.

The quality may have fallen off in recent years, but I still have a ton of them myself, since I started using them in the early 90s.  The Testors thinner and smaller paints were never quite that good, and I did have bottles of those that dried, but I think all of my Model Master ones are still viable.

As much as I enjoy the easier cleanup with acrylics, I feel like there's just something more reliable about enamels.  They've always seemed more brush-friendly to me.

I like a good enamel "base" color for projects that won't easily scratch or ding, and then do details and secondary colors in acrylics. I prefer the acrylics' not clogging my lungs with fumes and such: breathing is a priority to me (silly, right? :P ).

On another note, I decided to change my pace a bit with a figure painting project. I recently found an old Superman plastic figure from 2006, but forgot to take a before photo, so here's a pic of an in-package one to give you the idea of the starter for this:

Anyways, wasn't a big fan of the face, hair, the chunk o'cape that could deflect artillery IRL and the sloppy "s" on the chest. Also, the colors are just drab on steroids and almost reminded me of "Evil Superman" from Superman III.

I prefer the brighter colors and look of Superman from the 1980's comics when it comes to the comic version.

Well... never tell a pengbuzz something can't be done...

I chopped the plastic cape off, filled in the holes in the back, and redid the hair (amazing what some hot melt glue can do!). I then repainted the main suit in Apple Barrel Academy Blue, and drybrushed it with 95% Academy Blue/ 5% White mix. For the red, straight Apple Barrel True Red, and the yellow was 95% Apple Barrel Yellow/ 5% Apple Barrel True Red (to knock down the brightness). The "S" was completely redone by hand and was the hardest part of the figure. Custom mix of flesh color for the skin and black w/ blue drybrush for the hair.

The cape was some old red fabric that was kicking around: I cut and measured it out, re-cut it to a half-circle, cut-in the indent for the neck. After washing the cape and using an Iron to press in some folds, I then drilled holes into the chest/shoulders and stuffed and glued it into place.

Still need to do the yellow "S" symbol on the back... I'll get to that later.

 

[derex3592]

I grew up using Model Master enamels in the 90's when I was semi serious modeling as a teenager and on again when I got back into the hobby seriously in my 30's.  I will say that due to the lack of supply here locally and online in the last year or so, I've had to pretty much given up on using them.  All my old ones dried up and I do keep them inside the house in a drawer.  I've pretty much HAD to switch to Tamiya TS and AS spray cans (which are great) either straight out of the can or decanted and airbrushed and Tamiya acrylics for airbrushing. The only problem is brush painting with them. I still love enamels for that. Yes, yes I know people around here swear you can brush paint acrylics, well, it doesn't work for me so whatever. As long as I clear coat the crap out of every layer of acrylic I lay down with the airbrush they are protected just fine, but that gets mighty expensive with Tamiya clear coats.  I do miss the option of having the good old Model Master enamel FS line to pick all my colors from.  Oh well.  

Edited December 28, 2020 by derex3592

[pengbuzz]

4 hours ago, derex3592 said:

I grew up using Model Master enamels in the 90's when I was semi serious modeling as a teenager and on again when I got back into the hobby seriously in my 30's.  I will say that due to the lack of supply here locally and online in the last year or so, I've had to pretty much given up on using them.  All my old ones dried up and I do keep them inside the house in a drawer.  I've pretty much HAD to switch to Tamiya TS and AS spray cans (which are great) either straight out of the can or decanted and airbrushed and Tamiya acrylics for airbrushing. The only problem is brush painting with them. I still love enamels for that. Yes, yes I know people around here swear you can brush paint acrylics, well, it doesn't work for me so whatever. As long as I clear coat the crap out of every layer of acrylic I lay down with the airbrush they are protected just fine, but that gets mighty expensive with Tamiya clear coats.  I do miss the option of having the good old Model Master enamel FS line to pick all my colors from.  Oh well.  

Hey, no worries: I cannot brush paint with enamels to save my life, yet folks swear by those as well. It's as I always say: your mileage may vary.

Really starting to wonder as our generation ages, that modelbuilding will become more rarefied and ebb with our passing? I'd really hate to see that happen...

[arbit]

I'm not sure that the model hobby will die completely. Look at Bandai and Gundam kits. They have gotten pretty mainstream among all kinds of fans. They are catering to the older crowd with revolutionary 3D engineering and materials.

The kids market needs models of shows they like on tv now to get any share of their time away from online games.  I can't get my kids to build any models, but it might be different if I had minecraft and fortnite kits or an Avengers ship to offer them.

But military and WWII stuff is probably the hardest hit.

Edited December 28, 2020 by arbit

[derex3592]

Speaking of Bandai Star Wars kits, as will all things Bandai....the line just kind of seems to have stopped as far as vehicles go and pretty much figures as well.  Such a shame, so many more out there to be done.  

[MechTech]

I keep my paints in an old ammo can. They are well sealed, out of the light, and STILL some paints get jacked up. Yes, my stash of Model Master paints are too.You can't win them all.

@Chronocidal I agree. The Model Master paints were much better. Several guys in my club are buying out what they can get before they're gone. I loved their metalizers that you could buff to a shine.

@pengbuzz I didn't know Superman was related to Little Orphan Annie!? Where's the original figure's pupils? You made him look MUCH better AND gave him pupils too!

@arbit You are right. I think we're losing a lot of the traditional modeling subjects. My children getting Minecraft and Star Wars Christmas ornaments says it all!

@derex3592 It's just not you. Acrylics are tough to brush paint, I just did a bunch of it - ONLY- because it didn't have to be smooth. It seems they dry quickly and then the fresh coat picks up the older coat. Enamels like a little thinner and level out better with it. Acrylics only like to be thinned for airbrushing. Sometime you just can't win.

Watching NHK Japan on cable TV (its in English, or online below) it looks like the virus may be slowing anything going on in Japan. Their news is every hour on the hour. Maybe Bandai will release some new Star Wars stuff post pandemic. By the way, if you missed the Hayao Miyazake biography on PBS, NHK has it (they were the content creators). - MT

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/

Edited December 28, 2020 by MechTech

[pengbuzz]

1 hour ago, MechTech said:

@pengbuzz I didn't know Superman was related to Little Orphan Annie!? Where's the original figure's pupils? You made him look MUCH better AND gave him pupils too!

The original's pupils? Dunno...probably lazy painting on their part.

[Gabe Q]

8 hours ago, MechTech said:

By the way, if you missed the Hayao Miyazake biography on PBS, NHK has it (they were the content creators). - MT

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/

Thanks, mechtech! I'll check out the biography. I'm a big fan of Miyazaki.

You guys got me looking at all my paint. I went through and found only a couple of jars out of over a hundred went bad. Some of them are really old! Like from the 90's.

[Chronocidal]

15 hours ago, derex3592 said:

Speaking of Bandai Star Wars kits, as will all things Bandai....the line just kind of seems to have stopped as far as vehicles go and pretty much figures as well.  Such a shame, so many more out there to be done.  

I could believe they reduced development this year without much trouble, but there's actually only a few more ships I'm interested in, basically just a Tie Bomber and an Imperial shuttle (either 1/144 or 1/72).  I've got enough of the 1/72 fighters to build a small fleet.   I'd definitely love to see a larger scale Tantive IV though, something about a foot long would be ideal.

After those, I'm not sure what I would want to see.  Could do a few prequel designs, I guess, but I'm not terribly interested in any of them, and if Bandai doesn't massively boost the scale, I'm not going to care either way, because those ships are all tiny.  I'd say the minimum scale for most of those would be 1/32. I think the Revell Jedi Starfighter kits were close to 1/24, and still smaller than the 1/72 Y-wing kit.

I actually wouldn't mind a 1/32 Naboo N-1, but I don't think anyone is interested in making anything that big anymore.  The old 1/48 ERTL kit was disappointingly tiny.  Really.. that's all I want: larger scale versions of everything they made in 1/72.  Their larger X-Wing is amazing... and the A-Wing is already 1/48.. would love to see the other fighters in that scale.

Edited December 29, 2020 by Chronocidal

[electric indigo]

Holy MiG!