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visman48
Fireman
USA
4480 Posts |
 Posted - 02/19/2011 : 8:36:14 PM
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Dallas
I got some vector goodies too, nice stuff. The connectionless stuff is even better, and do look at the throw away stuff for the scrap bin or scrap under the work benches. I remember seeing the cookie cut outs on the shop floor at my dads, were they cut with torches, and the left over plate plate was still there. makes use of the "throw away".
Another thought of detail is putting threads on your bolts..use small pliers with jagged teeth, turn shaft in and you have threads..
Les |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2991 Posts |
Posted - 02/19/2011 : 9:17:18 PM
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That's an interesting idea, but I think you'd end up with something like this. [:-knockout]
Okay, I actually exaggerated the effect here (slightly! ha-ha) by crimping the heck out of the styrene rod ... but it seems like it would be awfully difficult to find find a pair of pliers with fine enough, sharp enough teeth to do the trick ... not to mention it's rather hard to get a hold of a thin rod well enough to turn it ...
But this looks promising ... piece of .020" styrene rod here. Placed knife blade over the rod at a slight angle and used the blade to roll the styrene rod ... then dipped it in some black ink to see how it looked. Also did a similar quick test on .010" styrene rod ... that requires very light pressure to avoid actually slicing the rod, but it works too.
Think this would work well as follows:
a) Spray paint the styrene rod with flat black enamel
b) Brush on silver/gray acrylic paint
c) Let that dry to the touch, then use the knife/roll trick just enough to slice the fresh acrylic paint ... and use some stain/die to bring out the threads
d) And, of course, practice the knife bit to get an appropriate thread! 
Glad you mentioned that idea ... was pondering possibility of threading plastic rod and that gave me a spark to do a quick test. |
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visman48
Fireman
USA
4480 Posts |
Posted - 02/19/2011 : 9:26:59 PM
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Dallas,
Well stupid me, I should have thought to mention tap and Dies for those that know machine tool. A Die would work best..after all thats what they are supposed to do..should be sharp enough..
Les |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2991 Posts |
Posted - 02/19/2011 : 9:32:13 PM
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Well, yes, but who can afford a die fine enough to thread .010" rod?
Scale Hardware is a great choice ... but a bit pricey ... buying your own machinist tools for this tiny stuff would be even worse ... so I'm looking for a way to do it on the cheap!
Thanks for the input. Think this approach will be a lot better than using plain rod and wishing it had threads!  |
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visman48
Fireman
USA
4480 Posts |
Posted - 02/19/2011 : 9:40:04 PM
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Dallas,
Yeah I was thinking cheap before I realized the die sets. I have some NWSL stuff, and tools that my dad gave me when he was doing prototyping at General Dynamics. I will give it a go and see what kind of results.
Les |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2991 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2011 : 5:20:17 PM
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Les -- I did some more quick experiments and it looks like the bit with pliers might work on soft metal rod, like brass or phosphor bronze ... more on that when I get a round tuit.
Now, just some random stuff while organizing the chaos here! This gnarly looking scratcher is from the "Tim Holtz" craft line, makers of the Ranger Crackle paints shown here:
http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=1202.0
Not sure if they have the scratchers at Michaels, but they do have some of the Crackle paints in the scrapbooking section ... if you ask for the Tim Holtz stuff, there's a chance the staff will point you the right way! Web site is tonic-studios.com
Haven't tried the scratcher or crackle paints yet, but they look interesting ...
Found these neat containers at Ikea ... very handy for organizing the little bottles of Vallejo & Reaper paints that were starting to fall off the shelves! Item is KRUS #601.182.14 container in the kitchen section. Each container holds 30 bottles.
Nominal size is 9x6x4" -- they fit neatly on a shallow bookcase intended for CDs & DVDs ... also stackable.
Another random item ... have a pair of the Woodland Scenics "Gentle Grips" tweezers (foreground), which are handy for placing figures, etc. Wanted a finer pair for placing painted details into the scene without scratching/marring the acrylic paints ... took a spare pair of tweezers, coated the ends with liquid electrical tape ... voila! New soft-touch tweezers for little bits (center).
I did mention that this was just random stuff right?  |
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Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16438 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2011 : 5:41:51 PM
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quote:
... also stackable.
The more I practice, the more I think one should avoid stacking since what you need is always at the bottom of the pile...
Nice idea to have color dedicated boxes. Much easier to find a specific shade than having to dig in a full box, even if this one is kept in reasonable order.
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Frederic Testard |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2991 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2011 : 7:04:07 PM
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Agreed! If you look at the bookcase photo, you'll see that I opted to arrange the shelves so they're not stacked.
Also, I've gone thru and put a sample dot of paint on the lid of each bottle -- it really helps identify them quickly and easily. |
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Philip
Fireman
USA
1398 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2011 : 9:49:45 PM
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The threading .020 rod looks good. The stain makes it pop. I'll take a hundred fine threaded ones.010 please.
[:-clown] |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2991 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2011 : 07:35:25 AM
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Starting to prep and sort out possible details to go on a shelf over Mudgeon's desk ... it's just a small shelf above the bench and below the window. Any/all thoughts and ideas welcome.
And those new little "soft touch" tweezers are coming in handy! |
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railman28
Fireman
USA
1720 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2011 : 2:13:52 PM
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| Wow! Mr. Mudgeon is all set. All he needs now is the latest issue of Popular Science. I don't know what I like more, the mug and flatware or the apple with hidden storage. Nice, very nice work, |
It's Only Make Believe
Bob Harris |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2991 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2011 : 3:40:36 PM
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Well, decided it might be easier to "roll yer own" than fix that funky looking Tamiya apple. Mixed up some Magic Sculp and made about a dozen prospective apples in hopes of getting one or two good ones out of the batch.
Kinda tricky, cuz I wanted to be able to shape the tops, bottoms and sides ... which meant shaping them with finger tips and trying not to squish them ... and trying to get them so they'd sit upright. Think there are a couple decent ones here ...
Next big trick will be trying to paint an apple convincingly, but there's a bunch of art tutorials on the web ... including this one for drawing a digital apple. That's not directly appropriate, but it has the color palette neatly laid out:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/how%20to%20paint%20an%20apple/nikokanakis/Myapple.jpg
Meanwhile, found out that the canister shown far right in the original photo is readily-identifiable as a WW1 gas mask container ... and since Mr. Mudgeon prefers coffee over mustard gas (any day!), we'll swap that out for a more generic canister ... and playing around with some alternate tools to get the items looking "right" on the shelf.
Ya know, you think you're just gonna put a few little things on a shelf, and then it turns into a whole business of making apples and other craziness! (I guess that's what make's it so fun.) [:-boggled] |
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Tyson Rayles
Moderator
USA
10163 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2011 : 4:07:19 PM
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| Dallas your attention to detail is unreal! [:-thumbu] |
Mike |
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Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16438 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2011 : 4:42:30 PM
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I agree, Dallas. Your apples are by far better than Tamiya's.
Apart from this, this topic reminds me more and more of Zeno's paradox of Achilleus and the tortoise... |
Frederic Testard |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2991 Posts |
Posted - 02/26/2011 : 04:28:51 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Frederic Testard
I agree, Dallas. Your apples are by far better than Tamiya's.
Apart from this, this topic reminds me more and more of Zeno's paradox of Achilleus and the tortoise...
Interesting! I have a photographic response to this idea in mind, but it's not ready yet ... just mentioning it now in case I need a reminder later. (Photo requires the apples, and I've just started the initial prep for painting those -- if you see finished apples and nothing else about the paradox, please remind me!) [:-turtle]
Mr. Mudgeon liked the idea of the apples so much, he asked for more crispy snacks. Since 1/35 scale almonds and cashews are out of the question, we decided to try making some pretzels. The ones with the "correct" pretzel twist look a bit too chunky, but some of the ones with the simplified twist (like upper right) might work. So, I made a bunch more like that (not shown) ... will try painting them with a modified version of the "salt technique" and see how they look ...
(Like the apples, I made a lot more than I need so I can pick thru them later and select the better looking ones.)
By the way, did I ever show y'all the nifty little tweezers that Mr. Mudgeon uses for working on his little boats and airplanes? |
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Chambers Gas & Oil -- structure build
