Happy Holidays!

Well, another year has come to an end and I hope it has been good to everyone. Mine was O.K. pretty quiet. Nice to eat turkey and nap it off! Have a good New Year and Happy Holidays all!

Warming paint for better results.

Have you ever wondered how to get a better paint job out of a rattle can? Warm it up first! Paint from a can tends to flow and spray better when it's warm. The easiest way to do this with no danger is to fill a sink or plastic tub with luke warm water up to about the middle of the can and leave it there for a few minutes. Don't worry, luke warm water will not make the can explode or anything. Wipe it dry before shaking or spraying so you don't get water on those nice clean model parts, because we know what water does to paint don't we?! Then spray as usual. The result will be a smoother, more uniform paint job with a much smaller chance of getting the "orange peel" effect. Careful though, warmer paint also runs easier so don't spray to heavy.

The importance if tack cloth.

If there is one thing I've learned about laying down the perfect paint job, it's this, painter's tack cloth is the cheapest and most important step before painting and in between EVERY coat. Hate those little specks of dust and lint trapped under that almost perfect paint job? Tack cloth can almost eliminate that problem. It's about $1.00 and it can be used many times. You can find it in most paint stores and paint sections at Dept. stores. I've not found a lot of hobby shops that carry it, oddly enough. If you have not figured it out yet, tack cloth is just that, a tacky/sticky cloth that when wiped over a surface to be painted, picks up all those little hairs, dust and particles that can get trapped under paint. Another way to keep dust off paint jobs is spray them in a shallow box with a lid. Shallow so you can spray it in the box and the lid acts to keep dust off your fresh paint till it dries somewhat. Try these tips and I guarantee you will have a way smoother final result! Have fun!

The many uses of sprue!

In case you don't know, sprue is the plastic that model pieces come attached to. Sprue is usually thrown away once all the pieces are taken off of it. Here is the first good reason for sprue. Painting pieces while still attached to the sprue is like a second set of hands, you can paint pieces without touching them. Once detached you just smooth and touch up the little spot where it was attached. Second reason to not throw it away (especially if there are different sizes and diameters) is that it can be very handy scratch building material. Most sprues are round so lets say you have to make a roll cage or an axle from scratch, that's where these things are perfect. Another example is if you were making a auto carrier transport truck. Pieces of sprue would be perfect for all of the intersecting bars and such on one of these vehicles. So next time you think of sprue as just garbage plastic, think again!

Best things to strip paint from models.

At one time or another, we've all messed up a paint job and had to start over. There are two main chemicals used for this that don't damage the plastic. The first is oven cleaner and the second is brake fluid. Everybody has their preference, but I've learned that each has "better suited applications" I find that oven cleaner is great for enamels but is not quite strong enough for some lacquers. That's where brake fluid comes in, it can strip laquers better than it can enamels, although it will do both. I find it's about time and penetration. Oven cleaner is quicker and penetrates enamel better than brake fluid. Brake fluid as everyone knows can wreak havoc on car paint jobs overnight, but can take days to soften enamel. A tooth brush takes care of whatever is left on the model. The only drawback to using oven cleaner is it can sometimes leave the plastic slightly pitted or rough. This can be solved easily with a coat of primer though. Now, if your using NAPA car paint, there is no way to get it off a model. A friend of mine did this and neither oven cleaner, or brake fluid could get it off! He had to sand it down in the end. Hope this helps your paint stripping efforts and remember NEVER USE LACQUER THINNER ON ANY MODEL, PAINTED OR NOT, or any other paint thinner for that matter they eat plastic.