Weekend Update 2/20/11

[Dave Schneider]

I had the day off today so it is technically still the weekend in my book. Here is my almost completed Gibson Yard office. It just needs a couple more details and I will call it good. The concrete blocks were scribed using the Silhouette cutter and I am pretty happy with it. It was great for cutting the clear styrene window glazing. Just put the micrometer on the window, laid out the rectangles and pressed the go button. They just dropped in perfectly and I glued them in with Pledge-Future floor wax. That was the first time I tried that technique and it worked great.



Best wishes, Dave

[up1950s]

Nice structure , this is the first I heard of this Silhouette Cutter being used for modeling . So it can make 3D letters of any font to make signs , odd loads for gon's and flats , duplicate parts en mass ? How thick can the plastic be ?

[Dave Schneider]

Nice structure , this is the first I heard of this Silhouette Cutter being used for modeling . So it can make 3D letters of any font to make signs , odd loads for gon's and flats , duplicate parts en mass ? How thick can the plastic be ?

Thanks Richie. Jamie introduced us to the Silhouette in his Franksville thread, and at least of couple of us have purchased one. There is a dedicated thread in the Weathering/Scratchbuilding section.

It will scribe .010 styrene almost all the was through so all you have to do it snap it out. This building is done in .030 and it was a bit difficult to get nice square window openings which it why I used the windows with the trim instead of a masonry style.

It should fine for cutting letters, and I have thought about cutting some autoframe loads with it. Just haven't had the time. It is a very nice tool and I am very pleased with it.

Best wishes, Dave

[up1950s]

Thanks Dave .

[sizemore]

This is exactly the kind of solution I had been dreaming of a few months ago for my diesels: a one piece stainless steel etching that is, by construction, thin, straight, and fairly strong.  I had wondered if squarish etched railings would look odd, but to my eyes they seem fine, and the thin stanchions look fantastic.  I'm off to the drawing board now.  Why waste my time bending, aligning, soldering, and cussing, when my computer and an etching house halfway around the world can do it 10 times better?  I'm sure this is not a panacea, but it looks promising.

-gfh

I threw that idea at Bernie years ago...glad to see someone else with the same idea.  ;D

The S.

[wazzou]

Wow Dave!  That yard office looks really fantastic.  Well done.

[GaryHinshaw]

Dave, that office reeks of character.  Well done.

Could you elaborate on Future as a glue?  I've heard of it as a gloss coat (and a floor finish) but not as a glue.

-gfh

[Dave Schneider]

Thanks for the compliments everyone. This is my first totally from scratch project and I am really happy with it.

As for using Future as glue, I read this somewhere...just can't remember where.
All I did was lay the clear styrene on the back of the window castings/openings (for the entryway) and apply Future to the edge of the "glass" with a small paintbrush. The capillary action distributes it around the frame, just like Tenex or other liquid glues. It dries clear in just in ten minutes or so.

Best wishes, Dave

[wm3798]

I use clear gloss medium to secure window glass for the same reason...  dries clear, no fogging.

Lee

[sirenwerks]

Funnily, Daniel recently passed on a recommendation to use Future for a high gloss finish on auto and truck models; like on the cab of this Sylvan model http://www.isp.ca/sylvan/kits/VN019.htm. IMO, it does a better job of giving the shine without the added coating thickness of gloss paint, which I've seen turn some CMW products to marshmallows and they present as toyish on otherwise excellent layouts.

Dave, does the Future act as a bridge or filler in small spaces (like Krystal Klear would in larger areas)? Or is just safe as a glue? And how long does it take to dry?

[bbussey]

Funnily, Daniel recently passed on a recommendation to use Future for a high gloss finish on auto and truck models.

That's a common method used for finishing automobile models.  You dip the body in a container of Future, suspend it and let it drip off, leaving a nice rich acrylic finish.  It really makes the finish pop like a real new car.

[Dave Schneider]

Dave, does the Future act as a bridge or filler in small spaces (like Krystal Klear would in larger areas)? Or is just safe as a glue? And how long does it take to dry?

Bryan B. (at least one of them),

I didn't try to make the Future act as a bridge (like an individual window pane) but I don't think it would work. It isn't gooey...more like a viscous fluid. That said, the two surfaces didn't need to be completely flat. I didn't check the drying time very closely, but I suspect that it takes at least an hour to completely dry, but I worked with the windows after 10 minutes or so and nothing bad happened. It is sold as a floor wax, so it must dry relatively quickly.

Best wishes, Dave

[Ntrainz1]

It is sold as a floor wax

It's a dessert topping.

Bob.

[davefoxx]

It's a dessert topping.

Bob.

Bob,

You couldn't be more wrong: New Shimmer is a floor wax.   ;D

DFF

[Puddington]

Bob,

You couldn't be more wrong: New Shimmer is a floor wax.   ;D

DFF

Perhaps the point is that Future and Kool Whip have exactly the same chemical composition.......frightening..............