Slide rear mod : the second screw of the rear block can't go deep in and as the slide is fibered plastic, no way the threading can resist to the blow-back on the long term. I don't like to epoxy parts that might need service, so I placed a M3 self threading insert with JB weld.
then moded the 6/32 screw with a M3 insert, to keep the look of the original screw.
Time for filling the side windows (ammo leds)...
scary operation for me as I'm a resin NOOB
I found some good alcohol based inks, which mixes well with resin : alcohol evaporates and leaves just the pigments, compared to the glass stain/paint which has some transparent resin/linker which doesn't harden like the glazing resin itself. The result of my first try was nice but I needed too much glass paint to get the right shade and transparency, the resin took ages to cure and isn't hard enough.
Those are aquarelle (watercolor) inks for illustration, comics etc. Lucky me the magenta has the inflammable logo which means it's alcohol based but not ALL colors have the sign so I'm not sure they would all mix well with the resin.
first minute of mixing gave a chewing-gum pinky look to the mixture and I freaked out.
After one night of curing, the color was a nice signal red, still a little too magenta for me (but hey, that's what was written on the canister).
For my final attempt I decided to add also the crimson red glass paint to darken the color and it ended very well. I prepared more resin too, which helps for stirring and mixing.
Rule is hardener first, then resin. It cures over 24h, so no rush, take your time to mix, grab what's on the sides of the cup.
Added the color, mixed again, let sit for a while to have bubbles climbing up. The color with thicken the mixture, so leave the clear mix sit for a while to get rid of bubble, then mix the color, let sit again (10 minutes). Transfer the mix to another cup without shaking, that helps removing bubbles too and ensures you don't have any unmixed resin or hardener left in your new cup.
then use a 2D level to have your work on a perfectly horizontal plane. That resin is VERY THIN and will go everywhere (thanks for the warning, SD). You'd better have everything under (the clear styrene, if you remember) perfectly sealed. In any case, any hole / cavity will be filled up, so be prepared for the next 4-6 hours to monitor how it goes and refill when needed (I couldn't source glazing resin with 90 min curing time... and I don't feel like playing with additives yet)
testing the lights and the shade
So far so good. I had to make some resin again cause reaching the gel time took forever and the basement is barely at 19°C (not complaining but a bit low for resin curing). Gel time is like 4-6 hours. You need at least that time to make sure you won't have a window that will almost totally empty during the cure time.
You also need working lights to ensure you don't have a dirty color or mix.
Mine isn't perfect as it's not pure pigment but looks ok if you're at 20 cm of the prop.
The diffusion is AWESOME. Less crazy than on the pics but really diffused, you don't see a single spot but really a lit window.