Making Room for My 1/350 TOS Enterprise!

[division 6]

Was the can warm?
Is the area you are painting in cold or have humidity?
Was the part properly cleaned of all oils and mold release?

You can warm up the can by placing it in some warm to hot water for a few minutes, cold paint tends to do that sort of thing or fish eye.

Also several light coats instead of one heavy coat are better.

 

[Rahn420]

Hello again.

I’ve been away a while. My freelance (graphics) had a surge and I’ve been tied up.

I also had a setback that bummed me for a while. But, hey, get back on the horse.

It was dark times at the work bench, so I neglected to take photos.


In a previous post, we saw how my primer coat started.

I did what sanding I could on the parts and repainted.

It came out better and I started layering paint, even waiting a day between coats.


I was having a dilemma with the side shuttle walls.

Since the outer ribbed surface of the clear wall parts help bring light to the outer hull windows, I needed to do all my light blocking in the inner surface only.

If someone can explain how to combat the following, please tell me.

I was having the hardest time getting light blocking paint to fill in the inner corners. I even put my airbrush as fine as I could and sprayed directly into these corners, which helped, but when I put a flashlight behind the part, the inner corners would still glow.

I would think the corners would be catching paint.


At any rate…

I didn’t like how it was going and wanted a clean slate.

I started looking into methods to strip the parts.

I read about alcohol, Simple Green, brake fluid, etc.

I got a can of Testor’s Easy Lift Off (ELO).

It took some scrubbing, but I eventually got through all the layers and down to the clear plastic.

I had wondered if the ELO would fog the clear plastic, but the only fogging was where the paint had been.


Oh the pain…

After the cleaning process, I started noticing stress fractures appearing on the wall parts. Both side walls were cracking around the small pod room in the center of the part as well as a few other spots. The cracks were all the way through.

I brushed some liquid glue over the fractures in hope they would bond. At this point I’m treating the parts like they are made of (cracked) eggshell.


I eventually got back to my final color coat of Sand (window areas are taped off).

Now, I’m happy. So far so good.

Next: My research into masking materials.

 

[brandomack]

Sorry to hear about the trials and tribulations regarding the light blocking.

I look forward to seeing your progress. You're doing a great job.

good luck,

B

 

[Rahn420]

I’ve been looking at masking materials.

I used to just use masking tape or frosted transparent tape, but I wanted to look for better options.

I knew I didn’t want to use my masking tape. I bought a roll of Parafilm ‘M’ about a year ago, but have never tried it.

My job gives me access to a vinyl cutter, so I looked at some vinyl options.

I tried both our standard black and clear vinyl and cut test masks for the bay ceiling lights. The clear was less tacky, but both would become tough to remove and leave residue if left applied too long.

I got some samples of vinyl designed for paint masking. I don’t know if this is typical, but this vinyl does not seem to have enough tack. It may be better used in larger pieces. Even with a burnishing, small pieces are hard to be kept in place.

Another option I found at my work was Application Tape (white rectangle in photo). It’s used as backing for cut out vinyl decals to hold all the pieces together until applied, then peeled away leaving the decal on the surface. It’s thin, cuts sharp and has a nice level of tack. It is paper, so it does not form over some shapes well.

Then a couple of days ago, I found the 3M Fine Line Tape. It comes in various widths. I picked up 1/16”, 3/32” and 1/8”. I also have a blue plastic type of line tape on order. It’s supposed to be better for curves.


So, I grabbed a roll of tape and my magnivisor thingy and went to work on the back wall.

I would have liked the blue tape. There was not a lot of contrast between the part and the tape.

I mixed up my grey and sprayed a couple coats on.

Question: When is it best to remove masking?

Here is the outcome.

I’m pretty damned happy. I don’t think I could have gotten a sharper edge.

Fine Line Tape… Thumbs Up!

 

[Rahn420]

I got my side walls painted up and almost ready for decals and photo etch. I need to remove the paint from the four pod room’s window areas.

I’ve been debating over the color for the small ‘lights’ under the bay’s windows.

It seems that most have made them green. I prefer the look of green, but I’ve been pondering what the function of these lights might be.

With so many of them on all three sides of the bay, I see them as Bay Status lights. Green = Pressurized/Red = Depressurized. Since the Bay doors are open, I figure they should be red.

I also want to bring out the lines in the photo etch maintenance door piece (the lines barely visible in the photo).

I’m guessing this falls under the area of ‘washes’. I’ve never done one, so I’m doin my homework and looking into how they are done.


I’ve been looking into decal application. In the past, I was never aware of things like setting solutions or sealing coats.

In my investigations, I’m still left with a couple of questions:

1. I understand laying a gloss coat before laying decals. I had assumed you gloss the entire piece, but I see people who gloss just the area to which the decal is to be applied.

My question is: If you only gloss in spots and you later dull coat the whole piece, does the finish look different where there is and isn’t gloss applied?

And...

2. I see a lot of reference to using Future.

This is the floor wax, correct?

What are the properties that make it popular?

I assume it’s airbrushed. Is there any prep involved (thinning, etc.)?

How does it stand up to having other layers (other clears, paint, etc.) sprayed over it? There anything that needs to be avoided?


Next: Finish painting the ceiling and adding the photo etch parts.

 

[RobI]

Once it is finished, I'll probably build a plexi sided and glass topped coffee table. I just don't see any other way. I don't have room!

 

[Rahn420]

I went to paint in the small 'lights' beneath the Bay windows.

I taped over the face of the parts and brushed in clear red from the back.

Unfortunately on most of the lights the red bled out under the tape, ruining the gray paint on the face.

Now I have to try to clean up the parts (without bending them) and start over.

Is there a better way to do the lights?

Would airbrushing the red be better? I would then wonder if such a thin coat would peel out with the tape instead of staying in the holes.

 

[JGG1701]

I went back to the 'fans' in the Bussards.

The reflective vinyl never grew on me.

These are done with foil tape scuffed with steel wool and cut in 1/16" strips.

I like these better. Still metallic, but not so bright.

Can someone here please tell me what light pattern they used on their P. L. Light Kit?
I want to be sure that I put the colored bulbs in the correct order.
Thank you,
-Jim G.G.

 

[Rahn420]

I never saw a 'pattern'.
Each LED blinks at a different rate.
I put in the 5 amber 'bulbs', then just randomly placed the other colors.
I just tried to not put the same colors next to each other.

 

[JGG1701]

I never saw a 'pattern'.
Each LED blinks at a different rate.
I put in the 5 amber 'bulbs', then just randomly placed the other colors.
I just tried to not put the same colors next to each other.

Thank you.
-Jim G.G.