Salt Life Hideout

[Wingnut65]

Hideout Update... I've Been Painting A Car!

I have been spending a little time in the shop recently working on painting a car.

Actually it has been more time than I should have on a little car...

I found a 1/32 scale toy model of my new ride in Publix right before Christmas, and it ended up in my stocking. After Christmas, they were 50% off and so I decided to get another one and paint it to match my forthcoming ride. Now if I had used real model paint for the interior, it would have been done faster. But since all my model paint colors I needed were dried up, I used craft paint, which took way to many coats to cover completely and uniformly.

The one on the left is straight out of the box. Sorry that it is upside down, but that would give it away. Tonight I had to strip the body and repaint it and it was on the drying rack when I took these. (I will have to figure out why Krylon Gloss over Rustoleum Clean Metal Primer resulted in a krinkled finish. Twice!)

Since I can't just leave things alone, I spent some quality time and the interior on the right is now very close to the Ecru interior of the Trial Size ride we had a few days. (I know it will be a light color, but I didn't want a black or gray interior.)

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The original interior color was the gray like on the left. At least now it has personality. OK, well, at least the correct colors. I also had to remove the speakers from the back shelf an make it smooth.

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The box in the back seat is for the pull-n-go motor. If I had removed it, I would have had to rebuild a support for the axle. But when it's all back together, it isn't that noticeable thru the back windows. I will be fixing those squiggly lines on the door panel.

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And just to show you what I was aiming for when painting the door panel, here's the full size door

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[ckadams00]

I love this! Subscribed! Can't wait to crawl through the whole thread!

 

[shopnut]

(I will have to figure out why Krylon Gloss over Rustoleum Clean Metal Primer resulted in a krinkled finish. Twice!)

Wingnut - it sounds like the paints should be compatible with one another. Did you happen to paint the second coat the next day after the first? If you don't do it in less than an hour or two after the first coat, you need to wait two full days between re-coats. The instructions might tell you the acceptable times. I tried to rush a job lately by re-spraying in about 1-1/2 days and sure enough - wrinkles. It totally ruins your day.

The scale model is looking great.

 

[Wingnut65]

ckadams, Welcome to the Hideout. We passed each other in the 12-Gauge Garage, glad you stopped by here. I'm hoping to be able to break free from work real soon to get more done in the garage. I'm also working on a Milestone Index for the front page to make it easier to surf. I'm stealing that idea from shopnut. And stealing is perfectly fine here on GJ. That is how ideas get improved.

shopnut, I wouldn't say the whole day was ruined completely, but the project was delayed a little. As I'm writing this, I think I may have figured it out... The Twice time I painted it was at least a month later and it still wrinkled. Since the car body was factory painted a dark gray, I lightly sanded to get the bite and then primed with a light Rustoleum gray. Thought it would help to give a lighter base for the pearl white. But the peal was too thin and needed a completely white basecoat. So out came the Krylon and several light mists were fine. It was the last coat that I put on and the wrinkles appeared. I started sanding and had to set it aside a while while work-work took over. Monday I decided to finish this so I can take it to Miami next week. I sanded all the former wrinkles down and repainted a light mist coat and the wrinkles came right back. So yesterday I bought the Secret Model Paint Remover (Easy-Off oven cleaner) and 15 minutes later it was back to the factory finish. I repainted the Krylon gloss white and should be ready for the pearl this weekend.

Now that I am writing this, I surfed and found that the pearl spray I used may have been a lacquer paint. That could explain the incompatibility issues. I had forgotten that there was lacquer under the Krylon. I will have to experiment to see if I can overcoat Krylon with lacquer.

 

[shopnut]

Lacquer will definitely lift enamal, at least in my experience. Enamal is generally fine over lacquer. Krylon is probably enamal. Is the pearl Dupi-Color or something? I think some of those are lacquer. Who knows what the car was originally painted with.

 

[Wingnut65]

But I did have the enamel under the lacquer when I got the wrinkles. There was no problem experienced with the lacquer over the enamel primer, only when I put the third round of enamel over lacquer over enamel. (I'm getting a headache)

I think this is what I was able to get at Hobby Town.

Although your idea of Dupli-Color may be the direction I need to go with. I may need to hit a big car store to get some touch-up white lacquer paint for the basecoat. The original paint is still in place and seems to be some automotive enamel.

 

[Red Leader]

OH NO - Not another one! (RL - you're creating a bunch of thread-teasing monsters here )

I'll have to investigate the alternative car buying options the next time around. Thanks for sharing.

hee hee

Jeff,

Nice work on the models!

I'd love to do models of what is in my garage, but I'd have to extend my budget just a little:

 

[tinbender 66]

You're giving me a headache. For some reason, primers don't seem to care what paint you put over them so the problem is probably in the sequence of events of the top coats. I kinda lost track of what went over what.

Nice job so far. And excellent job of concealing the identity of your new car.

 

[Wingnut65]

Thanks Red Leader. Those tool models are almost more expensive than the full size ones. Wow! It may be cheaper to collect the real ones!

Actually, hand making models of your vintage tools could start with balsa wood and a pocket knife. Maybe not as perfect detailed as the one for sale, but a lot more affordable and actually fun to make. Could they be made out of copper....?

TB66, I think you are right on the sequence I used. It's the right hand in and left hand out and then, no, wait, now I'm confused again. But, tonight I did get a couple more coats of paint on the body. I think it is good to go for the lacquer peal on Saturday.

I will see if I can keep Model X under wraps until it arrives. It may be easier than keeping my trip to Miami next weekend a secret. But my trunk will not be empty when I come back... As Dave said, hee hee

 

[flybefree]

Is that the tell tale iDrive knob on the center console? A 5 series BMW?

Bought from the big "O"?

You have my attention.

Shaun

 

[Wingnut65]

Shaun, Actually that oversized tree trunk in the middle is the peg used to hold the interior to the chassis. Looks like I can work on that a bit to make it look a little more like this

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And that wood area on the model could use a little more details as well.

Here is what the back seat looks like and the door panels I was trying to replicate. And I guess the back seat does have a fold down arm rest, but the one on the model is just too wide. Cest la vie.

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[RaptorDuner]

I wonder what the car IS? It IS a good looking car. IS it a gift to yourself or IS it a gift to the wife? Am I right?

 

[Wingnut65]

I can agree with you, RaptorDuner that the car is definitely a gift to myself. Mrs W. approves and enjoys driving it as well.

I'll have to finish painting the model and get it back together to see what it turns out to be. And, thanks for stopping by the Hideout.

 

[Red Leader]

Thanks Red Leader. Those tool models are almost more expensive than the full size ones. Wow. It may be cheaper to collect the real ones.

Actually, hand making models of your vintage tools could start with balsa wood and a pocket knife. Maybe not as perfect detailed as the one for sale, but a lot more affordable and actually fun to make. Could they be made out of copper....?

Oh heck yes, those salesman's samples are hecka more expensive than the real thing...by like 10x-20x

Maybe I could make models of them and then sell them for only $1000...a 50% savings!!!

 

[tinbender 66]

Check these models out. The guy's name is Barry Jordan. The Bridgeport is 1/14th scale, I think the others are 1/5th. He also made a 1/5th scale Bridgeport. They all work and some were used to make parts for others. Amazing!!

There are more pics here:

http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/jordan.htm

 

[Wingnut65]

Paul, those are just Sick! I can't believe the detail in the models. The link has many more amazing photos. This puts the scale in perspective. Actually, these 1/4 scale models are larger than my Unimat.

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Dave, I don't see how we can compete with Barry for accurate scale models. He is good!

 

[flybefree]

Thank goodness you will not have to live with iDrive, I shudder at the thought of clicking through a half dozen menu pages to turn up the volume on the radio. Life can be so hard.
Shaun

 

[Wingnut65]

No iDrive, Shaun. This one comes with touch-screen. Besides, when I looked at the Beamer 3 series, it seemed like everything was an option. Base car was comparable, but all the bells, whistles and I think maybe I even had to add the back seats, it was way more than I was interested in. I will be happy with what I got, whatever it is!

 

[shopnut]

Those little machine tools are awesome! And they actually work - WOW.

Wingnut65 - I know you like planes and scale models, so if you haven't ran across the work of Young C. Park yet - check it out: 1/16 scale Corsair/Mustang

 

[Wingnut65]

Thanks for the link shopnut. I have been getting Fine Scale Modeler for probably 20 years and have seen his models in a short article. The link you gave tells and shows so much more. Seeing the details his masterpieces are so inspiring, not sure if I should go out and build, or throw in the towel. Wow!

This Corsair model is a little over 2' long and look at all this hand made detail

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And this Rolls Royce Merlin looks like all it needs is a prop to run

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[Red Leader]

It is refreshing to see such awe-inspiring talent in the world.

Wow, just wow. Ditto on those scale machines about as well.

 

[Wingnut65]

Hideout Update... Finished the Model!

I finished painting the car body on Saturday and on Sunday, when I put the doors on to the body to paint the Pearl White as a one piece body, the doors were not the same color. And I repainted the whole car again several coats on Sunday. So, on Monday, I finally painted the Pearl on Monday and assembled Tuesday. Life is good again.

I wonder what the car IS? It IS a good looking car. IS it a gift to yourself or IS it a gift to the wife? Am I right?

All I can say is that I can agree with you, RaptorDuner, this new car IS definitely a gift to myself. It IS going to be Awesome. And I can't wait.

Here is the 'Before' shot of the second model I bought. They both were this color to start with.

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Here is the 'After' shot that is color matched to my new ride.

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Not too shabby for on old man trying to remember what to do.

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The full size one looks much better than a scale model.

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So, I am off in the morning to Miami to help set up for the county Fair & Expo. I've been with the model building department for 28 years, in charge for the past 18 or so. I had to get this one done just to show the rest of the team that I can still customize a model, even if it is just paint.

And, when I come back from Miami, my trunk will not be empty. The Hideout will be getting some hand-me-downs.

But I think the best part of the trip will be that both of my brothers will be down this weekend as well. We all haven't been with Mom together in several years. Looking forward to that.

 

[Red Leader]

Hideout Update... Finished the Model!

I finished painting the car body on Saturday and on Sunday, when I put the doors on to the body to paint the Pearl White as a one piece body, the doors were not the same color. And I repainted the whole car again several coats on Sunday. So, on Monday, I finally painted the Pearl on Monday and assembled Tuesday. Life is good again.

All I can say is that I can agree with you, RaptorDuner, this new car IS definitely a gift to myself. And it I can't wait.

Here is the 'Before' shot of the second car I bought. They both were this color.

Here is the 'After' shot that is color matched to my new ride.

Not to shabby for on old man trying to remember what to do.

The full size one looks much better than a scale model.

So, I am off in the morning to Miami to help set up for the county Fair & Expo. I've been with the model building department for 28 years, in charge for the past 18 or so. I had to get this one done just to show the rest of the team that I can still customize a model, even if it is just paint.

And, when I come back from Miami, my trunk will not be empty. The Hideout will be getting some hand-me-downs.

But I think the best part of the trip will be that both of my brothers will be down this weekend as well. We all haven't been with Mom together in several years. Looking forward to that.

Lookin' good!

 

[SpeedinLemon]

Nice job on the model cars. They IS looking nice. Sweet ride! I'm confused as to whether you actually have it yet?? Some of the pics seemed to be in your garage....Just a test drive?? I enjoyed checking out the miniature machines too. Those are awsome...and they really have tiny Swiss electric motors!! That is incredible. Good stuff.

 

[flybefree]

I am ashamed to admit I just figured out why there were so many folks capitalizing IS in your posts....had to look up the car....wery nice!

Shaun

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Like they say... "It IS what it IS!"

Too bad you don't have it yet, if your brothers are like mine, family-get-togethers devolve to 1-upmanship contests!

neener-neener

 

[Wingnut65]

Thank Dave, SiL, FBF, and O. The model was a big hit down here. I still have more detailing that I want to do, but that is the perfectionist in me.

Sil, We had a free Trial Size a couple different times (aka, a Loaner when the RX was being serviced). It just happened they had IS loaners in white (really, Starfire Pear). So the pix are from the last time when we had already ordered. And the Trial Size fit well in the garage and in our life! And those models of the machines are amazing. Don't know if the motors were swiss or hand made. Still way beyond me.

Shaun, Sorry to drag it on, but just trying to see if anybody caught on. A1an first thought it looked Lexusy, but RaptorDuner nailed it. Glad you caught on.

Omph, I agree on wishing it were here now. Sure wish I had it for this trip back home. Glad the coolant I added to the AC worked for the trip down. This trip is really getting us up to speed with my brother's treatments and then to see what projects can we get done around the house. I've got pressure cleaning and then see what I can help clean out of the garage. Anything for the cause.

 

[fredlangva]

Nice job Jeff. I loved going to the Dade county fair years ago when I was down there. It's nice to get together with family. Too bad our winter has been "unseasonably" warm. Hope you have a safe time there and drive home.

Fred

 

[Wingnut65]

Thanks, Fred. I've grown up hanging around the Dade County Youth Fair. Even when we moved away 10 years ago, I still keep going back to volunteer for check-in. Next week we go back to hit the rides.

I took the model I repainted to show the gang what I am getting. I just didn't realize that the judging was so brutal this year. When I went to pack my car up to bring home, this is the award I received...

214 - No Respect!

 

[Wingnut65]

Hideout Update... Back from Mom's! And see what I brought...

First of all, my Mom still lives in the house my family moved into in Miami when I was 10 months old, back in 19xx. My Dad loved tools and had a variety. Not expensive stuff, but they worked for rebuilding a Piper Tri-Pacer, Cessna 172, Navion, several VW engines, many woodworking projects and car maintenance.

When my Dad passed away in 1998, some of his tools have eventually migrated to either my house or my brother's place up in L.A. (that's Lower Alabama) - Drill press, band saw, Shopsmith... These pictures are of some of the stuff that we still have stored in the Miami garage.

But, first let me show you the big accomplishment of the whole weekend... This shelf was full, but now its contents will reside in the Salt Life Hideout! Isn't that Awesome?? More later...

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Sorry for the teaser. I'm excited, but want to show some other stuff first...

This is the 1960's-ish Craftsman Radial Arm Saw that I grew up using to build all my projects. I will check the model and year next week when I get back there. And there are two vintage metal Jerry cans we took on long trips in the Bus.

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And, Yes, Red Leader knows about this. I think RL has me convinced that I need to find a place for it in the Hideout when I plan my east wall.

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My Dad had tool boxes set up for any trade he needed - electrical, plumbing, small engine repair, car repair, chainsaw... Here are a couple still down there

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My brothers said that Dad got the old jack from our Texaco service manager for like $50 back in the '70s when the station got tired of rebuilding it. I know my Dad rebuilt it at least twice and when it started leaking again, he bought the cheapo on the left at Wally-World.

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Of course the die-hard jack fans here could have identified this model without the tag, but for the rest, it is a Walker J883 2500 lb. Yes, I will be bringing this one home to refurbish.

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This was the shop vac that I grew up with - from Penney's! Still works!

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Not sure where Dad got this, but I will need to find it a home. It was last serviced in 1982 and has the pricing scale from 2 cents to $3.95/lb.

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This is the 1/4" Sunbeam Drillmaster drill that I grew up with. I found some ads for it dated 1956-1958. Still works too, but really could stand a rebuild! Edit: I brought this back with me!

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I almost forgot about this piece of history. This was a base plate to the hangar at the Weeks Air Museum down in Miami when Hurricane Andrew came through. This is about 16"x 24" by 1-1/2" thick and bent by the storm. You can still see the welds from the steel column that was ripped off it.

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I will check on the bolt size next week. They just broke!

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My Dad picked this up when he was volunteering at the WAM and they were going to throw it out. Being an architect, I thought it would be a cool sample showing how weather can impact a building's design. And no, I still don't know what to do with it yet. Edit, No, I did not bring it back with me, yet.

Well that about sums up my trip to Miami and some cool stuff I found. I need to start back at getting some projects done in the Hideout as I've heard my new car will be ready on March 23. So, less than three weeks and tooo much to do.

Thanks for stopping by. More later.






























Didn't fool ya, did I?

OK, you've been patient enough. Here is the 'Before' shot of the shelf.


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It is listed as 300 x 500 mm, or +/- 12" x 20". It had a 6" head mounted on it and I found an 8" nearby.

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It is a Smithy AT-300 that my Dad and I purchased at Oshkosh 1990 and had shipped to Miami. I have all the paperwork from when we bought it and the poorly Xeroxed manual that came with it. The shipping weight was 475 lbs. (215 kg), including the crate. So, probably close to 400 lbs. (180 kg) as it sits. Smithy is still in business, but the AT-300 model has since been replaced. I will be in touch with them for more info on what I have.

When I was discussing my Unimat lathe, I had mentioned that I had access to a lathe down at my Mom's and I would bring it home, but I forgot how B--I--G it really was. When I realized how much it weighed, I almost left it there, but finally decided to go ahead and dismantle it to smaller pieces to carry. Luckily my brothers were there to help carry the big pieces to the car. The bed is still in the trunk until I can figure out how to get 150 lbs of steel out of the trunk and on a strong workbench. I thought the rope slings may help.

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And then I'll be able to re-assemble it...

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So, now I will be getting indoctrinated in metal lathes and all the do's, don'ts and must do's that it can do. But first I may need a new motor. The plastic thingys on the end of the whatchamacallit are broken. But the black cover comes off, so hopefully I will be able to rebuilt it. I know it doesn't have that many hours on the motor.

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So, like I had promised, my trunk was not empty when I returned. And all floorboards were weighted down as well to spread out the weight in the car. If we would have snow, this would be perfect ballast!

That's all for now. Gotta go research lathes...

 

[shopnut]

So, like I had promised, my trunk was not empty when I returned.

And it's still not empty! Lots of potential fun with that machine!

If you take that black cover off and get the broken fan bits out of there, you should be able to run it for a short while to test it. Just keep an eye on the temperature or you will be buying a new one after the meltdown.

 

[Red Leader]

The good news is that older motors are really cheap and so finding a replacement may not be too hard if you absolutely need something. I'm wondering if you could glue the fan back together or make a new one out of...something and get it back in shape.

Nice haul!

And yes, my recommendation is to keep the vintage Craftsman RAS. Radial saws have lost their favor, but with the right skill set they are a fantastic and versatile tool. That skill set is becoming a bit of a lost art but I like having one around just for that reason

Plus, I always hear stories of how happy guys are to be able to keep and use their grandfather's or their father's tools. Makes it even more special.

 

[flybefree]

Great stuff...I have found mrpete222 (Tubalcain) on youtube to be the best shop techer around, he will have you up and running in no time and making chips. It all looks to be in good shape too, particularly on your restoration project the lathe will come in handy.

Shaun

 

[tinbender 66]

Wow, that lathe is awesome!! It should be much fun learning to use it. Custom bus parts?

That steel plate from Week's place is a chilling reminder of just how nasty Mother Nature can be. I vaguely remember when that happened as I used to read Air Classics regularly.

 

[Wingnut65]

shopnut, I may just do that to see if it runs. Although I think I need a new cord as well. Before it runs, it will be safe. I see from other posts that this is more of a learning lathe that is not as accurate as others, but I'm willing to learn. The least I could do is make cool flashlights like rickairmedic. (I'll have to poke Rick to see if he's still awake)

RL, I may just have to make a fan for it if I can't find one. There has to be a place around that rebuilds motors that would have the parts. And that RAS may just end up here. I've been using my miter saw all these years, but it still takes time to rip some wood down. And since the motor tilts flat, I can consider panel cabinet doors and such (considering them is not a commitment to try it...)

flybefree, Thanks for the guidance Shaun. I need to start some where and any leads will be helpful. YouTube is blocked at work, so no lunch-n-learn on that topic. I'm not sure how I would use it or need it for the restoration of the Bus, but know it is there will create some uses for it. Maybe just new knobs for the dash out of billet aluminum.

Thanks TB66. I'm looking forward to making little metal pieces and shavings out of big metal pieces. Custom parts are a consideration. After Andrew came through, Week's place was all over the media showing how a storm could trash all the previously flyable vintage planes in a couple hours. I helped him pack his Boeing Model 100 into a storage crate for future work. It was the oldest flying Boeing in the world the day before. He did say that all the planes would fly again. Many of them are.

 

[shopnut]

Two documents put out by the Army in PDF format are:

Lathe Operations - OD1645
and
Fundamentals of Machine Tools - Training Circular TC 9-524

Just google them - many places have them for download. They will make some good general lunchtime reading for you.

 

[Wingnut65]

Thanks shopnut. Found them

Lathe Operations - OD1645

Fundamentals of Machine Tools - Training Circular TC 9-524

Look like I have some reading to do and some videos to watch. Thanks for the leads

 

[fredlangva]

I was in Ft Liqourdale (as my uncle called it) during the big blow. We didn't get hit too hard, but I remember the photos of the NOAA Hurricane Center's roof that was stripped by the winds at 240+ and the newly remodelled Burger King Headquarters.

My dog was just a pup when he lost his house at Country Walk.

My ex couldn't believe I slept through the 100+ winds that went through the neighborhood.

 

[Red Leader]

I'll definitely have to reference those links and youtube videos as well once I get a metal lathe. My father knows well how to use one, but it is a lot of information to absorb in one time. I feel like I ask the same basic questions when I see him run it every 2-3 years.

Jeff you're going to have some fun with those new tools. Glad you are considering the radial saw. I would definitely encourage you to consider a negative hook carbide blade for it to make it as safe as possible!

http://www.toolstoday.com/p-5304-miter-saw-blades-5-negative-hook-4-atb-1-raker.aspx

 

[Wingnut65]

fredlangva I know Country Walk well, made famous by its drive-by roof inspections. I had a few friends and co-workers living there at the time. Glad you survived, even if you did have to move way up north! 240 mph is also the speed that Turkey Point lost one of its stacks. You did good to sleep through it.

Negative Hook Carbide Blades. Cool! Red Leader, it is amazing how much I learn by hanging around you. I know of the hazards and will do whatever I can to make it safe. There is no reason to have a cool tool sitting in the shop that someone is too scared to use. Respect it, yes!

And those metalworking videos look pretty good. I spent a couple hours last night watching some done by MIT on Machine Shop 101. Good intro for this newbie.