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Originally Posted by CrateCruncher
Nice fabrication work BMW! Great progress too. I've been quietly watching this thread with much interest. Are you using soft solder? Would you be willing to discuss your process? I'm particularly impressed with how you maintain alignment of all these parts in three dimensions while not disturbing previous work.
I agree with your general comments regarding Pocher kits. I built the F40 box-stock in about six intense weekend sessions without much drama. It was one of the first kits I built after returning to car modeling as an adult. My next project was the Pocher Bugatti 50T that took over a year of work at a casual yet consistent pace! I am about 80% on a Alfa 8C2300 Monza that has been on again off again for years now because of the level of detail I'm doing and the poor engineering associated with the kit. The great thing about Pocher's is that you can use them as a foundation for a project that comes about as close as one can get to the real thing.
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Thanks CrateCruncher, my "process" is not top secret...lol, I use an Amercian Beauty resistance soldering rig, which if you don't know much about it, uses the resistance across the joint being soldered to create heat at the point of contact. It heats up very quickly and the heat is very localized to only the joint area, which means you can solder a piece right next to a previously soldered piece and not run the risk of de-soldering the first joint. It works kind of like arc welding, only with solder. That's how I can maintain alignment without affecting adjacent areas.
Your comments on the Pochers are right on, as well. I have a K74 Mercedes, that is about 1/2 complete and it's on a completely different level than the F40. Excluding the inherent kit problems, of course. Thanks for watching this thread, it should get more fun to watch, once the frame is painted and the real building/detailing starts...
BM1