pan scrapper 66 vdub..

[MPWR]

I didn't want to offend you if you (or someone you knew) had done the part- but as a machinist, I can tell you that it's a very careless finish. Likely done on a lathe turning at the wrong speed, or with a dull cutting tool, or very possibly both. It should have been smoothed and polished on the lathe.

But a little work by hand will clean it up very nicely. Get some fine sandpaper (maybe 1500, and then 2000) and tear yourself off a smallish piece -say 1 x 1/2 inches. Wrap it around the part, and twist the part in the paper to sand it smooth. After the grooves are removed, you can polish it- any decent polishing compound (Tamiya or the like, or even toothpaste) will will bring a really nice shine to it.

[rollin80s]

mpwr: trust me bro no offense taken, i like the advice. im still basically a newbie. i thought that it should have been shinned on the lathe. it's been years since i've touched a model and it's actually the first time i use this type of detail. i've only built them oob. so any advice, tips, and criticism is good.
i do have an extra piece to do the work. practice makes a better modeler.
thanks again.

[rollin80s]

mpwr: took your advice, and well...it looks waaaay better. thanks for the help.
i'll be posting pics up by monday. i've decided to re-due the front suspension.
thanks again.

[MPWR]

Glad it worked for you- looking forward to seeing pics.

Machined aluminum is something of an 'exotic' material in car modeling. Many experienced builders haven't used it, and therefore aren't sure what is (and isn't) possible with it. So it really has little to do with you being a 'newb'. Without some experience or advice it's hard to guess what can improve a new material, or what will damage it. But it is good that you are finding advice useful.

[AllAlone.Gz]

Hahaha! This bug is looking dope!!

Got a color picked out yet?

[rollin80s]

thanks allalone, yes i do have a color. it will be a two tone, blue as main and white on the sides.

heres a little update, fellow modeler gave me some advice (thanks mpwr) on how to polish up the exhaust tip. so heres the best i was able to do on such a small piece. index finger and thumb were pretty tired.



here's the bottom of the pan, some muddy effect, scrapes from pan scrapping.
thinking of adding some silver to add some contrast. let me know what you think.




and i decided to re-due the front beem, i didn't like the hacked up look on the old one. still not happy with the out come, but time is running low for me. there's also my new pedal assembly with brake and clutch cylinders.


still working on the body, the interior needs some paint and i should be done soon, i hope

[stump]

Hey Rollin, the pan looks awesome mate.....
As do the new pedal box and master cylinders....sweet work.

I'm still very new at this weathering thing, but the look you have achieved looks pretty darn close to me.....I like it a lot.
I will attempt a level of this on my Datto.....I've done slight washes on smaller scales, but this is more accurate I think..Good work.

cheers
Greg

[rollin80s]

thanks greg, it's actually my first time doing any kind of weathering myself. hell, it's the first time that i use PE, machined alum, wires, putty and styrene on my builds. i'm a rookie just learning from the best on here and other forums. the only thing that i have an advantage on is that i'm mechanically tuned and really have a passion for cars.
again thanks for the comments.

[MPWR]

Looks great, very nice improvement.

Originally Posted by rollin80s

the only thing that i have an advantage on is that i'm mechanically tuned and really have a passion for cars.

That will take you a loooong way in this hobby.

[rollin80s]

thanks mpwr, can't really see the shine, not a mirror shine. they are pics taken at night on my desk. only time i get to do so. i hope it looks better when im all done.

[MPWR]

It can take a lot of polishing to get the scratches out- especially with what you started from. But try it with some polishing compound on a bit of paper towel or the like. Toothpaste will also work. The aluminum will quickly make a black mess as aluminum oxide is polished off of it, but it really does come to a very nice shine. Aluminum is a relatively soft and very workable metal- it just takes some practice to learn what you can do with it.

[rollin80s]

i'll be trying it out on the extra piece that it have. the one i have on there is removable, so i can easily replace it with the other piece once it shines even more.

[MPWR]

Here's a good example of what can be done with polishing aluminum.





The hub cover isn't chrome- it's straight polished aluminum. I did this on a a lathe (which makes things easier), so it has swirl marks around the center.

It might take a while to do it by hand, but if you want shine aluminum will do it.

[rollin80s]

well it's been a while since i posted an update, here's little somthing to bring it up to date. pics speak for them selves..
please excuse the picture quality, i hope to take better pics when done..

[Mojo_stevo]

Your attention to detail is stellar. I love the oldschool a/c unit.