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| Customizing Tips & Tricks; Submit Or Request A Trick Of The Trade! | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 3 2006, 12:21 PM (19,405 Views) | |
| Dr.Dremel | Dec 3 2006, 12:21 PM Post #1 |
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Compact
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Dr. Dremel and Jeff Fleetwood are the same guy? Who knew? Then again you rarely see the 2 of them together at the same time..Kinda like Superman and Clark Kent..Batman and Bruce Wayne..Janet and Micheal Jackson .I think I could lend some tips & tricks/how to's to this topic..Time is no longer my benefit, but this could give me reason to make the time some how, and participate like we used to before my reemployment. Count Me in. My first tip is: Prepare for the project(s) Before you start a custom project(s)..Make sure you have the best tools for the job, this will make the project(s) much easier, and fun rather than frustrating or less likely to get finished. I suggest you have Safety glasses,an Exacto-knife, Cordless rechargable drill & bits (1/16 & 3/16 are a must have for the drilling of the rivets), a Dremel & a variety of cut-off wheels, stones, and deburring bits (the flex shaft is a great accessory) if possible a Jewelers Saw (plenty of blades), set of needle files, a good paint stripper (Kleen Strip is the best/fastest I know of), Visegrips, needle nosed pliers, small and large screw drivers, and a bench or table you can work on without concern of damage or messiness. I know this seems like a lot of stuff, and by no means am I suggesting you rush out and buy all this at once, just be aware that it all will be needed at some point and you can aquire it over time to build a nice tool assortment. Until my next offering...
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| Swifty | Dec 12 2006, 04:11 AM Post #2 |
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
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This is our official tips and tricks thread. If you have a tip you'd like to share, by all means please post it. We're anxious to learn! If you've ever wondered how some of the experts do something, post it here and someone may answer it. Please remember that customizers rarely give away all of their secrets (in particular, their best ones ), however. |
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| Big John's Chevy | Dec 12 2006, 04:52 PM Post #3 |
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Big John's Kool Kustoms
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let me add that some things don't strip paint real fast so you have to at least put a effort in it. I strip alot of plastic and I use Purple Power by Clean-rite and you can find it at Auto Zone. I will post tricks on here as well and picks. |
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| Dadvball | Dec 12 2006, 10:12 PM Post #4 |
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Dadvball
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I'll throw in a couple of mine. When using super glue to secure a new axle/wheel set up to the base, I suggest the super glue gel. I buy it in a two pack at Dollar Tree. It has a thicker consistancy the the regular glue, and won't run down the axle and into the wheel. I've had to replace several axles when I first started as I wasn't paying much attention to the glue, and the wheel wouldn't roll. Hobby shops sell small packages of applicators made by Microbrush, a small plastic stick about 3" long, with a small fuzzy tip on one end. They come in a few different sizes and are great for applying glue or paint. This is what I use to spread the glue in the slot on the base for the new axle. Usually under $2 for about 10. I save all my plastic bottle Coke caps, even the larger Propel/Gatorade caps. I'll drop a small bead of super glue in the coke cap and then use the applicator or a toothpick to apply it wherever it's going. The larger caps are great for mixing very small amounts of paint when you're using a brush. I'll also use them to hold the water when I'm only doing a couple of decals. I also use plastic strips a lot. Hobby shops will have them, various sizes and thicknesses. Mine are about 14" wide, card stock thick, and close to 12" long. I'll glue small pieces over a newly set axle to make sure it doesn't come out. Transforming a regular car into a Zinger, I'll also cut small pieces to fill in the gap between the body & the base, paint it black, so you can't see through to the other side. It also works great filling in the holes in the firewall after removing the hood. Round pointed toothpicks! They are great for applying very small amounts of paint. I use them with a dab of red paint on the butterflys on JL engines. Also good to detail gauges or knobs, switches on a dashboard. Even good for applying glue. |
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| Dr.Dremel | Dec 22 2006, 11:50 PM Post #5 |
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Compact
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OK...Once you have selected a casting to customize, in most cases you must drill the rivet heads out to disassemble the casting...Here is how I do it... Step one: Remove the casting from it's packaging (unless already loose) then using a 1/16 drill bit you will drill a whole about 1/8th of an inch deep (careful donot go to deep, bit may snap or you can in some cases drill thru the casting, and possibly into your finger). Step two: Once you have drilled the 1/16 hole change bits to either an 11/64 or 3/16, and slowly drill the heads of the rivets offYou may have to pry the base free from the body with a small straight screwdriver and some effort. Your casting is now ready for disassembly, and ready for any modifications you may want to do. |
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| Big John's Chevy | Jan 5 2007, 04:23 AM Post #6 |
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Big John's Kool Kustoms
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here is one from Me. For those of you who want to have a some what aggressive tire but don't want the reall big ones like We Use try to find some Hot Wheels reall Rider Mud tires and use the backing from a JL Rubber tire and the rims in the hard plastic JL tires fit really nice in the fron of the tire. LOOKS REALLY GOOD ON THE STEPSIDE truck it also works with their street racing tires. |
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| Dr.Dremel | Apr 13 2007, 10:14 PM Post #7 |
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Compact
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WOW! It's been some time since this thread has had anything added. Let me try to offer some tips to axel removal, and axel repair/replacement... It is often asked by experienced and novice customizers " How do I remove the axels/wheels from the base (metal) of a casting? Those little metal "axel holdowns" can be a real pain,unless you have found simple ways to remove them...I prefer the following DREMEL bits to grind them out/off & release the axels in one piece (set). Here are the bits I reccomend... ![]() They will grind thru the holddowns and release the axels, if you happen to go a little to deep, you can use a length of tubing (brass in this pic) to super glue the ends back in, and repair the axel. |
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| Zotez | Aug 21 2007, 04:45 AM Post #8 |
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Station Wagon
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Heres one of mine When spraying a car, try to find an old box or something else you can put it on rather than holding it in the air with pliers, even if you drop it on ground that seems "clean", you would be surprised what crap sticks to the cars. Another tip, when you're finnished spraying, turn the can upside down and spray once, this cleans the paint out. |
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| Swifty | Aug 21 2007, 04:50 AM Post #9 |
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
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Here's what I do to spray my cars: I have a large board which I have hammered nails into. I can fit 21 cars on it at a given time (space four nails out so that all four corners of the car will have a nail under them). This is great to do 21 cars all in one color, or since its large enough, I can actually do three different colors at one time by spreading the cars apart and putting a barrier between them. Generally I primer a bunch all at once, and do between 5 and 10 on the three different colors at a time route. |
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| Zotez | Aug 21 2007, 05:52 AM Post #10 |
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Station Wagon
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Thanks swifty! Im gonna go build one of those soon! |
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| james_autos | Sep 6 2007, 01:36 PM Post #11 |
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Minivan
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If you put extra details on your models i.e lights, grilles, badges, writing etc, and you splash paint onto the body by accident, apply some nail varnish remover (acetone free reccomended), and watch the splashed paint wipe off. Don't rub too hard as it may take the body coat off as well. It also works if you want to remove decals from models i.e Hotwheels. When I paint details like lights on, instead of using a brush, I use the end of a dart mainly and a pin-head for extra fine detailing. They work surprisingly well! |
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| mookie427 | Sep 6 2007, 01:40 PM Post #12 |
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I like this guys lack of style
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I find when I'm using enamel paint and I splash a bit over an edge, as long as you're quick get your enamel thinners and dab a bit on a tightly wound bit of tissue, and rub/wipe it off, it should leave no marks on the original paint as the paint is already dry |
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| Zotez | Sep 6 2007, 01:43 PM Post #13 |
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Station Wagon
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That doesnt work for me - my mercury got messed up when i was trying to detail it with enamel, it took all the paint off from just wiping it.
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| mookie427 | Sep 6 2007, 01:49 PM Post #14 |
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I like this guys lack of style
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you need to be more careful
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| Zotez | Sep 6 2007, 02:06 PM Post #15 |
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Station Wagon
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Ok then
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| james_autos | Sep 7 2007, 11:58 AM Post #16 |
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Minivan
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I'll use white spirit most of the time as it doesn't take the paint of with it like nail varnish sometimes. does. But on lighter coloured models, white especially, when you spill paint on it and try to rub it off with white spirit, it'll actually just rub the enamel into the paint, staining it. |
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| Daniel H | Sep 7 2007, 01:19 PM Post #17 |
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Never Underestimate Guitar Cat
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Just tried it on a Granada I'm doing and it works very well, thanks
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| Pharaoh | Aug 30 2008, 09:42 PM Post #18 |
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Microcar
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Hi, I've recently discovered the joys of customizing miniature cars after finding a box full of cars I used to play with when I was a kid. Now that I've become a....bigger kid, I've been thinking about restoring some of these toys. And for my first job, I've chose a Yat Ming van (no. 899 for anyone who needs to know). However, so far I haven't been able to find a website or a board explaining how to take Yat Mings apart (as their bases are different from Hot Wheels or Matchbox, as I'm sure you already know). So I figured I'd subscribe and ask the pros. Thanks for any help you can provide. |
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| Lovemy1971Camaro | Aug 30 2008, 09:55 PM Post #19 |
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Speed Junkie
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Welcome aboard Pharaoh!
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| Supraman | Aug 30 2008, 11:15 PM Post #20 |
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Swifty's @Work Alter Ego
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Welcome to the Garage! As for Yat Ming bases, sounds like you have a '70s vintage base where the rivet doesn't have a head like Hot Wheels or Matchboxes. Not sure I'm using the right terminology here, but if I was at home I could take a picture to explain what I mean. These are a royal pain to drill out, but that's what I've always done with them. Drill a small hole in the rivet to make a path, and then use a larger bit to remove the rest. Is this a metal based Yat Ming or a platic based one? Tomorrow night I can provide pictures of the type of base I mean. This is Swifty, but I'm actually away from home this evening. |
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| Pharaoh | Aug 30 2008, 11:26 PM Post #21 |
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Microcar
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I'll make it easier. Here's the best pic I could take... http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/3117/dscn0340kk2.jpg It is a plastic base. |
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| Supraman | Aug 30 2008, 11:52 PM Post #22 |
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Swifty's @Work Alter Ego
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I drilled three of those out a long time ago. Only two of those successfully (the third had the whole front fascia break off). At the time I drilled them just like any other car. Unfortunately I learned that will mangle the bases in a hurry. I recommend starting it with a smaller bit, then drilling the remainder with a larger bit. Takes some time, but it should work. Since the rivets will be destroyed in the drilling out process, reassembly just requires a pair of screws to put in the holes, and then JB Kwik them into place and it should hold. Good luck with your project and I hope you'll post the pictures here when you're done. I will do my best to post pictures of my vans tomorrow. These were early projects and ended up being used as junkers for my monster truck diorama due to the base damage. On a side note, there are a few picture taking tip threads on the board. I'll dig one up. Putting the amera into macro mode (look for the flower) helps. |
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| Swifty | Sep 1 2008, 10:35 PM Post #23 |
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
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I couldn't access the vans, but I do have some pics of some other Yat Mings that have that same type of rivet:![]()
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| Pharaoh | Sep 2 2008, 03:07 PM Post #24 |
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Microcar
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Yup, that's the same kind alright. Thanks for the help. Actually you're the only one who managed to give me a useful answer out of all the sites and board I contacted... makes me wanna stick around :-) Thank you again. |
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| James | Sep 2 2008, 08:04 PM Post #25 |
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Mr.Bowtie
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Please do!
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3:43 AM Jul 11
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you need to be more careful


3:43 AM Jul 11