Been having some technical problems here lately .... ......replacing my router.....
...........installing a new inverter on my monitor .........
....... an fixin' that stupid leakin' flap thing in the toilet reservoir.
AAAAHHHHHH!!! crap!....
Anyway.....
.........now it’s time to start rollin’ again……………
Ok boys, get out yer toothpicks and sanding sticks.
Put a toothpick in ‘ya mouth.... like this .... see.
(heh he, ..... that’s just what I do to cop an attitude,
and make myself look ‘n feel like I
might know what I'm doin’)
And here comes the opening shot
- After deburring, jam a return roller tightly onto a toothpick (not the one in your mouth dummy).
- Lightly sand the roller carefully in the direction of the toothpick while slowly rotating the toothpick/roller……..that’s just the way “I” do it. Leave the sanded residue from the wheels on the file…… and yes, there is a reason.
- After sanding 'em all, replace the tight fitting toothpick with a loose one that lets the roller spin freely.
- Coat the roller surface with laquer thinner several times to soften it up.
- After the last of several laquerings…… lay the file on a convenient surface and drip some more thinner onto the surface of the file (use a dropper so you won’t remove the randomly acquired residue from the file) .
Here’s the file I use for this….. rough side/dirty side up.
(A veteran of many steel wheels)
The object here is to represent a lightly pitted steel surface.
Hold the toothpick tips between your thumb and the “finger” ...he, he ...
Now with a bit of downward pressure, roll it back and forth across
the surface of the file which will imprint a pattern on the wheel
while also depositing the fine dust on to the wheel (resin dust is a nice plus
since it will embed instead of mushing kinda flat from the laquer).
Don’t go around huffin’ any of that stuff either,
it’s lonnnggg term deadly.
Now, if you have doubts about the results,
here’s what it looks like………..
I like it.
What'cha think?
If you DON”T like what you see, then just don't look... he, he......
Nahhhh,
just let them dry thoroughly for about 36 and lightly sand
them to your own taste.
I just haddddd to try a bit of painting….. so tempting.
Spray 'em flat black and dry brush the sides with dark earth.
Here's the family album.....
Next, using a stumpy brush slightly dampened with thinned acrylic (tamiya) olive drab,
carefully jab paint onto the outer sides in an irregular pattern.
Let ‘em dry………..
Put ‘em back on their tight sticks to hold 'em steady (if you haven’t already).....
wash 'em with burnt umber…….
carefully hair dry dose babies if you’re in a hurry………
........ patience is much better
When they're dry go ‘round the edges aggressively (metal to metal contact area)
but lightly on the broad contact surfaces (rubber to metal) with a #2 pencil. Don't dullcote after the penciling because it will kill the sheen and turn the shiny part black.
You can do the rear idlers in a similar fashion although the wide flat wear
surface would be smoother (less pitting) due to the increased pressure of the track tension (rubber trackpads against steel).
Here’s a picture from the unfinished backside.
..........oops, wrong picture.
......... I’m forgettin’ pictures again.
Ahh, here's one.
'Ya like it?