Start at the beginning...
This blog has been many things over the years. Political commentary, movie reviews, criticism of professional wrestling or MMA fights, comedy/rants, and the occasional rantings of a mind that finds interesting things in the most mundane of subjects.
And what has this done....not bloody much.
So, I'm starting over. I've gone back to the black background, and I'm looking forward to doing something that I enjoy doing, but with a new purpose. I'm looking at using this blog to show things I'm working on, as they progress from raw materials to finished product. As I am a train nut, that means that this blog is probably going to show a lot of model trains being turned from something I bought that I couldn't use into something that I can.
Now, to start off...I have run into a problem. It's totally fixable, but it's a bit of a head-scratcher. I have some locomotive shells that need to be stripped. I could go on eBay and buy undecorated shells and have them delivered in a week from California, but I have the shells here and can do it with little to no cost involved. But here's the problem: what to strip them with...
Some sites say Isopropyl Alcohol is the trick. At 70%, all it did was clean the shell. Which is nice, but it didn't even budge the paint. Pine-Sol removed some paint from one shell, but the other two ended up with test pieces having a very sticky goo run all over the place. My next trick might be carburetor cleaner...nasty stuff. Brake fluid is one other option.
So, why not use a paint stripper from a hobby store, you ask? Well, that's partly due to the fact that my nearest hobby store isn't always carrying what I'd like to buy. If I need to pay $6.50 for one piece of flex track or $300 for a locomotive that will still need $80 worth of detail parts to make it look right, he's got it in stock. If I need a $2.00 part or some paint stripper, it's not always going to happen.
So, what to do...what to do....
As I continue this journey, you will find out.
And what has this done....not bloody much.
So, I'm starting over. I've gone back to the black background, and I'm looking forward to doing something that I enjoy doing, but with a new purpose. I'm looking at using this blog to show things I'm working on, as they progress from raw materials to finished product. As I am a train nut, that means that this blog is probably going to show a lot of model trains being turned from something I bought that I couldn't use into something that I can.
Now, to start off...I have run into a problem. It's totally fixable, but it's a bit of a head-scratcher. I have some locomotive shells that need to be stripped. I could go on eBay and buy undecorated shells and have them delivered in a week from California, but I have the shells here and can do it with little to no cost involved. But here's the problem: what to strip them with...
Some sites say Isopropyl Alcohol is the trick. At 70%, all it did was clean the shell. Which is nice, but it didn't even budge the paint. Pine-Sol removed some paint from one shell, but the other two ended up with test pieces having a very sticky goo run all over the place. My next trick might be carburetor cleaner...nasty stuff. Brake fluid is one other option.
So, why not use a paint stripper from a hobby store, you ask? Well, that's partly due to the fact that my nearest hobby store isn't always carrying what I'd like to buy. If I need to pay $6.50 for one piece of flex track or $300 for a locomotive that will still need $80 worth of detail parts to make it look right, he's got it in stock. If I need a $2.00 part or some paint stripper, it's not always going to happen.
So, what to do...what to do....
As I continue this journey, you will find out.
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