A big crowd, sixteen people attended.
March will be busy. The Japan Village group build is the 21st at 934 3 Ave in Brooklyn (1-5pm) and Replicon is the 28th at the Freeport Recreation Center on Long Island (9 - 4pm).
We saw Frank C's Harrier and large-scale Sparrow missile (an impulse buy on Temu), Mark's Pikachu (test build for an upcoming Hudson Valley Make & Take) and vintage, pre-owned, partially built Moby Dick Porsche 935, and Kevin's Ekranoplan (he covered the Micro Crystal Clear cabin windows with UV curing resin to improve their appearance), Medusa bust and Star figure (if you don't remember this actress from "The Lost Boys", she was also the woman who "couldn't spare a square" on Seinfeld).
Acquisitions included: 3D printed Navy/Marine Phantom drop tanks, Gigantor and Inga (from Young Frankenstein).
This week's tool was a product, Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. Gil puts it on the threads of his airbrush nozzle to ensure good paint flow. Rather than wax the threads, Michael C used Loctite's Fun Tak to make a gasket. Just be sure the Fun Tak hasn't dried out. Gil showed us the DIY airbrush stand he built to hold the airbrush in place while cleaning / changing parts.
Airbrushes turned out to be a great topic. So great that we'll continue the discussion at next Tuesday's meeting. Here's some of what was heard last night. Many attendees like the Paasche H 1 for its simplicity and reliability. Gaahleri airbrushes are popular because of their cost, performance, and hand feel. Angelo appreciates that Gaahleri makes one with a trigger. We also use airbrushes from Iwata, Autolock, Sparmax, Harder & Steenbeck. We remembered Aztec and Badger airbrushes. Simon coined the phrase "paint personally" to describe how paints from the same manufacturer can differ from each other. So, experiment with thinner ratios, spray pressures, and paint volumes, then use an old model or scrap household plastic as a paint mule. Once you're satisfied, spray your model. We heard that operating pressures differ on gravity feed and siphon feed airbrushes. Gil mentioned ink is the right consistency for double action airbrushes with smaller diameter needles. Michael C and Gil have each modified at least one of their airbrushes to suit their specific needs. We were warned that using lacquers and lacquer thinner in cheap airbrushes will corrode the metal components. Airbrush tips come in different shapes. Some attract more paint than others, and they all should be cleaned frequently as we paint. And even though it's possible to paint over different types of paint provided they're fully cured and appropriately top coated, it's risky. Ask Mark.
As you can see, a lot of useful things were said, and not everyone had a chance to speak! They'll have their chance next Tuesday at 7:30 pm. So will you. Invites to follow.
PS - Links to items discussed can be found on the Zoom Chat page.
~Russ
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