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McKeen Car Build


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I made very little forward motion on the car, but it was an OUTSTANDING week on the bench. Learned how to use a pounce wheel on foil tape to make rivets. Not leaving well enough alone I got some .005 thick plastic to try out. Got one of those green mats I see in pics of others work benches. Tried the wheel on the plastic with the mat and wasn't happy with the depth of the rivets, Used a piece of balsa wood under the plastic and got some very nice rivets. Sanded the primed car in the areas that I am going to put lines of rivets. This morning I heard from choochoowilly, (he really should post more of his creations) and he sent me a link to Archer that makes decal rivets in many sizes and designs. Now deciding which ones to order so I can see them and compare with the strips I made. LiG
BTW, mat states "self healing", now that is something I want to see.

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Sean, Jerry, I don't think I'd attempt the plastic rivets on something with as many as the rotary, it is a work of art and must have taken much patience.  Don't know if you all know that his builds have been written about in magazines and his layout featured on TV.     I did order a sheet of rivets offered at Archer.  Won't know how they compare with the strip I made without seeing them side by side.   Life is Good

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  • 2 weeks later...

After much fooling around I decided on using the pounce wheel on .005 thick styrene. Tested several materials as backing and decided Balsa wood gave me the effect and depth I was looking for. Have a long way to go, all the areas in the previous photo stripped of primer need rivets. And the strips need to have filler along the seams and sanded to better blend with the car. Time and patience will tell. LiG

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Made some rough progress. Adhered the rivet strips in place. After the solvent dries need to fill in the spaces and seams. I figured if I didn't like the look, could easily just sand them off and still have a nice smooth side. Time and patience will tell. LiG

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Sean, it is an odd one for sure, but anyone with the time could also do it.  I guess just like previous projects "back to the drawing board".  

Jerry, yea, that and a couple other sounds came out of me.  Got the sides clear and right now down to 400 grit to smooth it all out.  I was able to keep the frames around the doors and windows so all is not lost, most of all not discouraged.   LiG  

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After several failed attempts making rivet strips of both styrene and metal foil, took Jerry's original advice of using whole sections of foil with the rivets embossed in the proper places. After two failed attempts at lining up the rivet lines realized I needed a template so each sections rivets aligned. I think I finally got a working procedure and will have my first car with rivets. JERRY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOUR GUIDANCE. LiG

seam lines will be filled and disappear under paint.  

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Sean, and actually easier than using just strips and with the template the rivet lines fall right into place.

Jerry, I doubt that, but appreciate the kind words.  Each panel goes on easier than the previous one.  Thinking of putting a piece of foam on the finished side when working on the other so I don't flatten them.  Just up from the very bottom of the learning curve, I expect a hiccup or two in my future.    LiG

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Just finished the foil rivets, learned I have patience in reserve I didn't know. I'm sure I wasted more foil than is on the car. Filled and sanded the seams. After I finished one side of the car I covered it in bubble wrap so when working on the other wouldn't flatten the rivets. To be especially careful when painting considering using the Tamya cans, I was told the spray is finer than the large rattle cans, and I don't want to bury the rivets in paint, haven't air brushed in years and haven't totally ruled it out. LiG

 

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Roof detail is much less than the full sized car. The stove pipe leads one to believe mail may be sorted between runs. The pipe is a piece of 3/8 dowel chucked in a drill and a file made the shape, the rest came out to the scrap box. That is not the finish color of the roof. LiG

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