MBXPilot wrote:Another great batch.
Question.. How do you make your wheels and tires look brand new? Are they replacements?
I use the original Lesney wheels and tires whenever possible. The wheels, tires and hubs go into a soak jar of denatured alcohol and soak for a bit. When they come out of the soak, they get a good cleaning with a toothbrush. The alcohol and toothbrush removes dirt and grime along with any paint the previous owners get on the wheels, tires or hubs. If there is too much visible damage on a wheel tire or hub, it gets discarded and I pick another out of my parts tray. Hubs almost always clean up well with no additional treatment. Dull lackluster wheels and tires get a treatment of Armor-All and the excess is wiped off.
When I break down a model for parts or for part of the body for a custom, the wheels go into the wheel parts bin where each color or type and then diameter and tread count has it's own little bin. Same process for tires and ditto for hubs. When I need a wheel, tire or hub, I go to the marked bin and pull out the right size wheel, tire or hub. Another similar bin holds excess axles which are cataloged by length.
Same goes for plastic parts like suspension strips, window inserts, interiors, dome lights, accessory's, etc. Bases go into other organizer bins as well as a host of metal parts. Entire body shells get saved and sections are often used in the same way as an actual body shop does. There are other organizer bins for new reproduction replacement metal and plastic parts ... when one of those bins runs low, I order more and try to have everything I need on hand.
I have an elaborate file of reproduction decals from several different sources. Many of these decals I've had for years and they are used in many ways. The first use is to have a living catalog of what every different reproduction decals looks like. If I suspect a decal on a model (in hand or in a photograph) is a fake, I can quickly reference several reproduction decals as a cross reference. I can't reproduce decals which have white on a clear background, so in some cases I have to use reproduction decals for specific models (these I keep reordering and I'll save a new set that doesn't match what I have already on hand). I make some of my own decals by creating them on the computer first then printing them on clear or white decal paper. Other more complex decals I simply photo copy on the appropriate paper, cut them out and apply them. My printer has a flat bed scanner and photocopier built right in. I can fine tune the photocopies with the settings in the software for the printer.
I keep paints cataloged as well. I use those little oblong Formica samples as a paint swatch. I paint right over the Formica (which has a nice smooth surface for excellent representation of the color and sheen) and put a label on the back with the paint information. I used to have them all hanging on an old Formica sample board but now I've more than the board will hold and the excess ones go onto a closed chain (just like the sample for contractor field use).
The whole process of breaking down vintage models is very much like a 1:1 scale auto recycling yard, very little goes to waste and everything gets used somewhere at some time. If I have a window insert with a busted or damaged windshield it gets saved. Soon enough, the same window insert from another model comes along with a damaged rear window and two good parts (from each one) get married under the roof. Some window inserts from some very common models can even be used in other models with a little alteration and so on and so forth. At the end of the day, very little ends up in the rubbish bin.
Things like treads/tracks I purchase wholesale in bulk. I then sell off a portion of that order (at a small mark-up) to pay for the shipping and to reduce my overall costs per unit. This gives me cheap replacement treads and allows me to under sell every single person selling treads/tracks on ebay (this gives fellow collectors a price break and at dirt cheap postage costs too). Many of the decals I can't make are also purchased wholesale in bulk. I rely on Crazy Dave, from time to time, to generate some special decals for me (he does great work). I also purchase primer and some paints by the case lot from a wholesale source.
I've literally rescued thousands of castings from the rubbish bin and the dreaded beater bin or box. They all go back on display either as a custom or a restoration. At first, I never kept count of the number of restorations (& customs) I did. Back when the mcch was alive and kicking, I started keeping track, but when I hit 3,000 customs & restorations, I quit counting (and that was about five or six years ago). To say I enjoy this part of the hobby is an understatement.
I have restored many different things over the years. I've worked in museums of various types (including fine art), done 1:1 autos and trucks, historic homes, you name it. There was restoration work for big companies too, like Disney, Sea World, GE, CSX Transportation and Volkswagen. There are two things that I'm very proud to have been a part of. The top of the list is restoring one of NASA's Gemini Capsules for museum display, that was a thrill for me and a labor of love. It also put me on a long term working relationship with NASA and the U.S. Air Force. The second thing was restoring an old Porsche Speedster (which I bought from a junk yard for $50.00) into a like new condition car. The sale of that car allowed me to buy a castle of a first home when I was 24 years old.
All of that diverse work has allowed me to meet so many talented people from all around the world. It's allowed me to meet and be friends with some of the top modelers around the globe, to be able to work with some super talented people and learn more things than I have a right to know. I'm on a first name basis with many of the extremely talented people who restore, customize and create original diecast and other types of models (guys and gals who put my work to shame). This side of the hobby is just as great as the collecting side and way more creative and talented.
But, I've begun to digress as old men often do. So I hope I've answered the part about the wheels and tires. Just remember, before you toss out that beater or resign that play worn model to a junk box or drawer ... think about those of us who love to restore, customize and just plain need the parts on that junk toy that's not good enough to display. We will always take those models off your hands and breath new life into them. If you've read this far, thanks for listening.
