The new blog is live - please update your links!

by brae  

After a number of years of not being able to update the current blog platform, I have moved to a new format. Considering the years worth of work involved, migrating the old content into the new format is no small or easy task. For now, the old blog stays put as is but I am moving the old content, as well as removing a lot of irrelevant or outdated posts.

While I clean up the older posts, the new blog has launched here. Please visit either otterine.com or return to the old blog (where you are right now) for future visits.

Anytime you want to visit this old blog, there is a link in the top menu of the new blog to lead you back here. Anytime you want to visit the new blog, just visit otterine.com directly or click the link next to the logo at the top of the side bar.

I expect some growing pains with broken links here and there as I move old content to the new blog (this will be in my spare time, so glacial pace). Thank you for the support over the years!

Garage door - part 6

by brae  

Continuing work on the garage door. I aged the panel inserts using the same method as the rest of the door.

I thought an old garage door could use a busted window pane, so I drew a bullet hole freehand with an X-Acto blade.

I was rather pleased with how it turned out.

Just one hole in the window and one on the center of the panel. I didn't want the garage to have been used as target practice. :D

Before installing the panes, I did some aging with spray painting, barely catching them with over spray to simulate dirt.

I bought a Cricut Maker after the last post on cutting the window trims. Since there were so many and the Explore didn't cut all the way through, I decided to re-cut with the Maker, and the results were much cleaner. I painted them black and then aged them with charcoal grey acrylic paint to tone down their crispness.

I also installed metal hinges on the back. I supplemented the supplied nails with epoxy.

The door itself is now complete and I can move on to the tracks and motor.

Garage door - part 5

by brae  

Continuing work on the garage door. I worked on the window panels for the garage door about a month ago. The main panels are part of the original design, but I needed to design and cut the windows and the interior trim. I used my Cricut Explore One to make the initial cuts but had to finalize the cuts by hand.

I used scissors to cut around the outside and an X-Acto to cut out the interior.

The rounded rectangle I designed didn't match up exactly to the insert, but it was easier to trim than to try to make an exact match.

From the front, the window insert looks clean.

The trim covers any gaps.

Next up, finishing the paint on the panels and painting the trims.

Garage door - part 4

by brae  

Continuing work on the garage door. I backtracked a bit here. After removing the center 3D printed hinges, I decided that I really needed five hinges across instead of three for better stability. I would need to add styrene under the additional hinge surfaces to make them the same height as the others. I didn't like the look of the small brackets with this new setup, so I removed those and replaced with long strips of styrene. I primed and painted for the next steps.

I thought about doing this from the beginning on both the front and back, and I probably should have done it then...but, I like the front enough to not start that over.

When you buff the metalizer lacquer with a paper towel, it becomes shiny and metallic. It's a delicate surface that needs to be sealed, but its delicate nature makes it easier to age. I began lifting the silver paint to expose the darker under layers, bringing out the finer details. It was a tedious process but worth it. :]  The bottom panel is what it looked like before and the upper panel is after the aging.

I didn't worry about lifting too much paint since I plan to add acrylic paint details in the final finishing.

On the front, I wanted more of the silver lifted than the salt technique removed. Here is the before on the left and the after on the right.

Just enough to even out the corrosion.

Delightfully ratty! :D

Garage door - part 3

by brae  

Continuing work on the garage door. I primed the backs of the panels flat black and then sprayed with Model Master Metalizer Lacquer in Aluminum Plate. The initial finish is light matte silver. More on this later....

On the front, I added some burnt sienna to the corners, around the brackets and other random areas.

I thought I was going to be able to keep the middle 3D printed hinges on the back, but they were going to bind with my metal hinge substitution so I cut them off, patched and puttied the gaps. I touched up the paint and returned to the front.

I again consulted a great tutorial on achieving chipped paint on plastic models. I had used this before on my abandoned bathtub.

I used water and regular table salt, concentrating on the corners and the rest leaving to random patterns.

Once dry, I sprayed with Model Master Metalizer Lacquer in Aluminum Plate.

I removed the salt with a paper towel and washed the panels with soap and water.

After you buff the metalizer lacquer with a paper towel, the surface gets all shiny and metallic. The dark brown and rust color under layers do show, but this won't be the end of the aging I have planned.

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