29 replies to this topic

[slotcarone]

Hello - guys I'm new to this scratch building ! What with the tumbling? Is it really nessasary ? And whats the purpose can't you just clean with tooth bush or equivalent and simpel green and soap ? And about the chassis are there any kits for can am racing and which jig do you prefer

Hi Marlon--Welcome to scratchbuilding! Lots of info here. As for making the chassis look good I do not use a tumbler. I use an SOS pad in the sink and then metal polish which ads to the shine and also protects from tarnish and rust. I take each step of the build off the jig and clean/polish it as I go. This also helps prepare the metal for solder. Don't use Brillo. Only SOS and I cut them in half. Another important thing is what you are using for soldering and your skill level.

[Bill from NH]

I use scouring powder & a SS braid brush to clean chassis.  It only takes about 10 minutes. They do the same job as Mike's SOS pads. For a metal polish, I use whatever I have at hand, lately it's been Mother's Aluminum & Mag polish. But Brasso & Simichrome  works well too.

[Mark Onofri]

Having been a master plumber for most of my life (since I was 24) , I can tell you two things that are important.
1) ph balance, a pool water test kit is close enough.
2) If you have a water softener, it will eat copper and brass eventually. It depends on the aloy. I'll spare you from me explaining the metal ratios.
Ph is especially critical in steam boilers.
I was rebuilding a motor and, the machine shop had a attachment to the hot tank. It was a perforated box with steel star shaped shot(for lack of a better term) in it. I'm pretty sure it was hooked up to a rotisserie from a grill. Worked great. Anyone else seen this or,is it a viable option for us?

[Bill from NH]

I've built chassis in three different states, in five different towns. I never had to test the water at any of them. Some were on private wells. others had municipal water.

[Mark Onofri]

In a old thread, the person who posted it said:
I have cleaned many chassis. The old Bon Ami & sos pads followed by Brasso is what I used "
This is from her. I've yet to try it. Brasso works but, my god , what a stench. The last time I used it, I thought I'd be smart and do it out the window. Needless to say, you know what happened.
If a tumbler is better, then why does it take so long? Obviously it's not a question of faster but,is it better?
I've recently been given a air eraser. This one is a Harbor freight (POS)model. Paasche also makes one, they claim it can erase lines on paper. I've tried the HF on Cox mag rims and,a brass & wire chassis that had rusted due to lack of humidity control where I stored it. It's like a sand blaster that has been put in a shrink machine. The results were impressive and, FAST!
There's a company called Crucible Steel not far from me. For years I wondered why one side of the building was covered in white stuff. Then I found out about soda blasting. The HF comes with a #220 grit medium. The number may be arbitrary,IDK. It didn't seem to cause any adverse effects. As soon as I get settled in my new cript , ummm, slot car room, I'll post some pictures of the #220 & soda blasting.
As far as my last post, I don't think I would use steel shot but, some form of plastic/polymer. They have some amazing things out there for this.
One last thing, I can't believe that I forgot that the term " mag rim" is because, DUH, there made of MAGNESIUM !!! WTF? According to the internet,so it's got to be true, magnisum is easier to polish than aluminum.