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 Post subject: Chrome finish ? Cylon helmet
PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 6:06 pm 
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SgtFang is offering up some classic style Cylon heads i'm tempted although they aren't chromed anyone recommend a good inexpensive method for achieving a nice finish ?
I'm aware vacuum metallizing would be best but i suspect that its very expensive if anyone has a rough price guide for what it would cost i would be interesteded in finding out though :cool:

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 11:18 am 
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Rub'N'Buff could give a nice finish...

Example: Darth Fetty's Jango helmet thread: http://www.aokforums.com/thepropden/thepropden-about260-0.html

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 5:02 pm 
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That looks pretty good
DF can you chime in and give us the lowdown on this Rub'N'Buff stuff best methods to get the shine etc and is it permanantly that shiney or can you clearcoat over it or something to stop it dulling over time ?

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 5:53 pm 
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It takes a while to get used to Rub 'n Buff, but here's some tips...

First, prepare the surface by repeatedly priming and wetsanding the surface. I wetsanded with an 800 grit sandpaper. The goal is to make the surface as smooth as possible for the RnB. RnB is a wax, so unlike paint, it won't fill in any minute holes or dents in the surface. I tried three different types of primer and Dupli-Color Primer Sealer worked the best. It's a somewhat thin primer so it lacks most miniscule holes or ridges that can make the RnB look wierd and uneven. It will probably take several coats of primer till it's ready.

When applying RnB, apply it very small ammounts. Rub it HARD into the surface. The more friction and heat you cause, the better. You can rub it in with the tip of your finder or with a small towel. Immediately buff it with something soft and smooth like a shoe polishing rag. It dries instantly and depending on how hard you rubbed it, it won't come off. I don't think it ever dulls too..

I think there is a sealer made specifically for RnB, but I'm not sure.
It can't be Clear Coated. Clear Coat can either make it very dull or sticky.

It's really cheap too. I don't know what a Cylon head looks like so if your looking for a finish more like chrome instead of a shiny metal, RnB might not be the best for it.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 7:09 pm 
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Cheers DF yeah chrome is the finish im looking to get but vacuum metallizing will be too expensive so im searching for alternatives.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 7:32 pm 
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ALCLAD 2 http://www.alclad2.com/alclad-home.html
Alsa Corp http://www.alsacorp.com/

Haven't tried any of these products or know how they really hold up, but they are often recommended by people from the RPF.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 12:17 am 
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Cool the aclad looks like the easiest stuff to use plus i can get here in the UK :salut

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 11:19 am 
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Defstartrooper wrote:
Cool the aclad looks like the easiest stuff to use plus i can get here in the UK :salut

Yeah, but as I said... no personal experience with the stuff... so please don't get mad at me if it flunks... :lol

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 5:15 pm 
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I already have your location locked into a cruise missile :lol

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 2:57 pm 
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Someone on RPF mentioned this: http://www.theRPF.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=124447&view=findpost&p=1450173

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 2:21 pm 
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Hi,

I am currently working on getting a vacuum metalisation evaporator machine up and running (at work). It has been powered off for three years and is being a real pain getting it back up and running but I made big steps today eventually evaporating some NiCr onto a silicon wafer and it looked pretty cool. Problem is I am unsure of what size of items I can fit into the vacuum chamber and get good results. I am also limited for metals I only have NickelChromium, Gold, Palladium, Titanium, Gold/Titanium, Chromium and Nickel and will have to learn more about the results I will get with the machine I have available.

I was also looking to get a Cylon helmet and give it a go but a wee bit more experimenting with the metalisation first will be a long drawn out task I think.

I will be running tests on certain materials very soon. I am also very limited to the times I can get free to run the machine.

If I get anywhere I will let you know.

Cheers Chris.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 2:29 pm 
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Sounds cool. Any possibility of showing off the various finishes, if possible? Also... have never seen what one of these machines look like... any chance of a snap-shot of it... or is it top secret equipment? :hehe-err

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:06 pm 
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Ha ha no big secret. I don't have pics of the machine I am working on but here is a similar model

Image

It's a very old Evaporator machine and not exactly state of the art like modern Sputter machines but it has its benefits depending on what you are wanting it for. I done a test run on an 8 inch silicon wafer yesterday using NiCr and it came out like a mirror.

The chamber on the machine is about 18 inches by 18 inches but I have to beware of the heat from the electron beam gun and also the distance from the metal melts will also effect uniformity of the finish.

Just have to do a bit of experimenting now to see how it works on plastic, resin, fibreglass etc

Might take some time but I will get what I want hopefully.

Cheers Chris.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 10:46 pm 
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Coooooool keep us updated :cool:

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2007 10:02 pm 
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Well I have ironed out most of the problems on the machine and it is just down to some test runs.

I will try some small items first to see the finish.

Things are progressing nicely.

I will hopefully be talking to a real expert on the machine soon to help with the process engineering 'stuff' so I should get some good advice.

Cheers Chris.


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