What to do...

saudivette

saudivette

Clueless In Sandland
Joined
Mar 24, 2008
Messages
2,633
Location
Aussie expat in Saudi Arabia
...on those balmy old days where the sand storm is so bad that just going outside to the rubbish bin makes you feel like Lawrence of Arabia or an extra in the film Flight Of The Phoenix. Obviously, without a full respiratory helmet and a supply of oxygen, it's pointless to even contemplate going out doors to work on the Vette (car port only). So, sitting comfortably at your indoor bench (kitchen table) one gets busy with a brass kit, some silver bearing solder and a small torch...

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Not finished yet. When I can work out a way to clean it properly, I'll be powder coating it gold :thumbs:
 
Did you make all the parts yourself? That's awesome! A real work of art. I kind of like it in the raw form it's in now, shows how much soldering went into it
 
Twin_Turbo said:
Did you make all the parts yourself? That's awesome! A real work of art. I kind of like it in the raw form it's in now, shows how much soldering went into it
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THAT is really really nice, and I agree with TT there....

U must be an ET to solder like that....not easy....

heat controll is a bitch....what did you use?? a electronic soldering iron with rosin flux lead solder?? or a plumbers torch with tin/antimony solder??

what sort of acid if the latter???

nice work, can I get you to make me a few of those???:rose::fishing::lol:
 
Nice work :thumbs:

when you have those sand storms you should take those parts that need cleaned and put them out side,FREE sandblasting :amazed:
 
kwplot34 said:
Nice work :thumbs:

when you have those sand storms you should take those parts that need cleaned and put them out side,FREE sandblasting :amazed:
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:twitch:
You missed a perfect chance!!:suicide:





Not in Saudi, but in Kuwait, I did one of those sandstorms- that crap is like dusting yourself with flour. Gets in everything. You feel like you've been rolled in dust.
 
Twin_Turbo said:
Did you make all the parts yourself? That's awesome! A real work of art. I kind of like it in the raw form it's in now, shows how much soldering went into it
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Nah, it comes as a kit like this:
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Everything's pre cut but still needs to be dressed out before anything fits together. Then you have to bend all the "stringers" to shape and cut them to length. The prop blades were cut with square edges but I thought it would look better with nicely rounded leading edges and tapered trailing edges. I scratch built the mirror and antennae, as they don't come in the kit, and drilled all the lightening holes in the wing ribs as I thought it looked better that way. The kit calls for everything to be polished then super glued together but I decided to solder and pc it. I found some silver bearing solder with a melting point of around 430*F (so it should be able to handle the pc cure temp) and used a little gas torch and some flux. It was a pain in the arse as every little joint had to spotlessly clean for the solder to run properly. I dunno the name of the acid to use but I know I can get the stuff for making pcb's here (surprise surprise) so I'll give that a go - dunk it in then rinse it off with water - hopefully that'll "eat" off the tarnish and bits of flux.

Unfortunately, sand storms here aren't like a giant sandblaster, just a thick fog of real fine dust that, like Tim said, gets absolutely everywhere. Hehehe, Bangkok Dean once laughed at a pic of my engine bay saying he'd heard of sand blasting but not sand filled! I was working on my Vette last weekend and blew all the dust out before I started. I went out there again yesterday and there's a layer of dust on everything again :suicide:
 
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Christ, and here I bitching like hell over this damn oak tree with all the bird seed shit landing on my truck, Linda's car, sometimes even the vette, the constant barrage of trash off it, fucker is mighty prolific....about 35 gallons of just acorns, then come the leaves...make that about 100 gallons raked and bagged, the leaves are very small, about peanut sized....i'ts a water or pin oak, unlike anythg further north where the leaves are ever larger....

I dunno WTF I would do about all that sand, as it's bad enough here in Florida, but we have RAIN enough to keep it down to manageable proportions....

I think I would have to MOVE from there.....you have kids there too, I think you posted your wife was there....wonder how they get along what with that culture thing?? or do you all live in some compound??
 
saudivette said:
...on those balmy old days where the sand storm is so bad that just going outside to the rubbish bin makes you feel like Lawrence of Arabia or an extra in the film Flight Of The Phoenix. Obviously, without a full respiratory helmet and a supply of oxygen, it's pointless to even contemplate going out doors to work on the Vette (car port only). So, sitting comfortably at your indoor bench (kitchen table) one gets busy with a brass kit, some silver bearing solder and a small torch...

spit01.jpg

spit02.jpg

spit03.jpg

spit04.jpg


Not finished yet. When I can work out a way to clean it properly, I'll be powder coating it gold :thumbs:
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I'd like one of a F4U or a P38 please. Thank you.:hi:
 
mrvette said:
...I think I would have to MOVE from there.....you have kids there too, I think you posted your wife was there....wonder how they get along what with that culture thing?? or do you all live in some compound??
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Yes mate, my wife and son (from 1st marriage) live out here with me. We live on a compound that is leased by the company I work for so it's only other Westerners that live here. Working with the locals drives me berswerk and going into town for anything does my head in but our social life is pretty good. The money help too I spose... :p
 
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