Metal cutting for Beginners

ManicMan

ManicMan

Lord
okay... I got a metal figure i'm customing. He is an Archer but I want him to b a musketeer,, I got a nice Musket i sculpted and cast. the posing is gonna be a bit off but fair enough.. Now the problm is the Quiver.. It needs to be removed from the back.. Normally, that wouldn't be too big a problem.. however it's pretty thick.. I could use a craft knife to start to cut it but its starting to not work. I've .. well, seam to have lost my cheap cutters which i would have tried to cut it with, and i'm not using my decent cutters on this cause.. it'll more wreck them.

It's a little tricky to get in and i would like to keep as much of the quliver as i could so i really don't want to get the dremel out on it. might be okay but like I said, it's a bit of a tight fit.. I think the answer is a no or get a new pair of cutters, but any sugguestions?
 
Depending on positioning I'd get a razor saw in there. If nothing else then cutting slots in it will weaken the metal and make it easier to trim along the line you want. A good (note- good, not cheap or GW quality) pair of side cutters is probably your best bet then for bulk removal, plus some filing to neaten up. When filing (or if you decide to use a dremel- I wouldn't as I suspect the soft metal will just clog the tool but I haven't actually tried) make sure you aren't ingesting any of the dust. Best to do away from the face or outside. It's not super-fine so won't drift up into your lungs but you don't want any lead-containing metal (or even any metal!) inside your body.
 
metal inside your body isn't too bad a thing.. I only have a minor iron deficiency ^_^ but yeah.. lead dust isn't the best. Brain damage from lead..

but yeah, I know what you mean. Metal dust has a nasty taste.. not as bad as what they put in white spirit but oh well (yeah.. remember to fully clean a paint brush AFTER you have cleaned it with White Spirit before putting in your mouth.. Oh and for some reason, Citadel Metallic paints have an awful taste compare to normal paints.. wonder how metallic ones are made..)

The side cutters I got aren't bad but.. don't wanna wreck them on metal which has some thickness, even if a bit soft but maybe.. got a kinda cheap pair but probebly not any good (never buy GW tools.. what they only sell the lower quaility with a huge mark up I've never figured out... you would think none of the old guys that cared a bit are still there..)

It' a bit tricky to get a saw in there though.. but I'll be having few tries tomorrow
 
ManicMan":2gohtecg said:
Oh and for some reason, Citadel Metallic paints have an awful taste compare to normal paints.. wonder how metallic ones are made..)
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Generally adding in Mica to the medium and pigment. Although there are some that use metallic pigments instead (Vallejo Metal Colour and their Liquid Gold/Silver ranges all apparently have metallic pigments)

You can buy metallic medium if you want to make your own metallic paints, I've got some, but never tried it!

I try not to eat my paints ... also another good reason not to use old coffee mugs as water pots I guess.


Back to your woe, without seeing the model it's hard to advise, but I'd agree that if you are not interesting in retaining the piece then cutting into it (ie slots/comb) then across it is the best way of taking out a larger lump of metal and much safer than trying to cut it in one go. It's always been one of the things that puts me off converting metal models to be honest!
 
I'll probebly try to take a photo of it tomorrow.. the online image is only painted and you can't see the bit in question.. but it's a chunky boy. I really like these models and wish they'd add some more but not sure if they will.. Stay Tuned ^_^
 
Quiver.jpg


not the best of shots but put two angles together but you can't quite see the thickness of the joint where it is on the cape and a pouch.. well, i think two. Gonna try a bit more work on it later today
 
ManicMan":pwbmh3fs said:
not as bad as what they put in white spirit but oh well (yeah.. remember to fully clean a paint brush AFTER you have cleaned it with White Spirit before putting in your mouth..
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I was once crewing a show in baking weather in the middle of summer and had run out of water. Desperate for a drink went into the costume store and saw a bottle of water. Thought "ah, one of the actors has left this here, they won't mind if I take a quick swig and am careful not to backwash."

Yep

Filled with white spirit. Swigged so fast I didn't have a chance to smell it but did spit most out as soon as I spotted it wasn't H2O. Felt very sick, was very sick... worst thing was couldn't get the smell out of my sinuses for three or four days afterwards. Even now the smell of white spirit makes me nauseous.

Top tip, don't drink white spirit. Also, if you're going to put a clear liquid that isn't water into a water bottle please take the label off and preferably write what you have put in it!
 
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