Roger's handcrafted 1:12 scale models

[Randiego]

Is that an older hydramatic?  

As a young lad, I worked in a transmission shop, as a R & R tech. (remove and replace).  My first Dyna Flo was almost my last. I usually did not take the time to get a transmission jack as they were not that heavy and it was quicker to retrieve them this way.  I was used to going under a Plymouth or a Chevy or Ford and dropping  the transmission on my chest and rolling out from under the car with it.  (at 19 years of age, you are invincible and much stronger than when you are older).  .Well, I had not been told that the Dyna Flo was composed of a CAST IRON case and a hell of a lot heavier.  I slipped the transmission off of the bell housing and WHUMP !  on to my chest immediately expelling all of the air in my lungs.  I could not call out to anyone for help.  All I could do was flail my legs and finally one of my fellow workers saw me,  grabbed my legs and pulled me out from under that Buick with the tranny still sitting on my chest.  I was blue in the face by the time that they lifted the trans off of me. An important life lesson I learned that day.  Anyway, I just thought that I would share that story with you for a good chuckle.

 

Hope that your vacation was nice and relaxing.  We await to see some more magic, Roger.

 

Randy

[Roger Zimmermann]

Yes, the vacation was nice and relaxing. Nice weather all the time, sometimes temperatures like in summer.

The Hydramatic I'm working on is for a '58 Cad. I'm touching only Hydramatics from 1956 to 1963 ('64 on base Cad models). I overhauled maybe 20 of them and yes, they are heavy! About 100 kg (more than 200 pounds) and it's not recommended to have them on the chest! My first car was a 1965 Opel Rekord with a 4-speed manual transmission. When I had to do some work, the transmission came on my chest, but they are way not so heavy than in your experience!

[Randiego]

Roger,

 

Since you do not drive your cars that often, what do you do in Switzerland to keep them in storage without too much problems with gaskets drying out, fuel changing composition, transmissions leaking, etc., etc.  Good thing that you do not have to deal with California fuel, which is a methanol blend, causing us so many issues with fuel pumps and carburetors.  Now we have to rebuild our fuel pumps and carbs with the newer neoprene composition parts to stand up to the "gasahol".  This mixture not only attacks the soft parts but can also "eat" away at the carb hard parts.  Does the gas in Europe have any emission standards similar to the USA?  Hopefully, not.  

 

Randy

[Roger Zimmermann]

There are days where things do not go round. The windshield and back window are among the parts for which I have to modify my approach. When I was in vacation, I did an improvement to the molds for both windows by putting the polyester parts into a "bath" of plaster. The idea was to put mold and a bit of Plexiglas into the oven at about 150°C. The mold alone, made with polyester would not keep its shape at the temperature.

The windshield went first, after a while, the shape was good enough, with one exception: in the middle of the glass, there was a bump, like a head contacting the glass during an accident. After heating that part 5 or 8 times, without significant improvement, I tried the back window and I got the same bump!

When I did the glass parts from my previous models, I had a positive mold; this is the first time I'm trying with a negative mold. I see just one solution: do positive molds...

In between, my fight for a proper paint got results: I went to a body shop, explaining what I was looking for. The boss showed me some blue paints with a fine metallic. I choose a VW/Audi color called Laser blue. I will soon go to the store to order some rattle cans from this color.

[unimogjohn]

Roger, truly amazing work.  How the heck to do figure how to build these parts?  I have trouble putting big things back together.  Cannot wait to see the paint going on.  I am sure the work will be stunning.

[Roger Zimmermann]

10 minutes ago, unimogjohn said:

  How the heck to do figure how to build these parts?  I have trouble putting big things back together.  

Thanks John! Well, experience is probably a good help, plus the fact that I had a technical profession. It helps too!

[Roger Zimmermann]

On ‎30‎.‎04‎.‎2017 at 8:02 PM, Randiego said:

Roger,

 

Since you do not drive your cars that often, what do you do in Switzerland to keep them in storage without too much problems with gaskets drying out, fuel changing composition, transmissions leaking, etc., etc.  Good thing that you do not have to deal with California fuel, which is a methanol blend, causing us so many issues with fuel pumps and carburetors.  Now we have to rebuild our fuel pumps and carbs with the newer neoprene composition parts to stand up to the "gasahol".  This mixture not only attacks the soft parts but can also "eat" away at the carb hard parts.  Does the gas in Europe have any emission standards similar to the USA?  Hopefully, not.  

 

Randy

Sorry Randy, I forgot to answer that question. What I'm doing for storage? Almost nothing! When I store my cars at the end of October or mid-November, I'm just looking that the tank is full and I'm increasing the tire pressure. As the room is rather cold, I see no concern about gaskets drying. It can even freeze! I do that since more than 30 years.

We have good fuel, I have a jerrycan with about 20 liters (you know, the jerrycans from the army), most of the time full or almost full for years. No bad issue as our fuel has no or almost no methanol. Therefore, I assume that Switzerland has not the same emission standards than in the US. However, there are many service stations in France selling E95-10 or E95-85 which is 10%, resp. 85% ethanol content. Each country is a little bit different...

[Roger Zimmermann]

All I did to have nice negative molds for the front and rear windows was for nothing. I wanted to make the positive forms with wood, but as the temperature to shape the Plexiglas is rather high, I went with 0.8 mm thick brass. The piece of Plexiglas I used with the negative mold helped to find the correct shape of the mold by hammering (the brass, not the Plexiglas!) and bending. For each correction, I had to heat the assembly into the oven, take it out, put a towel over the Plexiglas to persuade it to take the shape of the mold, verify on the model if the shape was OK. I don’t remember how many times I did that play; I had almost the whole afternoon...

Once the shape was satisfying, I cut a new piece of Plexiglas and the assy went again to the oven. To accelerate the process, I used a higher temperature: about 165°C. It was too much: the Plexiglas’ surface began to deteriorate and stick to the brass. By heating that piece again at 150°C, it was like magic: the surface was again OK!

After maybe 4 or 5 “in, out”, the shape was OK and I trimmed the excess material.

Then, I modified the front mold for the rear window. I was labor intensive as the profile is not flat but it’s following the shape of the roof. Finally, the shape was more or less OK and I began the same process as I did for the windshield. The sole difference is that it went quicker.

On the picture, the windows are just put into the aperture; finally they will be glued to the body. the form for the rear window is ahead of the body.

 

[keiser31]

FANTASTIC work!

[Randiego]

Roger,

Finally my question is answered regarding how you made the front and rear "glass" for the model.  I have never had to make a windshield and was wondering how you accomplished that step.  I thought that there was heat involved.   And they look amazing, Roger.  Again, I reiterate, you must think each step through many times in your mind before you sit down to accomplish the task.  No different than Charles Duryea, Henry Ford, The Dodge brothers, etc., etc.  If we had an X Ray of your cranium, we may see a well oiled Swiss machine with intricate gears, pinions, cogs, bearings, shafts, cams all running so smoothly.  Again, few are blessed with the tools to be such an artist.

 

All of us out here really enjoy seeing not only your progress but how you arrived at the solutions to the questions and problems of making such small, intricate parts.  That is what makes following this thread so enjoyable.  Each time I come here, there is a new item to savor.  And to echo the others, Fantastic work.

 

Randy

 

   

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks Randy and keiser31! Now that the widows are done, it's time to make the remaining of the moldings.

[Roger Zimmermann]

A few days ago, I was satisfied with the windshield. When I began with the windshield moldings, it was another matter: if the shape at the bottom followed rather well the body aperture, it was a different matter at the top. I realized that it would be impossible to glue the Plexiglas on that narrow flange to keep the desired shape; I had to improvise! First, I took the negative form back from storage and attempted to correct the windshield shape. This time, the mold was useful and I could correct at about 50% the upper shape. As I had enough space, I did a channel to force the Plexiglas in the shape I wanted. This channel was then soft soldered to the front drip molding. During the final assembly, that assembly will be glued to the body.

For the picture, I installed the lower molding; I had to insert the wipers to stabilize the molding. As you may see, the underground is a technical drawing; it shows the windshield and cowl cut at the centerline.

 

Now, I can do the molding for the back window.

 

Last week, I went to a body shop to choose paint with a lower metallic content than my previous experiment. I saw a VW paint called Laserblue. Further, I got the sample from Barry Wolk; the paint he used is very similar to a paint Opel used on an Insignia model: Olive Tree. I went to a store selling Duplicolor paint. In their catalog, none of “my” paint was mentioned…The salesman said that maybe the dealer from each manufacturer could supply the paint. I went to the Opel dealer, about 300 meters away. Olive Tree: no more available, super!

As I had enough, I did not go to the VW dealer. Instead, I searched in Internet for both paint. I found them, available without problem. Of course, I did not read the complete text and ordered, paying with PayPal. Then, I saw that it was just a little bottle for touch-up! Too late, it was paid…I got those bottles on Monday; they are coming from…Turkey!

About simultaneous, a member of a scale model forum saw my problems with the paint; he said that he is near a paint shop and they can do a spray can. I wrote that I was interested, but he may have difficulties to send the paint abroad as that man is living in Austria. He said there must be no problem; so the paint was ordered. He sent it early this week; I got both spray cans today, thank you Markus! I had to make a test, of course…

On the pictures, you see one engine part on the sample from Barry; the paint is a tad darker, but it’s OK, especially due to the fact that I was ready to paint the engine gold! The blue sample (sprayed on the rear window form) is difficult to photography; therefore I did various pictures with a different light. As I just have one can, I spared and sprayed a very thin coat. With more paint, the result will be a bit darker.

Edited May 11, 2017 by Roger Zimmermann
Completed the message (see edit history)

[Fadt]

Roger.

Just a suggestion. Using a airbrush allows you to put on much thinner coats than a normal aerosol spray. It would stop paint build up on areas where paint looses detail. I have been using them for 40 years and once you get hold of the way they work its a satisfying skill.

 

You can do what I used to do. Get the aerosol can and spray it into the plastic cap, producing a pool of paint. Then use an eye dropper to transfer the paint to your airbrush. It tends to be quite thin so light coats are essential.

 

I bought a nice twin cylinder compressor with a tank for around 100 Euros and its great. Airbrushes, however are a different matter... you get what you pay for, so stay away from the 50 Euro ones.

 

Good luck with the paint job, I look forward to it.

Gerry

 

 

[Murco]

16 hours ago, Fadt said:

Roger.

Just a suggestion. Using a airbrush allows you to put on much thinner coats than a normal aerosol spray. It would stop paint build up on areas where paint looses detail. I have been using them for 40 years and once you get hold of the way they work its a satisfying skill.

 

You can do what I used to do. Get the aerosol can and spray it into the plastic cap, producing a pool of paint. Then use an eye dropper to transfer the paint to your airbrush. It tends to be quite thin so light coats are essential.

 

I bought a nice twin cylinder compressor with a tank for around 100 Euros and its great. Airbrushes, however are a different matter... you get what you pay for, so stay away from the 50 Euro ones.

 

Good luck with the paint job, I look forward to it.

Gerry

 

 

Unfortunately, with a metallic paint and a standard airbrush pattern you would end up with tiger stripes down the length of a 1/12 scale model. To get good coverage and a proper pattern you would need a full-size touch-up gun like this Iwata RG3 that I use on 1/12 scale projects. These require more pressure and volume than a standard airbrush compressor so I also use a Silentaire DR500 to make it work.

Without investing in these it would be best to use the spray cans..

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks Murco for your explanation about metallic paint and airbrush! Anyway, I wrote some time ago that airbrushing was not an option for the final paint. There are so many parts in addition to the body that I cannot do all once. Cleaning the airbrush is definitively not what I like to do! 

Edited May 13, 2017 by Roger Zimmermann (see edit history)

[Fadt]

Agree to differ on the point about 1/12th and tiger strokes, but if Roger doesn't want the cleaning up, then thats good enough for me.

[Roger Zimmermann]

The paint is on the back burner. I’m waiting for another rattle can and I’m looking at each nice blue car to see if the metallic content is fine or not…I will surely dream about that!

In between I began the belt molding. Instead of the 4 pieces on the real car, I will do just one, from 4 elements silver soldered.

To have a chance of a reasonable alignment, I intend to silver solder 6 locating pins. I did first holes into the molding (at that moment still in two parts), attach with glue each molding to the body and drill holes. Nothing special about that with one exception: the chuck from the drilling machine is too large; it will rub the roof before the drill bit will begin the holes. I had to find a solution. The first image is showing how I did it. The next problem: the holes near the centerline of the car are too far away for the machine; I had also another solution to overcome this problem; it can be seen on the second picture.

In between, both halves have been soldered and the molding has now its correct profile.

 

[keiser31]

WOW! Where there's a will, there's a way. Nice solutions.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Did today the upper molding for the rear window; it went better than anticipated; maybe I had less distractions today. The upper molding was done in 2 pieces and silver soldered in the middle once the correct dimension was attained. Of course, lower and upper moldings must be trimmed and polished for plating, they are just rough now.

Unless I’m forgetting something, the outside moldings are done. I still have 4 parts to do: the door’s sills (again with X thousand dots) and both garnish moldings at the B pillar. Due to the tight clearance between door and pillar, I’m not sure if I will succeed. We’ll see.

 

[Paulie9fingers]

Very nice, it looks great

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks Paulie!

[Randiego]

Roger,

Looking at the window molding, it looks perfect.  The compound  curves look like they would have been a real challenge.  But it came out excellent !   I have a Paschal and a top of the line Badger air brush set.  It took me some time before I was proficient in using the air brush but once I got the hang of it and practiced, the results were fantastic. It allows you to apply a much finer finish and, unlike a rattle can, you have control as to how much paint comes out and you can control the pattern.  Either a fine line or a wide swath.   If you have not used an air brush before, it is a departure from a rattle can. With practice it produces great results.   

 

On a higher end, model, such as the Continental, I am sure that there is a procedure that you do that gets you the results that are satisfactory for you.  Products have changed a lot in the last 10 years.  They have developed  paint technology and now have some amazing products.

 

Whether you are painting a 1:1 car or a 1:12 car, it is all about technique.  Roger, I am sure that you have your own system for the final finish.  A lot of the painters  that I know out here in So Cal. are stingy with their techniques and systems. They are too busy to try and teach or share what they do.  Maybe they feel that you might become their competition?   I have one good body shop that I can lean on for expert advice.  The owner just built the most beautiful coupe and the paint, fit and finish is flawless.  He tells me it is not rocket science, just a lot of practice and diligence. AND a deft eye for detail.  Like you, they are meticulous with the small details.  He will help me with any issue that arises.  

 

I am sure that after you paint your Continental,  color sand and polish the finish, it will look amazing.  Your advantage as an engineer is that you are able to dissect and analyze the issue at hand and are able to arrive at the answer that is fitting for the problem.  

 

We are watching the Continental take shape and it is a wonder to watch it develop.   

 

Great work, Roger.  Can't wait for the next post.

 

Randy

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

[Roger Zimmermann]

Randy, thanks for your comments! That back window molding was not so difficult to do; it was even rather easy.

About the paint...I'm still with the rattle can! I have an airbrush, but I don't find it easy to work with. You are right, experience is the key, I will not get enough of that to do the paint with confidence.

Sometimes, precision is inappropriate. I tried to make the sills as near as the original dimensions; I found recently, I should have done a larger gap between the doors and the sills. With the small gap I have at disposal, the scuff plates must be very thin; otherwise, I will not be able to close the doors! I decided to do the plates in 2 parts: the “frame” and another plate with the “décor”, both soft soldered together. The frame will be done with a 0.2mm brass sheet and the décor with a 0.1mm material.

As you may imagine, the door sill are time consuming: the “décor” surface has the same dots like various molding from the car. For the sills, each side has about 3400 dots! As the material is very thin, the surface will not be as straight as expected.

To avoid any interference, I had to grind the sills until the door was not touching the scuff plate. The first plate is not ready. One picture would be enough; there is a reason why I’m shoeing two: the closer one is done with my old pocket camera; the second one is done with a brand new Canon reflex camera. I still have to understand how to get decent results with that Canon camera; up to now, pictures are much better and sharper with the old one!

 

[Roger Zimmermann]

Unless I’m forgetting something (not the first time), I’m doing now the last parts to be chromed: the garnish moldings for the A pillar. As I cannot test the clearance easily, I will let chrome the parts and, if I cannot use them, they will go into the “museum” of failed parts. I’m using a 0.1mm thick brass; the flange is silver soldered to the main element because I could not do the part in one piece. These garnish moldings will not be the nicest parts because I have not much margin to sand and polish them; small irregularities will remain; they are better than a hole!

The first picture is with the pocket camera, the other one with the reflex one, but without the flash.

 

[Randiego]

Roger,

 

Seeing the parts "materialize" before our very eyes is always a source of enjoyment.  Probably not for you as it is a lot of labor, but when you are done, it is another milestone finished.  The sill plates, with their compound bends and curves exemplifies the amount of work that goes into just one part.  AND multiply that by the whole car !   I am for the Canon camera.  Without flash, you get ALL the detail of the car or part without the "burnout" of the flash.  These new digital cameras are able to take very detailed pictures with a lot less light.  I delete my flash in a lot of pictures for that very reason.  And the pictures come out (for the most part) excellent to  satisfactory.  As you use your new camera, you will find it much more versatile.  As technology advances, our photography improves with leaps and bounds.   

 

I do not envy you for the labor in getting the dots in the sill plates.  Getting all those impressions pressed into them takes me back to the plate on the dash that took a lot of time to get all the detail in that part.  In "dimpling" the sill plates, will you use a jig for alignment?  I guess that we will see what and how you do that job.

 

Excellent work !

 

Randy

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks for your comments, Randy. The picture without the flash was indeed an "accident" but as you wrote, the result was not bad. Probably with more playing with the sensibility, diaphragm and more parameters, pictures can be better than with the pocket camera. However, if I need 10 minutes to make a good picture with the reflex camera compared to a few seconds with the old one, is there any "progress"?

 

The dots are easy to do: just place a piece of brass on the large piece shown in the picture, secure it on one side and go! After one dot done with very moderate pressure, move the assembly for 0.2mm (0.008") for the next one and so on. When the line is completed, move on the other axis for 0.2mm and do another line. No high tech, just boring!

There will be no report for some time: I'm now preparing all the remaining parts to be chromed and there is a lot.

 

[Randiego]

Roger,

 

When you move .002 to the next dot, how do you measure that .  Is your wheel graduated in thousands?  How many dots are in a row?  That must be a time consuming chore.  Any way, We will be awaiting the final results.

 

Randy

[Roger Zimmermann]

Hi Randy

One revolution of the wheel is giving a movement of 1 mm. The wheel has 0.05 mm graduations; as one step is 0.2mm, 5 dots are done with one turn of the wheel. To simplify the task, I painted 5 white dots on the wheel.

One line is 85mm in length; divided by 0.2 this gives 425 dots. Yes, it was a time consuming task; one line took maybe 15 minutes to be completed but it was not possible to do that task without interruption. I'm glad it's over!

The chore with the paint is not yet over. This week, I ordered in France other spay cans; 2 blue ones and a gold olive one. The Opel paint I first bought for the engine was too dark; the Mark II forum gave the indication that the original engine paint  is very near from a Champagne mist metallic from Nissan. I can get this paint from the French Company as well as the blue one with a fine metallic content which is a deviation of the original Ford/VW/Renault paint. (I was surprised to notice that many makes are using the same paint; sometimes duringthe same tme span, sometimes just outside of their competition) The other blue paint I ordered is from Opel; I asked also for a fine metallic content. I should get the paint during next week. As I'm in France now, there will be no shiping problem!

At the end, I will have a full store of almost full spay cans, with the exceptions of the ones I will use for the model. This may be the most expensive post for that model!

[Randiego]

VOILA ! !      I found that new colors seldom  are generated.  A lot of manufacturers "re cycle" older colors with just a minor change.  Let us hope that the colors that you get there will answer your needs.  Are these urethane paints or just enamels?    June in France must be very nice.  What part of France are you staying in?   

 

Enjoy your vacation.

 

Randy

[Roger Zimmermann]

Yes, Randy, I was myself surprised to see that many manufacturers are using the same paint! Indeed, the paint manufacturers are selling their products to various vehicles producers.

I got two days ago an Opel and a VW paint with fine aluminum particles. The same color I did the trunk lid some time ago will be the definitive paint with that particles change. The paint is most probably an enamel type. The clear coat is acrylic.

 

We are located near the town of Nîmes. Since 5 days the weather is indeed hotter than usual: 35 to 37°C is now the rule; the result is that we are doing almost nothing, except drinking (water the afternoon) and eating!

Edited June 23, 2017 by Roger Zimmermann (see edit history)

[Randiego]

Roger,

 

When are you getting back from France?   

[Randiego]

IT has been very hot here also.  IT hit 115 degrees Fahrenheit in Phoenix, the next state over and hit 110 degrees in Anza Borrego (our desert not 70 miles from the coast).  A friend has an apple orchard up in Julian, Ca., which is only 40 miles from here and it has been hoovering around 93 to 95 degrees for the last week.  He is working in his orchard and starts at 5:30 AM and quits when he cannot stand it any longer (around 11:30 AM).  He is drinking around a gallon of liquids every two hours.  Me I am staying by the beach.   Believe it or not, it has been staying very comfortable (in the high 70's, low 80's) all week.  If we get a Santa Ana (a westward wind blowing off of the desert) that will change VERY QUICKLY.  Right now, we have been given a reprieve and are keeping our fingers crossed.  Stay cool and we will hear from you in the near future.  Right now, I think I will go make another pitcher of Ice tea.......................or something stronger.   :-)   

Randy    

[Roger Zimmermann]

8 hours ago, Randiego said:

Roger,

 

When are you getting back from France?   

Soon, Randy, soon!

It seems that this June month is hot everywere...

[Roger Zimmermann]

After the paper work resulting from 3 ½ weeks’ vacation, I decided to assemble the parts to be chromed on a new tree. It’s very time consuming; the parts must be secured to have a good electrical contact and not to be lost. Usually, each part is attached with 2 wires; obviously, the small ones have just one copper wire as contact to the tree.

While assembling all those loose parts, I did a new check: are now all parts done? Of course not: the dip stick for the transmission and engine oil are still missing; they were quickly done. However, as they are unpractical to attach to the tree, they will go in a small cage with the hood emblem, rings for the instrument cluster and the “Continental” letters.

At the inner belt, there are also small moldings attached to the trim; I had to do them. I now hope that all the chrome parts are done. Unfortunately, the plating company will be closed for 3 weeks; the tree will stay home until early August.

What is the next step? I just would like to have an assembly ready: I will put the engine in pieces, paint them and reassemble. Some elements like the spark plus wires are not yet done; they will be realized as a final touch.

The first picture is showing the parts which will be nickeled; on the 2 other pictures, you can see the small cage into which those parts are enclosed.

[MCHinson]

Happy to see you back and making more progress. Interesting as always...

[Paulie9fingers]

Hope you enjoyed your vacation, and as always, it's great to see your updates.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Yes I did! Thanks for the comments!

[Randiego]

Bonjour Roger,

 

Glad you made it home o k.   Hotter n' HELL here.  What makes it bad is the humidity.  We get more than illegal immigrants here in San Diego.  A tropical storm is in the Gulf of Tehuantepec  off the coast of Acapulco Mexico.  It is pushing North and all the humidity has settled in on us making it so very miserable.  Don't want to work, don't want to move around as it is extremely uncomfortable.  We are used to dry desert air and this is the pits.  

 

Enough about me.  I hope that your stay in France was good and that you got to spend time visiting and enjoying the food and wine.  

 

How does the small parts in the basket get coated evenly.  Do they agitate it to ensure that all sides of the parts get exposed to the electrolyte bath or ?  Amazing that this process works for you as those are extremely small parts, especially the letters.

 

Randy

[Roger Zimmermann]

Years ago, I experienced the heat and humidity while in vacation in Florida. I appreciated the A/C those days!

In June it was hot in France too. We did almost...nothing.

I doubt that the basket will be agitated. I did a similar basket while I did the Avanti model, it contained also letters from the Toronado model. The basket was not very well constructed, some letters were trapped into it. To my surprise, all letters and the other parts into the basket were well covered. I hope it will be the same this time; I built the basket in a way that the parts inside cannot be trapped. Obviously, nickel and chrome don't have the same behavior!

[Roger Zimmermann]

This is almost a chaos: painting the engine. Everything must be disassembled, sanded, cleaned, and painted. Each major assembly is put in a bag with the fasteners and will be apart when something finished is assembled again.

Most parts in the background are ready, some are waiting to be treated; most have been immerged in a solution to cover them with a thin coat of tin. I don’t remember who gave me that idea, it is a great one!