Friends, let me relate a cautionary tale of grit blasting and
oven-drying of paint.
The multicolor (brown-orange-maroon-gray-black) paint liveries of
five brass passenger cars and one brass gas electric were placed in
the oven for baking, and the temperature set at "warming" (150º F).
Mrs. comes along and turns up the oven to 350º to prepare for dinner.
An hour later, the cars are discovered with all paint discolored and
baked on like porcelain with some solder running.
After cooling down (it took some time), no amount of lacquer thinner
or paint remover would touch any of the paint. I then took them down
to the local plater who had a grit blaster. I left them with him, and
when I returned several hours later, I was handed four pieces that
indeed no longer had any paint on them, but also little else as well.
Shallow details were wiped out. Panels were ballooned in or out,
seams were blasted open and the metal stretched. The models had the
patina of beaten silver.
Although I replaced the cars (the plater paid for the new cars), I
placed the stricken models away for twenty years. Recently I put them
up for sale for nominal prices at our local Roseville train show.
They were picked up almost immediately by a dealer who then put
inflated prices on them to be successfully pawned off on some
unsuspecting person or persons.
Now, I use the oven only when there is a huge sign with skull and
cross bones hung on the handle. I do not use grit blasting at all,
although I would consider doing so if I had my own set up with
controlled pressure.
What was said between my wife and I is best left unrecorded.
Denny
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Denny S. Anspach, MD
Sacramento, CA
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