Project: Deuce

http://www.youtube.com/v/vijgkWRlWSI

This might kinda sum up my last few weeks...

between weather screwing up my painting environment, and some unexpected delays....

well... I'm trucking again this weekend, trying to make as much headway as I can!
;)

This is my first video so go easy on me... :D

^lol, epic music

I was really laughing as I put that video together... ;)

I got a chuckle out of it. Anything that has Duel of Fates is somehow funny if it isn't serious.

That is precisely why I chose it. The name of the tune was the first thing. Seemed I was in a duel with Fate the last few weeks... then it hit me...

"Moe-Ron... use the tune!"

As I got to thinking about it, I realized then that the tension and dissonance in the song was going to lend itself wel to the video.

the *chuckle* was what I was looking for.

haha nice vid

Well... moving from the video, I'll post up pics of the forward movement, as well as a little *****-fest I am going to go off on for a bit...

Panels are progressing nicely! Not the clossy mirror smooth finish I want, but that will be after I clear it a few times... WOO HOO!!

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/panel1.jpg

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/panel2.jpg

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/panel3.jpg

the ripples will go away after I clear and sand it.

Now... I Have been trying for the last 2 MONTHS to get my frame parts to a specialized painter in the Dallas area. I am not going to even do them justice by posting up their lame *** site, or their lame *** business name. Just suffice it to say that if you are in the Dallas area, and you start talking to Phil from the Colony, hang up and walk away. You will save yourself a buttload of misery. This job is not hard. Ive already done a ton of work to make it easy. But, I guess there just was not enough $$$ at the end of this rainbow. Bunghole stopped returning my calls. Kept trying to reach him to setup a meeting where he would just *look* at my frame pieces.... never even got that far. emails unanswered, phone calls unanswered.... very unprofessional. Phil, I hope I catch your paint equipment on liquidation, because there is *NO* way you can run a business and stay in business operating like that. VERY un-professional. I could have sent a ton of advertisement your way. Possible new avenues of income... but you had to screw it up, and throw off my build. Fine.....

So, I started looking for other options, but everywhere I went, the costs were more than I was wanting to bear, and the finish was "a special order" or something like that. Essentially, I came to the realization that "it's up to me"... so, I took a few days off earlier this week (Mon/Tues) and drove to talk to a my last few possibilities. That drive it home for me, and I went to work on the frame on Tuesday afternoon/night. Popped the remaining rivets, and decided on how I wanted to do my frame.

I shot a test piece just to see how the colors would lay after multiple color coats and a couple of clear coats.

Please pay no mind to the specs of dust on the top, this was a POC piece to see how the colors would work... I liked... it is a metalflake/sparkle base, with a tranparent top color coat. Duplicolor Metalcast. I shot this stuff on blingGreen, but the frame was not disassmbled, and it was one coat of green. I've learned a bit since then, so I'm trying to make this one a bit more durable and glossy...

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/blue1.jpg

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/blue2.jpg

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/blue3.jpg

That lat pic kinda captures the sparkle below the paint... looks mighty fine... :mrgreen:

So I finish popping the rivets out of my frame:


http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/frame2.jpg

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/frame3.jpg

String them up like they are in a meat market... hehehe... "Now serving number 2!" LOL!

Hit them with self etching primer:
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/frame4.jpg

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/frame5.jpg

Then the Metalcast flake basecoat:
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/frame6.jpg

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/frame7.jpg
You can see a bit of the shimmer of hte silver in that last shot...

And started mowing through the frame pieces with my cans of blue Duplicolor Metalcast (love this stuff!):

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/blue4.jpg

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/blue5.jpg

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/blue6.jpg

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/blue7.jpg

I ran out of paint... but I can buy more, and recoat in a few days after this has cured. After I get a few more color coats on these parts, they will get clear coats. Prolly 3-4 coats. I really like how the little drive cage came out, and hopefully I can produce a whole case like that. I am also contemplating putting some designs on the frame to make the paint job a bit more than just a color job. ;) Stay tuned on that.

Also, I worked out a problem that was with my beautiful NV78's. The water block acrylics were accidentally cut to duplicate. When you are running a SLI setup, and passing the water between the two cards, you need to have alternating inlets to accomidate the pass-between barbs. I worked with Danger Den (class act that company, they made a fan out of me!) to get another acrylic top cut out. It is now installed, and leak tested. All good.

That said, I have a space NV78 UV blue acrylic top if anyone has an NV78 water block and are looking for a way to spruce it up! ;)

More as I craft. Sorry for the pause in updates. I had hoped to come in with a screaming "bang" if I could have had the frame painted how I wanted... but now... well, it's time for plan B, no... Plan C... nope.... D! Yep! Plan D!

Chin up! Let the jouney begin, cuz it is about to get hectic!

That's Deuce-tastic! :D

Insert poop-joke here...

Anyway, yeah, lookin' good; can't wait for more!

Yea, I understand about bad customer service. My Unreal Sonata had a bit of that with the Custom UT Fan Grills. Anyway that guy seems to have gone out of business.

TD, I used the MetalCast on the Fragbox but I am sure yours will look much better then mine. I do have a couple of questions. Where did you do the painting? I can't see you paining in the garage that paint would be everywhere. You painting outside then bringing them in to dry. I would guess and say you have an actual painting tent setup out back.

Looks Good keep up Modding..

Ordered my acrylics that I will be using on Deuce... should be cool! ;) It will definitely be different
Having a hard time visualizing my tubing, and hopefully the humidity will relent enough later this week for me to finish painting my frame and get it back together!

I found a Chameleon light set while cleaning up the garage.... looking for a way to integrate it... we'll see...
;)

WOW that is looking great.

Any of you seen the movie, "Twister"? Yeah, this next set of pics reminded me of the Aunt's house that had all of the metal sculpture in her yard... hehehehe

We had some beautiful weather and I used that time to put the Metalcast parts outside to cure. Yummy...

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/frame_twister3.jpg


You can make out the metal flake effect in these shots. No, that is not dust! ;)
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/frame_twister5.jpg

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce..._twister10.jpg

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce/frame_twister6.jpg


After they cured, I took them down, into the garage, and used a hydraulic rivet gun. If you have a good compressor, and you pull things apart all the time... find one of these tools. It will save you immense headaches from when you scratch your paint using a manual squeeze rivet gun... never again. This was SO, SO much easier...
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce..._assembly3.jpg

http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce..._assembly1.jpg

The frame is now assembled and looking good!
http://www.tech-daddy.com/wlog/deuce...assembly13.jpg


This will be one of my secrets. Here is my acrylic for the mod. I'm thinking that the way I am going to mount the upper rad is going to be very unique, assuming that I get it right. :)

But, I dont wanna say too much and jinx it, but I will say that the acrylic is going to be BEAUTIFUL if I get this right...
https://www.sharkyforums.com/

More as I go. Updates are really going to start flowing over the next few days...

Dang... very nice... :)

Can't wait to see it all come together. Your neighbors were probably wondering WT-F is that.