T2 Harley Fatboy

[utzelu]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I've never done this but the way I have seen others achieve it is to machine the tire without treads in plastic, brass or other suitable material, then make the treads separately on a flat plastic sheet with the right thickness. This will then be glued to the machined tire.

[Kiwimodeller]

Thanks for the tip. I've got the tread patterns rolled out flat in my 3d modelling software so the best thing to do would be to get it laser cut out of 0.5mm styrene then as you say bend it onto a blank of a tire. The tricky part is that the curves on a motorcycle tire are more extreme than on a car tire. Out of interest, here are some shots of some 3d prints that were done on a test basis. The black one has a higher resolution than the orange one.

Also, re the sidewall lettering, any tips on how to photo-etch these would be greatly appreciated.

[strevo]

This looks like a cool project! Looks like you're using FDM (also known as FFF) 3D printing, which uses an extruded bead of plastic to build up the parts layer by layer. You can usually get much higher resolution by using an SLA or MJP printer, on the order of 16 microns per layer. I have used a website called Quickparts.com in the past for some work projects and they can print using a lot of different types of printers, and if you already have the 3D CAD model, you can get an instant online quote. Might be worth checking out to see how the cost compares to laser-cutting the tread and etching the side-wall details. I would definitely check with someone there to make sure you'll get the detail you're looking for.

[Kiwimodeller]

Thanks, I'll check out the quickparts link.

Believe it or not these were printed using SLA print technology. With the orange one, the guy's printer was on the Fritz. with the other, it's pretty good, about 70 microns on the x and y axis. Ideally I'd print it in two halves, with the tire lying flat, thereby creating its own support without the need to build one. Problem is, as you can see from this screenshot, most of the high res printers don't have the print space to be able to lay a 105mm diameter down flat so they have to print it standing upright.

This leads to a ton of layers, moreso than if it was lying flat.

[utzelu]

You can split the design into smaller parts, maybe in 4 parts: split the tire first in half then each part again in half. That should bring it in the footprint of the 3D printer.

[Kiwimodeller]

I agree. BTW, My Avatar is the car from Deathproof, which I built a few years back, using an ERTL 1/18th scale diecast as the base for a modification that took me two and a half years to complete. I think it's the most accurate version of the car out there. Here's some shots of it.

[Kiwimodeller]

Cylinder fins. How do people paint these? I'm a bit reluctant to try brush-painting them. Because the base semi-gloss black is enamel , I could use acrylic paints and clean up afterwards without messing with the base coat .

[krow113]

Something I have been trying to work out for the FBLo kit. I think a reversal may work, spray the silver then the black. Either way its a tricky bit of work. Masking would be a huge undertaking, top notch airbrush work may do the job.
What kit are you using for this?

[Kiwimodeller]

I've got the rare Tamiya FLSTF fatboy, which is more screen accurate than the FBLo. Construction-wise, the cylinders come in two halves, rather than the individual fin set-up with the FBLO so I have a join line to contend with as well. That's been sorted with filling and sanding .

One idea that has occurred to me is using an artist's sponge brush that is wide enough to swipe across multiple fins at once.

[krow113]

Yes that is the correct kit.The 2 kits/bikes (fblo-flstf) are completely different bikes .
You would hafto watch the movie to see if there is any mods to the bike. The only things I can see from your pic that are not stock are the
highway pegs and the SuperTrapp slip on mufflers.


Use the acrylics to try the swipe. You can wash them off if need be. Maybe roll the cylinder assy on a pad?

[Kiwimodeller]

Thanks. I knew about the SuperTrapp muffler but not the highway pegs.

[utzelu]

Regarding the cylinder fins, like krow113 said, paint silver 1st then the black and while the paint is still wet, you can use a toothpick with a bit of cotton and alcohol on the tip and wipe out the black paint from the fin edges. It require patience but is doable.

Regards,
DanP

[Kiwimodeller]

Too late! I've already painted my cylinders black so will need to do some very careful masking . If I take my time, I think I'll be okay.

[Kiwimodeller]

Decided to bite the bullet and hand-paint the cylinder fins. I used Citadel Mithril Silver, thinned with Tamiya thinners, noting that the base black was an enamel . Tidy up was done with acetone nail polish remover which didn't damage the satin black base. Any tips on shading black would be appreciated. So far I've been using a Citadel acrylic Chaos Black, brushing it roughly onto the Satin Black to "fade" the satin black. I was lucky enough to see a FLSTF in the "flesh" recently and the black does tend to look like how I've painted it.

I also replaced the push-rods that came with the kit using plastic tube, painted gloss black, then with alclad chrome.