| Author | Subject: Brass Parts |
| William Feehan | Posted At 21:32:45 11/17/2002
My desire for perfection can be very frustrating at times. For example, my dish has a slight wobble in the circumference, which is only noticeable when it’s rotating. I notice that the dish in the movie also has the same wobble. No pun intended, but if I must be true to the original design, than I can live with it. Am I being too fussy? My next problem is that I'm using real brass for all the parts that have been depicted as brass. When the parts are vigorously polished with Brasso it looks brilliant, too brilliant. After a month the parts tarnish to a color more true of the original. My question is: when it’s ready for display, should I polish the parts to a mirror finish or leave it? |
| Francois Beaulieu |
Re: Brass Parts (Currently 0 replies)
Posted At 21:30:31 11/18/2002 Are you sure you did not intentionally add the wobble on the dish to make it look more like the real prop ??? ;-))) As for the brass parts, it is a very good question. If you want to be REALLY true to the way the prop was made, then you'll have to paint those brass parts with gold paint because the actual prop was painted metal, not polished brass !!! But then, you have to consider what you are really trying to do: To reproduce the actual prop or the way it LOOKED in the context of the movie ? The great difference between a movie prop and a model is that you never have access to the prop. It is designed primarily to appear well on film. On the other hand, a model is meant to be viewed close up and, to achieve the same effect, sometimes one has to go a step further to give the model a realistic look. One thing is for sure: the framework of the real prop was made to APPEAR like brass to the spectator. So, if you can make your framework out of real brass, you are that much closer to what it "really" was suppose to be made of. A polished brass framework can look spectacular, but is not quite the way it appears in the movie. Brass does tarnish with the contact of air, especially in an area of the house where there is a lot of air circulation (such as near a window or door). What I suggest is to let the framework tarnish for a few weeks until it looks just right and then, if it gets darker than what you like, just lightly polish it with a flannel cloth (without Brasso or any other polishing compound) to keep just the right effect you want. From that point on, you can polish it that way every few weeks and maintain that effect. |
| Don C. |
Re: Brass Parts (Currently 0 replies)
Posted At 11:41:05 11/19/2002 Generally,polished brass is lacquerd to prevent tarnish. It is the contact with air which oxidizes the metal. The lacquer prevents the air from coming in contact with the metal so the parts don't tarnish. Here is one thought, polish the brass then let it patina to the level you like then coat the parts with lacquer. Various lacquers and 'clear' coats react differently so try it first on a piece of scrap brass. Also consider matt or semi-gloss finishes if gloss is too shiny. |
| Francois Beaulieu |
Re: Brass Parts (Currently 0 replies)
Posted At 22:28:11 11/19/2002 Yep that's another way. But the coating has got to be really thin and even (spray painted) or else it may look like varnished brass. If you check out some brass fixtures in stores, you'll notice that with some of them, it's impossible to tell that they have been lacquered while with others, it shows a lot. Also, you have to be pretty sure that the effect of the tarnished brass is exactly the way you want before you start spraying because, once it's done, it stays that way ! That's why I suggested to use the flanel cloth; if you don't get it just right, you know you get another chance in a few days ! The best things is probably to do various tests on scrap pieces, like Don suggested. |
| Bruce Holroyd |
Re: Brass Parts (Currently 1 replies)
Posted At 22:17:03 11/27/2002 William... I have found that, as a model builder, the 'polished brass' look was an exciting possibility in making the Lunar model look more 'riccoco' (as Rod Taylor puts it, but not too sure of the spelling)... Victorian in a sense. But, then, upon viewing the movie several times on DVD, and seeing the polished look on the Granite City version based on Bob Burns' refurbished prop, I opted against it, choosing 18kt. gold Krylon paint ( my personal thanks to Martin Bleasby and Ed Turner for their suggestions), which gives a very nice shine to the rails and the motor unit's upper assembly and drive shaft. The results are on the Enthusiasts' page. My next TM model project is, of course, the Masterpiece beauty, of which I will be building two, pending the release of their LONG AWAITED and MUCH ANTICIPATED motor and light kits! The rails and motor unit, once completed, will be done, once again, in Krylon's 18 kt. gold. I highly recommend it for any modeler, as well as doing the chair in burgundy red spray flocking, to achieve that velvetine, Victorian likeness! Granite City's version uses a brighter red in the chair cushions... very nice to look at, but not as true to the actual scheme of the 1960 vehicle! I was opting to use larger brass tacks to replace the simulated tacking molded into the Masterpiece kit on the chair cushions, floor cushion, control console and the motor unit, but might elect to do these as well in the Krylon paint scheme. The colors are somewhat more muted in appearance and lend themselves to a more 'antique' Victorian appearance than that of a new piece of furniture. My personal approach to recapturing the look and 'feel' of the classic machine is to remember that it is something designed in the 1800's...not a glittering, brassy, showroom type of conveyance. Though brass is an inherent style of the Victorian era, used in furniture, clocks, lamps and such... it is a well know fact, as Francois Beulieu has pointed out, that the George Pal movie vehicle had painted rails as opposed to real shiny brass used in its overall construction! Thus, in a way, I want to keep my models as true to Pal's vision as I can. I hope this helps your decision in some way. In any event, if you decide to still use brass, I would be keenly interested, as the rest of the message board participants, to see your final results! Please DO keep us posted on your progress!!! |