SIN: Freehand Scribing

I’ve been using dymo tapes, as well as making my own scribing templates using PS sheets, but they’ve become a tad too tedious to use, especially with a lot of parts involved. I’ve also used my old college metal drafting template, but that too was a bit limited.

So I started practicing scribing freehand, which significantly simplified my workflow, opting to use straight-edges as a last resort for long line and complex curved surfaces. I also sketch panel lines on paper first and practice on thick board, and later on, scrap parts.

The Basic Tools

For those who are just getting their feet wet, you can always make your own tools. You can achieve good results even with just these tools with enough practice, especially if you are using guides.

• Pencils - for sketching and planning the scribe lines. When I make a mistake or am not satisfied with the result, I can simply erase and start over. Penciling over initial scribe lines also makes the panel lines more visible on white and yellow parts.
• Blunted/Chipped X-Acto Blades - I never or rarely throw away used blades since I can still use most of them for scoring and cutting most PS sheets. But I can also use these blades as scribing chisels. I convert chipped blades into 0.1~0.5mm scribers, while unchipped ones can be converted into 0.05~0.1mm scribers.
• Needle points - Certain Hobby knife sets, like DAFA, also include needle points, but you can basically use any sturdy needle point, like compass needles, or anything long enough for you to hold, or at least, mount on a knife shaft or pin vise. Needle points can be used to scribe initial lines, as well as put corner points where angled lines meet.
• Precision Screw Driver (not shown) - Those micro screw drivers used in eyeglass and cellphone repair can be sharpened and converted into 1.0mm (or wider) chisels. I’ve even converted one of my old Tamiya flat screw drivers into 2.0mm chisel, and it worked well enough for scribing basic panel lines.

Tools of the Trade

The Simplified Workflow

After sanding most of the surfaces that needed it to make it ready for pencils, I penciled in the panel pattern, then, I lightly scored the plastic using a blunt X-Acto blade with a broken tip, gliding over the pencil marks very carefully to make sure the resulting scribe line is straight as needed. I try to achieve close symmetry, but a little bit of asymmetry does make things look a little bit more interesting.

After the initial scoring, I re-scored the line, still with the same blunt blade for a deeper line, then after, flipped the blade and used the broad side of the broken tip to create the |_| panel line. For wider lines, I used the same blunt blade as a chisel to carve out a wider area. In some cases, I also use scribing saws for cleaner lines (0.2mm).

Side calf armor section of the Stein

Any excesses or burrs that creep out of the resulting line can be quickly sanded off and refined further by running the chisel a few more times in the line again. A folded high-grit sandpaper should smooth off any ragged edges, and a used, soft-bristle toothbrush should remove the accumulated dust.

The Sinanju's Side Booster:,Intitial scribing and painted

The Corner Conundrum

Most who do panel-line scribing for the first time would often be hesitant to do these lines, and it’s understandable, because they don’t want to screw it up, in turn damaging the part. Gunpla is expensive, and although scratches and scribe line mistakes (crooked lines) are easily fixable, most people would rather not go through the dilemma. So, there is such a thing as being too careful, as hesitation can lead to small mistakes especially when dealing with corners (gaps, overshoots and small curves)

Hesitation Corners

 

You can avoid these hesitation corners by marking the planned corners with a needle point, much like how way points are plotted on a map.

• Pencil the panel line on
• Mark the corners very lightly with the needle point
• Scribe the initial lines
• Finalize and sand

You can deepen and vary the widths as needed later on.

Alin, alin, alin ang naiba? Isipin kung alin ang naiba...

 

Duplicating Details

I usually just eyeball mirror details, but, I also do cheat from time to time. Masking tape is always a good implement to have, and is rather simple and straightforward to use. When mirroring a panel line detail from one section to another, I tape over the scribed lines, pencil out the detail on tape, attach the tape to a piece of PS sheet (there’s a tongue-twisting pun there somewhere) then cut the sheet, which becomes a template for the mirror side. This is the same technique I use with PS plating, using precut sheets as templates.

Masking Tape Magic

 

Tool Upgrades

After a while, I realized that even if I could get good results with my makeshift tools, they are still a bit limited when it comes to the variety of widths I can achieve. Blunt and chipped blades also become a bit uneven over time, so I needed a tool upgrade. 

There are several chisel options available, from the practically affordable (Wave HG Chisels) to the uber expensive (BMC), but they work the same way and will give you similar if not the same results. Ultimately, results will depend on you and how you use these tools.

I got a Wave HG set which includes four chisel bits (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.5mm) and a handle. Seeing that I’ll be using the 0.3 and 0.5mm bits, I opted to get additional 0.3 and 0.5mm bits, including 0.8 and 1.0mm, as well as extra handles to minimize having to replace bits while I work, which can also help avoid damaging the chisel bit.

The Wave HG Chisel set is a good starter set for scribing

With these tools, I can gradually widen the panel line width, which prevents the surrounding plastic from getting micro-cracks, which later leads to crooked-looking lines, much like how one gradually drills into certain materials, like ceramic tiles, with smaller to larger drill bits to avoid damaging the tile.

Wave HG Chisels are the most affordable high-end chisels

The Final Result

With some trial and error, I was able to refine the technique. Strangely enough, gliding the blunt blade to score the initial scribe line is more challenging on a flat surface than it is on a curved one. In some cases, especially with long lines on flat surfaces, I still use a straight edge to scribe the initial line.

Prefinal Scribe Lines

After proper sanding, priming and painting, these added details should look as if its part of the original kit.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

Here's a nifty step-by-step video of the process:

The Importance of Sanding and Priming

Here's one of the main reasons why sanding is a necessary step before any paint job, aside from removing nubs. Though most surfaces look smooth, there will always be indentation on the surfaces caused by underlying support struts shrinking the plastic surface it’s supporting unevenly, forcing the surface it is connected to to become depressed. There are also plastic swirls, spots where plastic from opposite gates meet. 

Left: light sanding shows surface imperfections. Right: fully sanded surface

Ignoring these depressions and imperfections would ruin an otherwise fine paint job, since paint, especially gloss finishes, would make these depressions more visible. That's why for most, skipping sanding is a no-no. In fact, most people, like myself, enjoy the Zen of Sanding, since it allows me to focus. A botched-up sanding job (like, oversanding, which can remove fine details that can be difficult to redo) could also ruin it.

Ugly paint swirls are caused by primer/paint reacting to the Gunpla's protective coating

Some modelers employ the use of putty, which they file and sand later on to flatten and/or smooth out the surface, but, since I don't use putty, I opt to directly file the surface over, then sand it smooth. Of course, this works for shallow depressions. For deeper depressions and/or pit damage (the hole created by force-pulling a nub with a dull or shallow cutter), I cement a shaped strip of polystyrene sheet, wait for a half a day or so, then file and sand smooth. Sanding prepares the surface you are working on for priming.

For resin kits, resin glue or superglue does the job. Some modelers make their own resin putty by combining superglue and talcum powder.

In some cases, light sanding with medium to high grit sandpapers would be enough, but, for majority of nub removals and heavy modifications, progressive sanding is a good practice.

Priming, on the other hand, provides a smooth surface for base paints to adhere to. Priming also allows you to spot problematic areas, like micro-scratches, either natural or introduced during sanding, and can become fillers for light scratches. Certain primers, like Bosny paints, adhere to most surfaces almost readily (whether they are sanded or not), some primers do require a well- sanded surface to adhere to. 

It's Prime Time

Light priming is ideal for any paint job that requires multiple layering, like candy tones or gradient effects that will be later top-coated. A full coat of primer is best for single, or flat-color schemes, or for hand brushing.

Unnecessary and Incorrect Practices Certain People Keep Doing

If you don’t know me yet, or how I write, here’s a bit of forewarning: I am sarcastic, direct to the point, and I do not sugar-coat what I say on top of the context of how I said it. Snowflakes despise me, mainly because of the truth behind the facts I lay down when I write, truth that certain people cannot accept, because they believe things can be said more nicely just because. But, there are a lot of people who get it, so instead of telling me to be nicer, won’t it be better for you to stop being so sensitive that every little thing offends you?

Yes, I often write things that offend the voluntarily overly sensitive and willfully ignorant, as the case may be, so, if you are offended, I'm pretty sure you'll scream GUMPRA IZ FLEEDOM!

Ah yes. You got you first Gunpla. You got tools along with it to build it. You look online for tips and warning signs, and find a few useful ones. You adapt those to your building practices, till they become routine. But, have you stopped to ask, are you doing the right thing? Well, let see.

Washing runners - Maybe it's a good idea nowadays because of the virus, but considering the fact that Bandai sanitizes its products before packaging it, and you can make doubly sure it is sanitized at your end by spraying or wiping the plastic with alcohol, this time-honored practice of washing runners before assembly is unnecessary, especially since you'll be handling the kit once you open it, often with grimy, oily, greasy hands, especially when you build and snack at the same time. 

The non-existent manufacturing oils certain people claim they're washing off is now replaced with actual, existing oil from sweaty hands. (Side note: parts being washed is a carry-over practice by those who build resin kits, because resin kits have that nasty mold-release wax that paint won’t adhere to).

Your hands are not sweaty, you say? You don't have pasmers? Think again. Your palms secrete minute amounts of oily sweat all the time.

Labadami, labango...

 

Painting parts while still on runners - Okay. Convenience. This is the primary reason of most people who do this time-wasting endeavor, without realizing that this doubles the amount of overall work one has to do. Convenience should not be mistaken for efficiency, since this method is rather inefficient.

This may be okay on undergated parts, (and I still won’t recommend that for obvious reasons which apparently isn’t obvious to some), but, unless you plan to do a museum-style framed display, like the one shown below, painting while on runners is a whole lot of waste of time.

For one, once you cut those painted parts, you’ll have to cut those parts from the runners, then remove those nubs. You’ll be damaging the paint, guaranteed, while you painfully try remove just the nubs, after which you will have to retouch the paint, which will make the job look uneven. The result: a nub-infested painted fiesta of a build.*

What’s more, aside from getting an uneven coverage of paint, you’ll end up getting paint on those joints and connector pegs, sections that should never be painted. Some people do this method to save up on paint (especially expensive hobby paint cans), but actually end up wasting paint, because of the initial uneven coverage on some parts, and quite often overspray on others. You’ll also need to retouch those sections after nub removal, so, you’ll be painting that section again, and you've wasted a lot more paint in the process.

Then you’ll ask, why is it hard to assemble after painting? Well, if you cared to do a lot more research instead of following what seemed to you as a reasonable thing to do because others are doing it, there’s a reason why people mask those connective sections after they’ve removed it from the runner before they paint. Snap-building and dry-fitting before painting is also more efficient, as it allows you to troubleshoot the parts that connect permanently, as well as check for articulation issues that can affect the kit overall, allowing for minimal to no chance of paint being scratched during assembly and posing. 

Not a Picasso, but, close enough.

Skipping Sanding and Priming - When you decide to paint, commit. Sanding and priming are necessary, important steps for a good, clean paint job. Not only is skipping these two important steps disastrous, it’s also disastrous (yes, I know what I did). Saying it is not important and can be skipped is the excuse lazy people commonly use, and, not having enough time, though forgivable at times because of circumstances, is still an excuse. As the Merovingian, one of my favorite characters in  , once said "if we don't ever take time, how can we ever have time?" What’s worse is, there are people who skip this part and paint on runners as well, and they end up with a horribly-painted build.

Find time to sand. Sanding evens out the surface of the plastic, which may seem smooth to you and your bad eyesight, but, those uneven surfaces, all those bumps, pits, scratches and swirls will all rear and reveal their ugly little heads* when you paint over them. Sanding also promotes discipline, allowing you to focus and concentrate.

Sanding is its own rewards

Priming, on the other hand, provides the protection the plastic needs, from the elements, and the paint you are about to lay over. Priming also helps spot trouble areas your bad eyesight can’t see, even with ample lighting. Lastly, the main purpose of priming is to give paint an even substrate to latch on to. Very few people know or acknowledge this, but, different-colored plastics and plastic types have slightly different paint-adhering properties, couple that fact that different types of paint adhere differently, and the paint problems increase exponentially. Well, not really exponentially, but significantly. Don't be angry at me because I said skipping these important steps is laziness on your part (because it is), be angry at yourself because you are lazy.

It's Prime Time

Exposing kits/runners under the Sun - What does one do after the futile activity of washing the runners? Why, let it dry under the Sun, of course, especially when one is in a hurry. Certain people also dry painted parts under the Sun, thinking it will hasten the drying time.

Well, guess what? Most paints dry quickly, even some hobby-grade types, they are formulated that way so you lazy-ass modelers can paint more kits in a day, so you can waste more paint in the process. Now if you didn’t get that as sarcasm, no worries.

But, here’s the clincher: Exposing kits under the Sun, whatever your reason, will damage the plastic. Exposed long enough, the plastic will expand, unevenly, since they are molded parts after all, with uneven shapes and form. Why would that be an issue, you ask? Well, see, since molded parts have inherent shapes and form, exposing them in the Sun heats one side more than the others. That heated side will expand, while the other side remain cool for a few minutes, but, will eventually expand as well as it starts to heat up. Exposed long enough, it will result in warping.

So, if you did this useless activity, and later found the connective parts won’t line up, or won’t fit, well, now you can blame Bandai for releasing a bad product.

One more thing, and this is the less obvious: as soon as the plastic starts to heat, it also starts to degrade microscopically. The effect is not immediate, but, the damage has been done. Your kit’s plastic is now more susceptible to yellowing and becoming brittle, or will become brittle faster than if you just left it alone. If you leave it on display, exposed further to the elements, then you’ll find that the joints become loose rather quickly, or, parts begin to break with the lightest handling, or worse, the kit starts to crumble.

Now, because of the lockdown and quarantine, there are also people who expose the boxes with kits in it under the Sun, thinking it’ll disinfect the box.

Well, Well, it doesn’t. It’s rather obvious these people got their information from someone in Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, instead of getting it from reliable sources, like the WHO? DaWHO is the WHO? Well, for the information-challenged, WHO stands for World Health Organization. It’s where you, the hapless, intrepid modeler, should first get information about COVID19 and other health-related concerns. It’s the most reliable resource for anyone. I repeat, it’s the most reliable resource for anyone.

It's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes...

 

Posting nub-ridden painted works - *Lastly, this one made the list because we have standards. We uplift people with those standards and in turn uplift those standards. We know it’s your kit, it’s your work, but, calling a nub-infested, poorly-painted kit (with an airbrush for that matter) your style, does not uplift the standards that have been set by those before us. In fact, it’s an insult to those people, and those people behind us, the newbies who do not know any better, because they’re newbies, who think your style is the new standard.

Note: Though this isn’t necessarily a bad, useless thing, topcoating bare plastic is something I have stopped doing after doing it once, and personally generally don’t recommend. For one, it can potentially damage the plastic, since different topcoats have different formulation. As a newbie, I topcoated a built 1/100 Red Frame and a built MG F91 with a Krylon top coat (I forgot which one specifically), and they started to crumble and break not too long after, in the sections where plastic meet from opposite gates during molding. That’s another thing, if you have to topcoat a kit, don’t topcoat a built kit. Same rule applies as with painting: paint individual parts.

Based on other modelers, there are some hobby-grade topcoats that are safe, like Mr Hobby. Tamiya topcoats are also probably a safe bet.

Another thing is, that new kit factory-gloss you see is the kit’s built-in protection. Provided you don’t expose it to the elements, unpainted, un-topcoated kits will fare well enough, and you’ll see that it will only yellow on small sections that have been cut (and on microcracks and scratches). That’s proof that the built-in coating is doing its job. More so, I rarely cut nubs clean nowadays, opting to leave very small nubs, removing it only when I decide to modify or paint. But, I don’t display or even post those nub-infested kits and pretend they’re finished works. You can do your own research, or testing, if you simply want to topcoat regardless.

Also, if you wash parts after building, and disassembling, prior to painting, or, if you’ve left a kit on display for years gathering dust, that is reasonable.

Alternative Weathering technique is alternative...

What is Gunmetal?

Gunmetal. When people talk about it, they are specifically talking about Gunmetal Grey, which is a favorite go-to color for frames when plain black or grey becomes too boring.

But what is Gunmetal? As the name implies, it’s a description how the metal a gun is made of looks like. Most earlier guns and weapons were made of cast iron, which where carbon black or dark grey, but has an inherent sheen when polished, hence, gunmetal. Nowadays, guns are made with various metals, alloys and composites, so, gunmetal is used as a blanket term for the inherent hues in these metals. Apple’s Space Grey is actually Gunmetal Grey.

Sources: Google Image Search and Apple Dot Com

 

Gunmetal Grey. Simply put, Gunmetal Grey, or gray, describes the tones of black and is not really just a single tone or color. As with the photo above, it can range from light to dark and in various metallic sheen, regardless of the finish, whether it’s matte or gloss. In fact, gunmetal grey is really nothing more but metallic grey, and the term is used to distinguish it from other metallic colors. If you do a search for metallic grey, you’ll get a few hits that look like gunmetal grey. Note: There’s really no such thing as shades of grey, since greys are all , since greys are all tones of black.

To illustrate, brands show Gunmetal as a gradient.

Various tones of Black and Gunmetal

 

The thing with black is, however, it doesn’t really look black with sheen, rather just dark grey. It’s the same case with Flat Black.

There are hobby paint brands that carry an specific Gunmetal. Tamiya has it in cans, bottles and jars. The one I use currently is Vallejo Gunmetal Grey.

Gunmetal Paint Brands

 

When these are unavailable, one can replicate, or apropos, simulate Gunmetal Grey using specific spray cans. To achieve the effect, all one has to do is layer Bosny White Pearl over Primer Gray or Flat Black. White Pearl is also a gloss top coat, but since I prefer flat finishes, a layer or two of Flat Clear will mute the gloss, but maintain the metallic sheen. 

Left Spoon: Gunmetal Grey. Right Spoon: Gunmetal Black

 

To compare, here’s a sample of Vallejo Gunmetal Grey and one done with Bosny, in two lighting conditions. Can you guess which one is which?

 

will the real sLiM sHaDy please stand up, please stand up, please stand up...

 

Now, if you are not familiar with how Vallejo Gunmetal Grey looks like, you have a 1 in 2 chance of guessing it correctly, but that’s still a guess. In this example, however, I made it rather obvious. You also be surprised that there is at least one other Gunmetal color I know that is not grey.

Do you like Metal or the Blues?

 

Is it Shiny, Metallic, or Mirror-Like?

Sheen. Not to mistake this word for that actor named Charlie whose father Martin shares his last name. By definition, Sheen simply means a certain luster or shine. In scale modeling and art, sheen is a word that describes how certain surfaces look like when hit by light at certain angles, from a subtle luster to a bright shine that can blind any fool who stares at it long enough. There are surfaces that are shiny, and some that are mirror-like.

When we talk about shine, some people often mistake it to mean mirror-like. Though the two are based on similar concepts, light reflectivity, they are not mutually exclusive. There are things that shine, meaning, they reflect light with a certain luster or gloss, as the case may be* but are not necessarily mirror-like or metallic in appearance.

A good way of demonstrating the sometimes subtle difference between shiny, glossy, metallic and mirror-like are car finishes.

Various car finishes. Source: Google Search

The images above show different cars with different paint finishes. Some are just glossy (they reflect light, but do not look metallic), a few of them have mirror finishes (they reflect light and images), and a couple or so have a matte finish (top right corner BMW), but still have a metallic sheen or luster to it.

In this case, let’s stick with metallic shine. Most metals, when polished have inherent shine. Polished well enough, some, if not most of them can become mirror-like.

Let’s take Aluminum, which is a good example for this. Raw Aluminum has a very flat, almost dull-grey metallic appearance, depending on its condition or stage of processing. When newly smelted, it has a very light sheen, but when drawn as sheets or pipes, or shaped into fixtures, it can be polished into various grades of shine and mirror-like finishes.

The sheen and shine of various forms and types of metals. Source: Google Search

Here, you can clearly see that, despite being raw or just smelted, aluminum has an inherent sheen or shine. Of course, this shows various forms of aluminum that have undergone processing. There are also processed aluminum that do not really shine, but dull grey (especially when exposed to the elements for certain periods), but still retains it metallic characteristics. Like Gunmetal, metallic textures or effects are not always shiny, nor appear metallic at all times.

L-R: Engine Block, Aluminum Ingots, Drawn Aluminum Bars

In Scale and Gunpla modeling, these are examples of finishes one can achieve using paint (and other mediums). I used aluminum as an example, because we use a metallic texture known as brushed aluminum, which can be very subtle or intense metallic sheen, but not mirror-like. To achieve a mirror-finish, modelers use mirror chrome metallic paints, and quite recently, chrome powders.

L: Chrome Powder finish. R: Mirror-Chrome Paint. Credit: Kampfer by Jenic @ Youtube.

Both are shiny, they equally reflect light, but the Kampfer is mirror-like. Brushed aluminum, like some Stainless Steel finishes, are shiny, but not mirror-like.

*Lastly, there are shiny surfaces, but do not appear mirror-like or metallic. Most newer kits have gloss finishes that also serve as their built-protection. The stock, unpainted RG Sinanju has a gloss finish that looks unmistakably plastic, while the RG Sazabi special coating , though not mirror-like, simulates a metallic red sheen.

L: RG Sinanju (unpainted). R: RG Sazabi Special Coating. Source: Gunjap Dot Net.

Simply put, sheen is muted shine. The Metallic Red of the RG Sazabi, or Titanium Red can be simulated with paints. I achieved that accidentally more than 10 years ago while working on painting my first Sinanju. I mistakenly got Bosny Flat Clear instead of the other Clear (which is gloss/semi-gloss), but instead of being disappointed, I realized it looked pretty good. This is what we know as candy tones, a painting technique where a clear color is overlayed over a metallic or chrome buffer to create a metallic color sheen.

Muted Metallic: Silver/Gold>Clear Red (glossy)>Flat Clear (muted)

No one was doing the technique at the time (afaik), so I started to call it MatX Muted Metallic Red, then after MatX Titanium Red, much to the dismay of some people back then (and even now, as it were), because when they hear the word metallic, they single-mindedly think mirror-like metal, or, that I attached MatX onto it.

Muted Metallic Red vs Titanium Red. By MatX.

Epilogue:

I'm reviving this blog, because Facebook got rid of the Notes section, which made publishing articles within the platform less than ideal for formatted articles. So, I find myself fixing the old ones with Photobucket items one by one, as I refer to them.

And These Came in the Mail

Rather, I had these sent to my school since I was on an off-site training. Bosny Philippines has once again graciously sent me free stuff, this time, my choice of 48 cans of Bosny Paints and a couple of Spray Guns.  A while back, they've also given me a few cans, a couple of the guns, some shirts, and a couple of USB drives.

The package came in in five boxes, three of which are actual Bosny boxes with the paints they come in.  The larger brown box contained the standard-sized cans.  I've also asked them from a new catalog, since the one given to me by a friendly hardware store owner several years back have become very dilapidated from frequent use.

The new catalog has a cleaner layout, which makes it easier to search for the color one is looking for.

The spray guns can be used to aid in spraying, relieving much of the stress of spraying via nozzle.  I haven't really tried to use the ones given to be a while back, since I'm rather comfortable just using my finger, and have achieved good enough finger control.  I will be raffling these, along with the other two later on.  

Now, for the nifty stuff.  My usual suspects (L-R): Flat Clear, White Pearl, Flat Black, Flat White, Gold 351, and Hondat Red 67.  I would have gotten other colors, since I did stock up a month or so earlier, but, these colors can run out rather quick, especially with the techniques I use, and of course, experimentation and testing.

New team members (L-R): Black Tint, Anodized Bronze, Blue Lagoon, Light Reflector, Stainless Steel and Mirror Chrome.  Jan Michael Aldeguer did a nice spoon test of the Mirror Chrome, but, like the regular chrome, it does get tarnished rather quickly and top coating makes it dull.  I'll be doing experiments myself on the Mirror Chrome.

It's worthwhile to note, I got the Light Reflector and the Stainless Steel to see the extent of what the paints can do for Gunpla.  I'm curious as to how the Stainless Steel will actually look on plastic, though it looks like a slightly darker version of the Metal Alloy.  As for the Light Reflector, it has a rough texture on the swatch and is somewhat glittery when the light angle changes.

There's also a Phosphorescent Glow-in-the-Dark spray can in the catalog, which I probably missed while checking for colors in Bosny's website.  I'll see if I can procure that and test it as well.

Of course, I would be amiss if I didn't get these.  My all-time favorite buffer and candytone undercoat, the Bosny Premium Metal Alloy.  I also use the Metal Alloy as my "Silver" in most of my paint jobs, mainly because its faint yellowish tone looks a lot nicer than the bluish-gray tone Aluminum, Silver and Metallic Silver.  I got 12 cans of these babies.  A while back, I bought 6-pack box of Metal Alloy, 5 of which were duds, where I ended up with lumpy splotches of goo instead.  I guess this more than makes up for that.

That's it for now.  This post also marks a 3-year blog post absence since everyone seems to prefer quickie Facebook posts more than detailed blogs.