I painted my fangs with that duplicolor purple-to-green color changing paint. My VX is black, and that's the only place I've used the color-changing paint so it is fairly subtle.
Super VXer
I painted my fangs with that duplicolor purple-to-green color changing paint. My VX is black, and that's the only place I've used the color-changing paint so it is fairly subtle.
VXer
A cool thing to do is:
Polish them on a buffing wheel until they look like chromium. They are made of brushed stainless so they shine like crazy if you do it right.
Start out with 400 wetordry sand paper (wet) and work your way to 800, then a buffing wheel (for jewlery et al) with emery, then stainless polish, finally rouge.
The end result is VERY shinny!
Oh, and they ARE made of stainless steel. Just like my kitchen sink. I see people talk of them being aluminum. I even thought they were too untill I started sanding on them. There is no way aluminum is that hard, at least on my planet. They go *CLING* when you drop them instead of -clank- and everything that isn't aluminum like. I have never tried to stick a magnet on them though-
Anyhow, when stainless gets past a certain formulation its non magnetic. Its one of those chemistry things.
Just trust me, theyre not Aluminum, or Kyptonite, or even Titanuim (at least MINE arent)
It would be kind of cool if they WERE Kryptonite tho' You could run down that candyass superman! And he would be all sayin' " aaaaaaahh, super powers worthless against evil Japanese import"...THUD! and then heed flip up into the air and be all flying over the hood, and I'd be all laffin, talkin smack about him and junk!
You know, thats if they were made of Kryptonite.
Last edited by SpaceTruck'n : 02/18/2005 at 03:37 PM
As for the telepaths, I have learned to recognize them and
ignore them. The worst thing you can do is block them and
make them mad, When it gets to be too much, I put my
fingers in my ears and sing, "FLINTSTONES, MEET THE
FLINTSTONES."
VXer
Its labor intensive tho' not for everyone.
You don't NEED a buffing wheel it just makes it easyer. If you dont have one just keep going with the wetordry, after 800 grit use 1000 and on up to 1500. Finish with fine pollishing compound.
But painting them is a cop out, you may as well mask off the grill and paint the area the fangs are installed on. Save the fangs so whan you get tired of the paint you can cover it up in a jiffy.
Oh and I guess I got carryed away on that last post. You know about the Kryptonite? Sorry, but Its friday you know. And I would NEVER run down Superman.
Unless I had Kryptonite fangs!
Last edited by SpaceTruck'n : 02/18/2005 at 03:46 PM
Super VXer
AFAIK, 300 series (Austenitic) stainless steels are non-magnetic unless they have been work-hardend. The rolling/stamping processes used to make the fangs would have work-hardened them.Originally Posted by SpaceTruck'n
A magnet does not stick to them. They look (and scratch) just like aluminum. Aluminum will polish up well with the wet-dry to 1000 method and some polishing compound. Protect the new surface with BoeShield T-9 or a butt-load of wax. Avoid using ammonia based cleaners, ammonia corrodes aluminum.
VXer
Ok, whatever.
Sounds like you know what you talking about.
I was originaly going to duplicate some in Al and then machine face them with a spinning wire brush. (So they would look like the nose on the "Spirit Of St. Louis") and I would have another set if I ruined them. But they are such a complex shape I blew it off.
All I know is: They are hard, very difficult to bend ( considering the gauge of the material ) and they look cool shinny.
If they are indeed Al, anodizing them would look pretty cool too!
Oh, and thanks a lot dude. Now I simply MUST know what they are made of. Even if I have to check the specific gravity! Im going to take one off and put a drop or two of Hcl acid on the inside. If I get bubbles Ill eat a bug.
Last edited by SpaceTruck'n : 02/21/2005 at 11:19 AM
Super VXer
:laughr:Oh, and thanks a lot dude. Now I simply MUST know what they are made of. Even if I have to check the specific gravity! Im going to take one off and put a drop or two of Hcl acid on the inside. If I get bubbles Ill eat a bug.
I have a non-ferrous metals scrapyard not too far from me. The guy there has a "gun" that'll tell you the composition of any metals that he points it at. Pretty nifty. Maybe I'll drive over there and check it out.
They do seem rather tough for such a thin gauge of metal. Maybe they are kryptonite after all? I'm seriously thinking about polishing mine now too. They don't have any real scratches on them, so a pad and some rouge might do the trick.
VXer
Acid Test
I cant beleive I actualy tested them, but I was begining to doubt my OWN superpowers.
The day that happens you are shafted man!
So, I removed my right side fang.
I roughed the inside up with a Dremel tool to provide a virgin surface.
I put a few drops of pool acid (Hcl) on that area. At the same time I put the very same acid on a chunk of non anodized aluminum that I roughed up in the very same way.
Within ten seconds the aluminum was bubbling and liberating large quantitys of noxios vapors (cough, cough). At the very same time the mystery metal the fang is made out of was doing... Nothing.
Nada.
Zip.
I then poured the acid from the fang onto the aluminum causing even more bubbles, noxios vapors, heat, etctera.
I can't say what exactly the fangs ARE made of, but they are one thirty second of inch thick, are not magnetic, and do not throw sparks when you grind on them.
I do believe they are stainless steel, "just like my kitchen sink" NOT aluminum, or any significant amalgum thereof.
Other sugestions are welcome.
Peace.
Super VXer
Stainless steel throws sparks on a grinder.
I stopped by the Non-Ferrous Metals Scrapyard today. My hookup wasn't around to do the test on the fangs. I'm really anxious to know what these things are made out of as well.
I'd like to polish them, but now I don't know where to start.
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