Bad Bob's Custom Motors - Handmade Wooden Toy Car Bodies Completed

Bad Bob's Custom Motors - Handmade Wooden Car Bodies - Coupe & Sedan

Most of the sanding was done with belt sanders. Delta Model 31-340 1x48-inch Belt Sander and my Shopsmith 6x48-inch belt sander. I consider belt sanders essential to a toy makers shop.


Before sanding, I rounded over the corners with a clean, sharp 1/8-inch radius round over bit paying very close attention to grain direction to prevent as much tear out as I can. It's ok to back route when doing this because the cut is so small. You can do the round over by hand with sandpaper but the router is more consistent and faster.


The rest of the sanding was done by hand using various sanding tools I have made and fingernail file scraps.

Delta Model 31-340 1x48 inch belt & 8 Inch Disk Sander

Shopsmith - 6x48" Belt Sander

Sanding Fenders Is Done

If it were not for my power tools, I would still be sanding these fenders. I used my Shopsmith belt sander for the front and back of the fenders. One slip with small parts and it's all over for that one. Very light and very careful is the name of the game here.

Next, I used the 1 inch Delta belt sander for the outside curves. The belt is flat, but with a little practice, you can easily sand outside curves. There isn't much chance of breaking the piece, but even with a 240 grit belt, it can be very aggressive. If you go to fast, slip, or push too hard, it's easy to ruin a part.

I sanded the inside curves with a spindle sander.  ASgaina light touch is required. Approach the spindle at the wrong angle or get a little too aggressive and it will take the part away from you and throw it across the room. Slow and gentle is the name of the game here.

There are a few places that require hand sanding. The spots where the machines can't reach.  I have an assortment of shop made tools for this. Mostly pieces of wood in various sizes and shapes with sandpaper stuck to them and fingernail file scraps.

Handmade Wooden Car Fenders - Just Sanded

What is the best primer sealer for MDF?

Zinsser B-I-N White Shellac-Based Interior/Spot Exterior Primer and Sealer Is what I find works best.

I originally purchased this to use for a white base to make the color pop. Previously I use white acrylic paint on top of shellac. It worked pretty good but using the shellac based primer I get a white base and sealer in one step.

Shellac is compatible with just about any finish. It will seal pine knots. This primer is used for a sealer when repairing smoke damage after a fire.

I just did a test on an MDF Play Pal minivan. One coat was all it took.

I get it at Home Depot in the paint department.

 

Using Double Sided Tape For Sandiing Duplicate Wooden Toy Car Parts

Using Double Sided Tape to Hold Wooden Toy Car Fenders Together for Sanding

I use double sided carpet tape to hold these fenders together for sanding so they will be as close to identical as I can make them. I use a 1x42 inch belt sander and a delicate touch for the outside curves and a spindle sander for the inside curves.  The rest of the edges are done by hand using files and sandpaper.

I'm not making any attempt to color match the wood. It's going to be sealed and painted, so the color doesn't matter.  The little bit of purple paint will get sanded off.

Because these are made from pine construction lumber, they are very easy to break while sanding. If I break a fender, it gets tossed into the kindling bucket, and I need to make another pair. Once the fenders get glued on, they are quite strong.

Below is a completed toy car.

Handmade Wooden Toy Car -  Bad Bob Custom Motors Coupe - Green and Yellow

Sanding The Last Car Body

Handmade Wooden Car Body - Final Hand Sanding

I started this batch of cars almost a year ago and got sidetracked by other things.

I originally started this as a project for my grandson after he asked me to make one he saw in a photo. John Leman at ToyMalingPlans.com made a set of plans for me.

Here is the original Bad Bob's Custom Motors Coupe.

Hand Made Wooden Toy Car - Bad Bob's Custom Motors Coupe - Green and Yellow

Etsy shop:
http://odinstoyfactory.etsy.com

#odinstoyfactoy #Tallahassee #Florida #handmade #handcrafted #woodentoys

Do you use acrylic primer?

Brush Painted Wooden Toy Car - Hot Rod Freaky Ford - 32 Deuce Coupe - MDF - Blue - Black - Gold

I tried an acrylic primer once. It was such a pain to sand that I never did it again. I've tried all sorts of methods for painting wood and MDF including using automotive primer filler I had left over. As far as I can tell it doesn't make any difference.  If I want to seal the material, I use shellac for the base coat. If I'm using a color that doesn't cover well I use white for the first coat or two.

No matter what finish I use, I apply at least two layers of finish sanding between each layer.  The first seals and makes the fuzzies stiff so the sandpaper can smooth the surface. If I get an acceptable finish, I stop at the second coat. If not, I continue to paint and sand until I am satisfied with the result.

I have tried just about every method I can find for applying finishes to my toys. The best I have used so far is spraying with an airbrush. I don't have a spray booth and need to spray outdoors. Painting outdoors is very dependent on weather conditions. Therefore, I use a brush to paint most of my toys. This one is brush painted with Behr acrylic house paint. Oops paint I purchased from Home Depot for $0.50 with no primer coat.

Painted With An Ait Brush - 20181003-202131 482476086 Wooden Toy Car Hot Rod Deuce Coupe From the Hot Rod Freaky Ford Series Pink

Spray Booth For Painting Toys

Spray booths need venting outside., Unless you like brain damage.

I researched this subject a while back and experimented with some cardboard box with a fan and filters. Even with the box fan and filters, I got paint dust all over the shop. This method doesn't filter out fumes. I was using acrylic paint, so I was not concerned about fire. I would not use this configuration to spray solvent based finishes.

If you re spraying outdoors that is a different matter altogether. I know someone who lets his the truck tailgate down and covers the back of his truck with a blue tarp to use for painting.  I have a table I make from saw horses to use when painting outdoors.  I don't use a backstop or a cover on the table. It's getting colorful.

The inexpensive spray booths they sell on eBay and else where are very small and ineffective.  Worst of all they use proprietary filters.

Larger commercial spray booths are available but, they cost prohibitive for a small shop and also use expensive challenging to find filters.

A DIY spray booth is the best alternative I could find. You need one that will spray anything including flammable finishes, filter out the paint overspray with relatively inexpensive, easy to find filters, and exhaust all the fumes outdoors. This DIY spray booth is the best I found. It's on my todo list.

 

 

Build Your Own Paint Spray Booth For Painting Toys