Archive How-To's

"Pipe Works"
          Dressing Up Kit Exhaust Headers And Pipes With Photo-etched Flanges And Bolts
                by Tim Bongard

WARNINGS:

All Model Car Crafstman How-To articles are intended for adult modelers only. Children should be supervised at all times when using any of these techniques.

Always wear eye protection when doing any modeling.

Use caution with tools and use proper protection from any chemicals or compounds, in accordance with manufacturer specifications.

    Header flanges are an easy to add detail that adds a tremendous amount of visual punch to your models with little or no effort at all. The results make an exhaust system look much more realistic and can even help overcome some of those underbody shortcomings some kits have.

    Basically a header flange is the flat area at the end of a section of exhaust pipe where other pipes are bolted. Getting this detail in-scale by using an injection molded part is almost impossible, so if your model actually has them molded into your exhaust system they are probably much too thick. Photoetched parts will have the right thickness and size and are very easy to install.

We used Detail Master Flanges, part number DM 2250 for small flanges and DM 2251 for large flanges.

Photo #1 - Start by carefully removing any molded-in flanges on your kit exhaust system. You'll cut through the tailpipe at the location where you want a flange.

Photo #2 - While you are at it, remove any seam lines that may be molded on the kit tailpipes. A little scraping and sandpaper will do. Be sure you don't flatten the pipes in the process.

    Start by removing any molded-in flange by carefully sanding or filing off the details. While you are at it, be sure to remove the seam lines from the rest of the exhaust system as well. It won't do you much good to install a nice detail like this and leave the pipes looking as if they have inch thick welds running down each side of the pipes.

    Once you've cleaned up the parts, cut the pipes apart at the location you wish to put any flanges by using a razor saw to do the job. Be sure to make your cuts as square as possible and as perpendicular to the pipe as you can. A miter box can sometimes help here, unless the pipes twist and bend like a pretzel. It's probably best to use 0000 steel wool to remove the seams and clean up the burrs left from the razor saw because 0000 steel wool won't flatten the pipes while making quick work of the seams.

Photo #3 - Use a Razor Saw to cut the lumpy-looking kit flange off the exhaust header, then clean it up with some steel wool.

    Sometimes, you'll just want to cut off the flange on the kit headers. Cut as close as possible to the flange, to prevent shortening the header by too much.

Photo #4 - Inserting a small stabilizer bar or pin in a hole drilled in the pipe can dramatically increase the strength of the joint.

    The best way I found to install the flanges so that they would line up and have the right look to them is to use the stabilizer rod as suggested in the instructions. A stabilizer rod is simply a short piece of rod or wire that is a smaller diameter than either the exhaust pipes or the hole in the center of the flange. A hole is drilled in the ends of the pipes being joined together and the rod is inserted to strengthen the joint. It also allows you to dry fit the parts, including the two matching flanges.

Photo #5 - Apply adhesive only after you have test fit all the parts and are happy with the way they line up. You may want to use three flanges, with the middle flange painted black or dark brown to represent a gasket!

    Once you are satisfied with the way it will look and how the parts have to line up, then add a small amount of epoxy or super glue to the joints and parts to help fuse them all together. Again, in this case I preferred to use the epoxy (with extra hardener to speed the drying time up a little) because it allowed me time to adjust the parts once they were all together to get them just right before the adhesive hardened.

Photo #6 - You can use the photo-etched bolt heads that come with the Detail Master kit. Also, cast bolt heads and nuts can be used to add even more detail to the flanges. Shown here is a white plastic Grandt Line nut. They're available at most well-stocked model railroad shops.

    Once the joint is dry you can add more details by using the bolt heads included on the tree. Carefully add these over the bolt holes around the flanges to create the illusion that they are bolted together. If you are a real detail nut (no pun intended) you might want to use cast bolt heads and washer and nut combinations available from manufacturers such as Grandt Line or Verlinden. Both have combinations that represent each end of a bolt in a number of different sizes. They, too, can be glued in place using super glue.

    Painting the combined header-flange-pipe assemblies can be done in the way you prefer to finish your pipes. Most metal finishes will work even better if the entire assembly is first primed with flat white paint. Metalizers will buff up nicely even over primer and the primer will further smooth the surface to accept the metal paint better. There are even a number of finishes becoming available that look like burnt metal - the kind of discoloration that occurs once the pipes have been in place for a while. Most of these are best applied in limited amounts to a base coat of natural metal using an air brush to do the job. It takes a bit of practise, so be sure to try it on a piece of scrap plastic first. While you may think you know what burns on pipes look like and where they occur, having a picture for a visual reference will make the job infinitely easier.

    If you want a rusted finish, try washing the metal finished set of pipes with a wash of real rust in Rubbing Alcohol. If you want a much heavier rust, try washing the pipes with a thinned mixture of Elmer's white glue and scrapings of brown, orange and tan pastel chalks onto the pipes. I know it doesn't sound like it, but the end results are incredibly realistic - right down to the texture!

- end of article -

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