Nailpolish users

davet

davet

0
Jan 18, 2014
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I drilled 2 axle holes 2 inches apart on the side of a body. I coated around each hole with 2 coats of a different clear nailpolish. One hole got Sally Hansen's Teflon Tuff with grey cap (not Diamond Shine or other SH type). The second hole got OPI START To FINISH Base & Top Coat with black top. Let them dry for 2 days.

Tonight I sanded them both smooth, 800, 1000, 2500, 3000, 12,000 then polished with RedRocket. Let dry 15 minutes and buffed them clean.

Using the same wheel and axle and Nyoil (because it's expendable) I spun the wheel 10 times (5 in each direction) in each hole making sure there was oil on the hub/body face.

I then moved the wheel/axle to each hole and spun the wheel 10 times each with the block on it's side so the wheel would lay against the body. In the SH hole the wheel went 5 seconds consistently and in the OPI hole it started at 5 seconds and kept going longer. I switched holes again and ran another 10 spins each. The SH was consistently 5 seconds and the OPI was consistently 6 seconds or slightly longer.

I removed the wheel/axle and wiped off both holes. The SH hole had a very slight, barely noticeable mark where the hub rubbed. The OPI hole had absolutely no sign of the wheel rubbing on it.

We ran the OPI last yr because it's what my wife had but this yr we bought the SH. After putting it on I thought it seemed softer so that's why I did this.

Is the SH the gold standard for nailpolish or does anyone run something different?
 
Instead of nail polish (for scout cars), I use UHMW Polyethylene Film with an adhesive backing (McMaster-Carr). Its slightly thicker than scotch tape and nearly invisible. Certainly a lot less work.

Give it a try. I think you will find the performance equal or better.
 
Our new rules this year allow washers but it's our last year and I didn't want to pay for a pack of them.
 
HurriCrane Racing said:
Most scout races don't allow the UHMW tape. It is considered a washer...
Click to expand...

Uh Oh.

My kid just crushed the competion during the PWD today. When we built the car, I did not see much difference between wrappping the car with monokote (includes the sides) or UHMW tape. Both would be effectively accomplishing the same thing. Guess I better peal it off on re-prep then before districts.

As a side note, I can really appreciate John's track so much more. While the cub race was using Freedom Aluminum Track, it was in horrible condition. Gave the car fits because it was very aggressive...

<sorry to get off topic>
 
B_Regal Racing said:
HurriCrane Racing said:
Most scout races don't allow the UHMW tape. It is considered a washer...
Click to expand...

Uh Oh.

My kid just crushed the competion during the PWD today. When we built the car, I did not see much difference between wrappping the car with monokote (includes the sides) or UHMW tape. Both would be effectively accomplishing the same thing. Guess I better peal it off on re-prep then before districts.

As a side note, I can really appreciate John's track so much more. While the cub race was using Freedom Aluminum Track, it was in horrible condition. Gave the car fits because it was very aggressive...

<sorry to get off topic>
Click to expand...

Awesome.
 
I think if you only cut out a washer sized piece of UHMW it may get flagged as a washer. Having the whole side of the car wrapped in it I don't think it would. It is no different then many popular PWD car body wraps. Is it skirting the washer rule? maybe. It technically isn't a washer even if it is being used for the same purpose. It is often encouraged when teaching kids the rules of a game or competition. Many times it is met with negative remarks about being cheap but more importantly it means they are learning to strategize and think outside the box.

IMHO I am not sure if the wraps have a better COF then leaving the area smooth sanded raw wood and burnishing it with graphite. Not having graphite anywhere near an oil car is probably best but if you are running graphite anyway, maybe polishing the hub area of the car with it is just as fast. That is where I think some of the current testing and experimenting hasn't really been done. Most of the proven fast builders that do a lot of testing are doing so for oil racing and not for their scout's graphite only cars. Most of the techniques can be applied from oil to graphite and most people who look strictly at what the DD4H and other proven racers are doing in the NPWDRL can weed through all the false and bogus crap on the internet. However, there are still little subtle steps that don't cross over and don't necessarily get tested out and proven that I think still get lost in all the other mess of misinformation.
 
I usually just rub in some graphite into the paint or wood of my sons scout car. The wheel definately does cut into the wood a bit though by the end of the day and I've been wondering if I should be applying something harder on top of the wood to cut down on this?
 
Our first year we rubbed the graphite into the sanded wood and it left a big mark. The nailpolish is much harder and with graphite or oil it's pretty slick. Rub the graphite onto the surface of the smoothed nailpolish.
 
what thickness do you guys recommend for the UHMW film?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-adhesive-back-plastic-film/=wdchfo

scroll down to fourth product

Impact-Resistant Slippery UHMW Polyethylene

UHMW is tough enough to resist the scuffs, scrapes, and strikes that other plastics can't. In addition to excellent abrasion, wear, and impact resistance, it has a slippery surface that is good for bearings, bushings, machine guards, and chute and hopper liners.
 
On my son's car, I believe I'm using 1/32"; it's appears to be a little thinner than an index card and looks almost clear when applied.
 
thanks guys
clap


HMH Racing: what thickness?
 
I use the same tape on the dfw, I just recess it in and drill for the axle hole same time.
Works great. I use a 1/2" router bit with a top bearing on it. I just sit a board on top for
the router to ride on and I can get the depth just right. One roll will last forever, and the tape is very
sticky, after recessing it wont come off easy.
 
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