Hi, and polishing question - rubbing through?

Hey guys, been a while since I've been around, figured I've gotta say "Hi" before we get to far.

I've got a bit of free time over the holidays, and finally got back into my modeling.

Where'd we leave off last year.... Oh yeah - polishing.



Here's what I do when I do a car: Prime, Paint, and about 3 clear coats.

When I polish the thing about a week after it's cured, I keep winding up rubbing through to the paint - and then some. This usually happens on edges, like side mouldings, door handles, etc.

If the paint is laid to thick though, we lose details. Too thin - we burn through!

Also, before clear coating - my paint has orange peel in it. If we don't fix this orange peel, we see it when it's cleared and the clear is polished.

I've read through the FAQ's on this - but need some specific answers! Thanks guys,

Kevin.

Polish very carefully, never polish over the mold lines or other details. I polish as close as I can then I use a qtip to polish around the edges and badges and such. Being very careful and taking time is key

use THIS very thin masking tape to protect the edges. it doesnt fold well if you need to fold the tape over (for door edge for instance) use 6mm tamiya masking tape

got mine years ago mail order.. think I saw this last in home depot..

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/111437pic32.jpg

I tape all the edges. I cut the tape approx. 1/32" wide. Press the tape firmly so that it stays in place. This protects the edges and allows you to polish the entire surface without having to worry about rubbing through any edges or body trim, etc. Once I'm done with 12000 I remove the tape and hit the entire area 3 times with Tamiya polishing compund. After that the wax. Viola. Since the area under the protective tape was so thin no one notices especially after using the polishing compound.

Your other ? about orange peel before clear. How bad is the orange peel? You can either work the paint level before the clear but personally I would make sure you move the can closer when spraying those final coats.

I never thought to use masking tape at the edges, and will be giving that a try.

I'm definately in the learning stage now, the polishing is easy - but it's so easy to screw it up.

About the orange peel - you've hit the nail on the head. I've been staying very far back (15") on my coats to try and avoid a thick layer that sags, runs, or gets lumpy looking.

So if I'm spraying from a can that's warm/hot - 6" isn't too close for the last coat?

Thanks guys.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&postid=547069&t=9066#post547069

Try out PMan's technique to painting........

The first aim should be to loose the orange peel. I paint 99% of models with spray cans because I prefer to use car paint. I do the three mist coats then two wet coats approach.

The key to minimising orange peel is letting the little droplets of paint buuild up on the surface until they all flow together..at that point you have exactly enough paint on there...any less equals orange peel...any more and you'll have a run. I tend to spray pretty close on the wet coats...maybe 8" away or so. I also occasionally clear coat but only after i've let the colour dry for a week. I flat the paint with 3600 before clearcoating except on some mettalics (particularly blues).

I use masking tape when flatting the paint on sharp edges and mouldings as has been mentioned above. I rarely use anything coarser than 6000 to start and run through to 12000 if I'm being really patient :iceslolan

Cool, Primara Man is the Man when it comes to painting - he always has nice work.

Ed, I like using cans of automotive paint too - much bigger color selection, accuarate to specific cars, and you get more paint for your dollar.

So when you wet sand your final clear coat, you only start with 6000? I've been doing it with the 3000 first (skipping 2640 cloth).

And I'll definately be laying my final color coat on at about 8" - and will post how that works.

Kevin.

I would say more times than not people start out at least with 3600 or 4000 as a starting grit. 6000 and above is really more buffing than sand leveling. I usually start out with 3600 to make sure everything is level. I used to start out with 3200 but it's too easy to leave tiny scratches or swirl marks in the paint.

Of course you did say you were painting too far from the body so I can see how 3000 or lower may be necessary.

Honestly.... It's all trial and error.

Ed, I like using cans of automotive paint too - much bigger color selection, accuarate to specific cars, and you get more paint for your dollar.
So when you wet sand your final clear coat, you only start with 6000? I've been doing it with the 3000 first (skipping 2640 cloth).
And I'll definately be laying my final color coat on at about 8" - and will post how that works.
Kevin.

Yeah, I start with 6000..no need for anything coarser than that. I would think 3000 would go through the paint pretty fast! The only thing I find with spray cans is that the spray is fairly coarse so but the time you've built up the paint until it's a nice wet finish, there's a bit too much on there. It's not a big problem except on models where details like the emblems are very fine. On the next model I might try taking paint from a spray can and using it in my airbrush. Theoretically it should give a much finer spray pattern and therefor an even smoother finish. I'd love to get it so all I have to do is maybe use some compound to finish :iceslolan