waxing? clear coating?

first off, which one is shinier?

and secondly, when should i do it? after paint dries? after decals? after panel lines? after windows added?

and if i add both clear coat and wax.... what would i get? super shine or not much diff?

also, one last q. i heard that wax makes ur paint rub off... if i put in about 4-5 coats, would i see any shell colour? or would it be nice and smooth rubbing off?

edit: also, do gundam markers leak? coz i ordered one from hlj... and i sure hope it doesn't leak all over my kits...

17 views and no replys? cmon. help!

i've been asking the same question!!!

I usually clearcoat, then cut & polish and wax. The extra few coats the clearcoat puts down should stop rubbing through the paint.

I usually either apply decals than clearcoat, or clearcoat, apply decals, and clearcoat again, to protect the decals.

I cut and polish before wax, and sometimes need to give it a light sand with 2000-12000 grit sand papers to smooth out the paint.

All this should be covered in the FAQ though...

i read the faq on waxing... no order there...

but yea, thanks for ur help.

what is cutting?

i read the faq on waxing... no order there...

but yea, thanks for ur help.

what is cutting?


using a cutting compound like "t-cut"
I think

Like, cut and polish for real cars, it is a compound that cuts through a thin layer of paint and leaves a shinier coat from undeneath. Like what you would use on a real car.

When someone says cutting or compounding what they are talking about is a polishing compound to remove orange peel and level the paint surface. Compound really can be thought of as super fine liquid sand paper. No its not always necesary if your paint is realtively shiny to begin with. Some compounds or glazes as they are called can be painted over, make sure the label says its paintable. Mequires has one that is available at Auto parts stores. As an alternative I also use Novus or Meguires plastic polishes which work great and can be used on the clear parts like windows.
Wax can't be painted over so it should be the very last step. Wax is for protection and enhances the shine. Some waxes are called " cleaner waxes " and do some cutting. These are usuallly used on old oxidized car finishes to restore the finish, the work real nice on models.I use Megiuires myself.
Hope this helps to clear up some confusion for you guys
Oh yeah for the ultimate shine I apply the decals , clear coat, polish ( compound ) and follow it up with 3 or 4 coats of good carnuba wax

I color coat, let dry, wet sand if solid color, clear coat, wet sand, cut, polish. I think the results are ok. :)
http://members.aol.com/anastasis2/67vette3.jpg
http://members.aol.com/anastasis2/Image6.jpg

Hawk those are really nice paint jobs

Thanks!

Compound can also remove the scratches made by sanding right?

Compound can also remove the scratches made by sanding right?

If you are 'scratching' the surface of the paint then you are probably using too coarse a sandpaper. In my experience the compound will only work if the final surface is smooth to start with.

If you are 'scratching' the surface of the paint then you are probably using too coarse a sandpaper. In my experience the compound will only work if the final surface is smooth to start with.
You are correct, when sanding only go as rough as is needed and work your way down. The surface should be smooth and free of visible scratches before polishing.
One alternative that I use are the polishing kits that ae avilable for $15 ( US )
They are a small cloth sandpaper that can be used wet or dry. My set is comprised of a 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000, and 12000 grit sheets. I usually only use the 3200 for primer and bare plastic. If used carefully you can achieve one heck of a shine and never use any chemical products

hmmm... so basically clear coating just protects... and then, if i want, after that i can wax or cut... (this is all after panels, decals, everythign... i assume clears as well)

So, if I am using compound, must I have a very thick layer of paint on the surface? If it is only a thin surface, will the compound cut away the paint and leave the plastic color? Do you all clear coat the black rubber panels and lines also or leave it matt?

well, for me, i dont think im gonna use wax or compound at all. I got the best and finest polishing cloth i could find and did what P-man has in his how to. Not only did it scratch everything to oblivion, no, it also left compound residue everywhere. So i bathed the car, took it out, realized the compound took all the paint off the edges of indicators etc, and with the ridiculous amount of scratches and non-shine i have left, i decided to scratch the whole compound wax thing, and skip right to clear coating. So in future i will spray and clearcoat, and thats it...

polishing kits are the only way to remove scratches and orange peel from a model car at 1/24 scale. I tried many ways but this is the best and most effective way to get a glass shine on a model car.

step 1: spray the model car with atlease 6 coats of base color
step 2: wait 10 minutes after the last coat of base color and spray on clear coat... I always stay with the same type of company product to keep the chemicals uniform. Spray three coats on, two light coats, one wet coat
step 3: start from 4000 grit sand paper and move up to 6000 to 8000, to 12000 grit, 3600 is too coarse to polish with, only use 3200 and 3600 for really really bad paint jobs, IE dust in coat, spits of paint, fisheyes, etc.
step 4: get a ragg cloth, put some plastic polish (made by bare metal company) on it, only a finger tip full of this solution and its enough for on panel. Rub until clear and you can see yourself on the model car.
step 5: Buy yourself a bottle of Meguairs wax (#26) it is a synthetic yellow wax that you can use as a sealer. again, use only a bit, about the size of a pencil eraser tip can get atlease the hood and the top of the car, so use accordingly, don't over wax, light light coats, and build up.

that is my step, I will actually make a write up for this, I hope that the moderators will put it up as a sticky.

can't u clearcoat alot after? or do u have to do it while the paint is semi wet?

skylinehks basically outlined what I do as well
to answer a few of the questions.
1. to polish you don't need alot of paint, the idea is to start with thte least amount of paint possible, that equals less polishing, so get it as smooth and shiny as you can to begin with
2. As far as polishing through goes you must be careful around trim and edges and details , these areas usually stick up or are sharp and its easy to rub through, there was a thread a few days ago with some good ideas on preventing this
3. Depending on what paints I am using I usually wait a day or so before I clear, especially on pearls and metal flakes as the can move around and puddle if not set enough

hmm, thank you all for sharing your wisdom