Sanding & Polishing

Hi, this is gona be my second post so go easy on me. I don't usually seek advice, because i dont want to bother people but i though i would share my problem.

I'm building my 4th kit now. My first was a F40 which turned out ok. Second a Plymouth Prowler also turned out ok. My third kit was MB SLK, turned out extremly good. It had a perfect coat of Future which made it shine really nice w/ a tiny tiny amount of molecular orange peel :) .

The Kit i'm building now is a BMW 316i, I sprayed it first using Royal Blue (X3) as a base. Then used Chrome Silver (X11), Royal Blue (X3), and White (X2) to come out a nice bright shiny "metallic blue", I didn't use Tamiya's X13 because it lacks a certain appeal. Anyways, I sprayed Future over it but it had a bit more orange peel than my SLK had so i decided it was time i learned how to sand and polish a kit.

I bought Tamiya Finishing Abrasives and wet (a little bit of soap) sanded the body using the 2000 pad. Now i have this dull "whitish" top coat over my beutiful paint job. My Hobby store doesn't carry Tamiya rubbing/polishing compound for some reason so i have to wait till i get it in the mail.

*But I wanted to know, if that dull whitish coat will disappear once i use the compound on the body.

*Also, is the compound the final coat or will i have to get Tamiya's modeling wax and go through the whole model with it ?

I'm sorry i dont have any pics for you, but I've ordered a pair of Olympus Digi Cams and will upload some pics hopefully this upcomming week.

Thanks

the whitish dull will go away with compound, or very high grit sandpaper (4000+ to 12000). polish can be a final coat, but wax adds depth and protection from dust.

Originally posted by Mainomega

*But I wanted to know, if that dull whitish coat will disappear once i use the compound on the body.
*Also, is the compound the final coat or will i have to get Tamiya's modeling wax and go through the whole model with it ?


If it looks like this...
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/182344p9230037b.jpg

After compound is used, you get a result like this.
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/470273p9230045b.jpg

Wax is optional, but it prevent dust from sticking to the paint, and when you want to wipe of the dust, wax will make it easier.

Thanks Guys. Now i can fall asleep and not have nightmares about how i destroyed my beutiful paint job. Thanks for the pics too.

good luck! ;)

You could spray on another coat of Future. I use Future allot but it's not good to use over Tamiya Acrylics because I have seen it cause some major paint cracking problems. It has ammonia in it which can strip the acrylics. I usually wipe it on other paints.