Polishing basecoat...waste of time?

[TurboGuru]

Hi

I was experimenting with polishing a plastic kit car last week. I had some orange peel but followed the advice on sanding it down. The colour then became dull/matte (paint was glossy white).... this is to be expected of course.

I then used scratchX and managed to bring back the shine, it looks really nice (glossy).

I've not used clear coat before, I am aware that essentially it is paint with no pigment, but this has made me think.... Am I wasting my time with the 'polishing phase' on the basecoat... should I just skip and polish the clear coat layer instead?

I presume its ok to still sand the basecoat if required to allow an even more smoother finish for the clear coat.

This is all in the interest of producing a glossy shine.

Thanks

[scale auto style]

Personnaly when i paint i sand EVERY coat of paint... primer included. this way i ALWAYS got the finish i want... SUPER GLOSSY. but in fact it depend of the guy back of the airbrush OR spay can.

everybody got theyre technics who work fine for them. if you are ok with the one you use don't change. it work.

A+

[TurboGuru]

Thanks scale

I actually sand my primer too, and your right...each step contributes to the shine.

I guess I'll stick with what's working well for me...

[Khier]

Originally Posted by TurboGuru

Hi

I've not used clear coat before, I am aware that essentially it is paint with no pigment, but this has made me think.... Am I wasting my time with the 'polishing phase' on the basecoat... should I just skip and polish the clear coat layer instead?

Thanks

Exactly, unless in extreme cases like OP. Perhaps sanding between painting would be good idea but polishing is exaggeration.

[MidMazar]

If the base coat has orange peel, then you should sand it down and polish it. If you don't you will see the orange peel thorugh the clear coat.

Show us a pic of what it looks like, and we'll get a better understanding.

[TurboGuru]

Sorry I should of been more clear.

This was just a general question about clear coat. The kit I was talking about it just scrap kit I was practising my sanding/polishing techniques.

I will be getting an airbrush kit next month and want to try out clear-coating my future models and was just wondering about the polishing.

I agree that orange peel will certainly need to be sanded down as this will be viewable through the clear, but should I save the polishing for the clear coat for the glossy effect....or just polish both

Note: The paint used on the test kit was 'Glossy White'.

[TurboGuru]

Originally Posted by Khier

Exactly, unless in extreme cases like OP. Perhaps sanding between painting would be good idea but polishing is exaggeration.

doh , didnt see this - ok cool thanks for confirming this.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

There seems to be some confusion about "sanding" vs. "polishing".

Wet sanding non-metallic/non-pearl basecoats (primer & solid colors) is suggested before clearcoating so that when you get to wet sanding/polishing the final clearcoats you are removing as little material as possible. Don't sand pearls/metallics unless you need to reshoot them in a smoother layer...sanded they don't look right buried under clear.

You do not have to (and really should not) "polish" aka buff out any undercoats w/liquid or paste polishes or compounds, you can get a fairly good, level surface & gloss with polishing cloths, like Micromesh. Generally I'll use 4000-6000 grit polishing cloths (aka flexible fabric-based sanding cloths, not paper-backed automotive wet-or-dry sandpaper) to wet sand under the clear. I use the paper-backed automotive stuff (240-2000 grit depending on amount of material to remove) for the primers/putty before getting to the finer finishing steps.

[TurboGuru]

Originally Posted by ZoomZoomMX-5

There seems to be some confusion about "sanding" vs. "polishing".

Wet sanding non-metallic/non-pearl basecoats (primer & solid colors) is suggested before clearcoating so that when you get to wet sanding/polishing the final clearcoats you are removing as little material as possible. Don't sand pearls/metallics unless you need to reshoot them in a smoother layer...sanded they don't look right buried under clear.

You do not have to (and really should not) "polish" aka buff out any undercoats w/liquid or paste polishes or compounds, you can get a fairly good, level surface & gloss with polishing cloths, like Micromesh. Generally I'll use 4000-6000 grit polishing cloths (aka flexible fabric-based sanding cloths, not paper-backed automotive wet-or-dry sandpaper) to wet sand under the clear. I use the paper-backed automotive stuff (240-2000 grit depending on amount of material to remove) for the primers/putty before getting to the finer finishing steps.

Hi, I use the micro-mesh stuff, its brilliant.

The micro-gloss liquid also gives a nice shine to the model, I guess I was just thinking if a clearcoat goes on is it possible it could look rough and therefore have an impact on the gloss effect? - meaning is it ok to polish up the clear coat layer too?

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Originally Posted by TurboGuru

Hi, I use the micro-mesh stuff, its brilliant.

The micro-gloss liquid also gives a nice shine to the model, I guess I was just thinking if a clearcoat goes on is it possible it could look rough and therefore have an impact on the gloss effect? - meaning is it ok to polish up the clear coat layer too?

After you are done with all painting that is when you are supposed to polish up the paint with a liquid/paste compound/polish.

[five&dime]

I would never polish base coat. B/c that polish will often cause the clear not to stick. I wetsand my base coats with 1000 and my clears with 2000. Then I use my automotive finishes for my 1:1's. I use 3M scratch remover, swirl mark remover and then finish polish. I use a soft cotton shirt and rub them by hand.