Question: Painting race car tow hooks...

[DSM-Mark]

Arrggh. Just wrote this all out and got "Server too busy". Hit back and it was gone.

Anyway, I'll try again.

Just wondering how you guys paint these tow hooks on race cars. They're external, so it would be nice to get them really well done, but I always find that the red paint I use pulls away from the edges, if you know what I mean. This is especially apparent on black plastic. To combat both of those effects, I tried base coating with X-11 or XF-16 (can't remember which) which helped somewhat, but the paint layer ends up getting pretty thick, and sometimes rough.

I've tried Acrylic Tamiya Red, Acrylic Testors Red and Enamel Testors Red, and they all seem to have the same effect.

Thanks!

[freakray]

2 things that help stop paint pulling away from edges....
primer, this will give the paint something to adhere to.
start with a couple of mist coats (difficult on a small part, I know), then apply your final coats.

tow hooks suck to paint.....

[speedthrill]

[935k3]

You have to use primer!!!. A good white primer(not gray)like Tamiya and a coat of Tamiya TS-49 bright red spray gives perfect results. Avoid brush painting. Using an airbrush is an even better thing to stop the pullback from edges

[DSM-Mark]

Originally posted by 935k3
You have to use primer!!!. A good white primer(not gray)like Tamiya and a coat of Tamiya TS-49 bright red spray gives perfect results. Avoid brush painting. Using an airbrush is an even better thing to stop the pullback from edges

I guess spraying them really is the weapon of choice. I never thought to spray such a small piece.