7 replies to this topic

[nate47]

I'm building a C5 Z06 kit and I would like the body panel gaps to be nice and crisp. How do you guys normaly do yours. I have scribed mine a little deeper, but do I need to do something to make the lines darker. I was thinking about painting them black so that after paint they look deeper.

I also need to tint the windows. The only thing I can think of is to buy actual window tint. The car I'm replicating has very dark windows pretty much limo tint, but I don't want to go so chincy as to paint them. In all actualitly I only need to tint the back window and possibly a strip across the top of the front. Suggestions?

[Chas SCR]

For the body lines, it really depends on the color and how the real car looks if you are doing a replica. But I do scribe mine in deep and also go over it again after primer and such till it's time to do the color coat. Also sand back down each line to its smooth and remember the door is not a L shape scribe. you have to make it like a V so the paint will flow into the line.

[G Holding]

Use a micron pen (black) after primer, before color. For real window tint, you can get scraps free at your local tint shop...you may have issues with the multiple curves, use a hair dryer.

[Ace-Garageguy]

For window tint, some black paints don't cover well in one coat. so doing the backside til you get the coverage you want is one option. If you airbrush, another option is to black-tint some clear.

There's been a lot of discussion about the darkening of panel lines over the past few months. I personally favor scribing with the tip of with razor saw, before primer and after every primer coat. I've only tried the fine black liner before color on one test body. It looked great, but I've since used the same body for other tests and have no pix.

Anybody have photos of your results using various techniques?

[CadillacPat]

Windows can easily and cleanly be tinted with Rit Dye.

Make your mixture with warm water and repeatedly dip and rise the window pieces.
The cold water rinse cools down the plastic and makes it more receptive to the warm dye.
Just repeat over and over until you get the desired depth of color tint.
The liquid Rit Dye is better and stgronger than the powdered packets.
Don't make the mixture too HOT.

CadillacPat

CadillacPat

[nate47]

The RIT die sounds like a good idea, I guess if I screw it up I could always paint the window. My only concern with the RIT is that I've tried to use it before on fabric and the black came out blue?

[Ace-Garageguy]

Windows can easily and cleanly be tinted with Rit Dye.

Make your mixture with warm water and repeatedly dip and rise the window pieces.
The cold water rinse cools down the plastic and makes it more receptive to the warm dye.
Just repeat over and over until you get the desired depth of color tint.
The liquid Rit Dye is better and stgronger than the powdered packets.
Don't make the mixture too HOT.

CadillacPat

Very interesting. Will the Rit work on all styrene and acetate, or are there variations of its effectiveness ? I ask because styrenes exhibit a range of chemical sensitivity...some craze badly under self-etch primers and some don't at all, for instance.

[CadillacPat]

Very interesting. Will the Rit work on all styrene and acetate, or are there variations of its effectiveness ? I ask because styrenes exhibit a range of chemical sensitivity...some craze badly under self-etch primers and some don't at all, for instance.

Ace you just have to try it to see how it affects other kinds of plastic.

Rit Dye will affect some colors of paint and it will also set in on ClearCoat.
I use it to tint Clear Plastic Windows a nice transparent Blue and sometimes Green.
The more you repeat the "Dip and Rinse" procedure I mentioned, the deeper the tint becomes.

CadillacPat