Wash them!!!!

[george 53]

Ok, no ones started here yet, so I will. TOO many guys I talk with DO NOT wash their kits off to remove any molding funk that may still be on the plastic! You would not believe how man guys I talk with who don't do it. It REALLY helps in the end. HOW you prepare the body for paint makes ALL the difference in the world. AND it ONLY takes a few seconds to do. I Know, it'sa simple step,but ALOT of guys don't do it, and they should. It'll make for a nicer paint job. Jus sayin, that's all.

[crazyjim]

Geoerge - before I even think about putting on primer, I sand the parts with 1000 grit and then wash thoroughly with Dawn, air dry, and prime.

[MikeMc]

A quick wash with soft scrub and your done!!

[Mike Kucaba]

I soak the entire kit on the trees in a tub of Super Clean before doing anything to it. I use 0000 steel wool rinsed in alcohol and rub down the body and related parts,then a wash with dish soap and a brush.

[MrObsessive]

George if you remember my "Modeling 101" thread a while back-------you'll recall that's one of the key things modelers need to do before doing any sort of painting.

Here's a pic that was in that thread of me giving the '49 Merc a bath!

[george 53]

Thanks Bill, Sorry, no, I didn't remember that particular pic, but that's all I'm sayin. I talk with guys who are in my model club who don't bother to wash the bodies before they paint. To ME, thats as basic as watchin where to cut chrome off the sprue, takein off mold seams an cleaning up flash. Just stuff that should be done. I am constantly suprised by guys who don't do even basic stuff.

[MikeMc]

George, Bill didn't use that picture, thats not your memory....I have a copy of the one he did use!!

[MrObsessive]

:lol:

[Art Anderson]

Along this line, YES, it only makes sense to wash the body shell (and related panels) with a good detergent and water (warm, but not hot--especially on resin parts, which are very sensitive to heat!), but I'll throw out some more cautions here:

Be careful about the dishwashing liquid you use: Some have compounds called "silicones" in them, formulated there to give your fine china that extra bit of shine. That's OK for nice china and glassware, but silicone compounds are the enemy of paintjobs--they are the primary cause of "fisheye" in an otherwise perfect paint job.

Also, it's a common misconception that mold releases are used in the production of injection-molded plastic parts for model car kits--in actual production that seldom if ever happens. What is much more ocmmon, and something most of us tend to forget, are the skin oils that are on our fingers and hands (without that, our hides would dry up and split!). Within minutes after handwashing, those tiny glands in your skin are pushing more of the stuff out to protect your skin, so frequent hand washing all the way through the building process is a great idea too.

One box of supplies I highly recommend, particularly for prepping a body for painting is a box of Nitrile Examination Gloves--the same gloves EMT's and ER nurses and doctors use to protect their hands from pathogens when treating an injured person. These are not expensive--a box of 100 nitrile exam gloves at say, Walgreens or CVS is about $16, or 32-cents a pair. You may have to search a bit to get these gloves in larger sizes, but go for a size that fits your hands snugly (but not so tightly as to constrict movement, or tend to split). These will prevent your leaving fingerprints behind on an otherwise squeaky clean surface.

Last, I never allow a body shell to simply air-dry after washing and rinsing: Tap water in most every area of the country has minerals in it, such as lime, even salt (especially "soft water"), and those minerals, if the water is simply allowed to dry by evaporation, will leave water spots (minute deposits of such as lime or salt) that will show through in an otherwise fine paint job (especially if you are striving for maximum finish with minimum paint buildup. Simply blowing the excess water off your body shells, hoods, and the like with the air from your airbrush compressor (or even those compressed gas cans sold at office supply stores to blow dust off puter keyboards and the like will prevent water spots.

Just a couple of things I've learned over the past 59 years of model car building.

Art

[johnnyb]

I use toothpaste and a tooth brush to clean bodies before painting. I then rinse with distilled water and dry with a lint free towel. I find that the toothpaste is slightly abrasive and gives some "tooth" for the primer to hold on to.

Opinions?

JB

[publicsafety]

I use toothpaste and a tooth brush to clean bodies before painting. I then rinse with distilled water and dry with a lint free towel. I find that the toothpaste is slightly abrasive and gives some "tooth" for the primer to hold on to.

Opinions?

JB

I too use this meathod. I like Arm&Hammer as it is not harsh on the plastic and has baking soda so it scrubs nicely. It is also what I use on my second to last paint coat as it works like a finnal wet sand and the last coat just shine

[Dr. Cranky]

Washing the mold release residue is a must. Plus I enjoy giving all the parts a nice scrub. I tend do keep everything clean during the mocking and adjusting stages by using alcohol moist towelettes too. But regardless of the steps in the building process, I wash and scrub everything before painting.

[made007]

for resin i use degreaser with cold water or normal temp will do, dip the model in it for about a day, for plastic i use just regular dish washin liquid

[george 53]

I KNOW this sounds crazy, but I LIKE washing the parts down before assemble an building an painting(Don't usually get much past the primer stage!) caz it makes me feel like it's a personal thing with the model. I like lookin the trees over as i wash them, and seein what parts are fragile an reguire attention, and checkin the body out for dips in the panels and parts. i dunno, I guess it's just me. If we gonna spend time together, might as well get to know each other.

[Chuck Most]

The only times I wash a kit before assembly is when I am working with a resin kit. And I do this before ANY sanding or excessive handling of the parts.otherwise you'll grind the mold release right into the surface and NEVER have any shot at good paint adhesion. As far as plastic kits? I ususally don't bother washing them, unless the wet-sanding after a quick primer mist (to check for and correct any mold seams/sink marks/etc.). Old glue bombs and early kits covered in various GUNK of course get a thourough cleaning, but I never clean new kit parts.

[Dr. Cranky]

Interesting. If it works for you, go with it. I normally like the extra insurance.

[my66s55]

The only times I wash a kit before assembly is when I am working with a resin kit. And I do this before ANY sanding or excessive handling of the parts.otherwise you'll grind the mold release right into the surface and NEVER have any shot at good paint adhesion. As far as plastic kits? I ususally don't bother washing them, unless the wet-sanding after a quick primer mist (to check for and correct any mold seams/sink marks/etc.). Old glue bombs and early kits covered in various GUNK of course get a thourough cleaning, but I never clean new kit parts.

Me too!!

[cruz]

Man, I am so picky about washing parts that I have even thought about washing the box even before opening it Of course, while still in the wrapper.... :lol:

[Maverick351]

Man, I am so picky about washing parts that I have even thought about washing the box even before opening it Of course, while still in the wrapper.... :lol:

jajajajajajajajajajaaaaa....

[VinciAuto]

Though, i knew the basics of cleaning/sanding the body Art helped me a lot.

[Dr. Cranky]

I think it pays off to be a little OCD!

[Kris Morgan]

I always give bodies a scrub with dawn and, an old toothbrush. Parts on the tree (non-chrome of course) get a few squirts of Fantastic and, a rinse of water.

[High octane]

I wash the entire kit before doing any work on it and I also agree with Art about not air-drying the body as you will get water spots. It works for me.

[Bruno]

The only times I wash a kit before assembly is when I am working with a resin kit. And I do this before ANY sanding or excessive handling of the parts.otherwise you'll grind the mold release right into the surface and NEVER have any shot at good paint adhesion. As far as plastic kits? I ususally don't bother washing them, unless the wet-sanding after a quick primer mist (to check for and correct any mold seams/sink marks/etc.). Old glue bombs and early kits covered in various GUNK of course get a thourough cleaning, but I never clean new kit parts.

Same for me. I will wash plastic parts only if I see dirt/dust on them. If the part looks clean, I start with a light sanding 400 or 600grit and scrub with a gray scotchbrite, then primer. I do wash/scrub resin parts with Ajax and gray scotchbrite (that's how we prepare new 1:1 plastic bumper covers for paint at work)