is sanding really that important?

[allecb]

well, i had an old edsel model laying around that had been painted with testors one coat lacquer. i decided to sand it to see what it'd do. i started off with 2k wet up and down. then went to 4k wet side to side. then 6k wet up and down. then 12k wet side to side. and i must have been pushing too hard because i saw all my scratches. i then tried the hood. same thing, but this time putting no pressure on it. and the left side of the hook looked the same as the right side.

i dont know if i was doing something wrong, or what.. i'd like to note that the car i was testing on is like a 'electric pink' its sort of metallicy/flakey. i remeber reading not to wetsand paint jobs of that sort until after you've clear coated. which brings me to my next point..since my paint i got was pearl white, i should do all my sanding before i lay paint down? and then once i clear it, i can wetsand if needed?

Edited December 29, 2013 by allecb

[Guest]

well, i had an old edsel model laying around that had been painted with testors one coat lacquer. i decided to sand it to see what it'd do. i started off with 2k wet up and down. then went to 4k wet side to side. then 6k wet up and down. then 12k wet side to side. and i must have been pushing too hard because i saw all my scratches. i then tried the hood. same thing, but this time putting no pressure on it. and the left side of the hook looked the same as the right side.

I always sand in the same direction with every grit. After you sand with 12000, you polish with a polishing compound to remove any remaining scratches and then wax. Yeah, it's a lot of work. That's why not everyone does it.

i dont know if i was doing something wrong, or what.. i'd like to note that the car i was testing on is like a 'electric pink' its sort of metallicy/flakey. i remeber reading not to wetsand paint jobs of that sort until after you've clear coated. which brings me to my next point..since my paint i got was pearl white, i should do all my sanding before i lay paint down? and then once i clear it, i can wetsand if needed?

Never sand a metallic lacquer before clear. You can do it with enamel,but not lacquer. Spray your paint. Allow it to dry. Then spray your clear coats. Three to four coats of clear is usually enough. You can add more if you aren't comfortable with that amount. Then you can sand and polish.

[allecb]

thanks man. well i cleaned the model. and started off with 400 grit. i took out some defects that i noticed. i then went to 600, followed by 1000 and 2k. ill start sanding in the same direction now that you told me thats what you do.

i did a light mist of primer on my sanded parts. its been about 2-3 1/2 hours, so im going to wet sand with 2,000 grit. wash that off, prime it again and work on it some more tomorrow.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Never sand a metallic lacquer before clear. You can do it with enamel,but not lacquer.

You CAN sand a metallic lacquer to get rid of orange peel and dust / trash, but most times you'll HAVE TO shoot one more coat of color to even out the flake just before you clear.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy

[allecb]

wow this is great. i needed hands on experience to understand what was being said.

ok, so i just finished wet sanding my primer with 2k grit. at first, it was grainy cause of the primer..and now its silky smooth. i dont know if its needed or not, but im going to sand with 4k grit..then soap/rinse and dry..then primer it and let it sit for the night. after that i may just repeat the same process over again. then prime it one last time, followed by a 4k wetsand so its silky smooth, and then coat it with paint.

sounds like a good plan yall?

and p.s. so im a little unclear about this. since in this specific case im using pearl white should i avoid sanding any of my paint until i clear coat? unless maybe i have debris fall on it?

Edited December 30, 2013 by allecb

[Chas SCR]

after reading all this and 90% is not even helpfull on the use of metalic paints or even the info about why you shouldn't sand metalics.

Lets get one main thing straight, you are not driving these cars down the road so you do not need to worry about a using any thing under 1500 grit paper to do any sanding

for paint to stick to. This is a must for real cars so when they go over pot holes and such it does not fall off in sheets.

Two under standing metal flake paint, there is aluminum chips that are made like little stars and sharp points on them to grab the light. They poke out through the paint and this is what you see

in the light that makes it sparkle. The rule of thumb if you sand you are only sanding just a spot and when you do this it ruins the flake not the paint. And this what makes it give a off look to you

when you are done sanding on it. Do not sand a complete body after shooting it this is not even close to being a real way of doing any thing.

Lets start with sanding, the bare body after primer use start with nothing less then 1500 and go up to 12000 the smoother it is the better it is, (again you are not "NOT" driving this car)

When you shoot metal flake paint or a pearl same rule applys, You do not shoot at the part or body, you shoot it over it and let the paint and metal flake fall on to the body.

This lets the flakes go on a equal way of shooting and will not clump them up in a batch and make it look off in areas compare to other spots on the body.

If need to sand a spot ( and yes it happens in 1:1 cars as much as this) You do not sand with any thing lower then 2000 and just in that spot. You can re shoot over that spot again.

On some metal flakes the paint is clear as a pearl with flake it in and it will change the shading or color in the spot compare to the other area because you do not have enough of the same

coats on it.

A lot of metal flake paint is a thick paint as it's not a translusent paint like a pearl where you have to keep track of how much you have over a panel so it looks equal.

Clear coating it does take about two coats to cover over the points that stick out of the paint so then you can wet sand it. Still do not wet sand less then 2000 and go to 12000.

The last is save them lower grit paper for if you get into putty work as this will help knock it down faster so you can finsih with the higher paper.

[Guest]

ok, so i just finished wet sanding my primer with 2k grit. at first, it was grainy cause of the primer..and now its silky smooth. i dont know if its needed or not, but im going to sand with 4k grit..then soap/rinse and dry..then primer it and let it sit for the night. after that i may just repeat the same process over again. then prime it one last time, followed by a 4k wetsand so its silky smooth, and then coat it with paint.

sounds like a good plan yall?

Only if it's needed. I try to avoid adding too many coats of primer,paint and clear. If your primer is smooth and coverage is complete, there's no need to add more primer. More primer, paint and clear = more detail lost. Since you're using Tamiya Pearl White, make sure that you don't sand through your white primer into the white plastic. Even though you're spraying white paint over white primer over a white body, it will show through your paint unless somehow your primer color is an absolute perfect match to your styrene. I learned that lesson the hard way.

and p.s. so im a little unclear about this. since in this specific case im using pearl white should i avoid sanding any of my paint until i clear coat? unless maybe i have debris fall on it?

Yes. If you get debris in the paint and have to sand it out, you'll have to spray another coat of paint on before you clear it. Before you spray your paint, hold your model under a bright light and move it around in different angles. This will show up any dust particles or lint on the body. If you have any dust on it, take a loop of masking tape and dab the area lightly.

[Ace-Garageguy]

after reading all this and 90% is not even helpfull on the use of metalic paints or even the info about why you shouldn't sand metalics.

Lets get one main thing straight, you are not driving these cars down the road so you do not need to worry about a using any thing under 1500 grit paper to do any sanding

for paint to stick to.

This is a must for real cars so when they go over pot holes and such it does not fall off in sheets.

etc.

"This is a must for real cars so when they go over pot holes and such it does not fall off in sheets." :lol: :lol:

Man, glad to know that. I've been painting high-end 1:1 cars since the early '70s, and I never heard that before. Dang...who woulda thunk it??

Edited December 30, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy

[Guest]

after reading all this and 90% is not even helpfull on the use of metalic paints or even the info about why you shouldn't sand metalics.

This applies to 100% of this post.

Lets get one main thing straight, you are not driving these cars down the road so you do not need to worry about a using any thing under 1500 grit paper to do any sanding

for paint to stick to. This is a must for real cars so when they go over pot holes and such it does not fall off in sheets.

Two under standing metal flake paint, there is aluminum chips that are made like little stars and sharp points on them to grab the light. They poke out through the paint and this is what you see

in the light that makes it sparkle. The rule of thumb if you sand you are only sanding just a spot and when you do this it ruins the flake not the paint. And this what makes it give a off look to you

when you are done sanding on it. Do not sand a complete body after shooting it this is not even close to being a real way of doing any thing.

Lets start with sanding, the bare body after primer use start with nothing less then 1500 and go up to 12000 the smoother it is the better it is, (again you are not "NOT" driving this car)

When you shoot metal flake paint or a pearl same rule applys, You do not shoot at the part or body, you shoot it over it and let the paint and metal flake fall on to the body.

This lets the flakes go on a equal way of shooting and will not clump them up in a batch and make it look off in areas compare to other spots on the body.

If need to sand a spot ( and yes it happens in 1:1 cars as much as this) You do not sand with any thing lower then 2000 and just in that spot. You can re shoot over that spot again.

On some metal flakes the paint is clear as a pearl with flake it in and it will change the shading or color in the spot compare to the other area because you do not have enough of the same

coats on it.

A lot of metal flake paint is a thick paint as it's not a translusent paint like a pearl where you have to keep track of how much you have over a panel so it looks equal.

Clear coating it does take about two coats to cover over the points that stick out of the paint so then you can wet sand it. Still do not wet sand less then 2000 and go to 12000.

The last is save them lower grit paper for if you get into putty work as this will help knock it down faster so you can finsih with the higher paper.

[LittleDrummerBoy Aka LDB]

Learning How to lay down a decent paint job will take a little while to get the process down and let it get absorbed into your brain. The more models, or anything you paint, the better you will get. Try to remember the steps mentioned here, but the tips are only 30 percent of it. the other 70 percent is trial, error, experience, and PATIENCE. Even the best painters run into unexpected problems sometimes. Try not to let messups get you down, but think about why they may have happened and try to learn from your mistakes. Take your time, let things dry completely. After a few paint jobs you will learn what works best for you. Some people prefer different products, primes etc... Just find what works for you. And dont think of a messup as a failure, its just learning how to succeed!