StevenGuthmiller

I agree. there’s nothing that I could do with Molotow that I can’t do twice as well with BMF and Alclad. Steve

There are several problems with Rustoleum paint other than just long curing times that people need to be aware of. As Jon stated, the nozzles are horrible and clog up extremely easily. That might be attributable to the fact that the paint itself is exceedingly thick, which not only clogs nozzles, but will of course have the tendency to hide detail. The fact that it’s enamel always equates with increased possibility of runs, sags, fish eyes, etc. But the most troubling aspect of Rustoleum paint seams to be the extremely touchy re-coat windows. If suggested re-coat times are not followed to the letter, there’s a very high probability of failure. I can’t tell you how many ruined paint jobs I see on the Facebook modeling groups on a daily basis which are due to Rustoleum and their re-coat windows. It’s nearly epidemic proportions! Steve

Looks pretty darn good to me! Steve

I don’t use the stuff anymore, and haven’t for a number of years, but when I did, I used a small brush to apply it. The tips are garbage. Always have been. Might work okay for the graffiti art that they’re designed for, but they’re pretty much trash for the fine work required in model building. Steve

What’s wrong with Lincoln and Edsel? ? Steve

Bingo! ? Steve

Even at an extra $7.00-$10.00 for shipping for 100 magnets, I don’t see what the big deal would be. You know how long it will take you to use 100 magnets? In any event, I bought some on eBay a long time ago, and to be honest, I don’t remember what they cost, or how much the shipping was, and I probably still have 85 of them left. If you’re just using them to hold doors or hoods closed, it’s a pretty simple operation. For doors, just use round magnets, drill a hole the correct size so that the magnet fits tight in the door and door jamb, and glue them in place so that their flush with the surface. Hoods or trunk lids are a little more complicated, as you need to drill and glue the magnets somewhere into the engine bay or inside of the trunk, and then use strips of metal on the corresponding hood or trunk areas. Personally, I’ve never used them for these purposes. The only application that I’ve used the magnets for is for creating removable hood hinges. I like to use them for this purpose for a number of reasons. I can then fill in and eliminate those ugly hinge slots in the firewall or fender wells present in many kits, and it allows me to display my models with the hood off, closed or open, without the use of a hood prop, and without having to engineer actual functioning hinges. These are done in roughly the same fashion as for keeping panels closed, accept of course their positioning. Remember to pay close attention to the polarity of the magnets when installing to make sure that they will attract and not repel each other. Steve

You’re welcome! Once you have some of this stuff in your collection of materials, it’s hard to imagine being without it. I find all kinds of uses for it! Steve

You can do both. I usually just burnish it pretty vigorously with a soft cotton cloth to a high luster. Steve

Specifics please. There are many different kinds of paints. some will exhibit gloss right out of the can or airbrush, others require a clear coat. There is no possible way to give you a satisfactory answer without specifics. Steve

Just by polishing rather vigorously after application. Steve

Absolutely! As a matter of fact, this is a terrific way to begin practicing with painting and polishing. This 1953 Ford was done many, many years ago by mixing the colors that I wanted with Testors flat enamels, airbrushed on, and then over coated with a single coat of Testors gloss enamel, and lightly polished. A word of caution. Should you decide to try this method, be aware that Testors clear enamel takes a loooooong time to completely cure, and has a slightly yellow hue directly from the can, so it’s not recommended to use over light colors such as white, and you might as well figure in putting it back in the box for a month or two to let it cure before attempting to polish it. But yes, it is a very viable technique if you don’t mind the time involved. Steve

No, polishing a flat paint will not make it glossy. glossier, but not glossy. If you plan on polishing your paint jobs, it’s best practice to begin using clear costs. Most preferably, several of them. Steve

I can’t argue with a single word of Ace’s post! All very relevant information, and very frequently, he’s much better at articulating what I’m trying to say than I ever will be! Thanks Bill! ? Steve

Probably the same stuff. Steve

Actually no, what I’ve been using is Turtle Wax “scratch and swirl remover” but I’m not certain if they make the same stuff that I have anymore. It’s probably 10 or 20 years old! ? Steve

Doesn’t matter what paint was used, as long as it’s sufficiently thick to withstand some sanding, and is completely cured. Steve

I absolutely understand, and my remark about “time” was not directed at you personally. It was just meant as a general observation. I spend some time on a number of Facebook groups and the prevailing attitude seems to be more often than not, “get em done fast” rather than “get em done well”. It makes absolutely no difference to me at all how you do your paint jobs. The only thing I’m considering is that to a new modeler, such as the OP, having someone tell them that they may have to just suck it up and spend the next 10 or 15 years trying to figure out how to lay down a perfect, blemish free paint job is like telling them to go pour a new cement driveway or complete the drywall in their home with no background or experience. I’m just offering a meaningful alternative to someone who might not have the ability to just knock em out of the park without the experience required. As far as time goes, there are those that would consider building models in general a waste of time. I consider some things a waste of time, and you consider some things a waste of time, but what’s important is to offer your ideas and my ideas to the OP and let him decide what’s a waste of his time. Steve

Perfect example of how you don’t need to be able to lay down a perfect paint job to end up with one. As I had stated in a previous post, it’s a very freeing thing when you discover that you don’t have to be an ace at everything to be able to produce show quality results. Steve

The first thing tot take into consideration when sanding and polishing is the thickness of your clear coats. I always recommend clear coating when polishing for various reasons, and the thicker your clear coats, the less likely you are to burn through the clear when sanding. How much clear you need is entirely dependent on the type of paint you’re using. Other than that, it’s just a basic process of starting with as fine a grit as possible to remove any blemishes or orange peel, and then continuing with each successive grit down to the finest. I use Micro-Mesh pads, usually beginning at 3600 or 4000, and work my way down to 12000. Once finished with the sanding, I’ll use Novus #2, (fine scratch remover) followed by some automotive scratch and swirl remover, (such as Turtle Wax) to polish to a high shine. To be perfectly honest, I’m probably spending little more time achieving a perfect finish than those that sand between every coat of primer and color. I’m just exerting that effort all at once at the end of paint application rather than sporadically throughout the process. If I had to guess, I’d say that I might spend a total 6-8 hours cutting and polishing a model. Something that can absolutely be achieved in a weekend. Steve

Time is of no consequence to me when I’m building. I’m absorbed in the process, and don’t care in the least how long a project takes me, or when it will be finished. I often feel like the time question is part of the problem with many builders. They appear to be much more interested in quantity than quality, and very often their work will reflect that. Steve

To each his own I suppose. Learning to do a simple and basic cut and polish just strikes me to be a much less difficult and technical, although possibly more time consuming, way to reach the exact same goal, especially for the less advanced modelers among us. Call it a short cut, or maybe not, but a quick lesson on how to cut and polish is light years easier and far less intimidating than telling a novice just to “paint it good”. My only point in this discussion was that once you understand that you never have to worry about how your paint job turns out because you know that you can fix it with some elbow grease, it becomes a huge weight off of you. When I head to the paint booth, it’s just another day in the neighborhood, because I never have to freak out about a little debris, or a little unforeseen orange peel. Doesn’t worry me in the least, and I’m still able to put forth just as nice of a paint job, or better than, almost anybody else out there. It’s just a different avenue for reaching the same goal that pretty much anybody can handle. Steve

I agree completely with Mike. You can spend the next 10 or 20 years beating yourself over the head trying to figure out the best materials and techniques to use to get a perfectly smooth and reflective paint job straight from the can or airbrush, which you’ll be lucky to get 10% of the time even if all of the stars are aligned, or you can just accept the fact, as I did many years ago, that some cutting and polishing will correct nearly every paint problem that you might have once you get a system in place. For me, it was an exceptionally freeing feeling once I had arrived at this epiphany and realized that I didn’t have to hold my breath and hope for the best as I was getting ready to paint, with my paint stripping solution nearby for the inevitable paint stripping session that was likely to come. No more incessant sanding of primer, color and clear coats between every coat, and in the end, it became evident to me that a sanded and polished paint job exhibited a more realistic finish than most “shiny right out of the can” finishes that I see anyway. In conclusion, If you’re averse to putting forth some manual labor, cutting and polishing is probably not going to be for you, but it will certainly open up a new world of not having to be a professional at laying down paint in order to achieve the same, or even better result than those that can. I can’t even begin to describe how the revelation that I was able to achieve perfect paint results without being a body man for 40 years has revolutionized my modeling outlook. Steve

Nope, just an example. I know a ton of guys with Camaros and corvettes, and you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a Mustang. Those “boring old” full sized cars from the 50s and 60s are getting tougher to find all of the time. Steve

If I’m reading you correctly, I think I know what you mean. When I was younger, it was all about the “cool” cars! You know, stuff that I almost never saw growing up in a small Midwest town. Corvettes, Camaros, Mustangs, etc. As I got a little older, I began to realize that to me, the really interesting stuff is the stuff that you don’t see so much anymore. I can knock on a dozen neighbor’s doors before I find a ‘67-‘69 Camaro. I could knock on 10,000 doors before I find a 1961 Buick Invicta. Steve