Bainford

I find I get much better ‘feel’ by wet sanding. I am much better able to ‘read’ the surface I’m working, feel the paint being worked, and to what degree I’m removing material. Part of the reason is the sanding medium is not loading up as you work, constantly changing the feel of the sanding medium against the surface. Sanding wet, the feel remains consistent throughout the work, only changing gradually as the surface loses roughness. That way what you feel is the surface, not the sanding medium. I dip the sanding pad frequently, keeping the surface flooded to maintain that consistency of feel. Yes, lots of wiping the surface to check progress. Sometimes every few swipes, when getting close to the mark. Wet sanding also gives you more overall control over the rate of material removal, very important when colour sanding, and allows you to remove material faster with less effort by just cranking up the pressure a bit, while at the same time allowing your sanding pads to last longer. Find your sanding zen.

Two very lovely Lotus! Nice work here, Rich, especially given the issues encountered. You nailed it, though. Both look 'right'. Love them both.

Good looking Judge. Nicely done.

Old school & cool! Love it.

Both are beautiful. Nice clean work. It's good to see these old Revel kits built with care and attention. Lovely work all around. The silver dragster is my favourite of the 60s slingshots. I have the Tony Nancy double kit on the shelf, and that dragster is calling out to me every time I'm at the bench. I'll have to get that one built soon. Seeing the nice work on yours is certainly inspiration.

Wow! Very impressive work. I think you nailed it.

Lovely work. That’s about the nicest build I’ve seen of this kit. The finish is fantastic, especially for polished plastic. Outstanding job.

Sweet Dart! Nice clean work. Beautiful.

Nice, juicy stash, Chris. Lots of cool stuff there.

Or, you are more highly enlightened.

Very cool, Wick. I dig that old school vibe. Nailed it.

Cool sleeper. Really like the style of this build. The gold paint works very well. Nicely done.

Welcome to the forum, Danato. Lovely work on the Pinto modified. Very cool.

Welcome to the forum, Adam. Cheers

Tough looking pavement pounder. Cool period vibe. Nice work.

Nicely done. It evokes an 80s beater perfectly. Nice weathering. Love these Corvairs. If I were to ever own a Chevrolet, it would be a 2nd gen Corvair.

Very cool project. Great concept. Love the look. Sits just right. Love the meaty tires so much more than the rubber bands these types of builds are often saddled with.

Very cool! Nice textures and weathering. Well done.

Sweet little pickup. Looks just right in every way. Nice and clean, too. Wood grain is nicely done. Love it!

Looking good in black.

Looking great! Digging the Moon discs.

Cool! Should be a fun save. Besides, everyone needs a Hemi powered phone booth. I'll be watching the resurrection.

Nothing thick about that, ask questions until it's fully understood. Enamel paint (or any other) does not take longer to cure on 3D printed parts than it does on kit plastic. By nature, it's just slow to cure. Thinning with lacquer thinner helps speed up the cure time, regardless of what part you are painting. I think you'll find that most builders using enamel paint will thin with lacquer thinner. It has sort of become the 'go to' thinner for some time now. I am a regular enamel user, and I thin with regular hardware-store lacquer thinner, or Mr Color self levelling thinner (which is recommended for painting bodies, and is suitable for lacquer paint). It's worth keeping in mind, too, that drying and curing are two different things, though the two terms are frequently used interchangeably. Paint can feel dry, but not be fully cured. Enamel can feel dry in a day or two, but may still take a week or two to fully cure. One trick is to use the sniff test. Smell the painted part close up. If you can still smell the solvents, it's not fully cured. Parts may be handled once they are dried for a while, but I recommend waiting until fully cured before polishing. A food dehydrator can be used to speed up dry/cure times. However, I haven't used 3D printed parts in a dehydrator, so I can't personally recommend it, but it works great on kit parts. Perhaps someone can chime in with info on using a dehydrator with 3D printed parts. If you are interested in the dehydrator technique for your enamel (or any other) painting, there is a lot of information available on the forum. Here's a link

Three or four per year? I wish!

Just found this build. Very cool project. You have done a fine job of the body work; really looks the part. Nicely done.