foxbat426

I'm doing my first Bare Metal Foil job and must say it makes a big difference over painting on the chrome. Actually i'm using aluminum foil and mona lisa adhesive. my question is what is the best way to get the glue residue off the surrounding paint after cutting in the foil? Great site - thanks everyone for your help!! I couldn't do it without you guys! John

ok i know i have to wash the body with soap and water to get rid of the release agent. what do you guys do after that? i'm using testors enamel with an airbrush. i have heard both sides on priming before enamel paint - some say yes, some say not necessary. should i sand it? just love to hear about different methods. Thanks again!

thanks all! i'll take mr. O's advice for sure, by the way it's a solid yellow enamel (testors). i used don yosts recipe for mixing with laquer thinner to get a faster dry time.

first let me say how much this forum is an inspiration to me - the pictures of the models that are posted here and in the under glass section never fail to amaze me. all you guys are true artisans! about 3 days ago i finished putting down a really nice paint job on a 71 plymouth duster i'm doing - its glossy and smooth except for bubbles here and there (could be dust after painting or could be air bubbles) i'm very happy with it. The gloss is shiny and smooth, with no pitting. i can see my face in it. my question should i do next to finish the body off? - i would like to take some of those "dust": particles out that you see when you look at it from certain angles, but am afraid i might lose the shine etc. should i compound it?, sand it? - i'm just trying to figure out what my next step should be. Thx, john

hi, i just layed down a nice coat of paint on a plymouth duster i'm doing. i'm a beginner and must say i'm happy with this paint job. i airbrushed this one, but upon further inspection i notice one side of the body where it curves under at the bottom i could have hit better - its a little light on paint and has a slight rough effect. the other side looks great - my question is can i shoot just this small area again without hitting the rest of the body - or should i just spray the whole body one more time after it dries? they should call me one more time john!

Can someone please explain what the approximate dry times for the various paints are. Mainly enamel, acrylic and laquers. The hardest thing to do in this hobby is waiting to get back on a shell right after painting, especially when you mess it up and want to resand it.

Hi all, I was laying down one final wet coat on a Duster that I'm doing and the spray nozzle was a bit clogged - hence I have a somewhat "pitted finish". It doesn't look bad but i would like it smooth. How would you guys handle this? - I rather not strip the whole body. Should I sand it out or use a rubbing compound to smooth it and then lay another coat with a clean nozzle? And believe me i will clean the nozzle after each use. - i'm using Testors enamel spray can. Also can someone explain to me the # sandpaper i should be using on model cars. For instance, what are the different size grits?? What is the roughest I should using and the finest. I remember someone mentioning 3000 grit for finishing. Next paycheck i'm ordering Don Yosts videos!! Thx again, John

i was wondering about painting dashboards and how detailed they can get. My first two models i simply painted them black and was done with it, but something tells me i should be giving the interior, especially the dashboard more attention - Any ideas about how you guys tackle dashboards, seats, panels etc would be appreciated. i think i need to order don yosts videos!

i'm glad i asked! WOW All masters here who posted - all amazing modeling jobs. Thanks everyone who took the time to post. I just wanted to see for myself what was possible with a can - I'm speechless!

###### all you guys do awesome work!! beautiful builds from a can!

please post your can painted models. would love to see how proficient builders are with cans vs the airbrush. is there really that big a difference??

all great points and one thing i have found out is that the paint cost can vs airbrush is about the same. i always thought it would be less using the airbrush. the can is just so much easier and i got really proficient using it - it's like second nature to me - i never quite get the feel of an airbrush and with the cable connected etc. i feel restricted. running out of paint using an airbrush is a major pain in the ass. also i like stock builds - flames, hot rods etc. don't do much for me, so that usually means for me anyway that i'm painting just one body color vs. two tones etc.

I would be interested in hearing how many car builders here have switched from airbrusing back to using the good ole can?? When i got started in this and after having bought all my airbrushing equipment, i remember reading about a hobbiest who said that airbrushing was taking the fun out of the hobby and went back to using spray cans. He said his can builds were just as good as his airbrush builds and put the fun back in. I'm starting to see what he meant - airbrushing to me can be a bit of a pain. for me it's a bit messy and having to clean everything is a major hasslle and because of this I find my self sometimes procrastinating my painting - Anyone feel the same? also would love to see some can only paint jobs.

beautiful!!

Hi, i'm ready to do my interior on my 73 plymouth duster. the duster on the box is yellow and i always try to stay as close to the model in the picture on the box as possible. i don't know why i just do. this time i'd like to try an interior color different than black. The body of the duster is yellow - i have no sense of color matching, even with clothing (so my wife says), so i would like opinions as to which interior color would look good with a yellow body. also i try to keep my builds as close to stock as possible - is there any websites that show what colors a particular model car actually came in for the given year along with its matching interior color offered by the manufacturer. Thx, John

nice build!!! beautiful job - you should be proud!

hi, for you hobbiests using testors enamel, how many bottles of the small testors enamel is the right amount for painting 1 shell with a 2:1 laquer ratio (2-paint 1-laquer)? just trying to get a idea on about how much paint i should b using for 1 shell. 2bottles go p[retty quick out of an airbrush! thanks all for anwering my question regarding the "dusty paint". i'll keep the air brush closer on my next round!! great forum! thx, john

i did my first spray with enamel/laquer thinner on a 73 duster today. after the first light dustings the paint seems very dry. you can run your finger across the body and it almost feels like dust is coming off. is this normal? as i build the paint up will it get better. i'm using testor's enamel yellow mixed with laquer thinner - 2:1 ratio paint to thinner. one thing i hace noticed is that It does spray on nice and easier to control out of an air brush than acrylic paint - thx, john

i'll be ordering these soon - where is the best place to order them - is it off of donn's website??

let me clarify - the shell (body) to the chassis. yes i thought about not gluing it down cranky for that very reason.

just finishing up my first build, can you guys tell me how you secure the shell to the body or do you? don't want to make a mess of the paint job with to much glue. where exactly do i put the glue? - do you make the connection permanent? also i was think of using hot glue for this. i did use hot glue securing the bumper and it wasn't messy at all. the only problem is there isn't much time to work before the hot glue dries. thx, john

For instance on the 66 fairlane on each quarter panel in the back "Fairlane"" is in raised molded letters in the plastic. I think the impala is like this too, i'm sure many others too. I would like to keep these letters open (of course with paint in between them), maybe paint them or foil them instead of just painting over them. They might be to small for foiling. Anyway, is there a technique for keeping these unpainted, while not recking the main paint job and having to touch up - it looks so much better when they are not painted over. would love to hear how some here deal with this. Great site - learning tons! thanks! John

thx, joe and cranky! also do you bare metal foil the trim before the future clear coat, after the clear coat or does it matter? thx, john

i just did a shell with water based acrylic. this is my first time using acrylic paint. i used createx paint and while the paint job through the airbrush came out great the finish is dull. In your opinion, should i cut with compound to shine it up first before airbrusing a coat or two of future, or should i just spray the future and that will give me my shine? also how long will a future shine last and will it yellow? thx again, john

Was over at the local big box crafts store awhile ago and asked for bare metal foil - They never heard of it. Instead they showed me silver leaf. This stuff looks like it might be a substitute for BMF, it even has the adhesive on the back. Has anyone tried this in place of bare metal foil? Looks promising - I'm guessing it might tarnish over time.