Sidney Schwartz Posted May 8, 2015 Posted May 8, 2015 On my third try I finally managed an OK finish. I'll be highlighting the panel lines with a wash and applying foil to the side and door trim. I've learned a lot about using airbrushes, thinning paint, etc., and I expect it to be much easier the next time. As far as this one goes, should I attempt polishing it, or should I leave well enough alone? I don't want to risk ruining it again if the gain would be minimal. I also realize it's completely a matter of personal taste, but I'd like to know what y'all think.
snacktruck67 Posted May 8, 2015 Posted May 8, 2015 That a real nice looking paint job. It all depends on how you want it to look. I think it also depends on how many coats you put on and if you use a clear on it. I usually found out that the fewer coats you put on, makes it easier to burn through. Putting on some clear really helps you out. I am probably am way off, but this works out for me.
Sidney Schwartz Posted May 8, 2015 Author Posted May 8, 2015 Thanks, Mike. I have a few coats of clear on it. I've tried polishing before, but as you say it's easy to burn right through it, especially if the finish is not smooth to begin with and needs lots of polishing. This finish is the smoothest I've managed to achieve, so I'm hoping that makes it a better candidate for polishing.
StevenGuthmiller Posted May 9, 2015 Posted May 9, 2015 If you're going to polish, just start with the finest grit possible to remove most of the orange peel & then work your way up to 12000. Biggest thing is to avoid sharper body creases. That is where you're likely to burn through the most. Being as the '53 Vette has almost no sharp creases, I would say its a prime candidate for polishing. Several coats of clear should be a good base for it. Just make sure the paint is good and cured & stay away from areas like the door & trunk lines. It looks very good as is, so if you decide to polish, it shouldn't take much. By the way, I love the color! Steve
Sidney Schwartz Posted May 9, 2015 Author Posted May 9, 2015 Thanks, Steve. The color is not "official"...the car was offered only in primary white with primary red interior that year. I don't care much for that combination so I used warmer versions of white and red. The body color is Americana Light Buttermilk. It's a bit more yellow than it shows in the photos. Polishing went well, but I'm seeing a few cracks in the clear coat. Probably my fault. I sprayed on a couple of coats of Krylon clear, then a coat of Future. I should have stuck with just the Future as I've used that before without any cracking. Oh well...it still looks pretty good. I'm feeling that I've spent enough time on this kit and am eager to finish it and move on.
StevenGuthmiller Posted May 9, 2015 Posted May 9, 2015 (edited) Thanks, Steve. The color is not "official"...the car was offered only in primary white with primary red interior that year. I don't care much for that combination so I used warmer versions of white and red. The body color is Americana Light Buttermilk. It's a bit more yellow than it shows in the photos. Polishing went well, but I'm seeing a few cracks in the clear coat. Probably my fault. I sprayed on a couple of coats of Krylon clear, then a coat of Future. I should have stuck with just the Future as I've used that before without any cracking. Oh well...it still looks pretty good. I'm feeling that I've spent enough time on this kit and am eager to finish it and move on. I've had cracking issues of my own lately, mostly with Testors clear coats. I'm pretty sure the cause was applying successive coats too close together. Evidently, Testors clears take longer to cure than something like Duplicolor, so I've begun shooting a few coats of Duplicolor to get a good base & then 1 coat of Testors to give a better shine. So far, so good. The off white looks better than a stark white in my opinion. Especially on a car of this vintage. Bright white wasn't usually the norm anyway in the 50s, usually a "creamy" white was more likely. Anyway, I like it. Steve Edited May 9, 2015 by StevenGuthmiller
Mike_G Posted May 9, 2015 Posted May 9, 2015 I like to use white primer for an "off-white" color, then clearcoat it
Sidney Schwartz Posted May 9, 2015 Author Posted May 9, 2015 I've had cracking issues of my own lately, mostly with Testors clear coats. I'm pretty sure the cause was applying successive coats too close together. I think that's just what I did. Impatience has tripped me up again. And I was so close to getting it right. I may have to strip it yet again and give it one more try. That photo you posted is the first one I've seen in that cream color. All the others where white, or at least they looked that way in photos. Man, that's gorgeous! I forgot to mention that I'm using Novus for the polishing. Does anyone know what grit level of sandpaper the Novus #2 would be equivalent to? Mike, greetings from up north in Beaverton.
Mike_G Posted May 9, 2015 Posted May 9, 2015 I forgot to mention that I'm using Novus for the polishing. Does anyone know what grit level of sandpaper the Novus #2 would be equivalent to? Mike, greetings from up north in Beaverton. The abrasive in Novus #2 breaks down very quickly- it will take out 2,000 grit scratches, but I like to go to 5,000 or 8,000 grit before polishing just to make it easier. Gonna be a beautiful day here in the NW today
Sidney Schwartz Posted May 9, 2015 Author Posted May 9, 2015 I have some micro fine sanding films. Maybe I'll try those. Perfect weather, ain't it? We have irises, columbines, tulips, lilacs, and more.
snacktruck67 Posted May 9, 2015 Posted May 9, 2015 Sidney, what you need to have is 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000, 12,000 sanding film in the wet and dry format. If you do not have those I can send you some.
Sidney Schwartz Posted May 9, 2015 Author Posted May 9, 2015 (edited) Thanks for the offer, Mike. Here's what I have on hand: 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000, 2400, 15000, 20000, 30000, 40000, 60000. I would hope that would be enough. I can get some more grades between 2400 and 15000 if I need to. Can't use wet sandpaper on acrylics, or so I understand. What is the advantage of wet sanding, anyway? Edited May 9, 2015 by Sidney Schwartz
Jantrix Posted May 9, 2015 Posted May 9, 2015 Actually my family is originally from Germany, but thanks for asking.
Mike_G Posted May 10, 2015 Posted May 10, 2015 (edited) I think Rob is making a little play on words- Polish vs. polish I'm still trying to wrap my head around 60,000 grit paper Edited May 10, 2015 by Mike_G
snacktruck67 Posted May 11, 2015 Posted May 11, 2015 Yea I can understand your wrapping your head around the 60k grit. I have in addition to the regular 3200 - 12,000 sanding film, I have a set of sanding film of 16,000 to 60,000. It is a lot different from the previous set of 3200 to 12,000. It really smooths out the surface but it does not seem to get me the shine I like with the for mentioned sanding grits. It is all in personal preference. As far as wet sanding goes, I don't know the actual reasoning behind the process, but I would imagine wet sanding just seems to be much better than dry sanding. Also when a 1:1 is painted, they wet sand the finish in order to get the high quality shine.
johnbuzzed Posted May 11, 2015 Posted May 11, 2015 Actually my family is originally from Germany, but thanks for asking. Yep, my Mom's family was Polish, with some other Slavic thrown in.
Mike_G Posted May 12, 2015 Posted May 12, 2015 Yea I can understand your wrapping your head around the 60k grit. I have in addition to the regular 3200 - 12,000 sanding film, I have a set of sanding film of 16,000 to 60,000. It is a lot different from the previous set of 3200 to 12,000. It really smooths out the surface but it does not seem to get me the shine I like with the for mentioned sanding grits. It is all in personal preference. As far as wet sanding goes, I don't know the actual reasoning behind the process, but I would imagine wet sanding just seems to be much better than dry sanding. Also when a 1:1 is painted, they wet sand the finish in order to get the high quality shine. Wetsanding helps keep the paper from clogging up and forming little sanding balls that can scratch the surface
disabled modeler Posted May 12, 2015 Posted May 12, 2015 How about starting off with a normal car wax...its the weakest of any polish...might just do the trick without much risk?
taaron76 Posted May 12, 2015 Posted May 12, 2015 Can't use wet sandpaper on acrylics, or so I understand. Yes, you can wet-sand acrylics... Tim
Sidney Schwartz Posted May 12, 2015 Author Posted May 12, 2015 OK. What's the advantage of wet sanding?
taaron76 Posted May 13, 2015 Posted May 13, 2015 OK. What's the advantage of wet sanding? It keeps the sanding surface and sandpaper free of debri. Wetsanding is the default now days. Tim
taaron76 Posted May 13, 2015 Posted May 13, 2015 Here's a good read. http://www.nnjr-pca.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=444:wet-sanding-101&catid=76:concours-articles&Itemid=117
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