Late noticing imperfections

[aurfalien]

Hi,

Wondering what the community thinks of how to fix the imperfections I just noticed.  The images are extreme close up and I havn't done a final coat of paint yet.

Within the black cirlces are dimples.

How should I approach fixing these?

Strip and wet sand?

Edited August 19, 2015 by aurfalien

[AC Norton]

Brian, I think you will have to sand them out, and finally may have to use a touch of filler to get them as smooth as you desire. I don't feel striping is needed, if you do the fix I mentioned,,,,,,once pleased with the bodywork, shoot a little primer on all, then, if happy, repaint the parts completely. that's what I would do. those dimples do look strong, so sanding with various grits may be necessary......hope it all comes good.......the ace..........

[aurfalien]

Ah, got ya AC, many thanks.

In terms of filler, do you mean putty or like that thick super glue filler stuff?

I've both and am leaning toward sthe latter, forgot the brand but it's used as a filler for our hobby.

** I used white primer which is very hard to notice things like this.  I'll use grey from now on and only white as a second coat depending on final color.

Edited August 19, 2015 by aurfalien

[AC Norton]

....I use zap a gap as filler usually, but in this case I may use regular white putty....squadron is a great brand. those bumps are strong, so primer, sanding, primer, sanding,,,,may be the route here. if you're good with the dremel tool, a small rounded bit, on low speed, is also a way to rid these bumps. I use mine for such work, but filling and hand work as a finishing prep will still be in the end result. hope this may help, these type of fixes are a bit of work, but if done with some skill and patience, they make the difference between a disappointing finish, and a great finish.............the ace..............

[SfanGoch]

In terms of filler, do you mean putty or like that thick super glue filler stuff?

You can also use Magic-Sculpt two part putty. It's great for filling in those annoying sink marks that are located in inconvenient locations. It can be smoothed with your finger (with a little water), which minimizes sanding, and there is no shrinkage. You won't tear up the surrounding plastic trying to remove any excess. 

[aurfalien]

....I use zap a gap as filler usually,

Yes thats its, ZapaGap is what I have as well.

Cool, ok time to get bizzy, thanks again man.

[AC Norton]

your welcome,,,just keep I thing in mind....zap is great, but it will sometimes leave a jagged edge around the actual 'spot' you are repairing, meaning a touch of filler as a final prep after the zap may still be the ticket. something I at times do,,,,,once you are ready to primer the part, as you think the work is completed,,,,dust, yes dust,,,a very light haze of testors silver spray on the part....it will show imperfections if there is any,,,,then hit the primer 1/2 hour later...just a thought.....the ace....

[aurfalien]

You can also use Magic-Sculpt two part putty.

Cool deal, thanks SfanGoch.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Couple points.

1) CA glue (Zap-a-Gap) is much harder than styrene and can be tough to sand and get flat.

2) Sand the areas that have divots BEFORE filling. When you get a primer color or a bare plastic area around the divot, STOP SANDING. At that point, you'll want to make sure the center of the divot is well and thoroughly scuffed, so your filler of choice will stick with proper tenacity.

3) WHATEVER YOU DO, use a stick or a block to hold your sandpaper FLAT. Unsupported sandpaper will just ride down into the divot, and you'll be chasing the wave forever.

4) Though many fillers may work kinda OK, the ONE-PART fillers take forever to dry hard enough to sand, they SHRINK over time, and the adhesion isn't always great. I use Squadron green for tiny minuscule fills, and it works well for that...but never for large or deep fills.

5) I respectfully suggest you try the Bondo TWO-PART PROFESSIONAL #801  filler, available at auto-parts stores, in small 3oz.containers. There's a slight learning curve to using it, but it's an EXCELLENT ALL-AROUND FILLER, and it adheres well to painted, primered or bare (properly scuffed) styrene.

                                                                         

Edited August 20, 2015 by Ace-Garageguy

[aurfalien]

Hey, I actually have that stuff, it sands better then Tamiya Putty.  Thanks for the tips, much appreciated.

[Speedfreak]

Is that stuff 'one part' , or , two part?

[aurfalien]

Hi Sppedfreak,

Mine is 1 piece as I don't have to mix it.  Its great stuff, better the Tamiya Putty which i find having to thin with their lacquer thinner.  It dries nice and super easy and smooth and sand.

 

Edited August 21, 2015 by aurfalien

[aurfalien]

Ok lookin pretty good, good enough anyways.

A piece of dust landed on the wing (part on right, lower portion) so I'll see if buffing will fix.  Other then that I'm happy.

I'm sorta pissed about that dust particle.

And many thanks to those who responded, your advise was golden.

Edited August 22, 2015 by aurfalien

[b-body fan]

Glad to see you got it fixed! Dust is murder. I started covering everything I paint. I bought a couple containers about the size of a shoe box. If  i get bumpy paint or a little sagging I put the lid on and seal it to retard the drying time. It really helps flatten it out sometimes. If not I just cock the lid sideways to keep the dust off.

[aurfalien]

Thanks man!

Thats a good idea, I have a huge cookie tin that I can use for this.  Its 2' x 2'.

Gets nice and warm in there I noticed, could be a good way to sort of bake the model slowly.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Looking really good in the pix.

Just remember NOT to use the one-part stuff for heavy fills and custom bodywork.

[aurfalien]

Looking really good in the pix.

Thanks alot Ace, I really apprecite it.

 

Just remember NOT to use the one-part stuff for heavy fills and custom bodywork.

How come?

I'm on on long term project that calls for a decent amount of body work.  The 1 part stuff is über practical.

[Ace-Garageguy]

As I've explained numerous times, the one part is basically very thick lacquer primer that dries by evaporation of the solvents in it, and it SHRINKS noticeably as it dries.

If you use ONE-PART for THICK fills in one application, it's almost guaranteed to crack. If you don't mind doing multiple thin coats with a ton of sanding in between, use the one part stuff and good luck. That was the only way we had to do things in the past, and some guys still swear by it. Fine.

But for the kind of heavy mods I do, the one-part stuff is completely useless to me. I simply will NOT do multiple thin fills with one-part, wait a day for them to dry, sand them, and re-fill over and over and over (and then see my perfect bodywork get all wavy and sand-scratched over time as the stuff continues to shrink).

The TWO-PART stuff 'dries' by a catalytic reaction. There's almost NO SOLVENT in it, so it doesn't shrink to any perceivable degree. You can fill 1/4 inch thick in one application and it will be dry to sand in 20 minutes if you mix it right. This is very handy if you're sculpting radical body modifications.

You DO have to learn how to use the two-part...there's a learning curve...because you can make a bad mess if it's not mixed correctly, and applied during its spreadable-window.

Learn how to use the two-part for heavy mods and deep fills, and save the one-part for small flaws and very thin surface skim coats.

My opinion is based on long experience. This model could not have been done using one-part filler for the major work.   http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/81398-mickey-thompsons-challenger-1-1959-press-intro-version-in-bare-metal/

Build thread here:    http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/65965-mickey-thompsons-challenger-one-still-alive-feb-8/

 

[aurfalien]

Great explanation, thank you very much.

BTW, a very recent thread asked how you got that finish?  Is it Metalizer by chance?

[Ace-Garageguy]

Great explanation, thank you very much.

BTW, a very recent thread asked how you got that finish?  Is it Metalizer by chance?

You're very welcome.

I just posted the answer on that thread, just now this very minute.