Repairing Rub-thru's

[wdcav]

I've got this Viper body I'm working on, and kind of using it as an experiment. I've polished it up real nice, finishing with 12000 grit pads. Problem is I've been having a really rough time rubbing thru the paint on edges and corners. And since the 06 Viper is full of edges, it's been kind of tough. No huge spots, but little lines of gray at the very tip of sharp corners, like the inset body vents, rear of the roof line, spoiler leading edge. So I got out a very fine brush and touched the spots up delicately. But at the end, the spots don't shine right, so I CAREFULLY tried to polish them up as well, leading back to a rub thru, as this paint just doesn't seem as tough the second time around. It's a vicious circle at this point. Anyone have tips on how to fix this, blending it with the rest of the awesomeness?

Also, what's the absolute best way to prevent this? I was as careful as my technique-challenged hands could muster, but still have spots. I was thinking that before overall body coverage, I could put several thin layers over edges and tough spots before painting the body, tracing the airbrush around the spots I know will be likely problems. That way the paint would be thicker there when it comes time to polish. Is that a likely remedy or a waste of time?

[MrObsessive]

Matt, in my experience of painting, there's no easy fix for rub throughs without maybe masking off that area, repainting and carefully polishing that area again.

You don't say what kind of paint you've used, but if it's enamel-----that will rub through easier than say acrylic enamels or lacquers. I have had a tough time with Tamiya sprays rubbing through which is the reason I'm not a big fan of their paints as nice as they are though.

One thing that'll help with edges is to lightly round off those edges (not too much) when you do your basic body work. That way the paint won't want to draw away that much from the edge and the sanded surface will give the paint something to grab onto.

This is especially important around door lines where the model has molded in "troughs" around the shut lines-----------a sanding block is necessary here to make everything flat and even.

You may want to practice also on maneuvering your rubbing out techniques to keep away as much from the edges as possible....................this will take some practice though.

Others here on the board may have their own solutions to this problem.

HTH!

[MrObsessive]

One more thing to add Matt............You mentioned about spraying light coats around edges beforehand. You can try that, but on some cars that have scripts and whatnot around those edges, you just gotta be careful not to bury the scripts and detail under too much paint.

[wdcav]

Sorry, should have mentioned the paint brand I guess. I use MM acrylics. This time around, True Blue Pearl. Fine color, just horrifying to fix.

I'll try that next time, rounding off the edges before painting.

I can sure tell you this Viper is full of spots that just don't like me.

[MrObsessive]

Sorry, should have mentioned the paint brand I guess. I use MM acrylics. This time around, True Blue Pearl. Fine color, just horrifying to fix.

I'll try that next time, rounding off the edges before painting.

I can sure tell you this Viper is full of spots that just don't like me.

That's why I LOVE building '50's cars...................nice and round body lines without those pesky sharp edges!

Yes, MM acrylics are a softer paint which will rub through easier than automotive brands...............I think switching types if you can will go a long way towards remedying your trouble.

[935k3]

To prevent them you can put small thin strips of masking tape on the sharp edges before polishing. I have touched some cars up carefully painting with a pint brush along the line or masking and airbrushing. Black cars are the easiest, I just use a Sharpie.

Edited March 19, 2008 by 935k3

[CAL]

What's already mentioned.

Sanding the body first knocking down all the high spots and sharp edges help a lot. Priming and wet sanding again helps to eliminate those surpises. Think and plan ahead "edging" and hitting those high spots with an extra coat or two. Paint choice makes a difference not only on how it lays down but how much you can work it.

Unfortunately unless it's a solid color, you can't just touch those spots up.

The movement though is to get a good base color coat down and nib, buff, and polish the clear only. I know that's not always going to happen, but that is the direction a lot are going to.

[wdcav]

Here's my progress on the main body shell so far.

This is it after the paint was polished down, ending with 12000 grit, and then a coat of unpolished Future on it that's dry in the pics. I'll probably polish the future, decal it, and seal the decals over with another heavy coat of Future polished to shine. The pictures don't do it justice right now. The second pic you can kinda make out how "wet" it looks, but it's 100% dry. I finally got so frustrated with the trunk piece that I stripped it down and you can see it behind the car in one of the pics, going back to primer.

I'm hoping I can get it to come out better the second time and get it matched up to the body nicely.