Polishing Paint?

[PHPaul]

I've seen several references to "polishing" models, either to restore the finish or as a final step to a new paint job.

I scanned through the "Future" thread (and learned a lot about that product and it's uses in modeling) but didn't see anything specific about polishing the paint.

So...

Are we talking about applying a coat of wax, or using rubbing compound and actually rubbing/buffing out the paint?

Is there a tutorial somewhere I'm missing about how to do this?

[SfanGoch]

Methods are like nose hairs, everybody has their own. Since the board's search function is less than useless when using specific search parameters, try this:

http://site:modelcarsmag.com rubbing/buffing out the paint

You'll get specific results to your question. A whole lotta them.

 

Edited February 13, 2020 by SfanGoch

[PHPaul]

Had to reverse the link (put the site designation on the end) to get it to work, but yup!  Should have thought of that.

Thanks!

[SfanGoch]

My fault. I didn't leave a space between the colon and modelcarsmag like this:

http://site: modelcarsmag.com rubbing/buffing out the paint

[Ramfins59]

I've used several techniques to "polish" the paint on a model, always after a couple of good coats of clear first.  Once the paint and clearcoats have fully dried and cured (at least 2 full days for lacquer paints), I have used;

Novus 2 Plastic Polish -  Squirt or pour some either onto the part of the car you want to work on, or, onto a piece of soft cloth like flannel or an old T-shirt, and rub... rub...rub... wiping off the polish after awhile to check how smooth the finish on the clearcoat is getting.                                                    Continue doing this until you achieve the desired "smoothness" or finish that you are looking for.

MicroMesh Polishing Kit -  This is a series of very fine grades of polishing cloths, from 2400 grit to 12,000 grit.  Depending on how rough your initial paint finish is, you'll usually start with the lowest grit cloth and sand away until you have an even "dull"  finish where you're                                                    working.  This may seem counterproductive to be dulling the finish that you're trying to make shiny and smooth, but keep on...  Move to the next grade of cloth and do it all over again.  What that second sheet is doing is removing the scratches                                                     that the first sheet made.  That's why you should always apply several good coats of clear, because the polishing cloths are removing some of the clearcoat.  Continue moving on to the higher grades of polishing cloths until you finish with the                                                     final 12,000 grit.  Now you should have a pretty much "perfectly" polished paint finish.  Stay away from high points and raised edges with the cloths or you'll go completely through the clearcoats and paint.  Once done completely you can wax.                                                    Good luck.

 

[Greg Wann]

Try some Bare Metal Foil brand plastic polish.  It's cheap and works great on paint too.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I polish every build regardless of how the finish turns out.

I find that a polished paint job looks more realistic than unpolished as a rule.

Often, even a perfect shiny paint job can have a toy like "hard candy" appearance that looks out of place.

Polishing will add a nice correct sheen.

 

I use "Micro-Mesh" pads, followed by Novus polishes, and finished with some Turtle Wax "Scratch and Swirl Remover".

 

 

 

 

Steve

[SfanGoch]

Quote

Try some Bare Metal Foil brand plastic polish.  It's cheap and works great on paint too.

It's essentially the same as Novus 2; except, you get twice as much Novus 2 (2 Fl. OZ. vs. 1 FL. OZ. for BMF polish) for the approximately the same price.

Edited February 14, 2020 by SfanGoch

[Miatatom]

If your question is how to polish Future, you can't.  I can't anyway.

[peteski]

"Future" (or whatever it's ever-changing name is now) is not a wax.  It is a "floor finish (acrylic clear coating).  Some people swear by it, others hate it.  I have used successfully to improve clarity of transparent model parts. Never tired to use as a clear coat over paint.

A great reference for this stuff is http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html