Polishing

[Haubenschild]

Do i clear coat , wetsand , polishing compound , wax? i just need some suggestions thanks

[LoneWolf15]

What type of paint did you use ?

[Haubenschild]

I am currenlty using Tamiya TS

[Mr. Can Am Garage]

Cleat coat, polish with a polishing cloth or pad, Glaze with Meguiars Professional (tan bottle) Glaze and then wax with Meguiars Professional (tan bottle) Hi Tech Yellow Wax.

[Haubenschild]

Thanks , this is a big help to me!

[LoneWolf15]

This is what I would do . Lightly wet sand your color coat overall , meaning the entire finish ! This way , not only is it smooth , your entire color coat is uniform If there isn't any debris in the paint or orange peal involved , start with 4000 and work your way up to 12000 under cold running water .

Wash it off , blow dry it off , shoot your clear on . Once it has flashed out , repeat the aforementioned steps with the clear coat . Polish it out with Novus 2 , wax it with the Final Detail Treatment wax , using small squares of 100 percent cotton T shirt .

This is my way , I'm sure you'll hear from some of the other members on the subject .

Wash

[Haubenschild]

Thanks lonewolf!

[Haubenschild]

when i wetsand should the paint look dull when i am finished , if this is wrong can somebody tell me how to wetsand properly?

[stulee11]

the paint should loose all it glossyness and be dull but be very careful not to sand to hard or much as you will go through the clear coat and into the colour then you will have to strip and start all over

[Haubenschild]

ok,thanks

[Haubenschild]

Should i apply the decals before , or after polishing?

[LoneWolf15]

After !

[Haubenschild]

will i have to clear the decals agian?, or can i just apply some liquid decal film

[crazyjim]

I put a few drops of Dawn dishwashing detergent into a bowl with water. The sandpaper seems to move easier.

[Haubenschild]

Thanks for the tip jim , how long should i sand with each piece of sandpaper , is there a way that i can tell when i should move up to higher grits?

[crazyjim]

Tough question, Liam. I go over everything with 2 passes for each grit, trying to stay off the edges. It's going to depend on the clear, how many coats, how thick the coats were. I usually put down 3 coats of clear, wait a day and then start sanding.

[Haubenschild]

thanks jim

[crazyjim]

Happy to try and help. Just go easy the first time and don't be surprised if you burn through in some places.

[Haubenschild]

yeah i sanded through some paint on hard edges on a torino once, if i do sand through should i strip the paint or add another coat?

[crazyjim]

Depends how bad the burn is. At times I've been able to touch up a burn(s) with a brush. Kandy over a basecoat is rough because you might have touch up both applications. Clear right over a basecoat color isn't too bad. Oh, all I use is House of Colors paint.

[Haubenschild]

i usually use model master and tamiya

[Haubenschild]

is the polishing process different if the paint is metallic?

[crazyjim]

Shouldn't be. You're going to be polishing the clear and the plan is NOT go through the clear to the paint.

[Evil Appetite]

for Metallics, if theres debris in it, i'll sand that spot smooth..shoot some more over that area then clear coat. you don't want to sand or polish metallics or pearls...kills the effect. shoot enough clear so you dont sand through it, then polish.

What i do when i'm sanding color is i'll use tamiya tape to cover the high edges so i don't burn through. I find if you're precise enough with the masking, you dont notice any difference in the final product.

[Haubenschild]

thanks mike!