Help, I stripped my paintjob 3 times

[sampean]

To all modeling gurus, please help...

I primed the body using tamita white primer, and it looks good.

I decanted tamiya ts paint and waited at least 6 hours before i load it in my airbrush..

1st coat - mist coat (looks and feel a little grainy)

2nd coat - mist coat (looks and feel a little grainy)

3rd coat - wet coat

4th coat - wet coat

But evertime I shoot the wet coat, I always got this "tiny craters" somewhat like the surface of the moon..

Where am I doing wrong? Can anybody enlighted me? Tried it 3x already.. Stripped it 3 times too..

Another question, I planned to apply futures and then apply decals, after that will shoot urethane. Is urethane over futures safe?

Thanks guys.

[Psychographic]

It sounds like you are either spraying to dry, or need to thin it a bit more. How smooth was the surface of the primer?

What's the purpose of waiting 6 hours before spraying? Maybe on that 6 hour span the solvents are evaporating out and leaving the paint too thick.

All the wet coats in the world won't smooth out the coat underneath it, unless of course you add so many that you just have a blob a paint with a model hidden under it somewhere.

Are you sure the craters aren't fisheyes or solvent pop?

Edited January 6, 2012 by Psychographic

[Kit Basher]

Sometimes craters are caused by silicone contamination. After stripping it 3 times, and since the primer is OK, that is pretty unlikely, but if you're using cleaners or polish that might have silicone in them, it might have gotten into your AB or the paint. It only takes a tiny amount. This is probably not your problem, but something to think about.

[Casey]

Read this. It should help: http://www.tamiyausa.com/articles/feature.php?article-id=35

[LoneWolf15]

Simple solution ... Move in closer with your airbrush , you are shooting from too far away . Your problem with the graininess or sandlike texture is a result of your paint drying before it reaches the surface of your models's body .

[Guest]

Some soaps have a moisturizer in them which will leave an oily residue behind. Make sure the soap or whatever you're using to wash your model with doesn't have a moisturizer in it. Also,try spraying your Tamiya paint straight from the can and see how it does. I never decant and airbrush Tamiya paint because it sprays so well right out of the can.

[VW Dave]

I don't airbrush, but I might be able to offer some advice as well; the silicone contamination did cross my mind as well.

When I shoot a similar series of coats with rattle cans, I wet sand each the initial misty coats with at least 700 grit paper(maybe even 1000 if I can put my hand to it at the time). Like a previous post stated, all the wet coats in the world won't smooth out the coat beneath.

[sampean]

Hmmm...

Correct me if Iam wrong..

1. Mist coat.. (sand it if its not smooth)

2. Mist coat.. ( also sand id its not smooth)

3. Wet coat ( sand )

4. wet coat ( sand)

5. Cut and buff?

[VW Dave]

If you make the initial coats smooth enough, you can often get away without sanding or polishing the top coat(s).

I shot this Beetle in Testors rattle can enamel back in the summer of 1996; 2 misty coats, wet sanded with 800 grit, followed by one wet coat. No clear, no polish, and I've had folks tell me they were sure it was airbrushed. Pardon the dust in the pic....I didn't see it, but my camera did.

[sampean]

I've solved the problem,

It seems the problem is the dish washing detergent that I use.

Now I use simple green cleaner and the problem is solve. Thanks guys for the input.

Cheers..