I Can't Paint For Nothin'

[martinfan5]

excellent advice ..don't scrimp on tape.. get out of home depot ! and buy some darn automotive grade masking tape. !

Thats my problem, I use hardware store tape, I need to change that, that is really good advice, I need to take it too. I know for me its just easy to grab a roll when out shopping at wally world, oh wait, I think wally world sells auto tape too.

Inner coat clear?, is that the same as a clear coat?, or a different type of clear?

Edited February 24, 2012 by martinfan5

[MikeMc]

The olde man will tell you I'm the lacquer boy....and I am :P BUT I will tell you between His DVD and Bob Downie's Books....You will learn a incredable amount about painting models. I would Mention Pat Covert, but Donns DVD has me spoiled !!

[LoneWolf15]

Yo ! Laquer Boy ! Where's my enamel paint job you promised ? Still waitingggggggggg!!!!! Lmao!

Jonathan ,

The DVD will help you , I promise ! As for an airbrush , once you use it , you'll never want to use anything else again ! Ask Mikey !

As for the tape , the man is correct ! When you use quality products and combine it with patience , your finished result is always better by far !

Cheap is never better ! Careening around , using the cheapest product available at the

moment does not allow for consistency . When you use quality products , you become familiar with them and this allows you to develop consistent results !

Are your kits cheap ? Nope ! Why take a chance on screwing up your investment by using the cheapest whatever when it comes to your supplies ?

Not trying to preach at you , just want you to avoid O'l Murphy & Lady Trial N Error however I can ! They are expensive individuals !!

[martinfan5]

I agree with you Donn, I have been buying a lot Japanese kits lately, and at $30 or more plus shipping, the last thing I want to do is screw them up. I know enough to get those in between paint jobs, not paint bombs, not show quality.

This is how I look at it, I dont build for contest, so I am not out to get a show quality finish just for something thats going to sit on the shelf and collect dust, but at the same time, I dont want paint bombs sitting on the shelf either. But I have nothing against learning how to better my painting skills at the same time, I may one day want to do contests builds.

I dont do a lot of paint jobs that need masking, but thats for a reason, they never come good. I think the only thing I go cheap on is masking tape. I have ruined a $ 60 kit because I was trying to be cheap and use krylon paint, I learned that day.

Edited February 24, 2012 by martinfan5

[LoneWolf15]

Cheap's a rotten creature , isn't it ? Comes right back around and bites you right square in the hind parts ! Lol !

Betcha won't do that again , huh ? Hey ! Lesson learned ! With the Internet , you young guys can profit from us older idiots mistakes without having to pay or learn the hard way on your own !

That doesn't seem fair somehow ......... Lol !

[martinfan5]

Yes the cheap rotten cheapster got me on that one, I learned a lot, I learned that if you want to use krylon, use a automotive primer and maybe even a primer sealer . I learned that I will only use automotive primers from now on , but from that I also learned that testing the paint you want to use on part of the kit that wont be seen or the sprue to make sure the paint is not to hot for the plastic

No its not fair, but least you are helping out the newer generations of modelers , but you know what they same about fair right

[LoneWolf15]

Well , this is my observation . The new generation is no where near as stubborn as mine is . More apt to throw in the towel rather then muddle through it !

I figure the more help that we can provide in avoiding the pitfalls we went through , the better for the hobby , the more young modelers hang in with the hobby , the more money spent , etc , etc , the hobby wins , so do we all !

Remember , it does not matter how many times you get knocked down in a fight . The only thing that matters is how many times you get back up ! Lol !

So , when it comes to fussin' with Murphy or The Lady , I'm always willing to help out !

[martinfan5]

You bring up a good point Donn, the younger generation not so much mine as we are in our 30s now, but the one after me, has very short attention spans, and even more so with the generation after that, so I can see if the younger modelers get frustrated and then giving up. But if we can help them learn , either by helping them on here, or thru your DVD, or both, then maybe we might help keep them in the hobby, which like you said , its a win win for everyone.

[LoneWolf15]

You are correct ! Where the true life blood for the hobby lies , however ? My generation !

The guys that are coming back in after a long hiatus called life ! Kids are raised , retired or soon to be , have money , and they are looking for something to while away the hours with !

What better place to capture or relive a part of your childhood than model cars ? This is where the future of the hobby lies at this time . Now , try to convince certain aspects of the hobby of this fact , they'll just laugh at you !

[Terry Sumner]

. don't waste your money on frog tape as the paint blocking traits are for waterbased paint.

Thanks for that little bit of info. I was going to give that stuff a try......

[martinfan5]

Yes thank you for that as well, I was wondering if it would work for models as well

[Mike Kucaba]

One of the best tips I've seen recently was Truscale's application of a clear coat over every different color.This protects the previous color IF the subsequent colors don't lay down like you wanted. Also,try and spray AWAY from the tape edge,not into it. Using Lacquer is probably easier to to do due to it's faster drying time. Airbrushing enamel &/or lacquer helps immensely in success of any multi-color paint work.

[935k3]

Tamiya tape is the best, it is a little expensive but it never bleeds as long as it properly applied. It has just the right tackineess. this paint job was done with it. A polishing kit can help cleanup any bleed you do run into and you can knock down the separation line if too high with the polishing kit..This paint job was done with Tamiya tape.

[Dave Ambrose]

you should have seen my early paint jobs. On second thought, maybe not. It takes practice. I still run into paint drama with almost every build, but now I know I can fix it with some sandpaper and a couple more coats of paint.

I use the blue 3M masking tape. But, more importantly, I use a burnishing tool along the edges. It was originally used for dry transfer lettering. Not sure where you get them now days. You might find one at an art supply store like Blick's.

The burnishing pretty much eliminates bleeding.

As for spraying, with either airbrush or spray can, I found it very helpful to actually stop spraying the paint at the end. So aim the can beyond the model, start the spray, and move the spray across the model. When you get past the end, stop the spray. I don;t know exactly why this works, but my paint jobs improved a lot when I did.

You can get a cardboard box and a cheap can of Krylon or something from Wally World, and just practice on the box. Work on getting even coverage with no drips, runs, or sags. I still practice on some newsprint when I'm not feeling confident about my paint mix or painting conditions. It helps a lot.

.

[BKcustoms]

Ok, I think my earlier post about killing the tape was poorly worded, I was referring to masking after the paint job has been finished to avoid scratches while assembling the model, for masking two tone paint, I only use 3M fine line. Sorry for any confusion I caused.

[Rob McKee]

I follow a simple process when painting model cars:

1. Wash all part in warm water and dish detergent.
   
2. Let air dry.
   
3. Prepare the body pieces that will be painted (sanding, body work, etc.)
   
4. The final body sand is done under the tap to ensure all dust is removed.
   
5. Air dry again.
   
6. Apply primer in 2 light coats (I use Tamiya)
   
7. 2 - 3 lightly misted color coats allowing 10 - 15 minutes in between coats. (I use tamiya or testors laquer paints)
   
8. My final color coat is a wet coat. (Take your time to build up a nice liquid shine)
   
9. Clear coat is applied 30 - 60 minutes after the wet coat.
   

I may have missed something here. I am no expert at painting and I have failed many times before I started doing the above. The other tip I would offer is to put the car with its wet paint under a warm light. I have a little halogen desk lamp I use for this purpose. Just don't put it to close to avoid melting or warping the body.

I own 4 or 5 airbrushes. I mainly use them for aircraft modelling or spraying alclad. I would like to pickup Donn's dvd as well. One can always learn more when it come to the art of painting.

Rob

[The70judgeman]

The one thing I've seen after reading all the posts after mine is "buy Donn's video(s)". That's all fine and dandy. I'm not ripping on his videos at all. I want to get them myself. My point is it's easy to show and/or tell somebody "how to paint a model car, or whatever", prep, prime, mask(if needed), paint, etc.... But, you can only get so far by that. You can do all of this easy enough. You have to take what you've learned and practice, practice, PRACTICE! It's the only way to get better at all of it. Watch, listen, and then do. I've been building models for about 30 years and, like everyone, am still learning new techniques to make a better model.

[cruz]

So many ways....So little time... I would advice just 2 things, practice and the mastering of a polishing system. You can have beautiful finishes with a can or an airbrush, the difference is that you will spend less time glossing and smoothing up your finishes with an airbrush vs the can. Lots of great tips on here though, ain't this forum the best one!!!

[Jeff Johnston]

I use only Tamiya (however you say it) tape. You lay a strip down on a clean piece of glass and make narrow cuts to get finer lines.

Yup me too, exactly the same. My opinion is if you use the Tamiya tape it will work best. I have never had issues with it and it leaves a very straight line.

Another trick is to put a coat of clear down over the tape prior to painting the second color. This will seal it and prevent any color leaking under the tape. Spray very light mist coats or the paint will just make the tape wet and it'll seep through.

[Rob McKee]

Yup me too, exactly the same. My opinion is if you use the Tamiya tape it will work best. I have never had issues with it and it leaves a very straight line.

Another trick is to put a coat of clear down over the tape prior to painting the second color. This will seal it and prevent any color leaking under the tape. Spray very light mist coats or the paint will just make the tape wet and it'll seep through.

That is a great idea using clear coat first. Thanks Jeff