Dust Specks on paint

[Big Daddy]

I just finished painting body and through all my percautions i still got 3 specks of dust that settled on paint how can i get them off with out messing up paint job ,,( painted with boyd enamel )

[Mike Kucaba]

Let the paint really cure,Use the sniff test, And then sand &/or polish out the specks and reshoot. Don't forget to wash off the body and when dry,use a tack rag right before painting.

[Bartster]

Not trying to hijack here, but I have the same problem(painting outside, arghh). What is a tack rag?

[Mike Kucaba]

It's a cloth saturated with a sticky rosin type stuff. You gently rub on the car body and it removes dust and other crud before painting. I see them at Hobby lobby under testors label,or you can go to a auto body supply and get them there. They are too large for model cars,so I open the package and open them up and cut them to a more manageable size. You don't rub hard ,just gently and there is no need to wash the body after,just shoot the paint.

[cruz]

Painting can be a pretty tedious process specially when you are going for the perfect paintjob or in my case, when you are a little too picky. I like to lightly mist my first 3 coats, let the paint dry and check for any particles. If all is well, I will continue with slightly heavier or wet coats, let it dry and check again. If I do encounter any dust or particles, I will wetsand and continue painting after I am satisfied. I will do the same thing with the clear if I decide to clear coat. Remember, you get out what you put in.

[Big Daddy]

everything was going great, first time spraying a pearl and it turned out great , i have a old fridge thats not working so i put them in there when i'm done for a few days and from the paint booth to the fridge there they were 3 particals inbedded in the paint grrrrr

[Guest]

When I'm finished spraying paint, I leave the room for at least a couple of hours to avoid stirring up dust and to allow the model to dry a little before I move it.

[espo]

Your in a cooler climate, be sure that you are not whereing any wool clothing. If you have even been whereing a wool shirt while working on your model and later try to paint it it will sometimes get into the paint.

[knyte91]

Hi gang,

I am painting a hood. I use Tamiyas primer. I wash the hood let it air dry. Unfortunately I have to paint in the basement which is always cool. I use the tack cloth but always get dust particles in the paint. I have redone the hood twice now. Its still in primer but has dust in the paint. Any ideas what to do? This is getting annoying. I use rattle can until I get what I need for my airbrush.

[phil-east]

i'm the same as cruz, i just keep checking and wetsanding untill i'm happy. I also never move the model when the paint is wet and i leave the room whilst the paint drys. I paint in a shed in my back garden so dust particles can be an issue but i'm just thorough with my sanding and carefull with cleanliness around my painting area.

[knyte91]

i'm the same as cruz, i just keep checking and wetsanding untill i'm happy. I also never move the model when the paint is wet and i leave the room whilst the paint drys. I paint in a shed in my back garden so dust particles can be an issue but i'm just thorough with my sanding and carefull with cleanliness around my painting area.

I dont touch it after I paint it. I also leave the basement for awhile. Looks like I will have to wet sand it down. What grit of sandpaper do I use? Im just trying to get this right. The body turned out fine but the hood is giving me issues.

[phil-east]

i use a 1500 grit wet and dry paper, i make sure the area to be sanded stays wet throughout and i lightly sand it down in a circular motion. i then clean it off and respray. Have you tried doing lighter coats with the spray and building it up more gently ?

[knyte91]

Hi,

Yes I have done the lighter coats & it turned out much better. I used a tack cloth before I primered the hood. Still havent painted the actual color. So far no more dust but I will check before I paint the next color. Thank you for the help.

[phil-east]

no problems at all, i'm pretty new to building and i've picked up a lot from the guys on this forum, i'm just happy to help for a change ! usually it's me asking for advise.

Good luck with the colour, let me know how it turns out, the wet sanding gets me some much better results so i now do it with every coat of paint i apply regardless of if it needs it or not.

[knyte91]

I have another question... I need to cover the hood to paint the scoop. Can I use the liquid mask or should I use tape? If I use tape, what kind do I use? The hood is still in primer. Main color is silver. Just dont want to peel off the paint if I use tape.

[phil-east]

i have just started using 6mm Tamiya masking tape and love it ! before i was using poor quality masking tape from a pound shop and had nothing but trouble. the tamiya stuff has been fine for me in terms of not pulling paint away and i am now getting nice clean edges too.

I have only used masking fluid for small intricate details so i'm not sure about using it on a larger area. I'd expect it would be fine as long as you keep the edges neat and tidy.

[knyte91]

There's alot I still have to get. I did try the liquid mask on the hood & it peeled off fine. Had to put on 3 layers but other than that it turned out good. Im thinking the tape will be better since I dont have to wait for tape to dry. I appreciate all the info. Going to a friends house later to learn how to use my airbrush. hope it goes well as Im nervous & hate bad paint jobs.

[phil-east]

i have used an airbrush a few times but i'm average at best with it, i use rattle cans whenever i can but if the colour i need isn't available i use the airbrush.

when i use the masking fluid i always put it on really thick, did you get nice neat lines using the liquid ?

[knyte91]

I was happy with the lines just not when I tried to paint the scoop. I think my masking was alittle too close so I touched it up with brush paint. I ended up stripping the hood down & starting over. As of now, its still in primer.

I usually use rattle cans myself but would like to get used to an airbrush.

[sportandmiah]

I recommend the new painters here search the Donn Yost related threads and posts. All your questions will be answered.

[MitchP]

Old thread, new feedback. Yes to a simple 19.95 to Donn Yost and his DVD. He gives tips for both shaker cans and spray systems.

Big thumbs up to Cruz, whom I got good step by step instruction from, but never mastered it on my 1st model. I'm proud to say that after building and detailing 3 additional models, I finally got the courage to try again. It gets tough getting motivated to try more builds when your bench is filled with 3-4 finished chassis! Anyway, I finally got one of those $80 paint booths that vents to a window. Despite following all steps and getting a great finishing primer on and getting 3 great misting coats, somewhere during the 4 base coats the lovely fibrous filter included in the booth shed about 4 nits. Let's just say you get what you pay for.

Anyway, despite my concerns of having to strip the body, I followed Cruz's instructions and used some 3600 to gradually remove the nits by rubbing a circular motion. After a wash and then drying with a modelling (lint) cloth, I resprayed a light misting layer. Right now it in the booth drying and will remain covered for the needed drying time until I'm ready to clear.

My point? Have no fear. Search here. Someone has the answer and there are many good suggestions!

[DrGlueblob]

I run my booth fan for several minutes prior to painting. I also have a spray bottle of water and spray a light mist over all the booth surfaces before painting. Keeps the Dust Bunnies away.

[Stuntman Mike]

I let my freshly painted bodies rest upside down as soon as the painting is done. I tape a bent clothes hanger to the inside of the body. While painting the wire acts as a grip, after painting the wire acts as a hanger. This method has minimized dust specks to almost zero on my builds.

[MitchP]

+1 - DrGlueblob. I also warm the spray can up in a small tupperware container a little bit before shooting. I also leave the fan running for a while so the house doesn't fume up.

Stuntman Mike - Awesome idea! Now that the weather is better here in VA, I've been painting outside in the garage, sitting the body on a 2x4 propped between a couple of buckets. That leaves a lot of risk for dust to circulate.

I've got my last body, the Shoebox Ford, ready to paint the exterior and I'm going to try your suggestion.

Does anyone have a recommended clear coat BTW? I've tried Testors and it must have been hot or bad as it reacted with the Testors "One Coat" Revvin' Red metallic base coat and I had to wet sand some areas with 3600 and re-mist the areas, then add another wet coat for good measure. I've tried the floor clean & shine tip on my first model last year, a '66 Nova and it turned out very shiny, but I don't know what will happen to decals in the long run.