All I can say is "WOW"!

[jayhkr]

Well I have just finished airbrushing my very first model car. I used Donn's techniques and all I can say is WOW! I mean, it might be a gloss black, but I didn't think it would be GLOSS black! I can't wait till it is gassed out and dry for the next step! Which brings me to a few questions:

I'm going to give it till Thursday till I do the next step which, if I understood what Donn said correctly, I want to start with 4000 grit sandpaper and sand all the areas up to 12000, correct? Being said about how much pressure should I be using while sanding? The last thing I want to do is jack up this already awesome looking paint job. I know it's impossible to state how heavy/light of pressure, but I was thinking of barely any pressure at all when it comes to this. Also what kind of tips do you guys have for doing raised areas of the hood and the like? I mean if I don't hit every square millimeter with the sand paper is it going to give a horrible uneven appearance?

After the sanding is all complete, I want to apply Future polish on it. This is where I will be deviating from Donn's way and doing it my way (this is just cheaper for me in the "future") I would like to apply this via the airbrush and have read that in doing so I may get runs unless I do super light mist coats over a fairly long duration. The length of time it takes to apply does not bother me. It's how long do I wait between mist coats before I add the next?

Lastly what is the best way to clean out the airbrush from the Future? Lacquer thinner?

I can't wait till I get some pictures posted. There are already a few pics up of the "before Donn's technique" so in a later post I will show the before, during and after (assuming all turns out after the sanding).

Anyways thank you guys for what you've taught me so far. It's amazing what these cars can turn out to look like given the right info!

[niteowl7710]

If you don't have a bunch of dust and junk in the paint, I'd start at 6,000 or maybe even 8,000 (if you have one of the old.school Micro-Mesh kits that included that in-between grit. You always want to start at the highest number possible, as you can always drop down a grit if necessary, but once you cut through the paint accidentally from starting too low...well...

You can't use too much water, but you can use too little. Every so often dry the part off to check your progress. Make sure you alternate directions with each grit (aka back & forth, then up & down), or you'll just wind up with a lot of scratches facing the same direction.

Pressure is a learned skill, and there's really no way to describe it other than "as light as possible to get the job done". Remember you're not block sanding a plank of wood.

[Terry Sumner]

Well I advise srongly against using Future as a top coat. It was never meant for what you want to do with it... however it's yours and of course you should do whatever you want with it. But to answer your question, the best thing to clean out Future with is ammonia.

[DavidChampagne]

Do you need to sand it? I would not sand it just to sand it because it is one of the steps. If you don't have orange peel or specs of dust or anything like that, why sand it at all.

I am certainly no master of the airbrush but have seldom if ever sanded after painting, and I am satisfied with the results.

Sounds like you are impressed already with the finish. Plus, I think black is one of the harder colors to get good results.

I know that when I wet sand primer for the last time, I start with a fine fine sandpaper and go courser if needed then work up again to a finer grit.

Good luck. Hope to see the pics soon.

What car is it?

[Harry P.]

I don't know about this future stuff everyone keep's mentioning but I wouldn't use it either... Because its not meant to be used as a clear coat for modelling... Just my opinion.

Cheers & good luck.

Future is nothing more than clear acrylic, so yes, it can be used as a clear coat. I've done it myself. True, there are other alternatives, but Future can be used as a clearcoat. No reason why not.

[mikemodeler]

I agree with David in that if the paint is free of orange peel and dust, it may not need to be polished. Black is very unforgiving so if it looks good as is, I would lightly polish it with Novus or The Treatment wax and be done with it. Very light pressure and be careful around ridges and body lines so that you don't burn through the paint.

Before doing anything, post up some pictures here so we have a better idea of how the paint looks before.

As far as Future goes, it can be applied by hand with a brush, dipped in a container and left to dry or sprayed with an airbrush, your choice. While not designed for models, it can be used on them without worrying about damaging them. If you need to remove the Future after it is applied, you can use Windex (or any other amonia based cleaner) to clean up.

[Guest]

I tried airbrushing future over a black paint job once. Note I said once. It didn't work well at all. It kept running down to the bottom and pooling. I kept having to wick it off with a paper towel. I had sanded the paint and the shine never did come back even after three coats. I stripped the future off with Windex and sprayed it with one coat of the old Testors clear enamel and it came out looking really nice and shiny. I think that was the last paint job that I used Testors enamel on. I only spray with laquers now.

[LoneWolf15]

Well , I'm glad you're pleased with the turnout , that is a good thing ! You need to go back and watch the last segment on the DVD again which covers wet sanding and polishing ! That will answer your questions right there !

You have two choices , you can either wet sand the existing finish and polish it out to a high gloss or apply a clear coat . As long as your finish is free of debris , start at 4000 or 6000 under cold running water and work your way up to 12000. From there , follow the steps in the DVD on polishing out the finish .

As for using Future , that's on you ! It certainly wouldn't be my choice , but , it's your model !

Remember what I said in the DVD , cheap always comes back to bite you in the hindquarters ! Congrats on your paint job , I'm really happy that the DVD helped out !

[jayhkr]

I will be getting some pictures up as soon as I can. Thanks guys for all the feedback! I know we all have our personal preferences so it's hard to hear one thing, one way and another thing on another way.

Thanks Again!

[mikemodeler]

When all else fails, follow Donn's advice as he has mastered the art of a shiny paint job. I have seen his paint jobs in person and quite honestly, they are much better than the pictures on here show them!

[jayhkr]

I would love to see some of his work in person. Heck I would like to have a show just in my area period. Seems like Kansas City gets overlooked on cool things like this. But I will take Donn's advice as best as I can. I've already bought the Future so I'll see how that turns on on my first model and maybe do the spray clear on my second just to compare. I saw a video of a guy who dunked his windshields in it and they came out super sparkly. My windshield has a nice light scratch on it so I'm hoping it'll cover that up a bit. We'll see, this is just my first of hopefully many models to come! Glad I got back into this hobby.

[Ben]

Hey Edward, show us that shiny black paint job! You can find out everything you ever wanted to know about using Future floor polish here:

http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html

[Lunajammer]

Heck I would like to have a show just in my area period. Seems like Kansas City gets overlooked on cool things like this.

Are you kidding? The Heartland Model Car Nationals is in your back yard.

http://www.kcslammer...les/Page648.htm

Edited March 6, 2012 by Lunajammer

[jayhkr]

Are you kidding? The Heartland Model Car Nationals is in your back yard.

http://www.kcslammer...les/Page648.htm

LOL, I couldn't find their website after the first time I was there! Thanks Mike! The better part if that convention center is 5 minutes from me!!! Thank you so much!

As far as the pictures go, I'm currently away from home at the moment but will get some posted as soon as I get back. Need to setup a cheap/quick photo booth to get the light just right on that shine!

Thanks again guys!