sanding, decals, clear and color sand?

[outragis]

so, before I clear, I should sand and imperfections out of the paint with 1000, 1500, and 2000?

then do I apply decals before clear?

then after clear should I color sand with 1500, 2000, 2500 grit paper then polish?

what would be the best procedure?

Thanks in advance

[Bluemiles22]

Before the clear wet sand everything out. I usually sand orange peel out with the courser grit, usually the 2400 first, and go all the way up to 12000. Then I clear and repeat the same steps. I would start with a higher grit than 1000 though. bad orange peel can be sanded out with 2400 easily. Wet sanding is a pain but the results of doing it this way are well worth it. As for the decals I personally don't clear over them but that's up to you, I you want to lay them down after you wet sand your color coat. The more polished the surface is under the decal the better. Hope this helps.

[Chillyb1]

You could try performing a search. There have been a lot of threads that recap common procedures of this sort. I think most modelers sand/polish after color coats if necessary, then apply clear. There are to distinct camps that divide the community of modelers concerning clear and decals: 1) Clear then decals, and 2) Decals then clear. It is up to you.

Personally, I detest any sanding and/or polishing involved in modeling. It is tedious and annoying. So I try to eliminate the necessity of doing those nasty tasks by shooting paint that doesn't need any such treatment:

It is further worth nothing an important distinction regarding the use of ###s (that's not an oath, but literally means numbers) and "grit" when describing these procedures: There are standard grit ratings for sand papers and sanding films, and there are other separate numeric notations for MicroMesh abrasives (and still other for international systems and those indicating microns, et cetera). For example, if you sand/polish/abrade your paint job with 2000 grit paper and then follow up with 2400 MicroMesh you are actually moving backwards and you'll find bigger scratches in your paint and will subsequently be disappointed and discouraged. (Ask me how I know this.) Look here for clarification: http://www.sisweb.co.../conversion.htm

So, when someone says start with 2400 and work up to 12000, they mean start with 900 grit and work up to 4000ish, or start with 12 microns and work up to 2.

Edited October 4, 2012 by Chillyb1

[outragis]

Thank you very much, you guys clarified alot! I am used to 1;1 cars, and was not sure about the decal and clear part

[Bluemiles22]

No problem. The method I described works with enamels, if your painting with lacquer you can sand between coats after it flashes, and then polish the last coat. I would try and avoid putting lacquer clear over decals though, they may wrinkle.