New to resin.........need help

[nitro_force_fan]

I just got my 2 altered wheelbase mopars in today. They are resin so what is the first thing i need to do? Soak them first or sand them? What grade paper should i use. They look really good. Do i need to lightly go over it with some fine grit paper?....thanks.joe

[RAT-T]

HI JOE,

I HAVEN'T WORKED WITH RESIN MUCH, BUT WAS ALWAYS TOLD TO SOAK THEM IN WESTLEY'S BLEECH WHITE OR ANY STRONG DE-GREESER FOR A FEW DAYS BEFORE DOING ANYTHING TO IT

[cnaind]

Soaking in Bleche-White, Purple Power or other good degreaser is needed to remove any mold release & silicone oil that may be present. After that, you can primer,sand, fill, etc. Also remember to use super-type glue or epoxy for assembly. Hope this helps!

[dimaxion]

<p>Always use a de-greaser before any further resin modeling . Whestley's I've found to be best also . I think us Model Builders keep Whestley's products in business .</p>

<p>Use sanding procedures as any other form of plastic . It is softer and works faster while sanding / filing . This applies to both imperfections or trim removal for Custom Body work / de- Applications . Primer as usual for your prefered Painting procedure . Paint won't stick to bare resin . Even Interiors and Engine , Chassis and all of the rest . Primer is necessary . I've found it better to&nbsp;primer&nbsp;areas requiring putty work to prime resins first for the long run . BTW , this is why I build models . For the long run . Hope this clears things up . &nbsp; Thanx ..</p>

Edited December 31, 2012 by dimaxion

[george 53]

NEVER SAND RESIN TILL IT"S CLEAN!!!! If you don't, you'll force the release agent into the resin an it will not allow the paint to stick! Believe me on this, it has cost me. Just soak that rascal in Westley's to clean it off an then have at it!!!!!!!

[Bartster]

l was told NOT to use Purple Power on resin as it turns resin to gel ? I have no proof because l heeded this advice & always use Bleecha White. Any truth to this ?

Bart

[Guest]

l was told NOT to use Purple Power on resin as it turns resin to gel ? I have no proof because l heeded this advice & always use Bleecha White. Any truth to this ?

Bart

Haven't heard of Purple Power doing that. I would think that Purple Power and Westley's Bleche White are fairly similar products with both being degreasers. I've heard to never attempt to strip a resin body/parts with brake fluid.

[mikemodeler]

The resin caster should have included some instructions as to how to prep the resin parts. If you know who the caster is and don't have instructions, try contacting them.

As most have stated, using Westley's Bleech White is the common product that is used and recommended.

[Craig Irwin]

Haven't heard of Purple Power doing that. I would think that Purple Power and Westley's Bleche White are fairly similar products with both being degreasers. I've heard to never attempt to strip a resin body/parts with brake fluid.

I know it sounds strange but I've found lacquer thinner to be safe on resin. But I always test it on something small or scrap first.

[Art Anderson]

OK, to background this discussion a bit: I produced resin model car aftermarket kits and parts for 12 years (literally hundreds of thousands of individual cast resin parts!), and I had to find materials that would remove the mold barrier coat residues from those parts, not only for my customer's building my products, but also for cleaning up the thousands of grilles, bumpers, hubcaps, headlight and taillight bezels that had to be sent out for "chrome plating".

In my catalogs, which I included in each and every order sent out, I gave the instruction to use Westley's Bleche-White for cleaning off the paraffin based mold barrier material I (and many other resin casters used) from casting surfaces. Westley's active ingredient is TSP, or "Trisodium Phosphate", which is a very strong, water-based detergent, and will not harm polyurethane resin at all. It does, however, leave behind a truly "squeaky clean" surface. Now, TSP is available in another cleaning product well-known to American homeowners: "Spick N Span" is TSP based. TSP can also be bought in paint stores and home improvement stores as just that.

In my resin-casting, an early, and MAJOR problem was the adhesion of the clear coat used on the bare parts prior to vacuum metalizing, or the method by which model car parts get plated. I had to find a way to ensure that the chrome plating I was having done would not easily peel or flake off. The answer? In the autobody trade, body shops paint a lot of automotive "soft trim", you know, the soft plastic covers that go over real car bumper systems. Those flexible covers are simply a soft form of polyurethane resin, a soft, flexible version of the hard polyurethane resins used by model car resin casters. And, in order to ensure that the paint won't just fall off that bumper cover, there exist "adhesion" primers which make the automotive paint literally stick tight to that resin cover.

Adhesion primers for automotive soft trim can be found in any store catering to the professional automotive trade, in fact, most of the better auto parts stores across the country. The best of these are clear primers, you just clean the resin parts, spray the adhesion primer on them, let that dry, then lay down color coats--the stuff will keep the finish sprayed on the resin body for most, if not all eternity-and that is an experience-based result I have.

One other cleaner that can be used to clean urethane resins with impunity is common, ordinary naptha! Naptha, while a petroleum-based solvent, does not attack polyurethane resin in short exposures--I used that to clean all the tens of thousands of small resin parts I sent to platers, such as Chrome + (in Montreal), Chrometech, and Little Motor Kar Company. I had to prove the stuff worked to my satisfaction, so I took 3 or 4 rear bumper castings for my'40 Ford Woodie station wagon transkit, cleaned them with Naptha, sprayed them with SEM's clear adhesion primer, mounted them on plating frames and sent them out to be plated. When they came back, all nice and shiny, I took those bumpers, flexed and twisted them, trying to make the plating flake off--I was surprised to see that not a single bit of plating peeled or flaked off. One bumper broke in that test, but the other three were straightened out, I packaged those, and sent them out with kits--not one of those came back, nor did I ever hear any complaint about them. From then on, I used naptha to clean all chrome parts before plating (just put those parts in a food strainer, dunked them into a tub of naptha, and that took care of it. Naptha also has the characteristic of holding waxy or greasy contaminants in suspension, and does not redeposit those back onto the surface that has been degreased or cleaned. (on a side note, I would just dribble the waste naptha on weeds (not soaking the ground with it) and within hours, the weeds curled up and died!).

So there are materials that will clean polyurethane resin castings, without damaging them, and there are specialty primers out there that are readily available which will make paint adhere permanently to polyester resin bodies and parts.

Art

[Danno]

I've NEVER had a problem with Bleche Wite on any resin. It's the best and simplest, readily-available product for this purpose and it is easy to safely and responsibly dispose of when it is depleted.

I have not tried is ordinary naptha. But since Bleche Wite does everything I've ever needed, I had no reason to search for anything else.

Just my "too sense" worth!

[RAT-T]

GLAD SOMEONE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE PURPLE POWER POSSIBLY ATTACKING RESIN, I WAS GOING TO TRY SOAKING ONE OF MY BODIES IN IT AS IT IS A LOT CHEAPER THAN WESTLEY'S & IT COMES IN A GALLON JUG, CAN YOU GET WESTLEY'S IN A GAL? I'VE ONLY BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE SPRAY BOTTLE

ART, WOULD ETCHING PRIMER WORK JUST AS GOOD AS THE SEM STUFF?

[nitro_force_fan]

The resin caster should have included some instructions as to how to prep the resin parts. If you know who the caster is and don't have instructions, try contacting them.

As most have stated, using Westley's Bleech White is the common product that is used and recommended.

Well i bought them off of ebay and the seller said he bought them like 4 years ago and didnt remember who made them. They look like Speed City Resin ones.. Well i got them soaking in Wesleys bleach white now......so well see

[Art Anderson]

GLAD SOMEONE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE PURPLE POWER POSSIBLY ATTACKING RESIN, I WAS GOING TO TRY SOAKING ONE OF MY BODIES IN IT AS IT IS A LOT CHEAPER THAN WESTLEY'S & IT COMES IN A GALLON JUG, CAN YOU GET WESTLEY'S IN A GAL? I'VE ONLY BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE SPRAY BOTTLE

ART, WOULD ETCHING PRIMER WORK JUST AS GOOD AS THE SEM STUFF?

Self-etch primer is formulated to actually etch into metal, and as such, has no special or added effect on resin.

Art

[Art Anderson]

Hate to argue with you Art but according to the MSDS for Blech-Wite, it does not contain TSP.

It may have at some point but ???

Anyway, here's a link to the MSDS sheet on the product.

http://secure.cooperbooth.com/datasheets/4404202.pdf

The US formula did for years, but they may have changed it.

Art