Need Some Assistance With "ghosting" Panel Lines...

[LVZ2881]

I am working on a revell '71 cuda, with the seperate grille/lower front fenders. I got the kit in a trade, and the previous owner glued the grille assembly in with what looks to be epoxy, or really strong CA glue, and he did a really good job, with no discernable gap between the parts, either visually or by finger.

doesnt look like it needs filler at all.

the problem is that after priming with white primer, the gap is still visible, as a dark line.

do i need to seal with sealer first???

or just use darker primer, then overcoat with white primer, before it gets its hemi orange final coat.

[MrObsessive]

James, it sounds like he used CA glue which doesn't like primer over it in my experience, especially Krylon. Yeah, some sort of sealer would be best to keep it from showing. Different colors of primer may not work...........the ghosting still may show up again in the final color coats.

That's one of the reasons I no longer use CA glue as a filler-------it can be unpredictable when it comes time for painting. But it's best to use some sort of sealer anyway to head off any surprises.

[LVZ2881]

thanks Bill, I'll shoot some sealer on it and see how it looks....

[bobss396]

I have a theory on ghosting. If you take the trim off with as little stress as possible, the ghosting will be reduced. I take human bites when i xacto it off, resist the urge to take it off in huge hunks and use a sharp blade. I also cycle it in my dehydrator, heat it for a few hours, let it cool by itself. I do 3 cycles of this total. This helps the plastic lose some of the "memory" of what was there.

You still may have to prime and sand a few times. Go easy on the first coat of primer, the solvents tend to make the condition worse. Let it cure, sand if needed and do another light coat. I like Duplicolor's primer-sealer myself. I use a lot of lacquers and it works well. After I think that my ghosts are "exorcised", I'll give it a heavy final coat of primer.

But do go easy on the color coats. I've had things ghost through the finish coat, days after I painted it! Poof, the ghosts were back. Don't rush it, too many solvents can get through the primer.

Good luck, Bob