Painting steps,.

[jonny_bravo]

I want to try and get a really nice finish on my old Ranger shell,. the hardest part i find is trying not to rush[] after six weeks the shell is all filled sanded + primed with Halfords platic primer and has been sanded smooth with 1200 grit wet n dry paper, i am using Hycote Vauxhall Aruba blue for the colour but want to know if the blue should be flatted down before i consider clear-coating it? (also am i ok to decal the shell before clearcoating?)

Any extra tips/advice appreciated[]

[Shodog]

If the finish on the color coat nis not smooth or shows orange peel then the clear coat will not hide it. On my blackfoot http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=21433&id=34 The color coat was very smooth so I was able to clear coat it without sanding it.

[jonny_bravo]

Wow!,. thats a cool looking Blackfoot you've got there!,.. another question now though, did you use tamiya paint markers on the raised 'FORD' bit on the tailgate??,..the lettering on the front looks even more worrying[:0] i see youve made a good job of it,. did you mask at all?

[DJTheo]

Recenty I was polishing a static car shell painted with metallic car paint to prepare it for laquering, but the originally matt metallic colour became so shiny that it didn't even need clear coat in the end! [8D]

Cheers

[Shodog]

quote:Originally posted by jonny_bravo

Wow!,. thats a cool looking Blackfoot you've got there!,.. another question now though, did you use tamiya paint markers on the raised 'FORD' bit on the tailgate??,..the lettering on the front looks even more worrying[:0] i see youve made a good job of it,. did you mask at all?

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I used a very small brush to do the details. In theory the paint markers would work great for this job but I have always had sloppy results. The problem is that the felt tip gets too much paint on it and paint runs everywhere. I tried to dab the excess paint out of the felt tip with a rag but when you start to paint, the tip will just fill back up with paint.

Jim

[DJTheo]

Weird, never had that problem with paint markers, maybe its too hot in sunny Cal Jim? [8D]

Cheers

[jonny_bravo]

Ok i got the body sprayed today,.. gave it around 7 thin coats of paint,. the coverage is great, but the finish isnt smooth but i guess that can be expected?,. im thinking that leaving it for a week and then using rubbing compound is the next step?,.(ive got some Farracle G4 stuff)

[DJTheo]

Here is a good article about how to get a smooth surface

http://www.tamiyausa.com/articles/feature.php?article-id=35

Cheers

[jonny_bravo]

Thanks for that,.that explains everything!,. i got the dreaded orange peel, ive sprayed repairs on 1:1 cars before with excellent results[] ,...tried flatting it down to no avail,. so its back in the brake fluid[V]

Cheers