lexan painting: cut or paint first?

[Torhaantje]

Hi all,

 

I was wondering what your experiences are with painting lexan bodies: do you first cut the body and  then paint it ore vice versa?

 

Rick

[Fuijo]

If you are using more than one colour, and the colour against the cut is not the final one, then you need to paint first, cut later. If you don't then the final colour will be

visible on the cut edge, possibly even on the outside too if the protective film has slightly come away due to sanding or just general handling.

If any areas will be really hard to spray, like into tight recesses, then cut a short distance away from the edge to allow sufficient access, but not on the final edge itself.

If you are only spraying one colour then it doesn't matter which way round you do it.

[Nobbi1977]

I always cut first. To afraid of damaging paint after

[gravetxt-1]

Always cut first! Depends on how confident you are cutting the body.

[Tamiyabigstuff]

Cut first, paint second - always.

[Truck Norris]

Cut first.

I've yet to see a convincing reason to do it the other way round.

As well as potentially damaging the paint you also run the risk of ruining all your painting time and cost by cutting it wrong. Much better to get the tricky bit done first, then if it all goes pear shaped you only need to replace the body, not replace the body, buy more paint, mask and spray again.

2 hours ago, Fuijo said:

If you are using more than one colour, and the colour against the cut is not the final one, then you need to paint first, cut later. If you don't then the final colour will be visible on the cut edge, possibly even on the outside too if the protective film has slightly come away due to sanding or just general handling.

True, but the paint on the edges is easily cleaned up with paint remover and a Q-tip / cotton bud / swab. It's a lot easier to clean up overspray than it is to fix a gouge caused by a slipped knife or scissors!

[Supercoolnothing]

I always cut and then drill any mounting holes etc before I paint. It's definitely the best way in my opinion. 

[Fuijo]

38 minutes ago, Truck Norris said:

Cut first.

I've yet to see a convincing reason to do it the other way round.

As well as potentially damaging the paint you also run the risk of ruining all your painting time and cost by cutting it wrong. Much better to get the tricky bit done first, then if it all goes pear shaped you only need to replace the body, not replace the body, buy more paint, mask and spray again.

True, but the paint on the edges is easily cleaned up with paint remover and a Q-tip / cotton bud / swab. It's a lot easier to clean up overspray than it is to fix a gouge caused by a slipped knife or scissors!

I've never damaged the paint, but I wait until it's cured. Even so, it's about the easiest area possible to mask off and respray if it does happen.

I have also never had a problem cutting out a body to the point where the shell gets damaged enough to abandon it. But then I cut with a new blade at about 2-5mm per second, at which

rate mistakes are unlikely. Also I find the edge much easier to see with paint behind it.

Also when laying down multiple colours, it really helps when checking against a white wall for tiny bleeds that can be cleaned away before applying the next colour. Not getting any spray on the

outside of the protective film really helps with this. And it's easier to achieve that before the body is cut out.

I don't fancy trying to clean up a >1mm edge with a Q-tip without any getting on the painted inside. Ok, as above, it's an easy area to respray. But after trying as many different approaches as I

can think of, my method works best for me.

[racer1]

I'm with the majority here.  I have always cut the body, drilled my mounting holes and addressed any little fitment issues before painting. Doesn't matter the number of colors being used.  Just easier with a lot less plastic in the way.

[Hobbimaster]

Ditto, cut first with sharp X-acto knife to score the lexan on the mold lines, then fold to break off small pieces at a time. If I'm lucky there will be minimal sanding, or dremeling to finish the body. Painting is so much easier after this, no worries about a rogue blade scratching my paint job.

[InsaneJim69]

As above always cut first Imo. And again as above I hardly need to touch a pair of scissors or a dremel, just score and snap and work your way around the body. Gives a lovely clean finish and neat edge even on wheel arches.

James

[Jason1145]

Also once cut you have less plastic to paint so you don't waste any in the wheel wells etc,  and if you haven't Pre drilled holes for body posts it's a pain once painted trying to look from underneath etc... cut first, test mount then paint works best for me.

[GregM]

I simply cut first because I've got a hard time recognizing the recesses for the cut lines after painting. Very old shells that have no overspray film pre applied might be easier to prep with cling film and masking tape when they are still uncut.

[Fuijo]

Heh, well it very much looks like I'm in the minority on this one.

I too used to cut first paint later as, well, that's the order illustrated in the manuals. But after trying it the other way round I'm very much sold on it and wont be going back.

I'm genuinely surprised I'm on my own on this.

[Ian_Gsi16V]

Cut first, drill holes etc and finally paint for me.

 

[Mad Ax]

I'm in the cut-first brigade, have tried both ways but cutting first just works better for me.  I think largely because I don't really enjoy cutting, so I like to get that bit done early in the build so I can sit back and enjoy the rest.  Having said that, I always ALWAYS forget to mark / drill the body post holes before painting and then have a horrific time trying to line them up when it's painted...

Many of the racers who offer their services as shell painters at my local club are always paint first types, in fact they usually supply the body painted but un-cut and let the new owner do the cutting.  They also refuse to use window decals, insisting on painting the window detail in as part of the paint job.

There's no correct way though, it's about what works for you.

[ukfox]

Cut first, body holes, then paint 

[Theibault]

Haha! I do it the opposite. Paint then cut. I also use the score and snap method. I find it easier to see my lines to score after paint has been applied. I have never had an issue in the 30+ years I've been doing this.

[IronSights]

I always paint first then cut.

To me you can just see the lines better to cut them exact.

[Torhaantje]

Thanks guys for all your tips and suggestions!. I guess I'll have to figure out which method suits me best...

 

Rick

[Terz1]

I'm in the cut, drill, paint camp. I've got some great curved scissors for cutting lexan which are the best thing to use to do this. I actually love doing the shells and tried all the techniques and they were easily the best method, for me anyway. I then have the proper dimensions of the shell so I can check for any clearance issues and see how the whole body fits with the chassis and wheels.  The next stage of marking the hole positions for the body posts is much easier too as you can see through the lexan due to it being unpainted. Then the best bit, paint and pull off the outside clear film to see your handy work.

I could do these all day. I love doing the painting and trimming.

[Wooders28]

I've always painted first! 

Need to try cutting first on my next one.

[firefoxussr]

On 12/16/2016 at 11:58 AM, Terz1 said:

I'm in the cut, drill, paint camp. I've got some great curved scissors for cutting lexan which are the best thing to use to do this. I actually love doing the shells and tried all the techniques and they were easily the best method, for me anyway. I then have the proper dimensions of the shell so I can check for any clearance issues and see how the whole body fits with the chassis and wheels.  The next stage of marking the hole positions for the body posts is much easier too as you can see through the lexan due to it being unpainted. Then the best bit, paint and pull off the outside clear film to see your handy work.

I could do these all day. I love doing the painting and trimming.

What he said, especially if you are mounting a body that isn't specifically made for your chassis.   I do this on the regular.

I'd like to add that i'm a fan of the score and crack method for straight lines, like say the area between the wheel wells, hard to get straight with scissors.

Score and crack works well for wheel wells too if you do it in sections.

[Mokei Kagaku]

8 minutes ago, firefoxussr said:

Score and crack works well for wheel wells too if you do it in sections.

I use almost exclusively only a scalpel and in the absolute majority of cases, I score the whole way around, including the wheel wells in one go (not in sections).  I only extremely rarely use lexan scissors. Everyone must of course use the method(s) he/she is most comfortable with, but personally, I think nothing beats "100% score and snap". Also, with hardly any exceptions, I have painted the bodies after cutting out the last 30+ years, but again, it's a matter of taste.

[Terz1]

^I agree. Quite a few methods to do this. Find which suits you the best.