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Apollo11

Clodbuster paint job gone pear shaped

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Ok, here's the thing. I came to paint the shell for my clod build. So I did several coats of the mica blue, allowing them to dry between each coat. When that was done I cut out and fixed the masking stickers and a couple of plastic bags to protect the main section of the body from over spray. Then I did a couple of coats of the gun metal grey for the rear section. The bags, sticker on the tailgate and stickers on one side all came away ok. but peeling away the masking stickers on the left side they took away large sections of the mica blue paint with them, leaving nothing but the bare plastic shell behind and a few patches of blue where the masking clearly hadn't stuck quite as well.

Clearly I need to start from scratch all down the left side now. This leaves me with some questions, so some advice would be appreciated. Where the heck did I go wrong to start with? Do I need to remove the patches of paint that are left to start with a clean slate? If so, what's the best technique to get back to a decent surface? Would it have been worth starting with a primer before the blue? Where is the best place to source a replacement sticker sheet? I've find it listed in modelsport.com for about £16, but it's out of stock and I don't fancy waiting eons for them to get it to me.

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Before you paint the body it needs to be de-greased thoroughly as it will probably have some kind of mold release residue on it - suspect that might be your problem.

I always wash bodies in the bath with shampoo or bath foam and rinse with the showerhead then dry the body properly before painting.

That might sound crazy but it works. I use the bath because the bodies are too big for my kitchen sink. 

You should use primer before colour coat. Build up the colour with several fine coats to avoid runs.

You may find using sticky tape will strip the blue paint off if it has not stuck well or try some very fine abrasive paper.

Have you tried ebay for the sticker sheet ?

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Agree with Tamiyabigstuff - probably mold release or grease. I always give them a really good dose of washing up liquid and lots and lots of water and then let them drip dry.

The other 2 big things to do as well are give the body a key, using a scotchbrite pad or one of those green kitchen scourer pads (before washing it of course) and give it a few coats of primer.

You may find that the paint will just peel off the rest of the body, so that might be the easiest to start with. Failing that, Mr. Muscle oven cleaner will probably get it off, or if you are somewhere near a B&Q they have a non-toxic paint remover that I've found works really well (just don't let it dry out on the body or it will ruin it)

this is the stuff: https://www.diy.com/departments/home-strip-paint-stripper-500ml/254572_BQ.prd

A few places to try for the stickers would be Tonystamiyaparts on ebay (not much he doesn't have or can't get), Jadlam toys or Timetunnel Models

Hope that helps

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@Apollo11 

I agree with all of the above and can add the following moving picture show. I nearly ruined a Blackfoot with several problems during painting. Eventually got it. See here 

 

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Well I'd now like to make a little speech and it goes something like 'AAaargghh!!'! Why wasn't any of this mentioned in the instructions? Sounds like you're all absolutely right and I've wasted a load of paint, masking stickers and time. Oh well, all part of the process.

The good news is that as suggested I have managed to get what I needed at Time tunnel models: primer, mica blue and sticker sheet. While they're on their way, I can see how well the paint will come off and prep the surface properly. I also have an idea as to how I can cover the body while the paint is drying to protect it from dust and hair settling.

Thank you all.

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Don't forget primer. This etches the surface and makes the paint stick way better. Tamiya Fine Surface Primer is what I use, though any reasonably fine primer should work. (So not the stuff you'd use to paint a shed. :P )

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1 hour ago, jonboy1 said:

If you go to B&Q looking for the paint stripper, may I suggest going to the garden section and seeing if they have anything like this on sale:

https://www.diy.com/departments/plastic-2-tier-mini-growhouse/177872_BQ.prd

they make brilliant spray booths ;) 

This is a brilliant suggestion thank you. Although it has inspired me to think of alternative that should save £21 in beer tokens: I have a fairly large sturdy cardboard box kicking around waiting to be recycled. I should be able to figure out a way to re-purpose it for the role with judicious use of a stanley knife.

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45 minutes ago, GooneyBird said:

Don't forget primer. This etches the surface and makes the paint stick way better. Tamiya Fine Surface Primer is what I use, though any reasonably fine primer should work. (So not the stuff you'd use to paint a shed. :P )

Yes, done. I've ordered that along with the stickers and paint from time tunnels. Included a roll of masking tape to ensure I qualified for free delivery.

So it etches the surface? Fair enough, I sometimes wondered what the purpose of primer was.

Tad miffed this wasn't mentioned when I bought the kit, particularly bearing in mind I made a point of going out of my way to get it from a shop. A good example of a business missing an up sell opportunity to provide better value for the customer.

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18 hours ago, geniusanthony said:

@Apollo11 

I agree with all of the above and can add the following moving picture show. I nearly ruined a Blackfoot with several problems during painting. Eventually got it. See here 

 

That is one smooth and shiny paint job at the end there! I now know the finish I have to aim for. so first coat, just a light fog?

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@Apollo11

I don't know if I ever covered it in the vid but my problems early on had to do with the incompatibility of the different kinds of paints, Eg, Urethane Enamel(which was the custom mix) and the Lacquer primer. Tamiya TS spays are to my knowledge all lacquer based, Which is great because they go on thin, dry quickly to a hard finish and are durable.

To answer your question, yes, thin coats always to avoid runs. Keep it clean and keying the surface (green Scotch-Brite pad) aids adhesion as well.

For those that didn't know, those 3M scotch pads come in 5 colors with 5 levels of abrasive. Quality auto store should carry them, worldwide I would presume... because 3M.

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1 hour ago, Apollo11 said:

This is a brilliant suggestion thank you. Although it has inspired me to think of alternative that should save £21 in beer tokens: I have a fairly large sturdy cardboard box kicking around waiting to be recycled. I should be able to figure out a way to re-purpose it for the role with judicious use of a stanley knife.

you're welcome :) I managed to get mine for £9 on sale so my beer reserves weren't unduly depleted ;) One issue with them is that the solvents etc do attack the plastic sheeting over time, so they look like they have leprosy after a year or so. I tried a cheap DIY alternative made from 1/4" thick plastic corrugated boarding (like that stuff used for "For Sale" signs) - again discovered in the tips page on here - all held together with gaffa tape. That works fine too, although it's a little wobbly at times, so it needs some work.

Cardboard box will work well, but wipe the inside well with a damp cloth to collect as much loose fibre first. It tends to shed a bit of fibre and the spray circulating inside will disturb it.

Oh, and warm up the cans in hot (but not boiling!!) water first - this will give you a finer spray. Again, get them nice and warm, not hot.

I'd always recommend using the same brand of paint/primer/gloss - one less thing to worry about.

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That's a bit of a bonus. I've done a load of hunting around on Ebay and Amazon and cannot find anything cheaper. With any bit of luck, due to the time of year I may find something on sale at B&Q.

Your point about dust and fibres made me realise: If I cut into a carboard box to fashion it into shape, that will send dust/debris everywhere. So a challenge to dampen that down. So I have discounted that option as it would be too fiddly making it dust free.

I've never heard that one about warming up spray cans before. I'll have to give that a try.

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4 hours ago, geniusanthony said:

@Apollo11

I don't know if I ever covered it in the vid but my problems early on had to do with the incompatibility of the different kinds of paints, Eg, Urethane Enamel(which was the custom mix) and the Lacquer primer. Tamiya TS spays are to my knowledge all lacquer based, Which is great because they go on thin, dry quickly to a hard finish and are durable.

To answer your question, yes, thin coats always to avoid runs. Keep it clean and keying the surface (green Scotch-Brite pad) aids adhesion as well.

For those that didn't know, those 3M scotch pads come in 5 colors with 5 levels of abrasive. Quality auto store should carry them, worldwide I would presume... because 3M.

No, you didn't mention it. I did wonder what the original problem was. Funnily enough I was working with two paint brands as well. Someone else (cant' recall who, they had been recommended) in a slightly different shade of blue, then Tamiya's mica blue and gun metal grey on top. 

I'm familiar with scotch brite pads as we used to use them to clean weapons. I'm guessing that superfine would be the grade to go for?

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Be aware paint solvent can get thru masking tape and soften/soil previous layers, especially annoying on metallics where the particulates get rearranged. Mask with multiple layers or add some paper or PVC tape for better insulation.

Pro painters also have low-tack masking tape if they must tape over freshly painted areas. I tend to grab frisket paper (aka transfer tape) for a fair bit of masking duties.

 

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3 hours ago, Apollo11 said:

No, you didn't mention it. I did wonder what the original problem was. Funnily enough I was working with two paint brands as well. Someone else (cant' recall who, they had been recommended) in a slightly different shade of blue, then Tamiya's mica blue and gun metal grey on top. 

I'm familiar with scotch brite pads as we used to use them to clean weapons. I'm guessing that superfine would be the grade to go for?

That's too bad, with my Blackfoot hardbody, I am fairly certain that the problem was incompatibly if not bad paint ( which sounds suspect ).

Here is a chart of the different pads just as an fyi

https://www.vikingtapes.co.uk/collections/3m-scotch-brite-hand-pads

 

You say you use them for weapons? I'm nearly retired from the military but can't say that I've ever though to use my auto body stash on them. Doesn't that remove blueing from the bolt and components?

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Right folks,

After having to put this on hold for a bit, I've made so more progress. I got a tub of the paint stripper from B&Q:  https://www.diy.com/departments/home-strip-paint-stripper-500ml/254572_BQ.prd

as recommended by Jonboy. Thank for the recommendation, that does work really well. Plus, as a bonus it is quite pleasant to use. The smell isn't too strong and goes on easily. I've got most of the paint off now, and will need to do a 2nd coat to get some of the stubborn bits off.

The trouble is, the instructions recommended a scraper which worked well for the most part. Unfortunately in a couple of places the edges of the scraper caused some scratches. My question now is, would sufficient layers of primer then paint smooth out these scratches ok, or have I ruined the body and would be better off starting again with a replacement one? (Not doing too well here, but I knew this was one area I would struggle with most).

When I have a moment, I could post photos.

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Nooooo - don't start again because of scratches, they're easy to fix :) 

My favourite filler/putty is Milliput (blue)

it dries super hard and doesn't flake - otherwise, Squadron putty is very good too.

Apply filler to the scratch - less is more - then sand back with wet and dry (800 grit would be about right) (wet) until you get it nice and flat

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I've been away for a couple of weeks so not progressed this for a while. As the scratches are very shallow, I reckoned a water based filler that can be painted on would be easiest to work with? For example this product available from Amazon: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Vallejo-Model-Color-Plastic-Putty/dp/B000PHCNLC/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Vallejo+Plastic+Putty&qid=1571170058&sr=8-1

That notwithstanding, I also notice that Tamiya produce putty and liquid primers. Is this because they are a load of rubbish, or people just don't prefer them?

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Right folks. Having completed the following steps over time, I am pleased to report the results:

1. Used the B&Q paint stripper to get the old paint off. 

2. Used some Tamiya liquid surface primer to fill in the scratches where I had been over exuberant.

3. bought a B&Q PVC greenhouse to use as a spray booth.

4. In spray booth, used a can of Humbrol Acrylic spray primer to build up numerous thin base layers.

5. Got through two cans of Tamiya mica blue spraying from various angles to ensure an even spread, this is the first colour completed:

(Annoyingly the flash makes the sides look uneven when it's fine in the flesh.

IMG_6560.JPG

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IMG_6562.JPG

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