Hi All [:(]
Last night I primed a kit with Testor’s Enamel Primer (rattle cans) and in a couple of areas the paint is too thick, hence a bubbly texture. Most of it turned out great though. I was wondering if I can sand these areas after curing, wet sand even? Or will I have to remove all the paint and do those parts over? It’s my first time priming a kit and I’ve heard you prime for the paint to bite and to show your flaws so I assume I can sand. Thanks --Spencer
I would sand the area down to the plastic rescribe any panel lines and other details and then prime it again.
I feel with you, I don’t know how many times I have tried that myself.
[#ditto]
Just sand down the areas that need it, reprime, and you’ll be good to go. That’s what I’ve been doing all morning. I primed one yesterday and then started sanding all the spots that I thought were perfect but weren’t [:D]
Just dry sand paper? How long do you think Testor’s enamel primer needs to cure, 24 hrs.?[:D] Wait a minute, do I have to go all the way down to the plastic? What grit paper should I use?
I’d wait at least 24 hours so that the paint is fully cured. If not it will be awful soft and even the dust can cause scratches.
If it were me, I probably wouldn’t worry about going all the way back to the plastic, although you probably will in some spots anyway. Just get it nice and smooth, and clean up the panel lines and everything. If it winds up going all the way to plastic, so be it. If not, and everything looks good, just spray it again.
Finer grit paper is better, and going progressively from rough to fine is the best way. I’d probably start with 600 and end up with 1000 or 1200.
Thanks man. I found out about the “So Be It” part and went to Wally World to get some Castrol Super Clean to redo some parts. The 600 didn’t work so well. I think the seats will be ok, but some parts I definitely have to repaint. I tried the 600 on the hull bottom after about 15 hrs. Not good either. I’ll definitely be going to Wal-Mart again tomorrow. They have like 2300 or so at the LHS but it’s kinda pricey. I hate to spend that much on sand paper. Cheers --Spencer
Another good product is the Scotchbrite pads that you wash pots and pans with.
The green ones are usually medium grit and work great for sanding the paint like that and they don’t need to be wet like sandpaper to last a long time.
These are what many airbrush artists use to scuff the surface of helmets and such to give the paint some “tooth” to grab onto when painting.
They also have the white ones that are even softer and are made for copper, stainless steel, and chrome.
Mike
Thanks Mike, I got some 1000 and 2000 in the auto section at Wal-Mart. If the areas aren’t perfect will another light coat of primer fill in the bad spots? Should I try to lightly wet sand the whole vehicle then recoat? I can’t get a uniform finish if I just sand the thick spots.[banghead] Sorry for all the silly questions I have a ton of 'em. Does anyone know of any links that might help? [xx(][xx(][xx(] I can’t find much info.