Sanding models

[Guest]

Is it necessary to sand models? e.g Tamiya car body. Or do people mainly sand between 'fused' parts?

What kind of grit sand paper or wet and dry would I need?

[Guest]

anyone? help please..

[Guest]

If you want to key the surface before painting then I would use minimum 1000 grade wet and dry. 1200 - 1500 would be better though.

[papa 695]

Hi os40 i dont know if my answer will help but i dont normaly sand before unless there are inperfections in the plastic and to get parts to fit correctly But i dont do cars with super gloss finishes

[Guest]

os40. If you do not provide a key for your primer it is more likely to flake of especially as you sand your primer to receive the top coats.

Also I understand that the plastic has the remains of the factory production release agent still attached.

I wet & dry the surface which will do two jobs,. Get rid of the release agent remains & provide a good key for your primer coat. Good idea to rinse after sanding as this will get rid of any debris. I use an 1800 wet & dry paper. One that has been used before so it is nice & soft & goes around the round parts easily.

Laurie

[Guest]

Hi os40 , I don`t sand the bodywork before priming but I do wash it first ( luke warm water with a touch of washing up liquid and an old tooth brush ) to get rid of any oils or release agents on the plastic , I then use halfords grey or white primer and never had a problem yet , between coats I sand with a very fine sanding stick .

saying that some people do sand before washing the choice is yours , with my method I`ve never had any major dramas yet and it seems to work for me.

Richy

ps - if you wash the model first ( recommended ) don`t use hot water it could soften the plastic and put it out of shape , I also recommend drying it off with a kitchen towl then leave overnight to finnish off drying naturaly .

[Guest]

Laurie you beat me to it mate , I keep getting done like this LOL .

Richy

[Guest]

That OK Richy yours had a different flavour & some more info.

Like your Churchill quote. Heard this one in which is in a a similar vein.

Nancy Astor: “Sir, if you were my husband, I would give you poison.”

Churchill: “If I were your husband I would take it.”

Laurie

[stona]

I hate sanding! I only do it where I have to,accross a seam for example. I use Halfords plastic primer. It sticks like sh+t to a blanket.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Thinks must never get Halford's plastic primer next to my blanket.

Deep thinks again not a problem I use a duvet.

Laurie

[Guest]

Hi OS!

I usually wet-sand before primer, I use a grit close to the primer that I plan to spray. After that I sand 1000-2000 grit between each layer of primer, paint, and gloss coat. There is not really any way around all this sanding if a glossy show-room finish is what's you're after. Check out Alex Kustov's tutorial on his website: How to Apply, Polish, and Wax Your Paint to Perfection

If your in to car-modelling, his site is a gold-mine

Happy digging!

/Daniel