B-ONE27 Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 (edited) Ok I have had mixed results in the past with this part of the build. I have the NOVUS kit and have applied on my recent Kinetic Intruder to the very problematic areas such as wing/fuselage joint and exhaust and under fuselgage but still have visible marks after I laid down a coat of L. Ghost Gray. At this stage I'm frustrated and my only plan of recourse is to wet sand the problematic areas and then resmooth again with NOVUS and hope for the best. Any suggestions. I normally wet sand only for stubborn areas that need smoothing however in the case of the Kinetic A-6, I had alot of bad joints and gaps that required putty/CA glue, as a result I did dry sand some. If it helps I go back and forth from a coarse to fine texture of paper. TIA Edited February 15, 2014 by B-ONE27 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sven Harjacek Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 I'm not sure If I understood you correctly, you need to use finer grade sanding paper/sponge or something to polish it out. My guess would be you are using to coarse sandpaper. I mostly use #600,#800 for sanding and then #1000 #1500 for polishing that area. Kind regards, Sven. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
B-ONE27 Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 Ok so don't use too coarse of a grit? My concern with that is what about the stubborn areas that don't seem to want to be altered after you've used lets say a lesser grit sanding medium, what should be done in that case? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sven Harjacek Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 You can start with a coarser grit but then go toward finer grits, just be sure the difference is too high (i.e. don't go from #400 to #1000, that will leave marks). Kind regards, Sven. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
B-ONE27 Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 (edited) You can start with a coarser grit but then go toward finer grits, just be sure the difference is too high (i.e. don't go from #400 to #1000, that will leave marks). Kind regards, Sven. Thanks Sven! Finally, is there anything I can do and go back and get rid of the scratch marks I do have, or am I basically out of luck? Edited February 15, 2014 by B-ONE27 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bob Beary Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Thanks Sven! Finally, is there anything I can do and go back and get rid of the scratch marks I do have, or am I basically out of luck? Depending on how bad then "scratches" are..start with 320 grit and go progressively through 400..600..1000. Make sure the sandpaper is backed up with something firm or it will just follow the contour of the defect (high spot/low spot).There are no short cuts to a good result in any endeavor. Bob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
toadwbg Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Then there is the old saying : "you can't polish a turd"! :P Not laughing at you, just the situation as I have also built the Kinetic Intruder and delt with that wing seam! If I can help you with anything else on this build PM me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Another approach for deep groves is to fill them in with Mr Surfacer 500 or some other fine-grained putty. Use isopropyl, a qtip, and patience to wash the putty away. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Netz Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 If your seeing scratches after a coat of paint then your finish grit is too course. 320 is about as course as I go "if" I sand at all, but I seldom have to go finer that 600 on a regular painted surface (non-NMF) But always finish with OOO steel wool. Another medium you can use are files, they will cut plastic away rather than grind it, files will leave a smooth finished surface, for hard to get to areas like a concave surface then you can use a "Riffler File" those curved ones you see and wonder what they are for... Curt Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Big Kohona Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Ok so don't use too coarse of a grit? My concern with that is what about the stubborn areas that don't seem to want to be altered after you've used lets say a lesser grit sanding medium, what should be done in that case? Why not just lay down a very thin layer of putty and sand it down with a fine sandpaper (say 600 or finer). When you sand, lots of water and try to use a circular motion. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
huntermountain Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 As every one has said, go progressively higher in grit. Last thing I use is a nail buffing sponge. That way you can detect any scratches that still need you attention. Mr surfacer 500 might also do the trick, but if it fills scratches, it will fill surface detail as well... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gregax Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Brush some Mr.Surfacer 1000 over the problem areas and then wet sand them with 800 grit sandpaper. Repeat if necessary.Thats how I do it... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Snegley Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 I'm just going to put a suggestion out there for you. I've always had really good luck applying an automotive grade acrylic lacquer primer after I have constructed the model. This kind of primer-surface will not only fill in the sanding scratches from a coarser grit sand paper it will also bring out the areas where you need to sand with a finer grit paper. I prefer to use a wet or dry paper of 800 grit or finer for final sanding, recoat the sanded areas with another coat of primer then final prep the surface with 0000 steel wool. The other advantage of the automotive grade primer is that it has excellent adhesion qualities for the final paint. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
balls47 Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Yessir, I, also, use 0000 steel wool. I have always had great success using this very fine grade of steel wool. There is always a "fly in the ointment" no matter what we use. With steel wool, it is the fine steel wool that will be left on your model. Start cleaning by blowing the stuff off with your airbrush (of course, no paint!). Then, go to a very fine brush. I use a brush (possibly camel hair) that I used to dust fingerprint powder onto items at a crime scene. Then, go to a very fine cloth. Basically, use anything that won't leave scratches and will get rid of the steel wool dust. Good luck!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Netz Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 (edited) Yessir, I, also, use 0000 steel wool. I have always had great success using this very fine grade of steel wool. There is always a "fly in the ointment" no matter what we use. With steel wool, it is the fine steel wool that will be left on your model. Start cleaning by blowing the stuff off with your airbrush (of course, no paint!). Then, go to a very fine brush. I use a brush (possibly camel hair) that I used to dust fingerprint powder onto items at a crime scene. Then, go to a very fine cloth. Basically, use anything that won't leave scratches and will get rid of the steel wool dust. Good luck!!! You can also pick up automotive "Tack Cloth" and gently wipe this over your model, I do this before spraying no matter what I've done to the plastic beforehand. Curt Edited March 3, 2014 by Netz Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Edgar Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 It seems that nobody uses Micromesh any more; why? Used wet, following their instructions, and using each successive (finer) grade, it's possible to get a glass-smooth finish, even to restore Perspex to see-through (I've done it.) Edgar Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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