Enamel paints - can you sand them to make even?

Couple of things:

First, yes, you can sand down the streaks, globs and stuff with fine sandpaper (1000 grit and higher) that you can get at an auto parts store.

Second, don't paint the body with a paint brush. Paint it with a spray can. Paint the body before you assemble it.

Check out:

www.italianhorses.net

for some techniques. The steps shown on that site may be more than you want to do but you might get some ideas that can help.

-F

 

++ on that. There are also polishing pads available that go much finer than 1000; up to 8 or 12K. At least your paint should be good and dry, which is absolutely essential if you want to sand it out. I think Micromark Tools might be a source for fine sanding pads.

And, yes - spray can, or even an air brush - there are starter kits for around 100$, and don't most enthusiast home garages have a compressor nowadays?

 

Paint remover will dissolve the plastic...wouldn't do that... Acetone will too, albeit slowly...

Pics?

 

Let me say this, and I don't mean it in a bad way. Not trying to put you down or anything but.....
Model glue does not stick to your fingers. It affects ONLY plastic.
Tamiya does not make a 348ts or tb
You don't paint a body of a car model with a brush. Let alone metallics.
Maybe this is just not for you, or you are just not ready. Either way, making models is about attention to detail. That usually starts with at least knowing who makes the model.

 

This goes to all of you that have already responded. The only think that was worth the advise was "check italian horses"
Metallics have little metallic particles in them that shine and sparkle. When you sand metallic paints you alternate and affect this ability of the particles. THIS IS WHY YOU NEVER SAND METALLICS WITHOUT A CLEAR COAT. The reason why you do this, is because after you spray the clear you can sand it down and "equalize" the surface without affecting the paint.
About polishing pads- you don't polish base color coat. Simply because you can not get proper shine out of it. In general metallics tend to cure to a somewhat flat finish. About removing paint, there are plenty of methods for removing paint from plastic models (yes it includes both lacquers and enamels)that are safe and definitely do not include paint thinner or acetone.
Now, before you try to give someone the wrong advise, which is worse than no advise at all, at least open a model magazine as there is usually quite a bit you can learn even from a single edition

 

Sorry man, I did not mean to be that hard on you.
So here is what you can do. And have great results.
First visit your hobby shop. If you don't have one go to Walmart. It would do.
First off you picked one hell of a model to come back in the hobby. It is a great kit. not cheap and not that easy to find right away. Having said this it has many flaws, which mainly affect the difficulty to put together and not the final result.
You can take my advise or you can not, but here is what I think you need to do. Go to Walmart and buy a '32 ford 3 window from revell monogram. It is really cheap there. Then go to your hobby shop and ask the main guy( not the kid that works the counter after school) what to use to remove the paint you already put on your Ferrari. MOst likely whatever he recommends it would take some time. Wile this happens put together the Deuce. It is a great model that is easy to finish (and cheap) and it is quite forgiving. Best part about it is that it has any type of surface you can think of. Curves, creases, straight panels, louvers etc. This would make it the perfect exercise to experiment on how to use the spray cans you bought from the model shop. If you are loving metallic colors, you should know the main difference between different paint. Metallics can be either pure paint like for example aluminum or kinda candy paints like most of the Boyd colors from Testors. Same thing is true about most of tamiya's paints, which brings us to the other way you can devide paint. Hot-lacquers or plastic safe paints-enamels. Lacquers are harder with plastics but are perfectly safe when applied over primer. They also dry so fast and get harder which makes them easier to sand and polish. Enamels are more forgiving but dry very slow and are much softer. It is hard to sand them because of this. Either way you decide to go if you paint metallics, always sparay clear and then sand and polish.

 

Michael, Can I say thanks for that advice, I learn somthing new averytime, I wanted to try and build a advance model, but I should start again from the basics...
It has been a long time since my last kit.

 

Castrol Super Clean will strip enamel paint off plastic models without harming the plastic.

Just get a cheap bread tin, fill it up with CSC, and leave your model body or parts in for 24 hrs or so. A soft toothbrush will help loosen the stuff in cracks and crevices. When stripped clean, wash off with soap and water.

It's been 5 yrs or so since I stripped a complete 1/24 body and don't remember whether to use the CSC full strength or dilute it. CSC is strong stuff. Best to experiment with some junk parts first, and wear rubber gloves/eye protection when using.

You might find some online instructions for this technique.

 

Thanks man. This is what I was talking about. I didn't want to go on and on about different methods, but brakefluid, ovencleaner, and some products specially designed for the purpose would also work. Like I said, best think is go to a hobby shop and see what you can find out. Hanging in a hobby shop for an hour can teach you more that you can learn on your own in half a year.

 

The really easy way to paint a plastic kit is with real car spray cans. Go to an auto accessory shop, and buy a can of acrylic white plastic primer (not the regular primer), and a red (or whatever) the colour of the Ferrari you want. Nearly all modern colours are an acrylic formula, not the old nitro, and although both use acetone as a thinner, the plastic primer will shield the polystyrene from the 'hot' top coat, although acrylic is less hot than nitro used to be. It goes on easier, it dries quicker, and sands and buffs easier to a shiny finish than most model paints. Just use the same cutting compounds, waxes, and fine grit wet'n'dry papers as you would on a real car.

There are only a couple of areas where some skill may help out, but if you know the problem it is half solved already. The first thing is to make some wood blocks or find the old wire coat hanger to mount the body shell on and which will give you something to hold onto and turn the model with. Make sure you have somewhere to rest it afterwards. The second is the amount of paint to put on. For a smooth finish just colouring the surface isn't good enough. You have to spray enough paint on to allow it to 'pool' and find its own level, but there is a fine line between pooling and applying to much and causing runs. You should also know that car acrylics dry down an awful lot, so if it hasn't run and you think 'thats the last coat', it probably isn't. Five or six full wet coats would be a good starting point. When fully dry (so you can't get your thumb to imprint on the surface at all, then any imperfections like the small run, or a speck of dust, can be rubbed out with wet'n'dry and cutting compound, finished with a wax. A can of matt black is good for chassis etc, and any other colours you need for detail work, all of which will need fewer coats than the body. They dry very quickly and allow the model to proceed quicker, and much quicker than model shop paints.

 

Glad to be of help.

Brake fluid works best to strip the "chrome" off plated parts. It's not effective for stripping paint.

I've never tried oven cleaner.

On The CSC, spray paint a junk plastic car body with 2 or 3 coats, let it dry for a few days, then try the method I suggested, using full strength CSC. That should tell you.

 

I think it's hard to go wrong with Tamiya lacquers in a can. I've painted several 1930s classics with them and they're all so shiny you can read the writing in a light bulb held close to the paint. Use their primer, put on your color, then plenty of clear. Order a Micro-Mesh polishing kit from Micro-Mark. Throw away the polishing cream that comes with it. Get some Novus #1 and #2 plastic polish to finish it off. IIRC, Micro-Mark sells Novus as well. If not, your local plastic supply house will have it.

The pink and purple Packard had artist's acrylis tube paint for the purple, custom mix for the pink. Tamiya clear gave it the shine.

Red Mercedes is all Tamiya spray lacquer. Grey primer followed by candy red, then clear pearl, then clear. Bad photo but it's the only one I've got for now. I've got a nice Duesenberg too but it's being repaired. It and the MB got damaged on the way back from a deployment. Last photo is what can happen if you leave your model in the car for a week in Texas...in February.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

LOL...

 

I don't think so. Everything he gets ahold of is shapped more like a thick pepperoni, and is some shade of brown in colour...