How Much Sanding is Enough/Too Much?

[Kcal]

How much sanding is too much? I am a newbie here but have modeled boats for a while and I was wondering to what standard most of the more seasoned folks look to finish their models to? Some evenings it almost seems as if I am sanding my life away in the hopes of the perfect finish on my boats. I am really just looking to share my experiences and to see what opinions others have on this topic.

[tc432]

It depends on the level of finish You will be happy with. I have tried for that elusive perfect finish. When I get fustrated I walk away take a breather and do a little research on how to obtain the results I am looking for. One thing I have learned is Learn from other peoples mistakes and- surface prep is key fill, sand,clean, fill, sand,clean, ,prime -check for imperfections repeat process using finer sandpaper clean area keep it up until happy with results and prepare for paint. Here is where the research and practice pays off. A greatly prepared surface can be ruined by a lousy paint job. Like I everything else in modeling these skills take time to develop. Keep at it until you are satisfied with your work. Just my 2 cents.

[toesup]

How much sanding is too much?

When the surface is rough, its not enough..
When its smooth (like a baby's bum) its enough..
When its a hole, its too much.. :censored:

[Kcal]

Thank you tc and thanks Toes you have some beautiful boats I hope to get to that level someday. btw I had figured the hole part out just the level of the rest of it seems far away sometimes.

[CGAux26]

OK, so what's the right way to prepare styrene for painting (sanding, filling, etc.)? And what kinds of paint work best?
Dave

[Aerominded]

Styrene? clean with a mild detergent like dish soap and paint with the hobby paint of your choice- Tamiya is my favorite- (or experiment with hardware store types on scraps- some spray paints still have 'hot' solvents in them that will melt your styrene parts...)

if these are molded parts, clean up the flashing, etc. with an exacto and wet dry sandpaper, wash down the parts per above and you are ready to go... :)

[Kcal]

Which do you find easier to work with wood which I have chosen to build in or styrene? Or is it more a preference?

[LtDoc]

Kcal,
It's more a 'preference' thingy than anything. Which do you have the most -good- experience with? Which are you most comfortable working with? And for us 'cheaper' type people, which you got the most of?
- 'Doc

[SubNut]

Styrene? clean with a mild detergent like dish soap and paint with the hobby paint of your choice- Tamiya is my favorite- (or experiment with hardware store types on scraps- some spray paints still have 'hot' solvents in them that will melt your styrene parts...)

if these are molded parts, clean up the flashing, etc. with an exacto and wet dry sandpaper, wash down the parts per above and you are ready to go... :)


I second Tamiya paints, easy to use and I spray right from the can while masking. Though I have only done cars this way. :p

[norgale]

I work in wood mostly and when it comes to finishing something like a hull I sand it down till it LOOKS and FEELS ok and then spray with a light coat of primer. Then,using a sanding block,I run the sand paper over the primer and the imperfections will show up fast. High spots will sand first and low spots will be left unsanded so you can see them very well. Then if the lows are shallow I'll sand till they are even with the rest. If they are deep I'll fill with bondo or some such and sand that down and spray primer again. Do that three times and you will have a decent smooth surface to paint. Do it several more times and it gets better each time but the sanding has to be lighter as you go aong. You want to sand the primer down not the wood anymore than you have to. Takes some practice but it works best for me. Pete

[pops52]

I don't know if this is considered an old car painting trick or not, but one can use two different colors of primer to get a good visual on high and low spots.

Also use a long block to get the flattest results. Short blocks ride the hills and valleys only to pronounce them. Long blocks cut down the hills.

[Greg Knipp]

I am going to add my 2 cents on paints. I AM ANTI ENAMEL NOW!!!! and will resort to the Tamiya Laquers or Acrylic based paints. My current tug project has been halted due to what I have boiled down to some bad clear coat. Needless to say I need to literally restrip the entire hull and start over with the paint portion. I just have put her on the back shelf because I am still very down and heart broken over the whole affair.
Granted, this was probably a one in a million fluke (LUCKY ME) with the Model Master Enamels and could happen with acrylics or laquers as well. Aside from this disaster, I hate the minimum 48hr. dry time in between coats.
Greg Knipp

[Kcal]

Sorry to hear it Greg that’s a definite downer to see your hard work wasted like that, however once you sand her down and begin to repaint you’ll feel a lot better.