GD - (sorry) FINGERPRINTS

Thanks Guys ! - For the record I Spray paint Acrylics - - But must CONFESS you hit it on the HEAD - - 48 HOURS! - YEA - I only wait 24 hours - So - will slow down - and work around other areas - to wait for paint to throughly DRY - The obvious always ESCAPES ME. Thanks to ALL . Working on a Classic - discountinue Tamiya just now - TYRELL 6 Wheeler 1/12 scale....Yahoooooooooooooooooo

Sounds like a paint drying problem. If you're using enamels, you have to really let the paints dry thoroughly before handling the finish. This is one of my BIG problems in building a kit. I get impatient and try to rush from one thing to the next (sometimes only a couple of hours after I've applied paint). Mistake, mistake, mistake... always have fingerprints.

Keeping your hands clean is also a good idea though. I've got way too many examples of times where the tiniest bit of silver paint on my hand/finger (that I thought was dry), got transfered/smudged onto an area it had no business being. I have a little bottle of soapy water and a towel near by that I use to rinse my hands frequently. When I'm in the final detailing/polishing stages, I have some cotton gloves that I wear. Works well for me.

Murray

After I've applied the final dull-cote to my kits and before final weathering, it becmoes hands off. Out come the gloves because the pastels will really show a dirty old fingerprint, clean hands or not.

Are you letting the paint dry at least 48 hours before handling ? Are you using an airbrush ? Are you thinning the paint ? All the above will reduce the chances of fingerprints. If you are hand-brushing, thin the paint & let it dry 48 hours before handling. Are you using enamels or acrylics ? Is it humid where you are ? These are a few guesses as to what may be happening, and a more definate answer may be possible with further information. GOOD LUCK !