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Paint Ridges

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  • Member since
    December 2002
Paint Ridges
Posted by 7474 on Saturday, January 2, 2010 12:28 PM

When I paint, and masking areas, I lately have been getting ridges on my models. I put enough paint on there so that it looks wet. I've mostly been using rattle cans. I try to hold the can no less than 6" from the model. What am I doing wrong, and how can I fix this? Should I use very light coats and build the thinkness up with more sessions on the can? I try to get 2 or 3 sprays to finish it. 1st coat a dust coat, 2nd coat to make it wet, and 3rd to completely cover the model.

I'm working on a 747-400 with flaps extended, and it's going to be half white (Kalitta Air Cargo since my dad is a 747 pilot for them) and half cathay pacific cargo with a polished aluminum effect. I'd like to get this right so I don't mess up the paint job. I'll be using bare metal foil on the half for the Cathay Pacific Cargo.

  • Member since
    May 2005
  • From: Left forever
Posted by Bgrigg on Saturday, January 2, 2010 12:44 PM

Paint ridges along tape is caused by too much paint being laid down on each pass. Rattle cans are difficult to control! Lighter, and more, passes should work much better. Remember that spraying a heavy coat of paint is at 1:1 scale, and you're trying to create a paint job at a much smaller scale!

Also try to spray so that the air flows past the tape, rather that toward the tape. This helps prevent the tape from lifting, and building up a greater ridge of paint.

So long folks!

  • Member since
    October 2007
  • From: Scotland
Posted by Milairjunkie on Saturday, January 2, 2010 3:00 PM

As Bgrigg says, you are laying down too thick a coat.

In the past I have had some ridge / edge problems with camo paint jobs, to cure I left it until after the clear coat stage (Future) & then used some 1000 grit to remove the edge - using Future before dealing with it saved the colours interfering with each other.

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Neenah, WI
Posted by HawkeyeHobbies on Sunday, January 3, 2010 8:13 AM

The reasons for the ridges is clearly explained...too much paint along the masking edge.

Let the paint cure. Once cured wet sand with a little water and a polishing stick. Let the stick do the work, don't apply a lot of pressure. Gently reduce the ridge, constantly checking your progress by feeling it with your finger.

Rise and wipe down the model and allow to thoroughly dry.

Gerald "Hawkeye" Voigt

http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/

 

 

"Its not the workbench that makes the model, it is the modeler at the workbench."

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Sunday, January 3, 2010 11:20 AM

Even thin coats CAN leave a ridge.  I sand the result, after removing tape, with #1200 or even finer. It is amazing how fine a sandpaper you can get these days.  If you are sanding a gloss, you will then have to apply glosscoat, but I usually do anyway.  With a fine enough sandpaper you may get away without flat coating when doing flats.

One very labor-intensive method is to double mask so that you are putting down the same number of layers of each color.  Say you are putting down red and yellow.  After primer is done, mask off only yellow areas and spray N coats.  Then mask off yellow and spray red N coats.  Of course, each coat has to be put down the same thickness.  About the only time I do this is when spraying Alclad and some normal color paint.

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

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