Looking for a perfect car gloss finish. Is this tool worth it?

I'm seeing other products recommended on the Amazon page, from companies like Hardell. I'm fine considering other recommendations, as long as I know it's good for what I need.

I definitely would recommend against using any kind of Dremel for polishing a model car body.  Even at their lowest speed, they run way too fast and can damage your paintjob.  I just got back to building a car again, and one of the things that made me the most nervous about that was getting a good, even, glossy finish.  I decided to give MCW enamels a try in the last couple of weeks, and the test shots I have done on spoons are very impressive.  This shoots and lays down really nicely, and self levels so well that it yields a mirror-like finish with very little effort.  You might give that a try before trying to find better ways of polishing.  You might not even need to polish if you use this stuff. 

2k clear is pretty amazing for a super high gloss finish.  I've done it once and was very happy with the results.

Agree - I've only used my dremel for removing pour stubs on resin parts.  Way to fast for plastic.

ohms

Hi everyone,

Car modeler for a few years here. The only electronic device I have for my plastic models is a compressor for my airbrush. 

I'm looking to up my gloss finish. A local site that I frequent is selling the Dremel Stylo (2050-15). Should I get this? Would the accessories that come with it be enough to get a good finish, or would I have to purchase other things after the fact?

I think the only thing I would find useful are the polishing accessories. Would this be all I need. The sanding fittings look too rough to use on a gloss coat, so it means fine sanding would still need to be done by hand.

Thanks for any feedback in advance.

See the product here:

Amazon product page - Dremel Stylo 2050-15

 

I do use a Stylo and like it for polishing.  But getting a really good gloss is mostly a technique issue.  I call glossy painting brinkmanship.  You need to put on the last two coats pretty thic, stopping just before it runs!  How to you know when it is just ready to run?  Same as getting to Carnegie Hall- practice, practice, practice!  Get out the plastic spoons.

ohms

Hi everyone,

Car modeler for a few years here. The only electronic device I have for my plastic models is a compressor for my airbrush. 

I'm looking to up my gloss finish. A local site that I frequent is selling the Dremel Stylo (2050-15). Should I get this? Would the accessories that come with it be enough to get a good finish, or would I have to purchase other things after the fact?

I think the only thing I would find useful are the polishing accessories. Would this be all I need. The sanding fittings look too rough to use on a gloss coat, so it means fine sanding would still need to be done by hand.

Thanks for any feedback in advance.

See the product here:

Amazon product page - Dremel Stylo 2050-15

 

I have been trying to up my game in the automotive finishes sector as well.

I would very much avoid using a Dremel on your model. They are far to powerfull for finishes as delicate as this.

If you want a power buffer for your paint work, get a powered toothbrush. The kind with the round head that reciprocates, spinning back and forth very fast. Then cut all the bristles off and glue a round foam pad onto the head.

This seems to work pretty well. I have used a setup like this semi-successfully.

I still prefer to polish out paint by hand.

But let me back up a bit here because there is one VERY important thing that needs to happen in order to be able to properly polish out your paint job.

If you want to polish out your paint to a mirror shine, you have to make sure your paint is fully cured and then some. If you paint is not fully cured, it is too soft and nearly impossible to polish all the swirl marks out of.

The information to follow assumes you are using acrylic or lacquer paints.

Apply your primer. Your primer might claim to be cured in minutes, or an hour. Wait at least 12 hours though. You want it to be fully cured.

Then apply your paint. Acrylics and lacquers can be dry to the touch in an hour depending on brand and type of paint. But let your paint cure for at least 24 hours. I like to wait 48 hours.

Then after you apply your clearcoat let it sit at least 48 hours before you do anything with it. And let it sit for at least a week before you do any polishing.

It is imperitive to let that clearcoat cure as long as possible before you polish it out. It has to be as hard as possible or buffing out the swirl marks will be impossible. So I let mine sit at least a week.

In fact what I do to make sure that clearcoat cures as much as possible during a build. I prep and paint the body first. Then I build the car. So that clearcoat is curing that whole 6-8 weeks during a build. Then when I am ready to put the body together, then I polish it out.

---

I have a friend that takes this curing time to the extreme. And he wins best paint at nearly ever show he enters.

He paints his car body, then clearcoats it the next day. Then he puts that body away for a month.

After a month of curing, he wet sands any orange peel out. Then lets the body sit another month.

Then he polishes out the wet sanding he did. Then lets the body sit another month.

Then he polishes out the rubbing compound. Then lets the body sit another month.

Then he uses a fine polish to make sure any swirl marks are gone. And finally waxes it after assembly.

His paint jobs take 4 months.

But it all comes down to how far you want to take it. For me, waiting a week seems to be a solid rule of thumb. Or paint first, then build, then polish out the paint. Giving it a month or more to cure works very well.

I'll do another post for technique.

Thank you so much for all the feedback, people!

Will try to apply what I can when applicable. 

ctruss53

If you want to polish out your paint to a mirror shine, you have to make sure your paint is fully cured and then some. If you paint is not fully cured, it is too soft and nearly impossible to polish all the swirl marks out of.

I don't understand, though. Wouldn't softer paint make it easier to get the scratches off?

ctruss53

 

 

ohms

Hi everyone,

Car modeler for a few years here. The only electronic device I have for my plastic models is a compressor for my airbrush. 

I'm looking to up my gloss finish. A local site that I frequent is selling the Dremel Stylo (2050-15). Should I get this? Would the accessories that come with it be enough to get a good finish, or would I have to purchase other things after the fact?

I think the only thing I would find useful are the polishing accessories. Would this be all I need. The sanding fittings look too rough to use on a gloss coat, so it means fine sanding would still need to be done by hand.

Thanks for any feedback in advance.

See the product here:

Amazon product page - Dremel Stylo 2050-15

 

 

 

 

 

I have been trying to up my game in the automotive finishes sector as well.

I would very much avoid using a Dremel on your model. They are far to powerfull for finishes as delicate as this.

I

 

 

That is the neat thing about the Stylo mdels.  They are very low power and speed, plus the speed regulation is poor.  Push too hard and they come to a stop.  Remove fro surface and they reset in a couple of seconds.  They are fine for polishing.

Hi There!

        I hate to dissappoint You, In Sixty Five years of building Models, Many of them requiring high gloss finishes, I find the old index Finger wrapped with a very soft and fine rag, used in Conjunction with McGuires Classic car wax (for the real thing) to always be my best bet. A nice Hard finish after the gasout period of the paint. At least three to four days depending on two things. The Thickness of ALL the paint and the Quality of the final gloss finish. I have taken as much as six months on the finishes to be honest though. I put them away and maybe remember that car a month or two later!

         Now there is a third thing to consider here too. Age! Brand and Application Method. Many paints don't do well after a certain time sitting unused. This includes the Aerosol can type. I have had at least a half dozen gas out on the shelf. Leaving a thick muddy mass in the bottom of an inert can. This was on some Testors Brand paint. I have only had that happen to one can of Rust-Oleum primer. But, it was at least Ten years old from date of purchase!

        I still have two very old models that are well past their prims.(Wheels Wobbly etc,) from the good old days! A Revell original release of the Austin Healey 3000 in Cream and red(Revell-Small Box, Multi part Body and a M.G.T.D of the same era) Painted with a brush and Pactra Bottle paint. I have cleaned them up and added Chrome with a great little invention-A Molotow pen! The colors are still bright and clean looking and for a kid I gotta say, every time I wipe them off I didn't do too bad as a kid! To bad they didn't have clear Plastic windshields. But. Like their small edition kits, no window glass was a Revell Standard.

     I recently buffed them with Crest Toothpaste-Not Gel.They still look great! For my building abilities back then! Just DON'T do this! Never press to hard. It'll get there. Wet sand where needed with the finest grit you can find (For Flaw removal) then Buff Gently till you get the shine you want! No Motorized polishers here.No matter how slow they go the potential for Heat from the polishing pad and Damage, is to great on a model Car!

I can only recommend this gloss varnish.

It is acrylic and the most resistant I have tried to date. 

https://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/medium-decoupage/3019-medium-decoupage-gloss.html

ohms

Hi everyone,

Car modeler for a few years here. The only electronic device I have for my plastic models is a compressor for my airbrush. 

I'm looking to up my gloss finish. A local site that I frequent is selling the Dremel Stylo (2050-15). Should I get this? Would the accessories that come with it be enough to get a good finish, or would I have to purchase other things after the fact?

I think the only thing I would find useful are the polishing accessories. Would this be all I need. The sanding fittings look too rough to use on a gloss coat, so it means fine sanding would still need to be done by hand.

Thanks for any feedback in advance.

See the product here:

Amazon product page - Dremel Stylo 2050-15

 

I have several tools i use for wood carving. I make super fine detailed carvings called Netsuke its a style of carving from Japan. I woold suggest that if you ever get a tool get one without a cord. the cord one will be in your way.  Mine have cords but I am accustomed to using one. I would never use it to polish anything except metal. The guys have said the truth you will burn a hole in your model before you can react fast enough to stop it.