Need Help with Finishing and Painting methods for next year'

[PWD]

I am definetely going to give this a try. The most lightweight fiberglass cloth I find at TowerHobbies is 3/4 of an ounce/sq yd.

There is a Microglas cloth that is 6/10 oz/sq ft. But I am thinking it might be a miss print. So I am going to call and ask.

Curious where you found .5 oz sqyd cloth.

-Stev-

[Mike Doyle]

I've got plenty of composite material around the shop from model jet projects, but I'm sold on two coats of BIN or Kilz for primer over bare wood followed up by intermediate sanding.

Then we apply MetalCAST paint from Wal Mart. It has a base silver coat and a variety of colors of translucent top coats. Best of all it's easy for my Sons to do themselves and looks outstanding:

[M7 Racing]

You cant beat MetalCAST for you kids to have an outstanding paintjob all themselves. If they are old enough to use a spraypaint they can have an outstanding paint job with MetalCAST.

[Mike Doyle]

The 100% kid applied MetalCAST finish was actually better before Dad (me) started fooling with the clear coat two seasons back.

In the past my kids struggled with pressing the paint nozzle on the can while laying down a good pattern. This year we bought trigger handle adaptors for a buck or two and my youngest who is 6 was able to lay down a beautiful finish that fades from deep purple to metal-flake silver that won him Best of Show.

I'm pretty sure everyone is convinced I did all the work- it looks that good. I've got the equipment to vacuum bag composites, paint autos, just about anything, but I hold back since the boys are doing the lion's share of the work.

[mbb]

I am definetely going to give this a try. The most lightweight fiberglass cloth I find at TowerHobbies is 3/4 of an ounce/sq yd.

There is a Microglas cloth that is 6/10 oz/sq ft. But I am thinking it might be a miss print. So I am going to call and ask.

Curious where you found .5 oz sqyd cloth.

-Stev-

The 0.56 ounce/sq yd is sold by SIG in most good R/C hobby shops. Or it would be available from SIG mfg directly, they do some mail order direct. The cloth wt really doesnt matter much as you typically sand much of it off while fairing. You just keep wet sanding till the shiny spots (low spots) are gone, then the surface is fair to less than .001. If you sand totally thru , just re-glass that area and blend it in. Theres nothing wrong with the .75 cloth, as the .56 is very very thin. If you want strength on an ultrathin car, I would use the .75 oz

Of course to see maximum benefit from the work you have to sand the primer the same way, sand the paint the same way, then rub the paint out with polishing compound and glaze. You end up with a mirror finish.

Of course, if you put that much effort into a pinewood car your nuts. I mean, Its not like it a model airplane or something

[Stephen's Dad]

PWD Said:

This is great discussion. Stephen's dad what is the epoxy you use on your boat?

Interthane Plus® by Interlux.

http://www.yachtpaint.com/usa/default.asp

click "product guide"

click "paint finishes"

click "Interthane Plus"

Very difficult stuff to work with. Once mixed, the pot life is just minutes unless you keep adding thinner. But I've never brushed a better finish in my life. It looks like it was sprayed & despite being a trailer boat, the 33 year old Sea Ray looks like she just came out of the showroom. The key (as explained by an old salt) is to paint someone else's boat first. Once you finish doing one side of a small dory, you'll never leave a brush mark on your own hull!

I don't think I'd use Interthane Plus on a PWD car though. Give me a couple rattle cans of Bin & Dupi-Color any day.

[pwdarchitect]

if you like Dupli-color then you will love the finish you get from House of Kolor paints. You can even get them in spray bombs. http://www.blackgoldweb.com/default.asp

Jim

[PW Grasshopper]

If you decide to spray paint (like we do) make sure to read & follow ALL SAFETY & other instructions on the paint can.

The amount of sanding that goes on around here might seem excessive but when paint shrinks, grain "happens". We don't like that so using a high-build primer & then sanding back to wood a couple times is not out of the ordinary. We used to use a special DuPont high build primer. But it was very toxic & expensive. Worked great, but I couldn't let Stephen use it.

Now we use paints that are moderately non-toxic, dry really fast & shine like glass.

Step 1.) Zinsser Bin - shellac based - discharges poorly but dries so fast & is so sand-able it doesn't matter. As many coats as it takes to fill any grain that wasn't sanded out completely. This stuff is safe under EVERYTHING. No paint that I am aware of can't be applied over it.

Step 2.) Dupli-Color Auto Lacquer - One light then two wet coats

Step 3) Dupli-Color Clear Lacquer - One light then as many wet coats as it takes.

Step 4) Two weeks later - Rub it out with fine glazing compound.

We've used & really like the Mirage "color that changes" paint system from Dupli-Color too. It's the same lacquer we're using now (MetalSpeck & MetalCast are too) but is sold in a 3 part mistake proof system. Primer, paint & clear all in 1 box with easy to follow directions.

We no longer sand between coats unless there is a run. If a stray piece of dust does get into the finish we rub it out with 000 fine steel wool then repeat the last step.

Never ever ever mix brands or paint types. Except for the primer, you should never mix manufacturers or paint types.

Thanks for all of your product recommendations and painting tips. We painted last night and our car looks a lot better using the MetalCast this year. How long do you let the paint dry before clear coating? Our derby is this Sunday and I wonder if we should bother clear coating. Thanks again

[Mike Doyle]

Two years ago we cleared over MetalCAST and ruined it with compatibility problems. They didn't show up on the 2x4 I tested on first, but of course wrecked the finish on the car.

Last year we had to clear over the gold leaf and I used Krylon Triple Thick. I noticed some slight reactance between the MetalCAST and Krylon but not enough to warrant re-doing anything.

This year, we used MetalCAST again but with no clear coat and were very satisfied with the end result. If you look back at the picture in this thread of my Son's red 2005 car, less the wheels, it's dry and is just MetalCAST with no clear coat.

My advice- don't clear over MetalCAST and avoid decorative applications that require clear coating when using MetalCAST. Also mind the recoat times specified on the can. One tip we use- we shoot the paint in an area that's about 50° so it can flow somewhat without flash curing, then we move the car upstairs to a warmer area to dry. It seems the 15 to 20 minutes of "cool time" results in a super glossy finish although YMMV.

[Stephen's Dad]

We've clear coated both MetalCast & MetalSpeck with no problems at all this year - Derby cars & Space Derby rockets. Just be sure to only use the correct Lacquer based clear from Dupli-Color. I emailed their tech dept earlier this year & they confirmed these are all lacquer based finishes. NEVER use an Enamel clear on these finishes.

[pinewood nut]

I emailed the Dupli-Color folks about clear coating (should I and if so, what with?) and this was the reply they sent:

"We do not recommend applying a clear coat over Metalcast. Applying a
clear coating will alter the overall appearance of the Metalcast paint.
Generally a clear coat will dull and mute the color and metallic cast
of the paint film. The Metalcast coating does not require a clear coat -
Metalcast is a durable, high gloss finish on its own.

Regards,
Ray"

HTH!

[SpinDoctor]

A couple of years ago we made a modified rail design. The car was 2 coral snakes coming out of a snake hole. Looked real sweet until I tried to put a clearcoat on it. Made it run, so we never tried again. Guess I mixed they types. Thanks for the tips, maybee next years cars will get a nice finish.

[Stephen's Dad]

"We do not recommend applying a clear coat over Metalcast. Applying a
clear coating will alter the overall appearance of the Metalcast paint.
Generally a clear coat will dull and mute the color and metallic cast
of the paint film. The Metalcast coating does not require a clear coat -
Metalcast is a durable, high gloss finish on its own.

No doubt it changes the look. My wife runs a Bear Den. Each Den flew a Space Derby Rocket at Blue & Gold this year. Her den made 2 rockets. One was Metalcast Blue over plain Bin white primer. We did like the color better before they cleared it. But there was no wrinkling & still isn't 6 weeks later.

MetalSpeck is 100% better with clear.

[clemsontigerfanatic]

The House of Kolor(Shimrins) paints are wonderful. But, DON'T use the clear coat. It will crack and ruin your finish. Use the Pasti-kote Metal flake clear coat. It does not crack and leaves a glass like clear.

Regardless, use auto laquer paints. They dry fast and are compatible with each other and the color range is unlimited. Stay away from Krylon or any paint that takes a day to dry.

We didnt have this problem with the clear coat.
If you can mess somthing up I usually do. I wonder what causes the cracking?

[PW Grasshopper]

We've clear coated both MetalCast & MetalSpeck with no problems at all this year - Derby cars & Space Derby rockets. Just be sure to only use the correct Lacquer based clear from Dupli-Color. I emailed their tech dept earlier this year & they confirmed these are all lacquer based finishes. NEVER use an Enamel clear on these finishes.

When you coated with MetalCast, how long did you wait before clear coating? I couldn't get a clue with their label.