Tips – Painting and Finishing

Paint Finishing

From Paul: I like to have a VERY smooth finish on the hulls I sail.  While this is mostly so I can stay ahead of Harry in the races I also like the look and feel of a very shiny hull. All it takes is patience and a little elbow grease.  Once you have a reasonably smooth hull (whether it is wood, plastic or Fiberglas) the next step is to start wet sanding.  If you go to one of the Wood Shows you can get a complete range of wet sandpapers at a very good price.  Each sheet will go a long way since it can be washed and dried and reused many times.  I start with 400 grit and work up through 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 and 2500 – yes there is 2500!  In fact you can get 60,000 but it is about as rough as Charmin’.  Dip the sandpaper in water with a tiny drop of dish-washing liquid, it will make the job easier.  Sand in the same direction and just take a couple of minutes for each grade of paper.  Once you have finished then apply several coats of a good wax such as Maguires auto wax.  This process can be done directly on styrene or ABS hulls or after painting.  If you are going to sand after painting then make sure you have several coats of well dried paint and be prepared to paint again if you sand right through it.  It’s worth the effort!.

Sanding Ad Infinitum

From Bob I: As many know I’m big on sanding, filling, resanding and repeat again and again. I use finishing bondo in the tube that I get from Canadian Tire in the Automotive paint section. I like it as it’s very fine for small holes. I use plastic oil painting knives from Michaels. They come in a package of a few different sizes & blades and are not expensive at all to apply the bondo. Applying thin layers are better than thick as it dries very fast and can be faster with a hair dryer. Also, when finished sanding it takes paint very well. The most important trick I’ve learned about sanding is to wipe the surface frequently with a soft micro cloth, then I’ll close my eyes when I’m feeling the surface for deficiencies as your eyes will fool you but your touch won’t. 

Paul’s Techniques in Airbrushing

It’s possible to spend hours and hours watching Youtube videos about airbrushing. Nothing compares with seeing and learning in person, and at a November meeting Paul got “close up and personal” ( as close as Covid restrictions allow) about airbrushing and passed on all he’d learnt of the techniques. …. READ MORE…