i cant remember all that i have forgotten. before i silkspan balsa surface ? sanding sealer or just clear , if clear when is sanding sealer needed?? thank you in advance Geoffrey
Geoffrey,
Sorry for the delay in responding, but I guess we are all busy building !! <g> You've done a very nice job on the plane....looks great. What is the kit?
If you are just getting back into modeling, don't get bogged down in finishing details, and don't try to make it perfect. As you build more models, you will be flooded with finishing information. Use this information along with your own learning experience, and develop a finishing system that is appropriate for your needs and desires. If you do a little research on model finishing, you will have a zillion ideas to work with.
Just to get you started, here is a brief outline of a basic finish. There are no hard and fast rules, and many different approaches accomplish the same thing.
1) Sand your airframe until you are satisfied that it is smooth.
2) Brush on 2-3 coats of butyrate dope, thinned only enough to be able to brush smoothly and evenly. Don't worry about the difference between nitrate and butyrate at this time. Just buy some butyrate and use it through the whole process. In the future, you can consider the advantages of nitrate in the early part of the process. Very lightly sand between coats to remove roughness.
3) Apply medium silkspan to the entire wing, fuselage, and tail surfaces, using the silkspan damp, and very thin dope, brushing through the the silkspan to adhere. Paint your dope only around the perimeter of the wing, leaving the open bays to shrink before doping.
4) After dry, apply additional 2-4 coats of clear, thinned to a good brushing consistency. Again, sand lightly between coats.
5) When the surface starts to show some gloss, you can switch to your "sanding sealer" which should more appropriately be named "filler", as its purpose is to fill in the texture of the finish to make it smoother. Don't go nuts here....probably 2-3 medium coats with the usualy sanding, will give a reasonable finish.
6) Apply a thinned coat of clear to seal the filler. Lightly sand.
7) Now go ahead and apply your color coats, spraying if possible. If you don't have spray equipment, you can consider spray cans at this point in your return to modeling.
A top coat of clear may increase glossiness, but probably is not necessary.
Don't run the painting. Generally, it's a good idea to not apply more than 2 coats a day. Allowing good drying time allows the solvents to evaporate and promotes a solid finish. If the surface smells strongly of dope, solvents are still coming off. Room temperatue, of course, will effect drying time.
Again, don't drive yourself nuts trying to put on a perfect finish at this point. There is plenty of time in the future for that.
One point to remember....sandpaper is your 'friend' and is key to a good finish.
Don't hesitate to ask questions as you go along, but don't get confused with conflicting suggestions. Everyone has their own system that works best for them....you have yet to establish yours.
Good luck.
Cheers.
Warren Wagner
Topic: order of finish (Read 964 times)
