Painting tip

[wavodavo]

Hello,

I need a bit of help. I've put a first coat of primer on one of my models and left for 24 hours. I went to check to see any imperfections and any small amounts of filling needed. There was a small amount needed on top of the fuselage. So I rubbed down to refill and found that the paint was more like peeling away than rather being even when rubbing down.

Anyway, I filled in what I needed and sanded down and then rubbed down the paint a bit more so that when I put the primer back on, it would level out. but it didn't as you can see from the photo.

Is there a way I can rectify this so that it becomes more uniformed?

Dave

IMG_1143 by ravodavo, on Flickr

[bmwh548]

Not really. You'd have to sand the area until the "step" is gone. Problem you'll lose the panel lines (some of them are already a bit flooded with primer) and you'll have to rescribe them.

I would dip it in the appropriate "sauce" and start again with clean plastic. 

I'm guessing you used some polyurethane primer? Or waterbased?

[modelmaker]

I gave a 200 ml polyurethane primer away as it was utterly useless. Looks nice but impossible to feather out should your preparation be imperfect, like mine often is. It just rips off, as well as taking a dog's age to dry. Hope others have had more luck. 'quite like their Matt varnish however. Sorry, gone off topic as always.....

[wavodavo]

I thought I might had to start again. I used Vallejo white surface primer (i can never get the consistency right and always clogging up the air brush) and then Tamiya white surface primer spray can.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

I knew this was going to be a water dispersible acrylic the instant I saw the photograph.

 

I could show you older models of mine displaying the same flaws - in my case caused when the water dispersible acrylic peeled away from Tamiya primer under Tamiya masking tape. Like you have found, the stuff is a nightmare to feather and just peels further and further away.

 

I have two suggestions to try to rescue your Victor which is quite an expensive model kit:

 

a) Leave it to harden for a couple of weeks and try again. The white stuff may become less latex-y (but probably not).

 

b) Just strategically peel it back to the next panel lines in each direction to hide the fact that the Devil's Dribble just peels away giving you a stepped paint finish.

[modelmaker]

At risk of being ridiculed or at least told off I've gone back to good old fashioned Humbrol enamel grey primer, number 01. It dries in a couple of hours, sprays beautifully and feathers perfectly. 'bit old fashioned but it saved my sanity. Thin with ordinary white spirit and it won't continually clog your airbrush. It is quite a matt finish so you would need to just rub gently with a soft cloth to soften this. Worth a try, good luck...

 

[Steve Noble]

Looks very thick. Personally I would strip it off and reprime the whole thing with the Tamiya primer and go lightly. I always use grey first to show any imperfections/flaws. It's a better colour to allow you to see them. White, I only use after I've corrected any flaws and only if the top colour is a light colour. If I'm using a dark top colour I go straight over the grey primer.

[wavodavo]

Thanks guys for the tips. I never normal use white primer only grey but as I'm doing white, it's better for a white primer. 

I does look thick but it is now only 2 coats. I just get to grips with it.

@modelmaker I think I might give the Humbrol ago again. Last time I used it, I used an enamel spray thinner and dries very rough as if though a spray can was running empty but if white spirit works I'll do that.

@Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies might go with your option b, and make it look like an odd painted panel, but with gut it time to cure before peeling it back.

 

Dave