Sanding between paint coats...

[Russmeister 101]

Greetings and salutations...
I've a question for the hive mind, if you would be so kind as to indulge me...
 

Do you sand paint between coats?

It's something that I have started to do, starting with the 2nd primer coat. Would I be right in thinking that "tack cloths" are a thing? I'm not convinced that microfibre cloths are the way to go with removal of the dust left behind following a sanding with a P1500 or greater grit.

I look forward to hearing your collective wisdom

 

[louiex2]

It depends on what I'm painting.  For the most part, I only sand areas with orange peal but if the primer went down smooth I just move on to the next coat.  The exception is for anything requiring a smooth surface such as bare metal or a shiny car body.  In that case I sand between every coat until I get to the final gloss.  With the colour coats, I sand with progressively finer sandpaper, sometimes up to 12000 grit.

 

Lou in California

[Mark Harmsworth]

No I don't. If I'm after a particularly smooth finish - for me that would be metallic - then I'd use a gloss primer. Otherwise I find my primers smooth enough for my purposes. But then I do WW2 planes where the finish is not that of a classic car.

Mark

[Scimitar F1]

If you spray a slightly wetter coat (one with slightly more thinner) you generally get a smoother finish.

 

The problem with sanding between coats is getting rid of the dust and going thru on raised detail

[Maximilian]

I’ve found kimwipes to be very good at clearing the filler overspray from primer to leave the surface smooth to the touch. They don’t leave fibers and won’t easily scratch the primer. You can also use them between paint layers assuming it’s dry to the touch. 

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

Not as a rule but sometimes I do. The things I make don't need high gloss so I seldom go above a 4000 grit Infini sanding sponge. Tack cloths are a thing but I've never needed them for model making.