Paint

Lately I have been doing some really poor paint jobs on my rockets. What are the steps to do a really good job on the rocket without streaks or bubbles, and to add a shine. How do you perfect the paint job and what supplies do you need?

I always use spray paint, Here in the UK I get all my paint from Halfords. The stuff is good, many colours and primers & and it dries fast!

To get a pure glossy non streaky paint job like this:



1> Prime the rocket with a good spray primer.

2> Rub down the primer lightly and if needed give it another coat.

3> Apply the top coat in light coats. Aim the can about 15-20cms from the rocket. Don't be tempted to cover it all in one go as you will get runs. Make sure you move your arm and can fairly quickly and evenly to get a good coverage. One thing that can drasticly affect your finish is the pressure in the can. A new can will push the paint out with lots of nice pressure. Other wise it may splatter and ruin the whole job.

4> Keep on applying the top coats with a short drying time in between each one untill the rocket is covered.

5> Allow the full drying time before handling.

6> For a super finish lightly rub down the paint to take off the sheen with some fine grain wet or dry paper. Apply a coat(s) of laquer for a real shiny finish.

If you take time and allow for the right dry time you should be ok.

Steve C.

The only place to get hobby supplies is at my local walmart, but they dont have primer along with their testors paint. Will automotive primer work?

Will automotive primer work

Click to expand...

Thats what I use. Infact all the painting I do is with auto paint - plus you get some cool colours, metallics, pearls etc...

Steve C.

My .02

I've just learned that you may not want to mix paint brands.

I painted with Dupli-Color and it looked great. I then used Krylon
Crystal Clear for a top clear coat.
The Dupli-Color started bubbling and cracking when hit with the clear coat.
I'm not mixing brands in the future. There must be a chemical difference.

True, mixing brands can causes some nasty things to happen even if they say they are made out of the same stuff. I dunno what kind of range of auto paint you guys in the US have (probably makes our UK range look tiny) but they should have all the stuff you need.

Steve C.

There is a nice thread on painting rockets in the techniques forum visit:
https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4453

Bruce S. Levison, NAR #69055

I use WalMart paints for all of my rockets except scale models and metallic finishes.

First, go to the craft section and buy a 1/2" x 36" long dowel. Shove a spent motor on the end and you have your painting stick.

After filling the balsa with Elmer's Fill-N-Finish, I mount it on the painting stick, wipe the rocket down with a Walmart tack cloth, and give the rocket one coat with el cheapo Walmart flat white paint. After allowing the first coat to dry for a few hours, I lightly sand with 400 grit sandpaper to remove any 'fuzz'. Use the tack cloth again, and then I apply additional cheapy flat white as primer in 3-4 coats over two days . Do not spray heavy coats. If you are spraying lengthwise, and rotate the rocket 1/8 or 1/4 turn with each pass, the paint should be almost dry when you get around to the starting point. I then let the primer dry for a 2-3 days, so I t is good and dry. I then lightly sand the primer using 400 grit sandpaper. Now you are ready to paint the glosscoat.

Walmart paints are pretty good in this dept too, although the red is a bit dark. Wipe the rocket with the tack cloth, and spray a light coat of gloss color, just enough to cover. Wait 5 min and spray another light coat of the same color. Wait another 5 min and spray another light coat of the same color. Usually three to four color coats does it for me. Then let the rocket dry for at least 2-3 days before touching it.

You can mask and apply a 2nd color at this point, then let another 2-3 days for that to dry. Do not cheat on the masking tape. I use real, brand name 'tape for masking paint' usually 3m. It just works very well, and will not peel off your bottom color. I remove the masking tape as soon as I paint the second color, to prevent the tape from pulling off the undercoat. You can decal the rocket 2-3 days after applying the final top color coat. Then apply a finish of Future Floor wax.

The 'primer' flat white, the gloss coat, are usually 97 cents a can. You just cannot beat that!!

The trick here, and it has taken me many years to learn, is that you must not hurry. If you do, you end up frustrated by a saggy, fuzzy, or fingerprint laden paintjob.

Metallic paints asre a whole 'nuther ballgame, and it is best to tackle straigh glossy one color paint jobs at first.

Astronboy

astronboy and I have apparently taken that same long runny road to learning to paint light coats! Really that's the main thing, all the careful prep in the world won't matter at all if you drench the rocket in paint... the smooth constant motion light coat that you should probably still be able to see through to the primer in many area after first coat kinda slow...3 or 4 of those 5 mins apart or so and it should look great.

I also want to chime in & say that right next to the WalMart brand spray paints should be the Krylon spray paints. Krylon will run you a fair amount more (I just bought several cans last night at $2.37 each) but you can speed up the painting process considerably. It's really a matter of what is important to you, time or money--waiting for paint to dry or coughing up a couple more bucks.

I have reliably & consistently been able to lay down a coat of primer in the morning before going to work, come home 9 hours later, sand & prime again. Then get up the next morning, lay down the first color of paint. That second afternoon I can mask (with clear scotch tape but that's another thread!) & spray a second color. Essentially you can lay down coats every 8-12 hours without risk & frankly get great results.

PROs of using Krylon:
* resistant to runs
* drys quickly
* good selection of non-metallic colors
* easy to find at most stores

CONs of using Krylon:
* not the cheapest paint choice (although there are plenty other choices that can be a lot more expensive!)
* other than silver & gold, no metallics (that really bums me out )
* Krylon is known for "not playing nice" with other brands of paint (if you start with Krylon, finish with Krylon!)
* Krylon paints can "blush" when used in humid environments (see this link for more info)

Again, we all have our favorites... it's just a matter of trying what's out there & using what you like!

Another vote for Krylon spray paint. I can usually find a good selection at my local WalMart store at a reasonable price. I have also used Plasti-Kote Ultra Enamel. A little more expensive and can usually be found at automotive stores (Advance Auto or AutoZone). They have some really great metallic colors and I have used Plasti-Kote and Krylon together with no problems.

"* Krylon is known for "not playing nice" with other brands of paint (if you start with Krylon, finish with Krylon!)"


I also like Krylon spray paint. My question would be what clear coat do you use with it?

Chuck

BTW I think Hobby Lobby is having a sale on Krylon until 10-18-03.

KYRLON is the good stuff, quick dry, lots of available colors, etc.

In my parts, there's a brand called DECROLON, about $1.50/can. I have been real happy with the flat colors, and the bright red and metallic silver are very nice.

Not trying to twist arms, but give that stuff a try if you see it. I actually like Decrolon over Krylon.

Just a couple of addtional comments.

Remember if you can see a blemish before you paint your model..it will stand out like a sore thumb after its painted.

Primer is everything, I haven't used ANY Balsa filler in the last 5 years. no fill and finish, nothing but 3 to 4 coats of grey sandable primer (Cheap) and a finish coat of White sandable primer. why grey then white? Grey and Black sandable primers have heavier(larger) solids to cover and fill grain, scratches etc. while White primer is a "Finishing" primer with very fine solids. finish WET sand with 600grit than base coat with white flat or semi-gloss paint. check for imprefections than go to your color coat...I don't recomment ANY clear coat, they all yellow over a very few years and look awful. Future floor wax does also.

One last item is Finesse-it finishing compound, I've taken BADly orange-peeled krylon can painted models to a glass smooth fininsh with some elbow greese and a little time.

If you have a few minutes, go to narhams.org in the library section there are three tech-tips that many be of use, 001, 002 & 003 with take you from bare tube/balsa to finished model.