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accooper

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OK, some of you use terms I have never heard of cause I'm from Texas and we talk different than most folks so maybe some of y'all can define this term.

before you primer your rocket you go over it with a tacky rag?

What is that?

Andrew
 
OK, some of you use terms I have never heard of cause I'm from Texas and we talk different than most folks so maybe some of y'all can define this term.

before you primer your rocket you go over it with a tacky rag?

What is that?

Andrew

It's a rag that you would get in the paints section of your local hardware store or auto parts store. It has beeswax on it to remove particles, dust, etc. It's just tacky enough to pick up the stuff without leaving behind residue on the surface to be painted.
 
tack rag noun (informal term for a tack cloth) - a piece of (usually coarse) woven fabric, impregnated with a substance that remains moderately sticky at room temperature. Usually sold in hardware stores, right next to the sandpaper, and usually packaged in an airtight plastic wrapper. The packaging is necessary because the sticky substance will eventually dry out and lose much of its quality if it is exposed to air for a prolonged period of time. A tack cloth is used to collect and remove nearly all traces of dust from a surface, usually just prior to sealing or painting. The unwanted dust that is present on a work surface has usually been deposited there as a result of sanding the surface or has collected on the surface after being suspended in the air in the general environment where the work object is kept. Immediately before applying finishing compounds such as stain, primer, paint, sealer, varnish or polyurethane (especially when the compound is applied via aerosol spray, as in airbrushing or spray painting), the painter will brush or blow (with an air jet) any loose dust off the surface, and then lightly wipe down the entire work surface several times with a tack cloth in order to remove (as completely as possible) every vestige of dust that might remain. The quite inexpensive tack cloth can be used repeatedly until all of its sticky surface is filled with dust. This cleaning greatly improves the quality of the coating that is subsequently applied, as well as maximizing the coating's adhesion to the surface. Between uses, the tack cloth should be stored in an airtight container in order to preserve the sticky substance and prevent it from drying out.

Hope this explains it.

MarkII
 
OK, some of you use terms I have never heard of cause I'm from Texas and we talk different than most folks so maybe some of y'all can define this term.

before you primer your rocket you go over it with a tacky rag?

What is that?

Andrew
Where in Texas, Andrew? I'm in Houston.
 
I take a paper towel and put a few (very few) drops of water on it, then rub the rocket I am going to paint down with it.

Since there wasn't very much water on the paper towel, it only takes a few seconds to dry, then after it is dry I then primer coat the rocket.

The first time I did this I was really surprised at how much wood filler dust there was on the rocket even after I blew off the dust with compress air!

Andrew
 
I take a paper towel and put a few (very few) drops of water on it, then rub the rocket I am going to paint down with it.

Since there wasn't very much water on the paper towel, it only takes a few seconds to dry, then after it is dry I then primer coat the rocket.

The first time I did this I was really surprised at how much wood filler dust there was on the rocket even after I blew off the dust with compress air!

Andrew

Go over it with a clean (so you can see what you pick up) tack cloth after you wipe it with the damp paper towel. You will be surprised again. :)
 
tack rag noun (informal term for a tack cloth) - a piece of (usually coarse) woven fabric, impregnated with a substance that remains moderately sticky at room temperature. Usually sold in hardware stores, right next to the sandpaper, and usually packaged in an airtight plastic wrapper. The packaging is necessary because the sticky substance will eventually dry out and lose much of its quality if it is exposed to air for a prolonged period of time. A tack cloth is used to collect and remove nearly all traces of dust from a surface, usually just prior to sealing or painting. The unwanted dust that is present on a work surface has usually been deposited there as a result of sanding the surface or has collected on the surface after being suspended in the air in the general environment where the work object is kept. Immediately before applying finishing compounds such as stain, primer, paint, sealer, varnish or polyurethane (especially when the compound is applied via aerosol spray, as in airbrushing or spray painting), the painter will brush or blow (with an air jet) any loose dust off the surface, and then lightly wipe down the entire work surface several times with a tack cloth in order to remove (as completely as possible) every vestige of dust that might remain. The quite inexpensive tack cloth can be used repeatedly until all of its sticky surface is filled with dust. This cleaning greatly improves the quality of the coating that is subsequently applied, as well as maximizing the coating's adhesion to the surface. Between uses, the tack cloth should be stored in an airtight container in order to preserve the sticky substance and prevent it from drying out.

Hope this explains it.

MarkII


That's a mouth full...and then some! (The important stuff is in bold now.)
 
Go over it with a clean (so you can see what you pick up) tack cloth after you wipe it with the damp paper towel. You will be surprised again. :)

So, if why doesn't a tack rag leave behind some residue from the stuff that's loaded into it? Wouldn't it leave some streaks of wax or something?
 
So, if why doesn't a tack rag leave behind some residue from the stuff that's loaded into it? Wouldn't it leave some streaks of wax or something?

I never noticed anything. Beeswax likes to stick to itself more than the rocket. Just go over it lightly a few times instead of rubbing with pressure. Custom auto painters use it on their multi-thousand dollar paint jobs. If it left residue that harmed the paint job, they wouldn't use it.
 
OK, some of you use terms I have never heard of cause I'm from Texas and we talk different than most folks so maybe some of y'all can define this term.

before you primer your rocket you go over it with a tacky rag?

What is that?

Andrew


A "tack rag" is a lint-free cloth that has a very mild adhesive pre-applied to it, used to remove residual sanding dust and other contaminants from a surface prior to spraying paint. They are commonly used in autobody paint prep, among other things, but primarily on cars where the dust can REALLY stand out and downright ruin a paintjob. They're available from paint shops and maybe some auto supplies, especially if they have a wide selection of paint and prep materials.

Technically speaking, you CAN 'tack' off the surface of your rockets with just a damp paper towel, though that's NOT REALLY a tack rag and it doesn't take off virtually all the dust or contaminants as effectively as a true tack rag does... but for most rockets in most conditions, about 99% of the time it's all that's required, and definitely cheaper and easier than messing with 'real' tack rags...

Good luck! OL JR :)
 
It must not be true until repeated over and over and over. :rolleyes:
 
I commonly use tack cloths. My latest project is painted with Klass Kote epoxy paint. In their instructions, they recommend "solvent washing" of the surface prior to painting. On the assumption that some of the beeswax on the tack cloth might get onto the surface, I wiped the surface down with lacquer thinner after using the tack cloth. The overall process for each coat is 1) sand, 2) vacuum/blow off most of the dust, 3) tack cloth, 4) wipe down. This has worked well for me.
 
You can make your own tack cloth fairly easily. All you need is some cheese cloth and varnish. Rinse the cheesecloth real well and let it dry. This will get rid of any particulates which is the last thing you want in a tack cloth. A good quality lint free cotton cloth will also work. Then sprinkle some varnish over the cloth. The goal is to get enough varnish on the cloth to wet most of the surface but not have it be dripping wet. Then fold up the cloth and wring and knead it to spread the varnish. Then let the cloth dry. The varnish then isn't in a form that it will leave a residue on your rocket. I've never heard of the beeswax variety and I'd have to wonder if you weren't leaving any of the wax behind on your rocket.

I do have a tack cloth that I bought at Lowes a while back. It's cheaper than the varnish I went looking for after I ran out. I'm not sure which variety of tack cloth it is. The only warning on the package is about the plastic bag the cloth comes in so I'm guessing it's not varnish. Then again it's made in China so it's probably impregnated with all sorts of hazardous industrial waste. :)
 
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I've never heard of the beeswax variety and I'd have to wonder if you weren't leaving any of the wax behind on your rocket.
It's the type that's likely been around longer than you and me put together.
 
My son goes to TLU. In seguin. We are going down there Saturday.

Andrew
 
So, if why doesn't a tack rag leave behind some residue from the stuff that's loaded into it? Wouldn't it leave some streaks of wax or something?
Sometimes it does, if you rub hard enough. That's why you go over the surface lightly. Any light deposits of "stickum" can be rubbed off easily with a clean dry cloth. (The stuff sticks to dust a whole lot better than it sticks to tubes.) I have never had any problems with primer reacting with a surface that I have cleaned with a tack cloth.

MarkII
 
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A "tack rag" is a lint-free cloth that has a very mild adhesive pre-applied to it, used to remove residual sanding dust and other contaminants from a surface prior to spraying paint. They are commonly used in autobody paint prep, among other things, but primarily on cars where the dust can REALLY stand out and downright ruin a paintjob. They're available from paint shops and maybe some auto supplies, especially if they have a wide selection of paint and prep materials.

Technically speaking, you CAN 'tack' off the surface of your rockets with just a damp paper towel, though that's NOT REALLY a tack rag and it doesn't take off virtually all the dust or contaminants as effectively as a true tack rag does... but for most rockets in most conditions, about 99% of the time it's all that's required, and definitely cheaper and easier than messing with 'real' tack rags...

Good luck! OL JR :)
I pick up tack cloths at the hardware store; there is usually a box or stack of individually-wrapped tack cloths right next to the sandpaper. They are very inexpensive (usually around $0.49 each) and they can be reused many times. In five years, I have had to buy maybe 4 or 5 of them.

MarkII
 
I use a lighly moist paper towel, then a dry microfiber cloth, then a cotton ball with Isopropyl Alcochol to remove any residue before each coat of primer and paint. Is that too anal? :D
 
I use a lighly moist paper towel, then a dry microfiber cloth, then a cotton ball with Isopropyl Alcochol to remove any residue before each coat of primer and paint. Is that too anal? :D
No; anal is if you use anhydrous denatured alcohol for the last step, because isopropyl contains a small percentage of water. But I would be careful about putting any kind of solvent on unpainted paper tubes, because it could weaken the structure and lead to delaminations. I have heard of using a small amount of alcohol to clean off any fingerprints (which always contain a small amount of oil) from a primer coat or the initial paint coat, but not for cleaning off a raw paper surface.

If you are really obsessive, you will only handle your model while wearing white cotton gloves, at least up until you apply the decals and then seal them with Future. You can pick up these gloves at auto parts stores like Advance Auto. (No, I'm not kidding.) They are fairly cheap. I have a few pairs. :rolleyes:

MarkII
 
If you are really obsessive, you will only handle your model while wearing white cotton gloves, at least up until you apply the decals and then seal them with Future. You can pick up these gloves at auto parts stores like Advance Auto. (No, I'm not kidding.) They are fairly cheap. I have a few pairs.

Brilliant! Uh... does that label me as obsessive? :jaw:
 
Sorry, on questions I usually reply before reading all the responses... :) OL JR :)

I've done it myself a few times and then noticed the reply only after I sent it. :eek: It's entertaining to see how many times it gets repeated, though. :cool:
 
Brilliant! Uh... does that label me as obsessive? :jaw:
Only you can answer that question.

A mystic once told me, "To know thyself, peer into your soul....." Yeah, right. That lasted about two seconds. I got scared of what I saw there, and immediately backed out. I'm never going back in there again! :y: :D

MarkII
 
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