Sanding before Future

[neil_w]

Although I've been able to generally get decent results, some aspects of finishing are still mysterious to me.

On my current build, after getting a fantastic base coat of white (Rusto 2x), I did a coat of black with an imperfect masking job that required me to go back and touch some white bits by hand (Testor's Gloss White Enamel). Stuff happened and I ended up with a more extensive touch-up job than I had originally intended. It looks crappy from up close although not so bad from a few feet away:


This is just one touch-up area among many.

I was thinking that sanding it a bit before applying the final coat of Future would smooth out my brush strokes and make the whole thing blend a bit better. It won't be perfect but I'm hoping for "better". I'm running into the limits of my knowledge about final finishing and would like some input before I go and screw it up. I'm a bit frustrated at even needing to ask these questions, because I managed to bumble my way through my previous builds without running into any particular problems in this area, but I have much more brushwork on this model than usual and potentially therefore a lot more variation.

1) What would be a reasonable sequence to clean this up a bit. I have 400, 800, and 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper on hand right now.

2) How uniform does the surface need to be before I apply the Future? Like, if I sand only the touch-up areas of the rocket with 800 and then 1500 grit, and then apply Future to the whole thing, will the whole rocket have uniform gloss afterwards? A month or two ago I ran a test on a hand-painted part and found that the areas that I had sanded with 800 grit did *not* come out completely glossy after Future, a result which puzzles me but I can't deny what I see. I don't want to be forced to sand the whole rocket; most of it looks fine. On the other hand, giving the whole rocket a once-over with 1500 or something would certainly smooth out my paint dams a bit. My main goal is to have everything look uniform after the Future is applied.

In addition to the touch-up areas, one of my black fins seems to have gotten scuffed a bit during handling and I might want to sand that one a bit, but again I'm nervous if I just sand certain areas if I'll end up with an uneven finish at the end.

3) When wet-sanding areas where colors join, do I have to worry about the white getting ground into the black, or vice versa? Or does doing it wet pretty much take care of that?

Thanks!

 

[dixontj93060]

Lots of questions here, but in general, I sand to my hearts content before applying Future. If you don't get consistent gloss, then go another coat (or two)--it will look fine. With respect to color masking edges, you will always see these after coats of Future. If it bothers you, you'll need to sand these even before applying Future. With respect to wet sanding contrasting colors, I have never had a problem (assuming your coats are fully cured).

 

[neil_w]

I guess I just have to give it a whirl. I'll do the touch-up areas with 800 and then do the whole thing with 1500 to knock down the dams and even it up. The top half of the rocket is actually finished with paint, so I can get that completed with Future and see how it goes before I touch the bottom half (which also still needs another color coat.)

I wish that I (a) felt more confident about finishing techniques, and (b) had more time to experiment with it a bit. As it is my opportunities are so limited that I feel like I always have to get it perfect every time, which is a bad way to feel when you don't totally know what you're doing.

Anyway, I am learning and getting better, just slowly.

 

[Screaminhelo]

What he said. The finer the final grit that you use is the better shine you'll get front the first coat of clear, with 1500 you may not need a second coat.

The challenge with Future is that it is very thin and it conforms to the surface very well so you don't soften details. I used it over flat black to produce a nice satin finish for a P-38M that I built years ago but that was the original formula, of which I still have two unopened bottles. The "Pledge With Future Shine" doesn't behave quite the same.

 

[neil_w]

The "Pledge With Future Shine" doesn't behave quite the same.

Really? I thought it was exactly the same....

 

[Screaminhelo]

There seems to have been a slight change in the formula when they switched. The Pledge with Future gets more tip dry when using an airbrush and takes a little more work if adding a flattening agent. I also found that it is a little thinner so it requires a smoother surface or more coats for that wicked gloss finish.