| Last updated on January 11, 2021
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The infomation you provide is very valuable. The question I have is whether it is necessary to spray either a gloss or flat coat on a RTR freight car (right out of the box) before begining to spray on weathering coats? I know that when it’s all done, it should be sprayed with a flat coat, but what about before?
Interesting. When I learned airbrushing some time ago, I was taught to have the airbrush about 8 to 10 inches from the model. You have it about 3 inches away. Is it because of the paint itself or because you are using a double-action airbrush?
Need idea for a series. This is the first episode I’ve watched and I’m looking forward to watching the others now.
Robert,
I plan to mask and paint the interiors of the wheel wells after the white undersides are done. Because of the undercuts on the wells, they are difficult to mask from the white, but I can run tape around the perimeter and spray chromate for the primer. Unless, that is, it turns out that the particular Corsair had white well as some did, in which case I’ll finish the white layer.
Cheers, Aaron
Roy,
I like light sanding between coats because I find it provides the smoothest possible finish. Almost every paint I’ve sprayed has a slightly rough finish after application. A light rub with 1500- or 2000-grit sandpaper knocks that down. Without it, the rough surface will catch more stray paint particles and exacerbate the effect on subsequent layers of paint.
Using fine sandpaper and a light touch minimizes the damage I do to the underlying detail. I use corners and folds to paint right up to the edge of a feature.
Cheers, Aaron
Joe,
I could wear gloves while wiping down the model. But for ease of handling — gloves can make it hard to ensure you have a good grip on the model — I usually wash my hands thoroughly before handling the parts to remove any oils.
Cheers, Aaron
Bob,
The order in which to spray is largely dependent on the type of model being painted. When I paint an aircraft, I’ll build the main airframe, but leave the landing gear and other delicate parts off for painting. On a tank, I usually build the entire model before painting. That changes if the vehicle has a detailed interior. I know folks who paint all of the parts on the trees before assembly, then touch up the joins after. I’m not a fan as I would rather have the strength of the bond unhindered by paint.
If the interior was in the passenger car or it was painted inside, I would put tape over the openings. In this case, the car was jus a shell so it was easier to paint it without the masks.
Primer should be as light as necessary, but should form a uniform base for any colors to come.
Cheers, Aaron
Richard,
Good ear. What’s left of my accent stems from growing up in Australia.
Cheers, Aaron
Gary Meives, I’m not experiencing problems with the music being too loud. Is it possible that you have an equalizer on your sound device, (some sound cards have them) If you do try adjusting the music volume. Hope that helps you.
I hope you can continue this series with more painting tips. By the way, I hear a little bit of an accent in your voice. Could you have roots in England? I wonder if we may be related?
I am having trouble hearing Aaron because there is loud music playing over him. Has anyone else experienced this?
These are good tips about pre-cleaning a model, spraying with light coats, and especially starting on scribed details.This opens a number of questions.
Is it better to spray paint a model before assembly or in the middle of assembly, certainly not after completion of assembly? Is the demonstration for applying a primer finish or a final finish of an area? It might be helpful to know the final target before starting.
As was mentioned, it is a surprise you did not wear gloves when cleaning to prevent any extra finger marks. Should certain areas be masked off to prevent over spray in wrong places? As on the passenger car, painting the interior through the windows.
When the army was teaching me to spray paint, a few years age (1969), the instructor said the first coat of primer should allow the metal to be seen, and any marks you left, while the second and third coat finished the primer. Then he added that most manufacturers apply too much primer per the book, then over paint it.
It has been many years since I tried using an airbrush, and have many books and articles about haw easy it is. I have no idea how some model painters achieve the work that gets published. I am hoping this series will revile some of those secrets.
Bob Neill
Enjoying this series. Thanks Aaron. Makes me want to get out the old airbrush and do some experimenting.
Great tips Aaron, thank you. Surprising how many people forget to clean new plastic models before painting them, lots of unseen substances on the surface that inhibit good paint adhesion.
Aaron,
When I have watched Cody paint locomotives or rolling stock in the past, I have not noticed him or recall him commenting that a light sanding is or would be needed (I might be wrong on that).
Is there a difference in the method that he uses compared to this one?
How would you suggest sanding areas that have detail that feel rough without damaging the model?
Thank you in advance.
Why aren’t you wearing gloves while you wipe down the model to eliminate fingerprint oils. Doesn’t handling The model bare-handed defeat the purpose of wiping down?
Aaron, a question on the Corsair; why didn’t you mask the wheel wells? Most aircraft of that vintage had the chromate showing.
Thanks Aaron. This is a very helpful series.