Body Shell Tips

[joebh123]

Hi guys,

going to be painting and cutting my new bodyshell tomorrow. Just after some hints &tips really.

- Do i paint first, then cut. Or the other way round?

And just some general help points please(painting, cutting and trimming), as its my first shell

Thanks in advance,

joebh123

Edited October 3, 2009 by joebh123

[TiM!]

Cut and drill it first. I find it much better that way. And clean the shell really well before painting. And small bits of dust might show up.

[jony nitro]

wash it with fairy washing up liquid warmwater then dry it, before you start spraying

[matt_green84]

Cutting is easiest done with a scalpel, craft knife or blade. Score the line you want to cut, and then break the lexan by folding it in. Wheelarches and stuff are especially tricky, but score your line, then use a decent pair of scissors to cut 'spokes' up to the line you scored. Then break off each tab. Gives a nice clean line, and don't need any special tools.

[53HRA]

Do the following mate:

Cut the shell and drill bodyposts etc

Wash the shell in warm soapy water

Ensure all areas are 100% dry

Apply window masks

Clean the inside of the the shell with a cloth to remove finger prints from when appling the masks

Spray the paint - very light coats only! its better to have loads of fine coats rather apply loads at one time because the paint will run and cause a right mess

Between each coat shake the can.

If the paint looks "wet" stop for a couple of mins before applying another coat.

Do around 3-6 coats of spray

Let it dry for a few hours

Remove the masking and apply decals

Note: Whilst spraying,ensure the temperature is warmish and spray in a nice open space.Oh and get us pics once your done

Edited October 3, 2009 by 53HRA

[joebh123]

Not to worry, i will get pics! Thanks for the info mate

[egg80]

before i sprayed mine i read a few threads on it and in one of them i found said have a bucket of warm water to place your tin of paint in before you use it as it slightly thins the paint and stops it spittin worked a treat for me, cut your body out first and puicture body post holes ect first, dont forget to remove the plastic film off the outside when finnished more thin coats is better than less thick coats as the thick coats wont handle the flex of the body aswell as the thin coats will.

[Nitroholic]

Warming the paint ensures you get a smooth even misting. If the paint is too cold, you also get 'blooming' as the paint picks up moisture from teh atmosphere. You end up with a poor finish. You also want to make sure you spray in a warm environment for the same reason. If you are in a shed, get a heater out there and warm it up before you spray. If you are indoors..make sure you protect against overspray and have good ventilation. Otherwise it will be the last time you get to do that......

If you build up too thick a layer of paint too quickly it will run and 'sag' as the paint is very thin to allow it to spray well. Let each coat dry a few minutes before adding the next. Take it slow and carefully, and good results are not hard to get with spray cans. I've done a lot of airbrushing in the past, as well as spraying cars/bikes and just about everything except an RC car.... but the basic principles are all the same. Hope it goes well!