painting with brushes

[kingofthering]

can you please tell me how to paint with brushes? I am on a very tight budget and i the last model car i built( alpina B-10 ) came out badly because it had a lot of these air bubbles under the paint and i want to avoid this on the next model. Thanks.

[henk4]

Hi, whenever you will use a brush for larger surfaces it has to be sufficiently flowing. If you cannot afford a primer rattle can, then make absolutely sure that the surface is clean (dish washing soap and then thorough drying.) Use a wide brush, and paint in several layers. Sanding after each layer will guarantee a smooth surface, which will need little polishing afterwards. But the first prerequisite is a flowing paint, and preferable enamel and not acrylic as that tends to dry too quickly. Hope this will help.

[SolidStradale]

I don't recommend it. I tried it once and there were streaks all the way down the car. I've used spray cans since.

[carsnut]

Originally Posted by henk4

Hi, whenever you will use a brush for larger surfaces it has to be sufficiently flowing. If you cannot afford a primer rattle can, then make absolutely sure that the surface is clean (dish washing soap and then thorough drying.) Use a wide brush, and paint in several layers. Sanding after each layer will guarantee a smooth surface, which will need little polishing afterwards. But the first prerequisite is a flowing paint, and preferable enamel and not acrylic as that tends to dry too quickly. Hope this will help.

don't forget the thinner doesn't sanding a layer leave scratch marks?, or do you just use a high grit sandpaper(testors sanding films, for example). My only question is that if you heat up paint in hot water, does that make the paint flow better?

[kingofthering]

Originally Posted by henk4

Hi, whenever you will use a brush for larger surfaces it has to be sufficiently flowing. If you cannot afford a primer rattle can, then make absolutely sure that the surface is clean (dish washing soap and then thorough drying.) Use a wide brush, and paint in several layers. Sanding after each layer will guarantee a smooth surface, which will need little polishing afterwards. But the first prerequisite is a flowing paint, and preferable enamel and not acrylic as that tends to dry too quickly. Hope this will help.

does it matter if i use water based paint?

[henk4]

Originally Posted by kingofthering

does it matter if i use water based paint?

I mentioned to not use (water-based) acrylics, as they tend to dry too quickly and don't give you enough time to evenly spread the paint over the surface.

Somebody mentioned that he preferred to use spray cans, but the whole issue of the thread was, what if you are on tight budget, and can't afford them. I have seen hand paint work which really looks perfect. There is a rare kit by Gunze Sangyo of the Ferrari 250GT SWB, (with high tech features) which shows the completed model on the outside of the box. It looks perfect but it is mentioned in the instructions that it received 7 layers of paint, each followed by a process of sanding (2000 grit) and finally polishing. It will give you a smooth surface, but taking into account the drying time of each layer (however thin) it may take you two-three weeks to complete the body.

[AERO_HDT]

I don't like the use of cans, I'd prefer to use an airbrush, but unfortunately I don't have the budget to shell out $500 for a compressor and quality airbrush kit. This is a great thread, because I've been wondering for some time, can you get a GOOD finish with brushes? I have no problem with multiple brush coats and sanding, but to be honest, I'd much prefer to finish my bodywork with a layer of clearcoat.

The only problem with that is the clearcoat needs sanding which then turns it into a dullcoat... Anyone got a way around this without resorting to pressure packs and airbrush techniques?

I've got a model of a '65 Impala SS 409ci which I'm too afraid to finish because despite decent modelbuilding skills and attention to detail, I don't want to touch the body unless I can get a decent finish on it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!