Losi Motor Man
09-20-2007, 06:08 PM
Body painting:
Painting can be more time consuming than all the rest of the assembly. If you want a durable, distinctive, and attractive paint job, it probably will be. Set your expectations accordingly.
Trim the body completely before you paint it. This includes cutting any mounting holes and the hole for the antenna straw. Place the body on the chassis to ensure that you've provided clearance for the shocks, suspension, and steering. If you try to trim after painting you are likely to mess up your paint job.
You can trim the edges of the body most easily with a pair of short, stout scissors. Failing this, use a sharp Xacto knife, but go slowly. Start holes by rotating the point of a sharp Xacto knife, using slight pressure. The best tool for enlarging holes to their final size is a Dremel tool with a tapered steel or abrasive cutter, or a tapered hand reamer. Lacking these, use a set of graduated drill bits, rotating them by hand to keep them from grabbing and tearing the plastic, or use the sharp Xacto knife with great patience.
After trimming, clean the inside of the body thoroughly. Though it seems barbaric, I prefer to clean the inside of the body using extra fine (400 grit) wet-or-dry sandpaper, used wet. The scratches produced by the sandpaper are invisible once the body is painted and they help the paint bond to the plastic. Don't sand areas that are to remain clear, e.g. windshields and windows.
Next step is masking. The body may include masks for the windows; apply them first. Then, for a two-color paint job, mask to completely cover the area that will be painted the lighter color. Use a high quality masking tape, such as 3M, and press the edges of the tape down firmly with the back of a fingernail to make it more difficult for paint to seep under the
tape.
You can paint with an air brush, a spray can, or a bristle brush. Brushing (air or bristle) gives the widest choice of colors -- you can mix your own. A bristle brush gives a heavier job, which is not an advantage. Most people go with the spray cans.
Some keys to spraying success are:
*Keep the spray moving to avoid putting too much paint on any spot
*Keep the spray far enough away to prevent putting too much paint on any spot, but close enough so that the paint does not dry in the air before reaching the surface.
*Apply thin coats with a little drying time between coats
for practice, try painting the body trimmings before painting the body
( As noted earlier, the solvents used in paints that stick to polycarbonate are quite bad for you; follow directions by spraying outside or in some other well-ventilated area.
*When you are done painting, and the paint has dried thoroughly, reinforce the high-stress areas of the body from the nside with RTV adhesive. High-stress areas include the body mounting holes, slots where the shock towers come through the body on a buggy, and sharp corners such as the bottom rear of a truck's cab.
*A little RTV adhesive applied where the
body rubs on the chassis can keep the paint from wearing through in these places.
Hope this helps you and is informative. You need more tips feel free to leave me a message or E mail me @ Nookster11234@hotmail.com Thanks
Painting can be more time consuming than all the rest of the assembly. If you want a durable, distinctive, and attractive paint job, it probably will be. Set your expectations accordingly.
Trim the body completely before you paint it. This includes cutting any mounting holes and the hole for the antenna straw. Place the body on the chassis to ensure that you've provided clearance for the shocks, suspension, and steering. If you try to trim after painting you are likely to mess up your paint job.
You can trim the edges of the body most easily with a pair of short, stout scissors. Failing this, use a sharp Xacto knife, but go slowly. Start holes by rotating the point of a sharp Xacto knife, using slight pressure. The best tool for enlarging holes to their final size is a Dremel tool with a tapered steel or abrasive cutter, or a tapered hand reamer. Lacking these, use a set of graduated drill bits, rotating them by hand to keep them from grabbing and tearing the plastic, or use the sharp Xacto knife with great patience.
After trimming, clean the inside of the body thoroughly. Though it seems barbaric, I prefer to clean the inside of the body using extra fine (400 grit) wet-or-dry sandpaper, used wet. The scratches produced by the sandpaper are invisible once the body is painted and they help the paint bond to the plastic. Don't sand areas that are to remain clear, e.g. windshields and windows.
Next step is masking. The body may include masks for the windows; apply them first. Then, for a two-color paint job, mask to completely cover the area that will be painted the lighter color. Use a high quality masking tape, such as 3M, and press the edges of the tape down firmly with the back of a fingernail to make it more difficult for paint to seep under the
tape.
You can paint with an air brush, a spray can, or a bristle brush. Brushing (air or bristle) gives the widest choice of colors -- you can mix your own. A bristle brush gives a heavier job, which is not an advantage. Most people go with the spray cans.
Some keys to spraying success are:
*Keep the spray moving to avoid putting too much paint on any spot
*Keep the spray far enough away to prevent putting too much paint on any spot, but close enough so that the paint does not dry in the air before reaching the surface.
*Apply thin coats with a little drying time between coats
for practice, try painting the body trimmings before painting the body
( As noted earlier, the solvents used in paints that stick to polycarbonate are quite bad for you; follow directions by spraying outside or in some other well-ventilated area.
*When you are done painting, and the paint has dried thoroughly, reinforce the high-stress areas of the body from the nside with RTV adhesive. High-stress areas include the body mounting holes, slots where the shock towers come through the body on a buggy, and sharp corners such as the bottom rear of a truck's cab.
*A little RTV adhesive applied where the
body rubs on the chassis can keep the paint from wearing through in these places.
Hope this helps you and is informative. You need more tips feel free to leave me a message or E mail me @ Nookster11234@hotmail.com Thanks