Newbie tips from a Newbie
11-14-2008, 10:04 PM
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Newbie tips from a Newbie
So I made my first attempt at painting a lexan body for my savage. I painted a jeep wrangler since I love jeeps. 
Anyway it didn't turn out horrible, but definately room for improvement. Most of my mistakes can be attributed to impatience. Here is a list of tips for all you new guys (and gals) out there trying this out for your first time as well:
1) Use a high quality masking tape from your hobby store (not the cheep stuff from the hardware store, thats only for drywall. It tends to lift off the lexan and allow the paint to bleed past your line)
2) Take the time to FIRMLY press ALL the edges of your tapeline multiple times to prevent runs and bleeding.
3) Wait until the paint is FULLY dry before removing the mask, tape, or applying the next coat. Actuall wait until you think its fully dry, then wait some more.
Too early and the lines will run and the paint coats will mix and run.
4) Use a blowdrier and spend COPIOUS amounts of time pressing any masks you are using into all cracks and crannies of your body. Every tiny little lift will show up.
5) Use LIGHT coats. This applies especially to metalics and tints. Even a little too much and it all starts to run.
6) Use multiple coats of an overcoat where required (read the paint can label). This especially applies to tint and metalics or other semi clear paints.
7) Do NOT, I repeat, Do NOT ever try to use acetone to fix a mistake. LOL. (Yes I know I'm an idiot). Even a very tiny amount will do VERY BAD THINGS to lexan. LOL.
8) And the most important: TAKE YOUR TIME!!!!!
So those are my lessons learned from my first trial. I'll post some pictures as soon as I take some. All you good painters will laugh at how horrible it is, but I think it turned out better than expected considering my first attempt with zero painting experience. This will be my bashing body, the next one will get better ( I hope ). LOL
Anyway it didn't turn out horrible, but definately room for improvement. Most of my mistakes can be attributed to impatience. Here is a list of tips for all you new guys (and gals) out there trying this out for your first time as well:
1) Use a high quality masking tape from your hobby store (not the cheep stuff from the hardware store, thats only for drywall. It tends to lift off the lexan and allow the paint to bleed past your line)
2) Take the time to FIRMLY press ALL the edges of your tapeline multiple times to prevent runs and bleeding.
3) Wait until the paint is FULLY dry before removing the mask, tape, or applying the next coat. Actuall wait until you think its fully dry, then wait some more.
Too early and the lines will run and the paint coats will mix and run.4) Use a blowdrier and spend COPIOUS amounts of time pressing any masks you are using into all cracks and crannies of your body. Every tiny little lift will show up.
5) Use LIGHT coats. This applies especially to metalics and tints. Even a little too much and it all starts to run.
6) Use multiple coats of an overcoat where required (read the paint can label). This especially applies to tint and metalics or other semi clear paints.
7) Do NOT, I repeat, Do NOT ever try to use acetone to fix a mistake. LOL. (Yes I know I'm an idiot). Even a very tiny amount will do VERY BAD THINGS to lexan. LOL.
8) And the most important: TAKE YOUR TIME!!!!!
So those are my lessons learned from my first trial. I'll post some pictures as soon as I take some. All you good painters will laugh at how horrible it is, but I think it turned out better than expected considering my first attempt with zero painting experience. This will be my bashing body, the next one will get better ( I hope ). LOL
11-15-2008, 12:12 AM
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RE: Newbie tips from a Newbie
sorry to go against what you have posted ,but i found that after i paint i wait about 10 minutes and then take my tape off to get a cleaner finish when the paint is still wet or tacky. and i do use the blue painters tape from home depot. and it works great for me. but all of us out there have different ways ,and times of taking the mask off, but i do take my time and press all the edges down firmly to get a good seal, but at times i get some bleading and scrap them off with a sharp hobby knife. work good for me. here some of my bodies.
