SANDING PLASTIC MODELS (NOOB)

[alerae]

Hi, Im new to building plastic airplanes (usually from revell or tamiya) i was wondering if someone could give me a rundown on how to sand models, the grit of sand paper i should be using, and when to sand models (before or after painting). also , where to buy good sandpaper? ;D

 

[alerae]

Hi, Im new to building plastic airplanes (usually from revell or tamiya) i was wondering if someone could give me a rundown on how to sand models, the grit of sand paper i should be using, and when to sand models (before or after painting). also , where to buy good sandpaper?

 

[Quaralane]

All right.
As far as when to sand, do it anytime you need the surface/joint smoothed down.
Ideally, you want some fairly fine grain paper (400 grit or higher)

 

[alerae]

Ok, i was just wondering becausee the wing flaps of the model im doing are a little rough so i dident know if you do it before and after.

thx, alex

 

[schweinhund227]

. Hummm. What you said there..... Your wing flaps are a little rough.... I think we should look at what you are discribinig.... Cuz, it could fabric flaps? Some WW2 a/c did sport fabric flight surfaces

Can you show us? Before sanding down!

Thanks!

 

[alerae]

bad describe the end of the wing where it connects to the bottom of the other side is rough. i think its just becasue its a revell model and they leave random plastic eveywhere. and is normal sandpaper from canadiantire find instead of buying model sandpapeR?

 

[Bagpiper]

That is one huge question mate. You need to sand at many different times with many different types and grits of paper and sticks. I would suggest you have a look at the many modelling tutorial videos. There is a stack from the members here. You will see them sand at many different times for many different reasons. Grendels and others have videos I would recommend you watch.. You can find their links here if you have a wee hunt around.

We could be here all day explaining all the different times you would sand.

Cheers and good luck
Jim

 

[alerae]

thank you

 

[Bagpiper]

Your welcome mate. Sorry I did not go into detail - it really is a big question. Let us know if you have a problem finding the videos and I will be glad to get the links for you. I would have to find them myself otherwise I would have posted them up already.

Cheers
Jim

 

[alerae]

know of any other videos on youtube with really good sanding tutorials ?

 

[Scrap]

One of the things I've found ideal for sanding plastics is those brush attachements on a Dremel-you know, the ones...for polishing rather than sanding? They're strong enough to take off the flash but not too rough as to oblierate any detail on the model itself...

 

[Quaralane]

As long as it's a fine grit, you should be fine, alerae.

 

[alerae]

any diference between wet and dry sanding?

 

[Quaralane]

Wet sanding will help provide a smoother finish.
As well as keeping the dust down, and helping your sandpaper not get clogged

 

[fumblethumbs]

Sanding is often done to prepare the model for painting. Any filled seams and sprue attachment pionts may require sanding. Many folks use fingernail filing boards. Not the cheap, very rough ones, but the ones that are on a type of foam backing. These work very well and come in different degrees of coarseness. You may want to pick up a few different types of these and experiment with them. I buy these from the cosmetics area in the grocery store. I watch for them to go on sale and then stock up on them. As Bagpiper said, this is a very broad subject and there is no one answer. Just experiment and try different methods and approaches to find what works best for you. Hope this helps.

 

[JMac]

Lots of different sanding tools out there. Some guys use the nail boards as fumblethumbs had mentioned. I use sanding sticks like the ones shown in this basic tool kit;
http://www.scalemodelguide.com/guide/construction/basic-toolkit/

I have even made my own by gluing sandpaper to blocks of wood or PS strips. If you have a chance take a look at the basic modelling piece DreamKnight did on this website;
http://www.scalemodeladdict.com/forum/index.php/topic,1297.msg35021.html#msg35021

Hope this helps
JMac

 

[fumblethumbs]

Yeah, JMac has given you a couple of great links there alerae. Just the type of information a person who is new to modelling needs.

 

[Quaralane]

I posted a response to your other sanding question thread in Construction, Lighting and Groundwork. Quaralane.......Oh Quaaaraaalannnnne........where are you??

Topics have been merged.
I will apologize if it jumbles things a bit