Have you ever sat down to paint one of your model tanks just to have a lump of paint fall in just the wrong spot? This can happen when painting by hand or even when airbrushing. If all the paint is not cleaned from your equipment and the new paint properly mixed it can come back to bite you. Now that it has happened, what can you do? Do you just paint over it? The best answer to that question is to wet sand the part.
If you were to sand your model with dry paint you can run the chance of ruining your model tank. By wet sanding you can better control the removal process by slowing down the amount of heat created by the friction. This will help you prevent the need for a major fix. By dry sanding alone you could possibly even have to replace the model itself due to damage.
Before you can begin the wet sanding process you must first prepare the model. Using a damp cloth, wet the model in the area to be sanded. If you wish you can use a bit of soap but it is not a necessary step. One thing you will not want to do is to submerge your tank. You could have to wait several days to dry out if you do.
You will next need a sanding block for your paper. This is a tool that will help you to hold the paper against the area to be sanded. It can be most anything that you can wrap the sanding paper around that will keep its shape when you add a bit of pressure. For wet sanding purposes a small piece of semi-firm sponge would be ideal. It can help hold just enough water to keep the paper moist.
The sandpaper you will need to use should be between 400 and 1000 grit wet sand paper. It should also be a mesh or cloth backed paper so that it doesn't fall apart during the sanding process. Once you are ready to begin sanding you should use a small spray bottle to mist water onto the model from time to time.
Start by rubbing slowly in a circle on the part you are removing the paint from. You should work toward accuracy rather than worrying about speed. Keep adding a bit of water as you sand to help keep debris from accumulating. Soon you will find your model tank spot free and ready to begin again.
It never seems to fail. You have just bought the model truck that you were wanting. You get it home, unpack it, and get it all assembled. You then decide that you want to airbrush it. You get your air gun out and get it loaded up. You pull the trigger and out shoots a wad of gummed up paint which immediately sticks to your model truck. It finally hits you, you were going to clean out your equipment but you put it up without remembering to do so. All the sudden your truck has become a mess. What can you do about it now?
If you just sand your model down you could very possibly ruin your model by taking off too much material. The best idea is for you to wet sand the area. This technique can easily remove paint without having to worry about repairing your model due to too much sanding or the cost of replacing your truck. What you need to do first is to prep your model for repair.
The first step will be to wet down your model with warm water. A little dish soap can help in the removal of the paint as well. One thing you will want to avoid is submerging your model truck. This can mess up your model building process because you will then have to wait for the truck to totally dry out which can possibly take days. Next you need to get your sanding block and a sheet of fine grit sand paper that is between 400 and 1000 grit and rated for wet work.
The sanding block will allow you to keep ahold of your sandpaper. It will also shape it to the part you are looking to sand. You will need to make sure that it is a cloth based or mesh sandpaper so that it does not fall apart when it gets wet like paper based can. Once your sanding block is prepared you can then begin. The first step in wet sanding is to dip your sanding paper in a bit of water. You then apply it to the section you are wanting to sand and start making slow circles. Make sure that you worry more about how close you can get than about how fast you can go. It might seem exciting to think about finishing your model but you need to prevent mistakes as best you can.
Make sure that you add water as you go along. This will keep the parts from trying to adhere. The easiest way to add water is by using a spray bottle. It will allow you to mist the parts and you won't have to drench them. Keep repeating this process until you get the part looking as it did before you had your whoopsie. Remember, this process can be used any time you have a mistake while you are painting. If you did happen to drip it on a prepainted section then you will have to very carefully prime the spot and try to recreate the design that was removed when the drip was. One thing is left. Make sure that you clean your air brush out. It is dirty and should not be left in this sort of condition.
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