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Old 03-24-2009, 10:59 AM   #11
dak
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Re: Canadian Kitbashing Tutorials

Submitted by racerguy76

Paint Stripping and Priming Tutorial

Star with seperating the body parts into as many pieces as you can, the more you disaasemble the robot the better the finnish will be. Here I am using a TFA Jazz head. Once detached from the body the eyes were held in with a single screw.

Once removed I soak the head in Isopropyl rubbing Alcohol for about an hour. The longer you saok it the easier the paint is to get off, but the plastic seems to get soft and mushy if left too long.


My tools are an old toothbrush a dentists pick and a razor blade. Be careful kiddies.

First I use the toothbrush to clean as much of the paint as possible, the razor and the pick are for cleaning up grooves and the paint that just won't seem to come off with the brush. The razor should be used with extreme caution. Alwasys cut away from yourself and try not to score or scratch the plastic as much as possible.

Once the part looks faily clean I soak it again for 15 to 20 minutes.

Then clean it again with the toothbrush and rub it down with paper towel.

Once we have secured the head to a painting hook(xmas ornament hanger) it is ready for primer.

I used a brush and testors flat grey for primer. I find it covers nice and can be applied thin enough to not loose to much detail.

Using masking tape to keep areas not needing paint clean works great but it somewhat time consuming. If using an airbrush for the final job a good mask is essential. Again the better you prep the part before painting the better the final product will turn out.

I try and do as many pieces at once to keep my work consistent. This is twice as true if mixing custom colors.
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Old 05-16-2009, 10:45 AM   #12
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Re: Canadian Kitbashing Tutorials

Submitted by TTT

Spray Painting Tutorial

This tutorial is for basic spray paint techniques using an auto primer and hobby/hardware enamels - just the basics.
These techniques may not work for Krylon "Fusion" paints, if you choose Krylon Fusion paints read/follow the label and use accordingly.

Start with safety, wear some form of protection.Respirator, gloves(long sleeve shirt).
Those little cup masks are not designed for this, read the label and/or ask questions at a hardware section /store.

Where are you going to paint ?
This is best done outdoors away from homes, family members & pets.
You'll need a clean area free of dust.
Little to no wind.
A place to hang dry parts.

What's the weather like ?
Outdoor humidity levels must be low or spray paint will not apply properly.
Best results will be on a warm/hot, dry day. The less wind the better.
If it's raining don't bother...


Taking the figure apart...
Areas that rub will need to be sanded.
For spray paint I would take these apart and paint accordingly.
This can normally be done with just a screwdriver, keep track of all screws.
Put them back where they belong as you go, see pic.



If you skip this and just bag them all...good luck !!!

Separate parts that are not being painted and parts that are being painted.
Very small parts should all be kept in a bag that locks with a zipthingy-majiggee.



Factory paint removal...
Factory paint applications normally have a bad reaction to spray paint, removal is highly suggested.
I give my parts needing to be stripped a bath in 99% rubbing alcohol(this will require testing on parts before heavily applied and may ruin clear parts on some figures).
After soaking under supervision for an hour or 2 I get to work with an old tooth brush(and gloves).



Some parts may need longer soak times or more time with the brush.
All factory paint should be removed before proceeding.

At this point the parts that are getting painted must be thoroughly cleaned before any paint is applied.
Most agree that a hot/warm soapy bath followed by a thorough rinse and dry time is all that is needed.
Some people use paint thinner or rubbing alcohol, these 2 methods will require testing on parts before heavily applied and may ruin clear parts on some figures.

The parts are now clean so if you handle them you'll get them all oily again, I use those blue rubber gloves when handling parts at this point.(and as much as possible until the figure is complete)



Now separate parts that need masking and parts that don't.
Most generic masking tapes are OK for this but higher quality & priced ones can be found at hobby shops.
I don't pull pins, I mask.
Here's a little trick for those tricky Alt shoulders...


For wheels I go all the way and mask the back as well so no spray comes through to the front.





Large posts that won't be seen are best left unpainted.
The layers of paint changes that size of joing parts like these and you might not be able to put it back together if painted.



If you do paint them by accident try scraping off as much as possible.


I tie a wire somewhere on all the parts that are getting spray paint.
This helps with handling and drying.





Here are some parts all ready to go for paint.


Last edited by dak; 05-16-2009 at 10:47 AM.
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Old 05-16-2009, 10:46 AM   #13
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Re: Canadian Kitbashing Tutorials

Read the directions on your spray can.
You can even put your cans in a shallow cake pan of warm water to warm the paint(some people do this every time).
I usually shake the can for about 2 minutes before spraying.
Have a drying rack set up, I use this old shelf with strips of packing tape waiting ready to go.



Before you start...
Do a few test sprays to see how the spray reacts, make sure it doesn't spit paint in big drops.
This should also give you an idea of how/where(and if any) the wind is blowing.

The real trick to spray paint is technique, thin coats and heavy patients are key.
Your spray stroke should always start away from the target and spray evenly over desired area but keep the spray going until after you have cleared the target.
Never start or stop spraying directly at your target.
The speed of your stroke will depend on how fast the can sprays and what part of the process you are at, in the beginning you will want somewhat fast strokes as first coats should not cover the target, only a light mist is necessary.
This can be repeated every 15 minutes or so(read directions on can for exact times).
Each piece sprayed gets the wire handle secured in the packing tape strips in between coats.

We'll start with a few thin primer coats.
After several mist coats of primer and 24 hour dry time you have complete coverage shown here.





Note the thickness, no details were lost.






I try to keep these parts in a sealed container so they remain clean from now until the painting process starts.

First paint applications should be similar to the first primer apps. start with mist coats, never start or stop spraying directly at your target.
Your first mist coat should look like this...







4-6 more mist coats should get you complete coverage.




At this point you can either:

A) You can go further and improve the the smoothness of the paint finish.
Or
B) Finish up here and do a thicker gloss coat as your final coat.



If you choose A).....

Let the parts dry for at least 3 days or more.
You will need 1000 grit sandpaper, this is called "wet sanding".
Get the 1000 g. paper soaking wet with water and keep it wet, you want to sand the parts evenly but you do not want to sand through the paint(or primer!) so it's better to think of it as "scuffing the paint" not sanding, use very little effort.
Once you have scuffed the paint evenly it will have a dull flat look to it.




Give the parts a rinse and let them dry thoroughly...then see step B) below(final gloss coat).
You can even repeat this process for an even smoother paint finish.
The sky is the limit, you can even buy a polishing kit that scuffs the paint and polishes in a step by step process with different grit pads.(ask your hobby shop)





If you choose B).....

Do 1- 3 final gloss coats, a gloss coat is similar to the mist coat only it's a little slower and may an inch or 2 closer to the target.
You may want to repeat a gloss coat within 20 - 30 minutes but be careful, don't over do it.
Let the parts hang dry for at least 24 hours before you touch them.









Be very gentle with the pieces, don't test to see if you can smudge the paint with your finger...you probably will.
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Old 05-16-2009, 10:47 AM   #14
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Re: Canadian Kitbashing Tutorials

Remove masking tape after 24 hours.
See how masking connecting pegs will eliminate paint wear...



Always pull masking tape away from the paint on masked lines.



Over sprayed areas like inside Alt. arms I try to hide & detail.
First sand inside arms to prevent paint rub.



You can see the cleanly sanded area that would normally rub causing paint loss.



Paint insides black & reassemble arm.





Let parts cure for a week before reassembly.
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Old 05-16-2009, 11:01 AM   #15
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Re: Canadian Kitbashing Tutorials

Submitted by chans formers

How to stiffen your loose g1 bots

This is a quick tutorial on how to “stiffen”the loose joints on your bots in just a few easy steps.for this one I’m using a really loose g1 action master mainframe.poor bot cant even stand up on his own feet(I chose him cause he’s got really basic joints.)
1. Clean your bot with sunlight dishsoap(an old toothbrush works really nice here)


2. Once dry,disassemble your bot.(make sure to keep track of which screws go where)


3. Once his arms are off,clean the post/connectors again with a damp rag,make sure its dry,then proceed to put a thin coat of clear polish on them,covering the entire post.




4. There’s a slot on the upper thigh inner halves which the ball jointed crotch t-bar slots into.thats where you wanna pound on the clear but not so much that it drips down the side.




5. On the lower leg halves,one side of each feet has a post which actually connects it to his “kneecaps”.these posts are where you wanna hit with a thin coat of clearcoat.


6. Let everything dry for about an hour or so depending on how thick you put the clearcoat.

7. Reassemble and enjoy your newly refurbished bot.


The only tools needed for this was sunlight dishsoap,toothbrush,small Philips screw driver and a tiny bottle of nailpolish/clearcoat.the last pic shows how now when he’s put on top of the nail polish bottle,his arms now stay up and his knee’s don’t buckle.this can also be used for many other lines besides g1.try it for your beastwars,beastmachines,animated,basically if it has ball joints or posts,try it.

(disclaimer=make sure you double check with wifey before you go raiding her makeup kit for new resources)

Last edited by dak; 05-16-2009 at 11:11 AM.
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Old 05-17-2009, 01:14 PM   #16
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Re: Canadian Kitbashing Tutorials

Submitted by chans formers

Sun Damage Removal

a while back,there was a thread posted here about using hydrogen peroxide to reverse the sundamage in g1 figs.for the past 2 weeks I’ve tried out this method and this is the results.i tried both natural sunlight and artificial uv light from a lamp.
Here’s a list of all that was required
· 3 bottles of 3% 10 volume hydrogen peroxide usp(2$each)
· 2 bottles of 6% 20 volume hydrogen peroxide(4$each)
· Glass jar (3$)
· Halogen lamp from walmart(15$)
· 1 pair of plastic chopsticks(no,not kidding;p)
· A bunch of sunfaded sacrifices
The step by step of how to do it yourself the easiest way is
1. thoroughly wash your bot(a tooth brush and sunlight dishsoap works real well to get all the nooks and cranny’s)
2. once your bot is dried off a bit(not dripping water)go ahead and disassemble him.(this will help him fit better into the glass jar)
3. take your hydro perox and start filling the glass jar,but only about 5/8ths full.
4. Start throwing your bot parts into the jar.(now you’ll know why you only filled it up 5/8ths,I learned the hard way and ended up wiping up a lot of peroxide;( )
5. Once the lid is on,put the jar outside where it’ll probably be in the sun all day.
6. As time goes by(every 40-50 min)check on the jar,open it up,use the chopsticks to stir/move the parts around and to dissapate the tiny bubbles that accumulated. if you don’t,everything will keep floating in one giant mass at the top of the jar.what ever is in the middle of that mass will not get the needed uv rays.
7. Once you’re satisfied with the color,take your chopsticks and start plucking those pieces out of the solution.
8. I like to drop them into a bowl of soapy water,then again with the toothbrush.
9. Reassemble bot once dry(this would be a good time to replace the screws if you have new ones)

this is the 15$ walmart halogen lamp with the "uv filter" glass removed(faction emblems not included)

the 3$ loonie store glass jar i use)

g1 hungurr in a warm bath on the front steps.

when the sun goes down,have no fear,the 15$ lamp is here.(make sure to stir more often when using the lamp!!!!!)

before pic.notice how browned the tank is,and on fixit,you can totally tell where a price sticker was on his van roof.

after.almost all sundamage gone.

g1 hungurr before.extreme sunfading.

after.all sun fading gone!!(remember how i said to keep moving your parts in the jar more often when using the lamp?look at hungurr's purple chest ares,that's what happens when you dont)

before,g1 pounce,heavily sundamaged.

after.

before,g1 micromaster combiner transport.

after,shown with undipped other half.

A few things I noticed while trying this out is
· Patience is number one.
· If there’s a sticker on the plastic,the uv will not penetrate the plastic behind it.(unless its clear/transparent like the g1 pretenders)
· Never use clear plastic containers(the first jar I had was plastic and it ended up somehow bubbling out the bottom of the jar)always glass only.
· Certain stickers get a “hazing” sheen to them,while others remain untouched.
have fun and play safe!!
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