16 Attachment(s)
Shapeways the Clipper Way Part 2
So you have been a good pilot and waited patiently for the mail . . . you have checked in on their web site every ten minutes and suddenly the box says "SHIPPED!", then the knock on the door . . .
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It's like Christmas! the box is opened and magic appears . . . cue the drama music!
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Wahaha! You've got planes!
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Inspect them well. Make sure the parts are all there. If there is some deformation or warping - very rare in my experience . . . they can be dipped in very hot water and they will return to their proper form.
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These are beauties! Not everyone has such fine detail, more on this later. Love the ribs and pilots here though!
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Don't be skinchy, buy a handful for more fun! Take a look at that landing gear! Awesome!
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Bath time! I wash them gently in warm water and a soft camel hair paint brush to get rid of any dust residue, then a bit of sunshine to dry them thoroughly . . . Now for the super secret stuff. Sneak to Walmart while no one is watching and buy an arm load of these two items . . . only these two items! Substitutes are many, but this combo is super!
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A few words about the filling process. The models are formed by tiny microscopic spheres of a nylon plastic sintered into the beautiful item in your hand. A close look with a magnifying glass will reveal the surface texture as very porous, but strong. Our goal is to fill in all the pours with something smooth and shinny. Rust-oleum 2X clear spray is perfect for our job. I use clear here for a few important reasons, first you want to fill in the pours with something that will penetrate the fine holes and fill in behind them, but allow light refraction. This means fill the holes and still be able to see the subsurface. The gloss spray has the highest percentage of dissolved solids, which is why it dries glossy, and also important for us it dries fast! The matte finish is for later . . .
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Lay the models out on a flat surface upside down. You may want to do one first before multiples but the elves are frenetic . . . before you spray, make sure you have good ventilation, I have a fan set up to flip on that sucks the fumes away from the workbench and into the neighbors yard . . . a word on spray painting: the can says to shake it well. That means shake it vigorously for a full 3 minutes! Use a timer! This is important. To properly mix the paint and the solvent and the propellant in the can, aggressive shaking must be done. I have ruined many a simple spray paint project by not shaking adequately and instead of good paint flow I get blobs of solvent and paint and a goopy product! Test spray on a sheet of cardboard before spraying the model. This is also key for second and third coats as a heavy solvent spray can actually dissolve and lift the first coat of paint-not a pretty picture either. By the way I always have a small jelly jar filled with acetone handy in case the painting goes bad, drop the plane into the acetone and re try later.
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Notice the spacing, angle of the spray and distance from the model. I like to give a quick light coat first, you can seen the sheen on the models, this is a tack coat applied in a one sweep down the line of planes. I rotate the base board 90 degrees and make another pass, until all sides are coated lightly. Then before the first coat dries, I do another sequence of passes with a rather wet coat, again you can see the gloss build on the planes. The trick is to do this fast enough and not to let the paint run. It will take some practice but it is a good way to lay down a clean base coat.
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I then carefully flip the models onto their landing gear and repeat on the top side, making sure the top of the lower wings get a good coat. In this next shot you can see I also angle the base card board so the top surface of the wings are level, this prevents pooling and running on the wings . . .
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Once you are satisfied that the sides and tops have an even coat of paint set the fan to blow a constant flow of air over the models and leave them over night to dry. Day two, second coat. This time you will see the fill we want, the gloss should be smooth. Again let cure until the model is not tacky at all! Then let it cure one more day. I normally only need two coats to make the surface ready to paint with no bumps or roughness.
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Final base color time. I like to use the pictured colors as base coats. The off white gives a natural linen look I like. Again use the Rust-Olum 2X paints. Many great colors are available in gloss or matte. The gloss ones add another layer of smoothness. Now here is another great secret. Not all spray paints are the same, many are not compatible and will curdle or lift and react horribly, always at the final coat. So the elves have a trick. As you paint the clear coats on the cardboard you will begin to build up an over spray area on the surface. Use this area for a test spray area when you want to change paints. The reaction is better here than on your model! In the photo I show this process with an automotive lacquer I am fond of . . .
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I chose these four colors for the Fokkers - note the gray is NOT a primer gray-they are not smooth enough for this stage of the game.
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Use the same process as the clear spray on the colors, You will be painting all the details later so do not worry about masking yet . . .
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Again be patient, colors must be cured well before the final detail painting and decals will happen, that's Part 3 . . .
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