First Time Painting Lexan

[teman]

Yes, thin coats one or two with fluorescents or you will loose the brilliance of the color. I believe the Tamiya white is "RC 0710 white". Make sure the first color is completely dry before backing it or it may alligator on you. If you have scraps of lexan that you trimmed off, use those to test with.

[TM Ru22311]

Thanks for the help Kevin

[teman]

You're welcome, the others here deserve more credit than I do though. Oh, and don't forget to post photos

[TM Ru22311]

Well, my first attempt at paint didn't go so good. I used blue 3M mask tape since my LHS was out of liquid mask. Even my best efforts at sealing the edges, some paint has seeped through. My question is: What can I use to remove the unwanted paint without damaging the lexan?

[Coelacanth]

Well, my first attempt at paint didn't go so good. I used blue 3M mask tape since my LHS was out of liquid mask. Even my best efforts at sealing the edges, some paint has seeped through. My question is: What can I use to remove the unwanted paint without damaging the lexan?

Yep, same experiences I had and discussed previously. The best tape I've found for preventing bleed-through is that yellow Tamiya masking tape. The way I remove paint bleed-through is gently scraping it away with an X-Acto knife. Once the scraped areas are painted over, you shouldn't see the scuff marks.

[TM Ru22311]

I was thinking about that. I didn't want to use paint thinner or something and watch the body melt away!!!!

[Coelacanth]

I was thinking about that. I didn't want to use paint thinner or something and watch the body melt away!!!!

Exactly--and DON'T use Lexan paint thinner (eg. Pactra thinner) or acetone, as it will cause your Lexan to crack. I learned the hard way.

[integra22t]

the only luck ive had is a tooth pick or if its real bad a xacto knife and scrape it off .. as long as its all gone the other colour will fill in

a trick for the blue line tape is look on the other side of the body and where the tape isnt stuck as well as the rest it will be a lighter shade of blue .. rub it down and youll see the diffrence

[TM Ru22311]

I am now wishing I would have used a paint pen. It is just 2 small areas that I painted, but the seeped paint is pretty bad I hope I don't end up with a black Tomahawk now. Rubbing alcohol worked some, but it's on like bubble gum.

[Coelacanth]

a trick for the blue line tape is look on the other side of the body and where the tape isnt stuck as well as the rest it will be a lighter shade of blue .. rub it down and youll see the diffrence

I've done that and more, and even then it'll still bleed paint in corners and curves.

[Kyoshojoe]

lexan is a trade name for polycarbonate. make sure to use a paint specifically for polycarbonate as it is formulated with flex agents to let it bend with the body.

a trick for the blue line tape is look on the other side of the body and where the tape isnt stuck as well as the rest it will be a lighter shade of blue .. rub it down and youll see the diffrence

I use Tamiya rattle cans and have had great success. I use blue painters tape and like integra describes I use a tounge depressor or credit card to rub the edge down

To help with bleed through try and use several light coats and avoid spraying directly against the edge as it can push the paint under the tape. if I get some bleed through I will use a toothpick wrapped with a small piece of paper towel moistened with brake fluid to rub the paint away and then clean area the same way with 409. The paint has to be fresh though because I have found the Tamiya paints are resistant to the brake fluid if fully cured.

hope this helps some. there are a lot of different methods and I am definitely no expert so research and experimentation are your best bet.

[TM Ru22311]

I am going to try the brake fluid trick. I have some in the wife's car, so when she gets home, I will give it a go. It isn't as bad as I thought, so hopefully I will be able to clean it up. I know what I did wrong. I sprayed too close and too thick I was trying to get my airbrush working because you can control the flow much better with them. I bought it used and had never tried it before. I found some dried paint clods inside, so hopefully that was the fix.

Another lesson learned in life. For as much painting I have done in my life, you would think I would get better at it, but that doesn't seem to be the case, LoL

[integra22t]

you can test the airbrush with ether thinners or water .. just rember the paint will be thicker so youll have to up the air pressure

what airbrush did you get ?

[TM Ru22311]

It's a Galaxy/Airbrush City GD102 dual action and the compressor is a Airbrush City #144AC. My sister was helping a friend setup a garage sale and it was their teenage Sons. I got it all for $40 (including 3 hoses & paints), so I couldn't pass on it. It all seems to be nice quality, the kid just didn't clean it well.

When searching how to remove paint, you get so much crazy info online. Everything from nitro fuel to oven cleaner! There seems to be a debate on whether brake fluid is safe or not, but I'm not submerging the body in anything. I'm sure a small amount on a Q-tip just to remove over spray would be safe.

[Kyoshojoe]

Ive used the brake fluid method on several bodies and had mixed results, some worked fine and some got trashed. From what Ive seen the brake fluid, if used sparingly, is ok and as with anything questionable, a test on scrap is always good. It only seems to be a problem for the plastic if you soak the body for prolonged amounts of time as it will fog the plastic and make it brittle.

I always use some kind of soap to clean it off and actually just water will clean it off as most brake fluid is glycol-ether based and is hydroscopic which makes it draw in moisture from the atmosphere. This is why you should only put fresh fluid from a sealed container in your car.

Ive never had a problem with the toothpick method and it works well to keep from smearing the paint into a worse problem.

Im no expert or chemist and this info is based on personal experience and research.

Pinstriping is also good way to clean up fuzzy lines and im pretty sure Tamiya offers colors to match their paint. I find that I prefer to go with more simple paint jobs and use vinyl and stickers to dress the body up. I have no dissalusions to the extent of my painting skills, so the most I usually do is racing stripes or two tones. I am an avid basher so my bodies are mostly for hard driven runners and not for show, so Im not as concerned with perfection due to the fact that they are going to get scratched, cracked and shoo-gooed.

There are some true artists out there with mad skills but im not one of them by any means.