Post by Gothic Kustomz on Nov 16, 2011 9:17:23 GMT -5
OK, this is my idea, and way that I do alot of my smoothing, (dechroming) alot of you already may do it, but I'm just gonna share the way I do it for our up and coming builders, please feel free to add to this post on the way you do it, it all helps, some basic tools you will need, WARNING THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF PICTURES[/size][/color] sorta....
Now the tools I find I use most the time are, #11 exacto, my half round jewelers file, sand paper, and a fingernail file, all these things you can find at your local walmart, and Ace Hardware.
for doing side trim I use something like 80 grit sand paper, OH YEA, well rough enough, so be careful, it will scar (DEEP SCRATCH) the plastic something bad, and you will spend the next 3 days smoothing out the scars, I used to tattoo, so I have a light hand, you don't need to use rough paper, I find it takes the plastic down right fast, I then go to a blue and white emery board, from there I go to a testors plastic backed sand paper, what grit I couldnt tell you, it's the black sheet, then on to something like 1000, or better to smooth the plastic, I apologize I didn't take a before picture, but together we will take that nasty door handle off, there over rated.
OK now you might find that some door handles will just not sand down, no matter how rough you get, here's a Lil trick, but be careful, you can cut your thumb, now some people will scrape, at the offending handle, using the back of the blade, that will work, I tho whittle at it, yes the same way you would a stick,
BE CARFUL AND TAKE YOUR TIME, YOUR NOT GETTING PAYED FOR THIS, SO THERE IS NO DEADLINE, you don't need to hurt yourself..[/size][/color] now you want to only go almost to the body itself, slow and easy, it will look like something like this, or better, now on to the next part.
OK, now here is where I use my half round file, why? you ask, why not a flat file?, well we are sanding on a curved part of the body, and the half round file is just that, half round, I don't use the flat surface, as I use it I drag it across, not directly up and down, making the file feel as if its sharper, becouse only the curved part of the file Is taking plastic: as you can see we are half way, well almost all the way,
You need to run your fingers over the area, just ever so lightly, see if you can at any time feel a bump, if you do, well you know what you have to do, keep filling, keep feeling, till its so smooth, ahhhhhhmmmm, just smooth, ok now heres where I hear alot of people say they have issues, so they dont like to add some pizzazz, to thier build, its called the dreaded GHOSTING, not a good deal really, it's where you get all the emblems, markers, door handles, what ever off, its so smooth a booger wouldnt stick to it, you get it to primer, inspect it, man its looking sweet, now on to color, oh man thats kewl, hey wait, what the hell is that line? where did that script come from? now I dont get issues like that, well not yet, the day will come, anyway, what you can do to prevent this is get youself some Pledge with future in it, you can brush it, or air brush it on, thats the best info I can give you, not sure where to get it, never seen at wal-mart, but?
, ok applie a couple coats of that and then base color, and top coat, you can also use it as gloss coat, it self levels..
Well I hope someone can use this to add a Lil kustom work to thier builds, remeber your not on the clock, build to have fun, and have fun to build....
PS: If you can get away with just using sand paper and files, then do so, its safer, and your thumbs will luv you for it.....
Now the tools I find I use most the time are, #11 exacto, my half round jewelers file, sand paper, and a fingernail file, all these things you can find at your local walmart, and Ace Hardware.
for doing side trim I use something like 80 grit sand paper, OH YEA, well rough enough, so be careful, it will scar (DEEP SCRATCH) the plastic something bad, and you will spend the next 3 days smoothing out the scars, I used to tattoo, so I have a light hand, you don't need to use rough paper, I find it takes the plastic down right fast, I then go to a blue and white emery board, from there I go to a testors plastic backed sand paper, what grit I couldnt tell you, it's the black sheet, then on to something like 1000, or better to smooth the plastic, I apologize I didn't take a before picture, but together we will take that nasty door handle off, there over rated.
OK now you might find that some door handles will just not sand down, no matter how rough you get, here's a Lil trick, but be careful, you can cut your thumb, now some people will scrape, at the offending handle, using the back of the blade, that will work, I tho whittle at it, yes the same way you would a stick,
BE CARFUL AND TAKE YOUR TIME, YOUR NOT GETTING PAYED FOR THIS, SO THERE IS NO DEADLINE, you don't need to hurt yourself..[/size][/color] now you want to only go almost to the body itself, slow and easy, it will look like something like this, or better, now on to the next part.
OK, now here is where I use my half round file, why? you ask, why not a flat file?, well we are sanding on a curved part of the body, and the half round file is just that, half round, I don't use the flat surface, as I use it I drag it across, not directly up and down, making the file feel as if its sharper, becouse only the curved part of the file Is taking plastic: as you can see we are half way, well almost all the way,
You need to run your fingers over the area, just ever so lightly, see if you can at any time feel a bump, if you do, well you know what you have to do, keep filling, keep feeling, till its so smooth, ahhhhhhmmmm, just smooth, ok now heres where I hear alot of people say they have issues, so they dont like to add some pizzazz, to thier build, its called the dreaded GHOSTING, not a good deal really, it's where you get all the emblems, markers, door handles, what ever off, its so smooth a booger wouldnt stick to it, you get it to primer, inspect it, man its looking sweet, now on to color, oh man thats kewl, hey wait, what the hell is that line? where did that script come from? now I dont get issues like that, well not yet, the day will come, anyway, what you can do to prevent this is get youself some Pledge with future in it, you can brush it, or air brush it on, thats the best info I can give you, not sure where to get it, never seen at wal-mart, but?
, ok applie a couple coats of that and then base color, and top coat, you can also use it as gloss coat, it self levels..Well I hope someone can use this to add a Lil kustom work to thier builds, remeber your not on the clock, build to have fun, and have fun to build....
PS: If you can get away with just using sand paper and files, then do so, its safer, and your thumbs will luv you for it.....
