Scale Aviation Modeller International – April 2019

THE NITTY GRITTY

F

or improving the

appearance of a

inished model there

can be few products

as indispensable as micro

inishing cloths. They have

multiple applications and

anyone who has experienced

the problems of peeling paint

due to poor adhesion, ‘silvering’

under the decals, ‘orange-peel’

caused by incorrect airbrush

or compressor settings or

when using spray-cans, an

uneven inish when applying

paint with a brush or dust

settling onto wet varnish

thus ruining the appearance

of an otherwise faultless

model, would doubtless have

beneitted from these cloths.

Additionally, such products can

be used to add a professional

lustre to a model that would be

unobtainable with paint alone.

Finer grade cloths can be used

in conjunction with metallic

lacquers to get a natural-metal

inish or used to transform

gloss varnish and give it a

mirror inish. Finishing cloths

share certain characteristics

with standard abrasive papers

in that they come in diferent

grades, from coarse to very ine,

and can be easily cut to size. But

the similarities end there, for

inishing cloths are extremely

lexible and the grit elements

‘loat’ within a soft layer of

material making the abrasive

action far less harsh than that

of sandpapers. This unique

construction also means that

they are very hard wearing, so

much so that individual sheets

can be used time and again,

although they do degrade with

repeated use. The cloths can be

folded or wrapped around brush

handles, cocktail sticks and

sanding blocks to accommodate

hard to reach places and can

be used either wet or dry. The

most common grades available

are: 1500 grit, 1800, 2400, 3200,

3600, 4000, 6000, 8000 and the

inest being 12000. The former

being ideal for sanding and the

latter for polishing. I should

stress initially that the models

featured in the accompanying

photographs have all been

inished using enamel paints

exclusively, and results will

vary signiicantly for modellers

using acrylics. Indeed, I would

not recommend you try wet-

sanding any water-based paint

products and that goes for

much of what is written below.

PREP AND PRIME

Before applying paint to your

model, you should ensure that

it has been properly prepared.

Degreasing the plastic parts

in warm soapy water prior

to assembly is important.

Handling during construction

will certainly re-contaminate

the plastic and therefore a

second wash immediately

prior to paint application is

advisable. It is also a good

idea to ‘key’ all surfaces to

be painted with micro mesh

sanding cloths, which can

be done prior to washing.

A mid-range grit should be

selected here, not so rough that

you remove details but not so

smooth as to polish the surface,

which would have an adverse

efect. Once keyed and cleaned,

the model should thereafter

Jay Blakemore brings another of his occasional modelling tips series and explores the

advantages of using Micro Finishing Cloths and Pads

PUTTING A

SAMI Tools and Techniques

Albion Alloys range of finishing cloths and pads can be purchased separately....

.....or in convenient packs containing an assortment of grades

74 APRIL 2019 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

H OW-TOBY JAY BLAKEMORE

TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES