You all have given me a lot of information! I tried wet sanding with 400 grit and removed the gloss shine. I wasn't sure if I needed to cut another piece of sand paper when it gets clogged with paint. Dipping it in the water doesn't clear it. (I DID cut more sand paper.) I did it but I didn't see anything in my research about what to do next.

I only found two videos on Youtube for wet sanding rockets and neither went into the detail I was looking for. It wasn't clear what to do after wet sanding the first time when the gloss is removed.

Do I put another coat on?
Won't wet sanding again remove the gloss like the first time?
What is the purpose of using even higher grit, like 600,800, 1200?

Does wet sanding give the great gloss finish or is it a clear coat (I read mixed reviews about how it can ruin a finish) or a polishing compound?

This a totally new level for me and I apologize for being a total noob.

Thanks for your understanding.

Hi Bob;

In my experience, there's no really specific formula for a fine finish; it kind of depends on what your objective is. If it's something decent for the flight line then a wet sanding and a clear coat might be all you need or want (and even then, some might say why put the effort into a regular flyer when it's likely to take a beating). On the other hand, if you're shooting for a mirror-like finish, then a bit more elbow grease is likely in order.

The basic principles are the same whether one is using rattle cans or an airbrush, but keep in mind that an airbrush finish might need a few more coats to build up depth, as each coat from an airbrush is so thin as compared to what lays down from a rattle can.

I've attached a few photos of my Estes #0817 AERO-HI clone below. For this one I decided right out of the gate that I would attempt an airbrush finish, mainly due to its size (BT-20). The final primer coat was wet sanded, and then once the color coats were finished, they too were wet sanded before the clear coat. And since there were decals involved, I had to make sure there was a reasonable clear coat depth before the clear coat was wet sanded. At this stage I was using a #3600 W/D grit, as anything coarser would leave scratches in the clear coat, kind of defeating all the effort. Some rubbing compound followed by some wax, and there you have it.

The nose/payload section was finished the same way, except that the metallic silver stripes weren't airbrushed until the clear coat had cured. Spraying the clear coat over the silver would have killed its sheen/brightness, neutering the effort.

"Yikes!" one might say; why in the world would one make such an effort on such a particularly not so special model. And they would not be wrong in asking this question - if every model was finished this way not very much would get built! In this particular case my reasoning was nothing more complicated than I just wanted to. And now I don't for the next one!

Anyway, I hope this is of help. Best of luck in your finishing efforts.

Attached Thumbnails

     

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John
YORF #003
SAM #004

I went back and looked at previous posts and had forgotten what I had read in the attachments by RoskoRacer. I DO have some rockets that I was pretty proud of how they turned out and have taken a beating over time. They aren't works of art like some of you have gotten and I aspire to make a thing of beauty. I've only used rattle cans and definitely don't have the expertise to learn how to use an airbrush. I've done an okay job on some but nothing like what you've done.

Have I not waiting long enough to let the enamel cure if the paint comes off and sticks to the sand paper?

I saw the YouTube video by OKTurbo which showed wet sanding between coats to smooth out the finish. He said something about polishing or using clear coat. Is polishing compound always the last step?

I'm starting to understand the process but I'm a slow learner!

I've experimented a bit and wet sanded with 600 grit. The paint is very smooth but with a matte finish. Is a gloss finish accomplished with a higher grit?

Use fine polishing compound after 600 grit and you will get gloss.

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