One for the body painters
 

Hey, I wondered, I have a shell to paint (very simple black and white), is it better to cut and trim the shell first, or to paint it, and cut it after?

Cheers!

I always cut before painting - you have more access with the airbrush / masking etc, and don't risk knackering the paint when cutting. I score and snap my shells to cut them out as well - and I'm not sure how that'd work with paint on there, it might peel or something nasty like that :eh?:
But I'm not a pro and I'd not like to be cutting out other peoples shells all day :o

Nice one Jimmy, score and snap, I hadn't considered that! And yeah, I'm not ecstatic cutting out my own shells twice in a year, let alone anyone elses. I'd pay a fiver just to have the thing cut out! :lol:

I always paint first, score and cut second, as I find the shells far more difficult to handle when they are all floppy and cut out, but thats a personal preference. If you paint then cut, leave the paint to fully cure first, otherwise the paint may still be soft and lift.

It's only a very simple colour scheme for an E-Firestorm Flux shell, which is quite easy to cut I imagine compared to daft buggy shaped shells. Probably. Possibly. Maybe.

yep, cut first. why risk the paint job.

but, like dcm says, tis a personal preference.

I always prefer to paint before cutting out. The shell is more sturdy and when the shell is cut out before hand it can be nightmare to mask sometimes.

I do have people send them 'pre-cut' and they're harder to stand up when its 'dry time'. Plus, more risk of getting a thumb print in the paint too.

But, thats me. And everyons different.

I used to charge £5 to cut tem out for people after painting, but it takes too much time up now so don't offer the service. :)

paint then cut for me also, easier to work with, and the shells that occasionally don't have the protective film on are a nightmare when cut out,

same as for me too paint then cut , i don t charge for cutting its in the price too hahahahaha

I don't cut, not unless they really REALLY want to, as I feel, one mistake and it is my fault. So I prefer not to put myself in that position.

:) Snap!

cut for free, scalpel cut and score and even sand with a dremmel,

So no-one in Sheffield will cut my shell out then? Bugger! :lol:

So I will try what seems to be the majority concensus, and paint before cutting out. I have some curved scissor things coming, and will acquire a sharp knife to. I guess a dremmel might be worth while too.

Cheers! :)

I also paint first and then cut out, as tel said it saves you getting finger prints in your paint!

Also if you're cutting out a TC shell then get yourself a compass cutter, best £2 i ever spent! If you have a shell that doesnt have then centre of the wheel arches marked then measure the width (diameter) of the arch, set your compass to half that number (the radius), put the pointy bit on the edge of the arch, and score a line in the middle, do this a few times in different places on the arch edge and where the lines cross will be the centre of the wheel arch :thumbsup:

Ok, so I have started spraying the black, but I have had one or two bits where the black has crept through gaps under my masking, so the question is, how if it all, can I remove slight overspray from the areas that are going to be white? :cry:

Cheers!

cut the top of a q tip and rub it back (GENTLY) with the cut end,if u have used water based paint, if its spirit based, use same q tip and some very light thinners, (test on scrap portion of shell first to make sure the thinners doesn't melt the lexan))

Well I still need to borrow a dremel to clean up the edges to the right cut lines, but these photos don't actually do this shell justice.

It went much more horribly wrong than you can tell LOL So next month, I'll buy a new clear DSX2, paint, and masking sheets rather than tape, and have another go! :thumbsup:

If that goes badly too I'll concede and pay someone that knows what they are doing! :lol:

Cheers!

I'm not an expert but I think most people use something called Liquid Mask these days, sounds like a lot less hassle than sheets or tape. Have a read through this section or I'm sure someone proper will be able to give you the right advice

liquid mask is the way to go

DEFINATELY! I cant reccomend liquid mask enough, its a lot easier to put on than maskin tape although it takes a bit longer (so it can dry) but its so much easier to work with.

If you can afford it go for the bob dively stuff, its available from JE spares or from ebay in america. Do a search on here for it and you'll see why everyone raves about it!

Oh and as for the shell, it looks pretty good - its always a good idea to start simple! And dont forget, if the paint job doesnt come out that well then just cover it with stickers! :D