how quickly can you spray a shell?

[buggy#0]

Hi as it says in the title, its my first shell and its just single color for club racing.
Thanks

[vrooom]

quick as you can, but drying time take a while...

[buggy#0]

what is the drying time?

[Maxbashing]

Masking (even if just the windows) can take a bit of time to get right, after that you can easily be done with the spraying in an hour for single colour. Drying time can be reduced by using a hair drier between coats but to get the paint to completely set can take a while. I have found that the paint only really feels completely set once it has been left over night.

[buggy#0]

Is the overnight for each coat? I have two, maybe three days is that enough? Sorry for all the questions I just really want my first shell to not be crap. I am starting my build (sv2) on boxing day, finish on the 27th, go buy some paint, spray the shell, mount tires / finishing touches etc, then first race on the 30th. Most hectic christmas ever!!!

[millser]

one colour about 15mins with help of hair dryer with lots of thin coats

[MattK]

If this is your first build take your time and enjoy the process. I remember rushing my first car and regretted it, 1 run in the shell and you will regret your haste. Light coats nice and easy.

[bigred5765]

wash first in dish soap, rinse and dry properly, mask windows/or design, then apply one misty coat should be see though or grainy as in look of light sand,
dry with hair dryer 5-10 Min's until dry to touch, then apply 1-3 light coats not as light as the first,but drying in between coats until its solid colour or you reach the darkness of coat to suit, never ever apply the paint to thick or it will crack on crashing/impact and flake off.doesn't have to block out the light as long as the colour is solid from the outside looking down on it,

[buggy#0]

Thanks for the replies everyone. It is not my first build, just my first shell. I'm looking forward to it now rather than dreading it!

[bigred5765]

rememberto use a good dust/gas mask

[Hpi_guy]

Originally Posted by bigred5765

rememberto use a good dust/gas mask

Masks, I didn't use a mask and I'm fine.......... Kind of

[Mike Parker]

Originally Posted by buggy#0

Thanks for the replies everyone. It is not my first build, just my first shell. I'm looking forward to it now rather than dreading it!

Yeah always a few nerves on the 1st shell, plenty of sound advice has been given already when it comes to putting on light coats and building up gradually, flashing the paint off with a hairdryer inbetween.

If it's a fluro or a transparent colour that needs backing with white, again lay the coats of white down gradually but leave overnight for all the coats to cure off before you take the windowmasks up

[Moose]

Air temp should be around 20°C
If you paint at cold temperatures you don t have any chance to get it right.
Every coat should just be thin like a bit of dust on the body.
Dont paint a second coat when the first one is not dry (as long as it looks shiny its wet)

[Maxbashing]

No need to dread it. The advice on here is really sound the only other thing to add is remembering to 'key' the body before painting. Keying gives a slightly rough surface that the paint will bond to better. I use a metal scouring pad when I am washing the body and this seems to do the trick.

I have made a few mistakes with bodies and they have been caused by-

1. Not cleaning the body properly- There is chemical they use to release the body from the mould and this makes the paint 'split'. So take your time with washing
2. Laying the first coat on too thick- All coats should be light but the first really should just be a dusting
3. Laying paint on too thick- I once painted a body yellow and I got a bit carried away trying make in opaque. The paint ended up so thick that the first crash made the paint flake and fall off.

Painting bodies does sound like a nightmare and there are so many tricks and tips that will make it better but for a single colour it's just a matter of taking your time. It's always better to do more thin coats than try and achieve the finished result quickly.

I back every colour (other than black or silver) with white and I think it improves the final finish.

I also thought if you are painting a body for a nitro car you might want to get some sealant as Nitro fuel will eat away most paints.

[eyeayen]

There's been some good advice listed above and I wasn't going to reply to this thread when I saw the title of how quick can you do a shell as I'm one of the slowest on here although I did knock 4 out in 12 hours once... nearly killed me mind you LOL.

Anyway, it's not always the dark art that everyone makes out. Yes it is "ideal" to have a nice ambient spraying temperature but I work in my garage, no heater, if it's cold I have a coat on but the air in the garage is cold. So to combat this I warm the shell with a heat gun ( a hair dryer will do ) before the first coat, then I dust a coat on and dry that with the heat gun keeping the shell warm. Not had any problems with that.

Liquid Mask is the nuts but if you force dry it I personally find it doesn't come off so well, also it takes time to get it on and dry it out so for quickness I would use either masking film or masking tape pushed down real real well and very firmly. You can get nice clean lines with it. If you can get the wide Tamiya tape that cuts lovely but it is expensive

I dare say it's not good to breathe in anything but fresh air, however these paints are only water based and you're spraying so little with an airbrush a mask isn't vital, if you've got one use it, if not I wouldn't worry too much unless you plan on doing this day in day out. I've been airbrushing all manner of stuff for years, I'm too old to remember, probably about 24 years now, only ever worn a mask when I got the spray gun out, never worried about it, not had any problems for it *keels over and manages to hit send with his dying breath*

Try and work Dark to light, however if you have pinlines or fine masking I would do that first. If you have to put a dark colour behind it back the lighter colour with white and then grey or silver to cover it.

Get a can of ligher fluid, the normal one, not the aerosol, use if for removing any masking residue from the tape and any grease finger prints.

Nitro Block is good for nitro cars but to be honest you can get away with a white aerosol, make sure you leave it to dry out well before hand, over night at least or kane it with the heat gun and some white Plastikote from a spray can, again, light coats, dry inbetween. You probably want to wear a mask for that or do it in the garden and make sure the wind is blowing away from you.

Good luck

[Skye]

Originally Posted by eyeayen

I did knock 4 out in 12 hours once... nearly killed me mind you LOL.

I thought this was a thread about painting shells, I think that's for a different forum mate....

Sorry, couldn't resist. Seeing as I have never sprayed a shell in my life I will crawl back under my rock now and not take this off topic anymore...

[eyeayen]

Originally Posted by Skye

I thought this was a thread about painting shells, I think that's for a different forum mate....

Damn it I wish I'd noticed that I'd have worded it better...

[metalmickey0]

When drying any shells i`ve done is i just put them on the radiator. That way you can do something else for 10 minutes while its drying.