Prep time

[flakon]

Hi folks. I\'ve been working on blending technique a lot lately and after failing miserably several times and stripping a piece several times I noticed that my prep work wasn\'t adequate. I was painting a Warmachine mini and could not for the life of me achieve a smooth blend. The shadows looked splotchy and there were small areas that seemed to be resisting my shadows all together. My \"revelation\" was that these were probably errors that should have been fixed in the prep stage.

My question is this: If you realize something like that 3/4 through the mini is there a way to fix it short of stripping and sanding it down? How impacting can small surface aberrations be in terms of blending / glazing? And lastly, how much prep time are folks here putting into their models before they touch the primer?

 

[ScottRadom]

Oh man, I do NOT put enough prep time in, I am almost certain. 10-15 min tops for a standard 28mm metal infantry model. Another 5 min to pin it.

I\'m keen to see how long some of the pro\'s invest in prep time.

 

[matty1001]

At least an hour, and that is on well cast models.

Longest was about 8hrs or so.

I tend to clip of any venting or large areas of flash, scrape along mold lines with a surgical blade. Any mold lines that can still be seen then get filed until smooth.
Quick wash to remove any little metal filings or flakes.
Lightly scrub with wire wool to buff the surfaces smooth, and nooks and crannies are reached with a small bit of wet and dry paper glued to a cocktail stick or paperclip.
Then it time to put the pieces together, pinning everything.
Gap filling, then another sand down to flush the putty.
Check for rough surfaces or any pitting, use milliput slips where needed.
Even more sanding.
Another wash.
Then time to prime, 3 or 4 coats of Vallejo Foundation White shot through an airbrush allowing about 30mins drying time between each coat.

So a lengthy process, but you gotta get the foundations right.

(And i\'v still been known to miss mold lines :redface: )

Peace and love...

 

[freakinacage]

i like to rush things so it doesnt take too long to do.

cut off tabs then file/sand. i have a cheap little gadget that removes mould lines really quick. then go over them with wet n dry

pin anything tat needs pinning (generally the longest part)

fill gaps
done

 

[Ritual]

I usually put at least a couple of hours into the prep work. On larger stuff it can become 10 hours. If I am to spend countless hours painting the thing, I certainly don\'t want a rough surface, or a forgotten mold line, ruin the experience for me.

I go over the entire mini with files and my exacto, not just where the mold lines are. Then I usually brush on diluted milliput to even out pitted surfaces and such things. When that is dry, I go over everything with wet-and-dry and after that, apply another coat of diluted milliput. Sand everything again, and then, hopefully, the mini is ready to prime.

Once you\'ve realised the importance of a good prep work I think it\'s quite fun. Not the same fun as painting, but I think it\'s peaceful and calming.

 

[falela]

Yes, pretty much what the guys said. After priming(I used Tamiya Grey), I usually find some missed moldlines. Then I would repeat the scraping/sanding/filing/priming process.
Actually, I find this to be part of the fun.

 

[GreenOne]

I spend 2-3 hours on a normal model including pinning and gap filling etc., and it\'s often not good enough!
I hunt for mold lines and flashes, buff the large areas with my dremmel and a soft/hard tool, further filing with a needle and piece of sandpaper, cleaning with a plastic brush thingy with the dremmel, add GS or fimo here and there, pin, glue, fill gaps, let to dry, file again and finally wash with a tooth brush and soapy water.
It is part of the fun indeed.

I totally hate having to do any of these during painting but it happens, sadly.

 

[laurence]

Nothing beats a good prep.

Giving your minis a good prep is SO important! It makes the painting experience so much better! And you\'ll find you get much better results. Prepping metal minis for me consists of removing mold lines with my metal files and sharp craft knife. After this I superglue little pieces of sandpaper to toothpicks and spend countless hours sanding away at my mini until I\'m happy with the results. At this point I put the mini away and come back to it the following day. This way I\'m able to see the mini with fresh eyes and get any of the stuff I may have missed the first or second time around. It usually takes me a few hours in total. If I need to pin it takes me even longer. After all this I dremel my mini with a hard brush that buffs the mini and makes it shine. Then, I scrub the mini with toothpaste on a toothbrush to really give it a good clean. After the mini has dried in a dust free environment, I prime it with 3-4 light coats of Tamiya \'Fine\' Grey Primer. It\'s well worth the effort!

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by flakon
My question is this: If you realize something like that 3/4 through the mini is there a way to fix it short of stripping and sanding it down?

Other than fudging, by incorporating the texture into the finish of the figure, not really. You could putty over the paint and primer if additive methods will solve the issue but that\'s not ideal.

No need to strip by the way - it\'s okay generally to work on areas directly through the primer and then shoot with a little more primer.

Originally posted by flakon
How impacting can small surface aberrations be in terms of blending / glazing?

Hugely. It does depend on exactly how you paint, as well as on the paints used (some pigments are heavier, so they settle into detail more readily).

Originally posted by flakon
And lastly, how much prep time are folks here putting into their models before they touch the primer?

Depends on the casting!

I don\'t think I\'ve ever spent less than 10-15 minutes where I would be happy with the standard these days. But well into an hour would be typical and 1-2 hours would not be uncommon, especially if I\'m removing a mould line from intricate detail.

I\'m not sure if it really counts but it\'s also a lot longer if I sharpen blades on minis, to remove the flat on the edge (which I hate the look of, regardless of whether the weapon is ridiculously oversize anyway). Sharpening a blade, particularly if it\'s curved, can take upwards of 30 minutes, per.

Einion

 

[donga666]

Spent 20+ hrs on this.

http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/viewthread.php?tid=31328

But thats some major redetailing/resculpting. But I spent alot of time resanding and cleaning and it was a good cast.

 

[flakon]

Thanks all for the great feedback and ideas. I learned a lot here! I can see how taking it easy on prep can ruin the painting experience now!

 

[stubert]

Man I take age\'s. Ill do the main thing with file\'s and blade\'s and then Ill use wire brushe\'s, scourer\'s and sandpaper\'s.
The wire brushe\'s are really good for giving a light or hard weathered look.
You would understand if you saw my Ork Battlewagon, I went mad on that....stu.....

 

[flakon]

One last question on this topic, a couple people mentioned the user of wire wool and the user of a rotary tool for polishing.

When you speak of wire wool, is that the same thing as steel wool? I\'m guessing not, but a quick google search came up empty.

Which rotary bits are recommended? There are so many different kinds I\'m scared to take one to a mini unless I know for sure it\'s good to go.

Again my thanks for all the great advice.

 

[stubert]

Well I just bort some more, cos they do wear out quite qwuickly.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=400029649495
Hope that helps.....stu.....

 

[matty1001]

@flakon: Wire wool is just another name for steel wool as far as I know.

This stuff:

Peace and love...

 

[Gilvan Blight]

What is wet-and-dry?

I\'m guessing sandpaper of some sort, but not positive.

 

[flakon]

Wet and Dry is sandpaper, it\'s labele wet / dry because it can be used both ways. In my area it usually comes in 600 grit and up...fine detail stuff.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by flakon
When you speak of wire wool, is that the same thing as steel wool?

Yep, same thing.

Generally I\'d recommend you try to find 0000 grade, which should look like the steel equivalent of cotton candy.

Originally posted by flakon
Which rotary bits are recommended? There are so many different kinds I\'m scared to take one to a mini unless I know for sure it\'s good to go.

It\'s good to be nervous, as you can easily remove detail you don\'t want with a slip of the hand (you\'ll get better with experience, not to worry!) or by pressing too hard with something that would normally be okay. This thread is worth a look:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/viewthread.php?tid=30988

Originally posted by Gilvan Blight
What is wet-and-dry?

I\'m guessing sandpaper of some sort, but not positive.

Abrasive paper or film that can be used wet for best results.

Einion