flat paint job (as opposed to glossy)

[packetdreamer]

usually when you paint a body, it has a nice glossy/shiney/wet look to it. anyone know how to get a flat/dry/ look? is it even possible? i'm getting rather tired of shiney cars. dig?

[NotWalkinBlind]

I wonder if rubbing compound would do it... it would be worth a try... give it a shot on an old body.

[rocknbil]

Yeah the lexan comes from a polished mold so the outside is always going to be glossy. NotWalkin's idea should work but you could also use very fine steel wool or a green scrubber pad.

If you are concerned about scratches - you could also expirament with something that etches the surface, the only things that come to mind are oven cleaner or the stuff they use to etch or frost glass, which (I think) is a very diluted nitric acid, you apply it and let it set, wash it off. Of course you'd want to test it on a scrap.

[Piggy89373]

Another way to dull the gloss is to roughen up the outside of the body. I'd recommend using the testor's model sand paper. Use the really find grit stuff. It'll dull the surface without putting major scratches on the outside. It's time consuming, and will give the body a slightly dusty look, but it will definitely dull that gloss some.

[Cosmo]

You could just try painting on the outside of the body. Paint dries with a flat finish.

[inphiniti]

it depends if you are going to race it or make it for show... if its for show, paitn the outside.. it has been doen before and to be honest, it looks pretty damn good... as for the inside in a flat black scheme, i would try what the other guys are saying, it couldnt hurt.. it just has that nice finish on the body, so hey.. its worth a shot

plus if u try it and it doesnt work, it saves the rest of us money :D lol jk

[NotWalkinBlind]

Another way to dull the gloss is to roughen up the outside of the body. I'd recommend using the testor's model sand paper. Use the really find grit stuff. It'll dull the surface without putting major scratches on the outside. It's time consuming, and will give the body a slightly dusty look, but it will definitely dull that gloss some.With rubbing compound, it would prolly be easier to contol the overall effect... plus you could mask the "glass" areas with tape... sandpaper wouldn't work very well in that regard.

[packetdreamer]

...plus if u try it and it doesnt work, it saves the rest of us money :D lol jk
nice... reeal nice... :)


welp... guess i will have to get some "test-bodies" and getsta testin'. what exactly is rubbing compound, and what does it do?

i know that if i paint the outside of a race body it will get all scraped and beat, but thats ok - it happens anyway. but i cant use regular krylon/rusto flay paint because they crack when the body flexes. any sugguestions for a paint that is flat but out not crack?

[rocknbil]

It comes in a paste form that has tiny granules in it. Generally it's used to buff out sanding on auto body work, you paintbrush the paste on then begin working it with a high-speed buffer and it first grinds out the sandmarks, then the waxes in it work under the heat of the buffer to polish the paint. For your purposes - the first phase is all you care about. :D Auto stores or wherever Turtle Wax is sold.

[packetdreamer]

i will give the rubbing comp. a try. do i do it to the inside or outside of the body? and still would i have to use a flat paint, or would any paint do? if i need flat who makes a flat paint that is flexible?

thank you all for your insight (now i know who to get my money back from when i ruin another body - nyehehehe)

[rocknbil]

Well the outside remains glossy no matter what you do inside, so yeah, if you want flat you need to scuff the outside. It's a good idea to scuff up the inside before you paint, it does help the paint adhere.

[calvin3]

I did these awhile back

Flat black sprayed on the outside
http://home.comcast.net/~yadayadaya/images/flamedford/flameford2.jpg

Flat black on the outside - glossy flames painted from the inside
http://home.comcast.net/~yadayadaya/images/bloodflame.jpg

I did nothing to prep these bodies....
Will it scratch off.....probably.

[Paintguy]

If you have ever spilled Pactra thinner on the outside of a body...you will get a blurred flat effect. Not sure how hard it would be to make that consistant on a body, but you would not have to worry about the paint scratching off on the outside.

[packetdreamer]

so you just painted the outside, huh? nice. what brand of paint did you use?

I did these awhile back

Flat black sprayed on the outside
http://home.comcast.net/~yadayadaya/images/flamedford/flameford2.jpg

Flat black on the outside - glossy flames painted from the inside
http://home.comcast.net/~yadayadaya/images/bloodflame.jpg

I did nothing to prep these bodies....
Will it scratch off.....probably.

[calvin3]

so you just painted the outside, huh? nice. what brand of paint did you use?

Model Masters - Flat Black
Pactra - Flour. Green - Sprint White

Model Masters - Flat Black
Pactra- Racing Red - Sprint White