Rough paint job

[Navcom]

Probably a silly question but,,,

I've finished the paint on my Viper and it's time to decal. I gave her a good coat of Klear but the surface was still very rough. I've given her a second good coat of Klear and STILL very rough. Is this normal or did I do something wrong here? Maybe too thick of paint when airbrushing? Bad paint (MM enamel for the majority and Tamiya acrylic for the nose...I do notice the Tamiya portion seems a bit smoother)? Any ideas?

Thanks!

[Navcom]

Thinking through this further, I'm wondering if my airbrush technique might be to blame. Maybe spraying too far away allowing the paint to slightly dry before making contact?

[cib2265]

What was your surface prep like before/after painting? Ive just got a lot of Micromesh pads in today (will experiment later tonight) but I generally try to get as smooth a surface as possible using polishing sticks (Flory/Ultimate etc) and then a light clean with a paper towel with some IPA and then finally a tack cloth (actually I use lens cleaning cloths since my wife is an optometrist)

[chief5437]

Thinking through this further, I'm wondering if my airbrush technique might be to blame. Maybe spraying too far away allowing the paint to slightly dry before making contact?

That sounds like the most likely culprit. Spray a bit closer or add retarder to your paint. At least then you've eliminated that cause if the problem persists.

[chief5437]

Just thinking, was it after klearing that it went rough? Personally, I find that klear (floor polish) gets a better finish when brushed on, rather than spraying. Hth

[Navcom]

It was rough before the Klear was applied. I'm going to experiment
A bit with my technique. I'm thinking this is probably the problem.

Funny...my wife keeps telling me I'm the problem.

[gustavlekstal]

Did you shake it until your arms fell off? Needs alot!

[Navcom]

Did you shake it until your arms fell off? Needs alot!

LOL! I'll make sure to do that as well.

[Navcom]

I had an airbrush practice session tonight. Used a scrap wing from another model, primed with Vallejo gray, followed by Tamiya dark gray, and finished with a good coating of Klear. I shot the primer un-thinned per instructions, the Tamiya was thinned about 50/50, and Klear shot straight. All airbrushing done about 3 inches away from the surface and several thin coats of each applied. Also, everything shook to death before use.

It turned out MUCH better...although it does seem to be ever so slightly rough....but tons better than before.

Do most of you end up with a perfectly smooth surface at this point or is there a very slight rough texture? Being fairly new to this and not being an expert airbrush user quite yet, I dont have much of a reference to go by.

Half my kingdom to the programmer who can create a way feel texture in a forum post!