Reddit mentions: The best power finishing tool parts & accessories

I'll start with the basics.

First - decide on what you actually want to do. Plan out your mods and your paint job. If you're having trouble getting inspiration, Google image search the name of your blaster + "paint job" for ideas. That what I did, and I saw this among the images.
It's Coop772's steampunk DoubleStrike. I decided to base my paintjob off of that one, but using a heavy helping of bright cobalt blue.

Next - Open up your blaster. I like this guy's method of sketching out the blaster and placing the screws approximately where they were, so they don't get mixed up or lost. You can tape any internal parts that aren't getting modded or painted to this sketch as well, to keep them safe.

I suggest either taking detailed pictures of the dis-assembly, or finding some photos online so that you will be able to put your blaster back together correctly later.

Then - Do any modding you are going to do, and sand off the warning text and logos if you want to. You will also need to sand off any paint that is on the blaster that you want to paint over! The base coat we are going to use will NOT stick well to painted surfaces.
Nerf blasters are made of a fairly soft plastic, so I started by using a pocketknife to scrape off the mold lines and much of the text & logos, then moved to sandpaper. Don't use anything coarser than 120 grit. My process was 120 grit - 160 grit - 200 grit - 240 grit - 300 grit - 600 grit polishing paper. I highly recommend the 3M polishing paper; it’s way more flexible than normal sandpaper. You can probably skip the 160 and 240 grit if you don't have them.

After that - Wash all of the parts that are going to be painted. Use hot water and dish soap, and let them dry completely. This is really important, don't skip it. It gets off all of the mold release chemicals, sanding dust, and any grease from the interior of the plunger or from your fingers. If you're in a big rush you can wipe down your parts with 99% rubbing alcohol instead, but be sure to do it outside.

Lastly - Tape off any areas you don't want painted. Blue painter's tape is best here tho regular masking tape will also work, it will just be harder to remove afterward. You don't want paint on the insides of the blaster or any moving parts if you can help it. You can also use the tape to mask out simple designs with the original colors. just be sure to pay attention to where the edges of your tape are and press them down firmly.



FINALLY ON TO THE ACTUAL PAINTING!

The base/primer coat I used is Duplicolor Vinyl Dye. This stuff is amazing, it has solvents that allow for a penetrating bond with the sort of plastic that Nerf uses for their blasters, and it dries to a paper-thin, rock-hard but flexible finish. It's hard to go wrong with the flat black, but if your paintjob is going to be close to one of the other colors then get that one instead. You can find the paint at most auto part stores.
The downsides to vinyl dye are that it is pretty expensive, it will not adhere well to painted surfaces, and it will only work on vinyl-type plastics. The harder plastics - usually ABS - that Buzz Bee and other knock-off use won't work with it. For those I recommend sanding the whole blaster with 600 grit and using a Rustoleum primer.
You want to do this on a warm, dry day. Apply the primer in very, very thin coats. By that I mean that my first coat was just a layer of speckles. Wait a couple of minutes for it to dry between coats. Yes, this will take a while but this paint runs like crazy if you try to put down a solid coat. If you rush it's going to look awful.
When you have good coverage over most of the pieces, concentrate on hitting the areas that are not solidly covered. Once you have full coverage, let the parts dry for a few hours.
If you are going to use any other colors of spray paint, re-tape as necessary for your design, and paint similarly to the basecoat. Drying times will depend on the paint you are using. Once the paint is dry, carefully pull off the tape from anywhere you want to be painted metallic.

Now for the beauty coat! I use acrylic paints in a number of different brands. Generally it's whatever I happen to have around the house (Which as a 34-year old with an art degree, is quite a lot). Despite that, I'll try to give some suggestions for what to buy.
Liquitex are the big boys of the acrylic paint world, and I recommend their paints above anything else. They literally invented the modern water-based acrylic paint. Keep in mind that different colors are made with different pigment substances, so prices may vary by color. If you can't afford their professional-grade paints, the BASICS line are still quite good - for the purposes of painting blasters I recommend the BASICS Matte if you can find it, since it dries to a flat, matte consistency while the Satin stuff tends to hold its texture as it dries. That's useful for fake wood handles but not much else. You should be able to find Liquitex paints at craft/hobby stores as well as dedicated art supply stores.
If you're really too broke for Liquitex, craft paints like Folk Art or Americana are alright, but you are more likely to need many coats or have inconsistencies. Don't buy anything cheaper than that - you'll regret it.

Some general painting tips: For solid colors, paint thin coats and let dry before re-coating. Red and yellow are going to need multiple coats, no matter what. The best bright red and yellow pigments aren't opaque, so it takes several layers to reach opacity.
Keep in mind that mixed colors are always going to be muddier than pure colors out of the tube. You can make a color lighter by adding white but it will lose saturation, becoming more pastel. Likewise, adding black will make it darker but also duller. I suggest small amounts of the complementary color as an alternative to black.

The main painting technique I used here was drybrushing. Drybrushing is great for creating a metallic look. Here are two very good guides to the technique.
The three most important tips - Don't use your favorite brush - drybrushing has a tendency to ruin brushes. Make sure your brush doesn't have any water in it. And if you can still see paint while you are wiping your brush off on the paper towel, you have too much paint on the brush. Keep wiping. Just remember, you can always drybrush more, but once you've done too much, you have to completely repaint the base color and start over.
Drybrushing is messy, so do those parts first. Use metallic paints over your black base coat for "metal" parts of your design. You can do a very light drybrushing of edges for a worn black oxide look, or you can drybrush several layers of metallic paint to get more of a dirty metal effect. (I'm not a huge fan of the mixed-metal steampunk look but it's a good example.)

Let the paint dry. It shouldn't take long since drybrushing uses very thin layers of paint.
After drybrushing your metallics, wash out your brushes, dump out your water, wash out your water cup and get a new palette (or wash it if you're using something reusable). Metallic flake gets into EVERYTHING.

Now pull off the rest of the tape, and lay down a layer of solid color for any other areas. You can also drybrush them to bring out the detail; just use a lighter color than the rest of the area. I don't suggest using white unless the color of that area is very light.
You can also use washes of diluted paint in dark colors to increase the contrast in spots that should be in shadow. I tend to apply it with a brush, and then smear it around and wipe it away from the places it shouldn't be with my fingertips. This is pretty messy, and you might prefer to use a clean, dry brush or a scrap of paper towel.
After all that messy painting, if there are any raised motifs you want to paint, or designs like vines or flames or lettering, it's now time for that. Go ahead and use a good brush - one that can hold a nice flat edge or sharp point - to carefully paint your designs.

Once you are happy with your paintjob - or just sick of messing with it - let it dry overnight.

LAST STEPS! Now that your blaster has a beautiful paintjob, you need to protect it! Once again, I want to suggest Liquitex for this. They have varnishes in both gloss and matte, in both brush-on and spray varieties. In any case, I DON'T recommend Krylon. Their clear coat always has an awful pebbly texture.
Go ahead and give the whole blaster several layers of gloss varnish. Once again, thin layers and patience in letting them dry between coats will ensure a good finish.
If you are using a brush-on varnish, apply it slowly, and just a little at a time. If you notice bubbles, rinse your brush out, dry it off on paper towels, wipe the bubbles off, rinse and dry again, and then get a fresh brushful of varnish to keep going.
Once there is 2-3 coats of gloss varnish on the whole blaster, use a matte or satin varnish on any parts you don't want to be shiny.

Let the blaster dry overnight again.

You're done painting! Use a razor or exacto blade to carefully scrape paint off places it shouldn't be - like the mating edges of the shell - and reassemble your blaster. Don't forget to re-lube the plunger.



Any questions?

I use hard Wave sticks too and love them. They sand very flat (something I liked files for) but are quite gentle on the plastic in terms of deap scratches. BUT for some reason the 800 grit is disconnected like in your link. Anyone know where else you can get it?

In terms of files I have the Tamiya basic , Tamiya fine basic , and a (hopefully) nicer plastic hobby file on order just to try. Files are nice for larger jobs like serious molding flaws (not common in Bandai kits) and the fine ones are OK for nubs but still quite rough compared to any sanding stick. Although, as you know I'm sure, files last forever and require much less effort and time to chew through plastic. I'm hoping the plastic file is the Holy grail and is a good balance. I bought a set of needle files and diamond files from harbor freight and they blow. The trash just don't grip or cut don't waste your $3.

And as a reference I own Revell, squadron , nail buff sticks, and have made my own sticks from automotive sand paper. The nail files are way too rough imo, making my own is a pain, and while the squadron sticks are nice I mainly only used the tri-grit while I used all the Revell except the roughest and are probably the best value imo. I still use the other more flexible kinds but dramatically prefer wave. Wish the 800 grit still were available.

Long post sorry. Hope it helps

Edits: spelling, phrasing, and lots of links

• For containers I just use 1 pint cheap plastic containers that soups come in or deli give you. I guess you can find a nice piece of Tupperware that is about that size, and a taller one for taller prints. You could probly just ask the Deli guys at a food store for a few empty 1 pint containers + lids.
  
  
  • 2 containers - one with pure IPA and one with clean water. Good lids that won't leak.
    
    
• 91% or 99% IPA for cleaning your build plate / resin vat / scraping tools / desk / etc. and for using in the print wash container. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ABPUGH0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  
• More gloves: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CF49NJS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 My palm width is about 3.6 inches / 9.2 cm and I bought the XL which fit ok.
  
  
• More paint strainers: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HQELZ7E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  
• Better removal tools: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A81FXMK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  
• Also get some Xacto knives + extra blades + sand paper sheets in varying grit 300-400 count for smoothing off support marks. https://www.amazon.com/X-Acto-XZ3601-X-ACTO-Knife-Safety/dp/B005KRSWM6/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1527015690&sr=8-6&keywords=xacto+blade
  
  Try to find the flexible sand paper sheets that are meant to be hand-used. I found them in Loews 3m brand, this is the exact type of sheets i use: https://www.amazon.com/3M-COMPANY-28320SB-UF4-320G-Sandpaper/dp/B00PPD1CYA/ref=sr_1_7?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1527015867&sr=8-7&keywords=sandpaper+320+grit+3m
  
  
• Find a source for cheap paper towels. I use the real cheap paper towels that you find in bathrooms, the stuff that's really stiff and crappy. I don't use name brands such as Bounty or whatever because the higher quality kitchen paper towels leave behind bits of cloth dust, which is unwanted for cleaning the resin vat / build plate / LCD screen. You'll also go through shitloads of paper towels and the higher quality towels are a waste of money. https://imgur.com/7XeelfV
  
  
• Get a couple sunglasses cleaning cloths. Not the microfiber cloths with the consistency of a bathroom towel: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009L77OXE/ref=sspa_dk_detail_4?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B009L77OXE&pd_rd_wg=OcvWJ&pd_rd_r=3AAAFBB1202BXG3K8QN0&pd_rd_w=cwumx That's just an example - you can probly finder cheaper and better sized/quality towels such as: https://www.amazon.com/MagicFiber-Microfiber-Cleaning-Cloths-PACK/dp/B0050R67U0/ref=pd_bxgy_421_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0050R67U0&pd_rd_r=PR868R09NE2DQCC8NBVQ&pd_rd_w=0uPs5&pd_rd_wg=eAMNx&psc=1&refRID=PR868R09NE2DQCC8NBVQ
  
  I use these cloths on the LCD screen and the resin vat FEP sheet. After cleaning the resin vat FEP sheet and the LCD with paper towels, I give them a nice polish with the cleaning cloth to remove any other smudges or dust. Make sure to have a cloth dedicated to ONLY the LCD screen, as you want the keep the LCD screen pristine and free of dust and smudges.
  
  You'll also want a print curing station to harden the prints once they have been cleaned. I bought:
  
  
• A plastic cookie jar; clear plastic, round: https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/oxo-good-grips-reg-3-piece-pop-canister-set/3262796?categoryId=12605
  
  
• UV LED Light Strip: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075ZQZDBR/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  
• Heavy duty tape, such as duct tape or gorilla tape. I used black gorilla tape.
  
  
• Aluminum Foil
  
  

1. Wrap the LED strip around the plastic container to this effect: https://imgur.com/oB98Qxl . Make sure you wrap so that the power cable connector will be at the bottom of the container. Make sure you secure the beginning and the end of the LED strip to container with a piece of tape.
   
   
2. Wrap the LED'd container with aluminum foil - shiny side facing inward. Lay out a long piece of foil on the floor, shiny side facing up, just enough to cover the container's length once. Secure the beginning of the foil piece with a piece of tape, and then secure the end of the foil. Try to wrap without causing creases in the foil, keeping the foil as shiny and smooth as possible. Make sure your power cable plug in point is popping out and able to be plugged in.
   
   
3. Secure a piece of foil to the base, shiny side facing inward.
   
   
4. Secure a piece of foil to the lid, shiny side inward. Take a piece of tape and make a 2-sticky-sided loop to secure the foil. Make sure the foil is not interfering with the lid's ability to securely close.
   
   
5. Wrap the whole thing with your gorilla or duct tape. Make sure your power cable plug-in point is popping out and able to be plugged in.
   
   

You will hear a lot of varying opinions on this, so I can only share what I've worked with. Sorry for the text wall, I'm just copy/pasting some of my previous comments from other threads haha (lazy but efficient). Long story short, stem work is tedious and frustrating by hand, but worth the work.

Best approach I have found with oxidation is to submerge and soak the stem in a mixture of white distilled vinegar and baking soda. Cheap, natural and non-toxic!! You want the solution to bubble and fizz during the majority of the soak (so use a good amount of baking soda in the bottom of your container and a lot of patience filling it). I will use a pipe cleaner to suspend the stem over a small Mason jar and keep the tenon out of the solution. Make sure you have cleared the airway as much as you can. You will want to see bubbles coming out through the lip as it soaks. You can soak for 1hr to overnight (this soak won't hurt anything)

Wet sand with the flat sodium bicarbonate starting with 400 and progress to 800 grit sandpaper (depending on patience level and depth of oxidation). Finish with micromesh pads (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HJC156U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_xOjezb9NYZ9K6) Wet sand with flat sodium bicarbonate with first three, and dry sand with the rest). I usually apply olive oil between every 3 pads. :)

I finish with Howard Butcher Block Conditioner (Food grade mineral oil and natural waxes found at Home Depot). Allow it to soak in and buff with a micromesh towel. Others can use just olive oil or carnauba wax and a buffing wheel.

On repairing a bite-through....

Slow and repetitve application of black cyanoacrylate (I use StewMac brand because it is used on instrument bits). And then slowly/patiently bringing back the original shape with high grit sandpaper paper and needle files. This process takes days. Mostly just a lot of wait time for the cyanoacrylate to cure.

Check airway with pass of a cleaner to ensure it's clear. I use a nail file as scaffolding and put a small coat of Vaseline on it, to ensure the cyanoacrylate won't stick. Put on the first layer and let it set for 12hrs before attempting to pull out the file. Flip the pipe on its face so gravity doesn't work against you, and voila. Takes about 5 more applications to get a decent bubble of material to file back down.

Basically you slowly build up the material in layers. You would have to do both sides and rebuild the lip on your worst one with this approach...not easy.

Ok, I'll try my best to explain here. It's a long and labor intensive process, but there's no thought involved, and nothing to screw up like with some methods.

First, you're going to need a few supplies
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• Spray adhesive, I used Loctite General Performance Lightweight Bonding adhesive
  
  
• Oil for the sanding, I used 3-IN-ONE oil
  
  
• Sandpaper of several grits, I used a bunch of big packs from Lowes, but a multi-pack like this would be ideal
  
  
• Adhesive remover, I used Goo Gone
  
  
• An X-Acto style knife, I used one I just had laying around so sorry no link
  
  
• Some rags to wipe up the metal filled cutting oil
  
  
• Masking tape
  
  
• The thinnest tape you can possibly find
  
  
• A screwdriver for the burr chamber and another for the burrs themselves. I recommend a torque screwdriver for the burrs, but it's not strictly needed.
  
  Now, for the chamber sanding
  -----
  
  

1. Cut out 6 squares each of the 220 grit, 320 grit, 400 grit, and 800 grit sandpaper that will fit the entire burr on them. If you like shine and don't mind the time it takes, throw some higher grit in there too.
   
   
2. Take the outer burr carrier out of your grinder, remove the spring from it, and set it aside. Then unscrew the inner burr, you'll be attaching the sandpaper to this burr first.
   
   
3. Take one of the squares of your 220 grit and spray the back with spray adhesive then press your inner burr on it. Wait for it to dry. Then cut off the excess sandpaper from the edges and middle leaving only a ring of it.
   
   
4. Tape your inner burr to the outer burr that's still screwed into the burr carrier with masking tape. Work around the standoff post things.
   
   
5. Apply cutting oil to the sandpaper.
   
   
6. Put the assembly of two burrs in the burr chamber (making sure the spring is out of the carrier) and spin it around with gentle pressure. Take it out from time to time to wipe off the oil and metal. Continue until the sandpaper is worn out.
   
   
7. Repeat 3-6 two more times to use 3 discs. You'll need the Goo Gone to clean the burr to attach the next disc.
   
   
8. Repeat steps 3-7 for each size of sandpaper. You should use 3 discs for at least 220 and 320, and can probably go down from there. Those sizes do most of the work and the rest polish.
   
   Now your chamber is sanded to be perpendicular with the driveshaft. But your carrier does not perfectly match, not yet.
   
   Now, for the carrier sanding
   -----
   
   
9. Screw your inner burr back into the grinder. If you have a torque screwdriver that is ideal, but at least try to be even. Unscrew the outer burr from the carrier.
   
   
10. Take one of the squares of your 220 grit and spray the back with spray adhesive then press your outer burr on it. Wait for it to dry. Then cut off the excess sandpaper from the edges and middle leaving only a ring of it.
    
    
11. Tape the outer burr, without carrier, to the inner burr. This will be a massive pain in the ass to pull off and you'll need the thinnest tape you can get. The standoff posts will have to go over the tape this time.
    
    
12. Apply cutting oil to the sandpaper.
    
    
13. Put the carrier over the two burrs that are affixed to the chamber, apply gentle pressure and spin it to sand down the carrier. Same way you did with the chamber sanding.
    
    
14. Repeat with multiple grits and multiple discs of each grit the same way you did with the chamber.
    
    Your carrier now has a parallel surface to your chamber. Which is also perpendicular to the driveshaft! Congratulations, your grinder is aligned the best it can be this side of a machine shop!
    
    Final steps and notes
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• Make sure to clean your grinder before using it.
  
  
• Make sure to flush your grinder with at least a few doses of coffee before using it.
  
  
• When you're doing spray adhesive, have it in a box or something to not make a mess.
  
  
• Rubbing alcohol, acetone, dish soap, etc all do nothing on the spray adhesive. You do need the Goo Gone and will have to run out to a hardware store and buy it like I did if you don't try to skip it.
  
  
• If you opt to use any water on your burrs for cleaning, dry it off right away. The SSP burrs are coated, so it's not as bad as if you did it to Ditting burrs, but still dry em.
  
  
• You can repeat the chamber sanding once the carrier is done for a theoretically slightly more perfect surface, but it's not really necessary.
  

I think I have more sanding devices than paints. :)

Here's what I use:

Building

• 600 grit sheets, available anywhere from auto parts to hardware stores. I use this as a general cutting paper, to remove emblems, take out mold seams, etc.
  
• 1500 & 2000 grit sheets, same availability, used to remove scratches from the 600, or remove blemishes where I don't need to cut deep
  
• 3000 grit Trizact - this stuff is amazing. It's like a thin sponge, really easy to work with, and does a great job at removing scratches from the 1500/2000 grits. Also used to rough up entire surface before priming/painting to give the surface some "bite" for the paint
  
• Sanding sticks - probably what I use the most, these are great for anything and everything, from removing seams to trimming flash to shaping parts. A set usually as varying degrees of coarse, medium, fine, ultra-fine. These sticks by Stevens International are the best I've found after trying various brands
  
• Flex-I-File - great for curved pieces, awesome for sanding out seams on axles and other round parts. Order a pack of refills; though they work great, they do wear out fast.
  
• Sanding Sticks - these are so handy, great for tight spots, inside grills, interior, corners and edges, you name it. Always make several passes using successively finer grits.
  
  Paint & Finish
  
  
• 600 - as above, used to cut & remove material
  
• 1500 - same, removes scratches from 600, but mainly used to level surface after paint coats; removes orange peel and texture
  
• 3000 Trizact - give everything a once-over as mentioned above, can't express how much I love this stuff.
  
• 3200-12000 grit polishing pads - after the surface is level, start with 3200 and work up through 12000. The 3200 does a good job at cutting/creating a smooth surface. All other grits above that remove scratches from the previous passes until you get a near mirror-finish with the 12000
  
• Novus Polishing System - consists of heavy scratch remover, light scratch remove, and silicone polish. This is what takes your model from looking good to being show quality. You know that feeling of sliding a cloth over a freshly waxed car? Same thing here after using the silicone. Really gives it a slick, wax-like coating
  
  Here's an album of how I finish out a paint job.

1. It's rare that you will need to replace them ( many go hundreds of miles with no issues ), but a random stray rock or something can tear them sooner. You can pick extra sets up from here: https://www.royalsupply.com/store/pc/Gates-225-3MGT-15-PowerGrip-GT3-Synchronous-Belt-9400-5075-p17363.htm
   
2. The wheels handle pretty much everything you throw at them.
   
3. The grip tape will last years as long as you take care of it. Pick up some abrasive cleaner and clean it on occasion. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AJW0CY8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   As far as remote disconnections with the V2, I've never had it lose connection once.
   The only other suggestions I would have are to pick up some bash guards from flatland-3D to preserve the ends of your board, and compressed air to clean hard to reach areas on the board.
   Hope that helped! Have fun!

Hi Fezz
I think I'm in a really similar position to yourself - I've just bought a bunch of tools and I'm now at that point of getting some good(ish) leather to properly work on. I've been reading books and blogs and forums like there's no tomorrow, and posted a question or two here.

My advice from what I've found in response to each question and what I would personally do is:

1. I'd leave dye until later stage. It's yet another bunch of "things" to buy which are add-ons especially on a tight budget. Concentrate on the core skill first. I personally want to know that I can make a nice wallet first - rather than being able to dye a piece of veg tan perfectly and then ruin it time after time by my poor craftsman skills. I've bought a bunch of sandpaper in a big pack that goes up to 3000 grit which is really quite fine. I've tried it on an edge of sample leather which is about 2mm thick and it turned it quite nice. People say that Gum Trag is good for burnishing, but there's lots of options. For skiving, I've bought a Trimming Plane which was recommended by Ian Atkinson in one of his vids - but yet to use it. Think Bone Tools can be used to burnish as well - and will be useful elsewhere too (but someone please confrim if a teflon bone tool can burnish edges)
   
   
2. I once received a "Hairy" sample piece. I used Tan Kote (just to try it out) on the hairy side and it kind of nicely glues down the hair, making it nice and smooth. This maybe something you can look into.
   
   
3. I need help on this too!
   
   
4. I'd be interested in knowing more info on this as well.
   

Found an old Ping Anser 3 at a thrift shop for $2.49. So why not!

Materials used:

20 oz Coke $1.75

Pack of assorted wet/dry sandpaper $8 All the grits are packed together, so the sheets all need rinsing before use.

3M scrubby dremel tips. Used a couple of these for hard-to-get areas, but the sandpaper worked much better for the large surfaces.

Brass Black $8


First step was to see how it was under 30+ years of oxidation. 24 hour soak in coke, then hit with a scrubby.

Next came the sanding. LOTS of sanding.

Started with 220, so I didn't take off too much material, and moved up from there - 400/800/1000/1500/2000. A good rinse and dry with an old t-shirt between each grit keeps from scratching up all the hard work.

I was going to go up to 3000 grit, but couldn't keep from scratching it up after 2000. Yeah, I could have buffed it to a mirror shine, but that had a good chance of softening all the edges. I didn't want a 'blobby' putter.

A bit of acetone on a q-tip removed the old sight line.

Next step was an alcohol bath. 99% isopropyl because that's what I had lying around. A hot water rinse and a good shake dry followed.

Into a ziplock bag it went with some of the Brass Black. Squished it around to get even coverage. Rinsed, dried, and left for 24 hours. Then repeat.

In reality, the next step was to sit the putter on my desk and forget to send it back to Ping. But we're gonna skip that step here.

The putter was shipped back to Ping on a Friday. The rep who called was super cool, and said it wouldn't take to long to put a new shaft and grip on and ship it back. Total cost about $61.

This putter is awesome. First round with it and I scored my lowest ever with an 82* (Par 64 course, so it's only bogey golf. But still lowest score for 18!)

Cheers

There's a few options:

"Sanding Twigs" which you can get at your stores like Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc (even Amazon). They're basically the scraps from making legitimate sanding sticks or nail files. The only problem is that the majority of the time you find them in mixed bags of all sorts of grits, most of which are far too coarse, and it's difficult to find the ones that are individually bagged and you can get the finer ones.

https://www.amazon.com/DuraSand-Sanding-Twigs-Models-Discounts/dp/B00G13A7F8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536187739&sr=8-1&keywords=sanding+twig

The sanding twigs above also come bagged from Stevens International (a big model distributor), and they can be more readily-found already divided up by coarseness. You're unlikely to find them in stores, but you can get them online and any hobby shop can order them too since they come from a distributor they surely deal with. They call theirs "Pro Sand Files" and are in various coarseness and widths. These White ones are my go-to sanders 90% of the time:

https://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/cru/cru307.htm

They also make "Sanding Needles", which are shaped kinda like birthday candles. They're hard plastic with a grit applied to the exterior. I use them for getting into really hard to reach areas:

https://www.hobbylinc.com/hobby-stix-assorted-sanding-needles-3-each-of-3-diff-grits:bag-sanding-tool-sandpaper-400

For a higher-quality product, there's also "Skinny Sticks" from Flory Models. These are great, you just have to wait for them to come from Britain if you can't find them at a local shop. They're a much higher quality than the 'twigs' above, and have a nice sponginess that makes for better sanding though it does make them a bit fatter. Outside of the White Thin/Fine sticks from Stevens I already mentioned, I pretty much exclusively use Flory's various sanding products as they are very high quality.

http://www.florymodels.co.uk/skinny-sticks/

Edit: Before you read, these two pieces of wood started the same. The one on the left is the "bad" version based on how I used to finish things.



I'm absolutely no finishing expert, but I've spent the past couple of months getting ready to finish a major project. I have used a lot of shellac and other varnishes in the past, but generally like oil-based poly. Here's now I do it.


This advice probably applies to all woods, but I've been working with Walnut and Maple recently.

1. Strongly consider filling the grain. If you want a glass-smooth surface, you have to fill the grain.
   
   
2. Get the table nice and flat and sand to 220 before anything on top.
   
   
   
3. Put some boiled linseed oil or tung oil on. Let dry for 2-3 days (maybe more). Sand very lightly with 320. Repeat 3-6 times. Let dry for a week after the final coat. Sand to 320 again.
   
   
   
4. Cut your oil based poly 2:1 with mineral spirits.
   
   
   
5. Brush it on very very slowly and smoothly with a good brush. Watch this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb7SJl1A5q8 I use almost no pressure and just drag the rush very slowly. This prevents bubbles. Bubbles are your enemy. If you go fast, you'll have bubbles. Also, get a good brush. 2-3" ox hair finishing brush. Again, you aren't painting. You're laying down material. DON'T PAINT.
   
   
   
6. Ruin your work. This step is a big leap. Seriously, sand with 320 nice and flat before putting on the 2nd coat (see attached picture).
   
   
   
7. Put on more coats.
   
   
   
8. Before my last coat, I sand the base layer with 320, 400, and 600 so it's super flat. Then I put on a nice and thin top coat and dry for 2-3 days before polishing.
   
   
   
9. Sand with 400 on up to 3000. Buff with some wax. Done.
   
   
   http://i.imgur.com/ZywuN6X.jpg This is a bit of a bad example as I didn't fill the grain (and haven't really polished yet), but this shows why sanding matters. If you don't want ridges where the grain is, you have to sand. Again, not the best picture, but sanding and putting on thin coats, slowly, will get you the finish you want.
   
   
   I'm absolutely not an expert. Just someone that's been frustrated sharing what I've learned. Here's my latest table-top with coat #2 on it.
   
   http://i.imgur.com/DpqiIvO.jpg
   
   
   Finally, not all sandpaper is the same. For 320, this is the best stuff around. Lasts forever and doesn't clog: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PPD1CYA

When it's time to polish the metal, head to your local version of Walmart or Amazon and pick up some aluminum polish. I use Mother's. It's strong enough to work on the metals harmonicas use, but also pretty gentle. Just rub that on and if your cloth starts going black it's working. Get that elbow grease going and every few minutes wipe it off so you can see your progress. Repeat until fine scratches are gone and it's shiny new.

If you have deeper scratches, then you'll need to use sandpaper in increasingly finer grades first. 120 -> 220 -> 400 -> 1000 -> aluminum polish will take a seriously messed up cover plate to shiny new in about 15 minutes total. It's pretty easy to do.

This pack of sandpaperwill do hundreds of harps

Mother's polish

I've been very happy with mine. I'm having a hard time telling from the link which model that is but the one with the variable speed control that is like $10 more isn't worth the extra money in my opinion. I certainly haven't regretted buying the cheaper one.

I also recommend picking up a pack of the Mirka gold sanding discs from amazon which have been excellent.

edit:

I'm now seeing that that is the variable speed control model but I'm not seeing the one without it for sale anymore. Still worth the purchase though.

I think u/TyrantLeo was assuming you bought the Dr. Colorchip kit, which does include everything. However, it looks like you're asking about the dealership touch-up paint.

For that, you want to put the paint on as thin as possible, and in layers. Light coat, let it dry, another coat, let it dry, etc. until you cannot see the bare metal through the paint. Then go over the top with clear coat.

If you want to make it near perfect, invest in an ULTRA FINE grade sanding kit like this: http://www.amazon.com/SANDING-SHEETS-INTRODUCTORY-Peachtree-Woodworking/dp/B000H6HIK2

Ignore the part about woodworking... sand paper is sand paper. This will allow you to really flatten and polish the surface so that the touch up paint blends as seamlessly as possible with the factory paint. I typically only use the 3 to 4 finest grades in this kit when doing touch-ups. You won't be removing much paint at all, and a kit like this allows you to focus on a very small area versus a 6 inch area like you'd have to with a DA + pad. Finish with a light polish and a coat of wax.

OK.... so in roughly the same order you asked (and I know this will be a long response)....

To me, the paint ratio is more a guide than a formula. I'm looking more for the right consistency than number of drops. Some paints require more thinning than others. Yawningangle mentions Alclad - their paint is formulated for airbrushing, so you don't need to thin it out at all. If the paint in the cup has about the same consistency as milk, it will spray.

I generally use 20-30 PSI, more often the lower values. I like to spray a bit thinner and at lower PSI so that I get thin, even coats with less chance of runs, drips, etc.. The higher PSI values can dry the paint out faster, leading to a pebbly texture on the model.

Masking - I use Tamiya's tape for detail work:
6mm Tape dispenser
10mm Tape dispenser
18mm Tape dispenser
40mm Tape roll
It's a thin rice paper that has more flex than plastic scotch tape and is much thinner than most masking tapes. Good stuff. It will still bubble and ripple over compound curves, but you can work around this by cutting it into thin strips and layering it - see this article for examples.

A dremel works too fast for polishing car models; you'll go through the paint at that speed. It's better to work by hand with some fine polishing clothes. I'm a big fan of Micro-Mesh and you can get starter kits fairly inexpensively that will work great on a project like this.

With regards to the dash - generally, if you're not happy the best thing to do is either live with it or strip it off and start over. It's a big enough pain in the butt that I will sometimes just live with it and leave the windows up or canopy down. ;)

It really depends on what you planning on sharpening. The stone you listed is a 5 in. medium and a 4 in. fine which you will come to find out if you buy it just isn't big enough. Also it really depends on how sharp you want your knives to be. The system you listed has a 400 grit medium and a approximately 1,000 - 1,200 grit fine. However if you don't mind not using a stone you could also use higher grit sandpaper or Polishing Paper but don't just cut into it like the guy did in the video. I like you experiment with different ways of sharpening my knives, my system is as follows; 800 sandpaper, 1,200 stone, 4,000 polishing paper, 6,000 stone, and finish with 2 different leather strop with compound approx. 8,000 - 12,000 grit. Find out what works best for you, Hoped this helped!

I've tried freehand, but I prefer using a Veritas MkII with the "scary sharp" method.

The scary sharp is probably the cheapest and easiest to set up, you don't have to buy the kits, just go to Walmart and get the sandpaper in the automotive section. If you have a glass shop near you, get a piece of tempered glass close to 2' x 1' x 1/4" and you can fit all your grits from 100 up to whatever on it. You can also find flooring tiles at Home Depot or Lowes that are flat enough, but you may have to pull a few to find that "perfect" one. You'll want some adhesive to stick those strips of sandpaper down too. You might want to get a leather strop too, depending on what grit sandpaper you stop at. I only go to 2000, then strop with green chrome oxide compound. It's good enough to shave with.

Lastly, a good honing guide is essential for starting out, at least for me. I don't have to worry about getting the angle right, or worry whether or not I'll get repeatable results. The MkII is a thousand times better at getting it right than the cheap $9 honing guides (which are absolute junk, unless you know how to fix them).

Hope that helps.

You might also consider steel wool, if the above doesn't work, but be gentle. It's possible that you might mar what looks like an otherwise nice finish, and it would be a shame to have to re-polish the area.

Keep a really close eye on those sections in the near future, too, once the rust has been removed: it's possible that the rust may come back quickly in those spots now, since there's probably more surface area (and thus more chances for oxidation) under the rust spots now.

If that happens, it may be in your best interest to pick up some polishing paper and run the finer grades (I find the 30 micron paper leaves small scratches that I can see - start with the 15) over the area to help even things out.

Let me start by saying that this would be the bare minimum. This is assuming that you have all the experience to use these tools effectively as someone who has the appropriate skill and knows to do things like not bear down on a saw when cutting, keeping everything square, how to mill boards by hand, how to not kill sandpaper in a few strokes, how to tune and sharpen a hand plane, ETC.


2x$8.69Vise grips Two vise grip clamps. Clamps can be universally adjusted and clamped in almost any direction with some quick thinking. One is never enough.


$9.99Cheap set of chisels Everyone needs a chisel. These will be made from a milder steel, but it's better than nothing.


$22.00Generic ryoba saw A ryoba saw will double for crosscuts and ripcuts. They go as far as you can take them provided you treat them right.


$18.62Bench Plane You need to be able to take down material in terms of thickness. A simple bench plane will due for now.


$20.61Block Plane A block plane will help slightly with end grain smoothing where the bench plane cannot.


$3.47Bundled Sandpaper You need to finish your products somehow. I would get a generic bundle of sandpaper and use it sparingly and tenderly.


$12.85Square Keeping things square is vital.


$6.79Mallet Hammering your chisels is going to be very important since you cannot use a 2x4 reliably.


$3.47Wood Glue Need to be able to glue things together.


$11.80A set of card scrapers Remove material smoother and faster. You don't want to waste sandpaper if you don't have to, and these are quite versatile.


$8.06A bastard file A bastard file will do for now when it comes to heavier shaping and sharpening your card scrapers.


$15.92A small drill viseKeeping something secure in place is very important. A small vise will accommodate small and narrow pieces of lumber and can be bolted to a bench.


$3.97Assorted finer sandpapers You need something to keep your chisels constantly sharp, especially when it is such a mild steel as a set of 9.99 chisels.


$15.59Wipe on polyurethane You need to be able to finish your products somehow.


Comes to $170.52 I would use the rest to make a bench and two sawhorses out of some 2x4's.

I had a tiny spot on my hood that I left about 5 years ago thats slowly progressed from a dot to circle about an inch wide. I kept saying I was going to find a new hood from the junk yard, but I have yet to find one in good condition & the right color. I should've taken care of it before it grew.

Touch up paint is what you want, I've used that in other areas in the past. Focus your sanding right where its rusted only, try not to sand past it thinking you can blend the paint in. That's only possible if you use a full spray setup and respray the entire area over.

The trouble with touch up is it will never match or look original. So do it while its small to minimize the impact. Check with your dealer to see if they sell a small jar or pen of original factory paint in your color -- if not many places sell it online (color matched / mixed). They should give you a jar of color plus a jar of clear, and you may need to buy your own sandpaper and polish. 3M sells a small sandpaper kit like this: link. Heres the polish I have: link. That will take out any sanding marks after.

It completely depends on your financial situation, but I would recommend just buying your own tools. You will get more than your moneys worth if you hang on to them for 5-10 years. Which is very easy with proper care.

Here are some cheaper yet not terrible options on Amazon. These should get most jobs done around the house.

• Orbit Sander $28
  
• Assorted Sanding Disks $20
  
  
  Total of $48
  
  
  
  If you want to go with another method outlined here you can use a regular drill. Tons of uses for a drill other than sanding down your skillet.
  
  
• Drill $30
  
• Coarse Wire Brush attatchment $9
  
• Fine Wire Brush attatchment $6
  
  Total of $45
  

Not really sure what your budget or needs are, but a palm sander (also called corner or detail sander) might work for you. They are relatively inexpensive and the sanding pads are too. I've used a Harbor Freight one almost daily for many years for many different types of projects.

Here's a decent one from Amazon

Whatever sander you decide on, an essential add-on is a gum rubber sandpaper cleaner. I went for years always replacing the sandpaper when it got clogged until I discovered that I could clean them over and over, and save a lot of money.

Hope that helps!

you can just wet sandpaper you have already but here is the variety pack i mentioned on Amazon. You're definitely gonna need higher grit as you go along, start at like 240 and then end with either 400 or 600 grit to polish. Good luck!

Aluminum tends to be fairly difficult to torch braze by hand, because the melt temperature of the filler versus what you're trying to bond is typically pretty small. I've been lighting metal on fire for near a decade now, and I wouldn't (and don't) touch aluminum if I don't have to.

Stainless is IMO super easy to braze in comparison, so long as you have a fairly reliable flux. The problem with these bernzomatic torch nozzles you're looking at is they can be somewhat underwhelming in the heating department, and it can take quite awhile to get things to temp, which can overcook your flux and then things oxidize and no filler sticks.

At the sizes you're talking about, the wall thickness would be somewhat important. If your tubing is thick, it could be difficult to braze. If it's fairly thin, you should be able to get it done, and you can clean oxides or extra silver braze with a dremel wheel or sandpaper. I use the dremel wheels.

BAg-7 has a pretty low solidus/liquidus, and should be achievable with the torch. If you want good corrosion resistance, BAg-24 has 2% nickel, but the temps go up a bit. Should still be achievable with this torch. I like boron added flux, I find it is way easier to tell when it activates, because it clarifies.

The paint is not adhering to the bumper. Please keep in mind that I'm not an expert, but I've got some experience with putting paint on plastic surfaces (aka scale model nerd, lol).

Here's what I would do: lightly rough up the bumper's surface with a spot sanding pen (LINK) and clean the surface with some isopropyl alcohol. Usually there's specialized prep involved with painting plastic on cars, but those two steps should help your touch up paint "grab on" to the bumper.

As with all painting, most of the work is in the prep. Good luck!

I use sandpaper on a granite stone and am usually sharpening chisels and plane irons. Once you invest the time in getting them scary sharp the first time, maintenance isn't so bad.

My advice on the sandpaper method is:

• Buy sandpaper strips in a variety pack. I usually get this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LZ6TG05/
  
• Spend enough time at the lowest grit to achieve the flat back and proper angle quickly.
  
• Don't skip grits. Work your way through the progression. It takes a lot longer to go from 120 to directly 400 than it does to go 120/220/320/400.
  
• Personally, I invest the time to get only a portion of the back up to a mirror shine. Some people aim for getting the entire chisel/plane back to a mirror. I find this unnecessary. If you focus your efforts on the last inch or so, you'll achieve the desired result more quickly. Don't skip the step of polishing the back. You can only do as good as the highest grit on the back. If you sand the back to 400 and sand the bevel to 1200, you only have a 400-grit level sharpness.
  
• Use a good honing guide to easily get the desired angle.
  
  Here is an article by Rollie Johnson on the subject: https://www.finewoodworking.com/2017/02/27/simple-sharpening-cart. You don't need four stones, and you don't need a cart. I do find the camellia oil helpful, but I have also had good success with water and with Windex.

Hey, guys!

I thought you would all enjoy seeing my shrine to my Boosted. The only thing missing from it is the Boosted itself, and that should hopefully be arriving in the next few weeks. If everything is as planned, I should be able to hang it by the front trucks on the hook below the cabinet, and charge the board, the remote, my flashlight, and my taillight, as well as hang my gloves/wristguards, and helmet all from one spot, as well as keep my deck tape cleaner, skate tool, and any other random stuff I use with the board.

The taillight charges inside the small box on the bottom left. This is in my bedroom and the light glows red while it is charging, so I keep it in there so my room stays dark and I can sleep at night.

Cabinet: http://www.target.com/p/wood-wall-cabinet-threshold/-/A-50373639

Hook: https://www.containerstore.com/s/hooks/wall-hooks/satin-nickel-savoy-double-wall-hook-by-umbra/12d?productId=11004657

Cable box (holds all the plugs and extra cable in the cabinet): https://www.containerstore.com/s/office/tech-accessories/bluelounge-mini-cablebox-with-power-strip/12d?productId=10029358

Flashlight: https://www.rei.com/product/895484/fenix-uc35-rechargeable-flashlight

Tail light: https://www.rei.com/product/109689/niterider-sentinel-150-rear-bike-light

Light charging cables: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CRIPY6M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Remote charging cable: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007NLW3C2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cable hole covers: http://www.homedepot.com/p/CE-TECH-1-1-2-in-Furniture-Hole-Cover-Black-COVER-BK-1-5/203717844

Cable clips: https://www.containerstore.com/s/office/cable-management/bluelounge-mini-cabledrop-adhesive-cable-clips/12d?productId=10037207&country=US&currency=USD&utm_source=tcscompshop&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=google&cid=cse:PLA

Helmet hook: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VAMQR3G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Deck tape cleaner: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DD0L1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Helmet: http://shop.s1helmets.com/s1-lifer-helmet-orange-matte/

Wrist guards: https://triple8.com/product/hired-hands/

As mentioned by another modeler you can use polishing pads.

Micro Mesh are good. These pads are also useful, I use them wet and in order. I also cut them into smaller pieces to make polishing easier.

As for a polishing compound, I found this one to be good. It also works well on the lenses of modern 1:1 size cars if you need them to be as bright as new. ;^)

You have 2 options.

1. send it back to boosted for a $78 grip tape replacement.
   
2. go on amazon and buy a belt cleaner. Its essentially a piece of rubber you use to clean your grip tape. honestly works like magic. I linked you what I have. I also purchased a 3 piece wire brush set.
   

• use wire brushes to disturb the tape
  
• brush of larger pieces of debris
  
• use rubber belt cleaner to scrub!!
  
• protip: this is going to be a hell of a workout. 2 months worth of ( twice every day) fapping in seconds. I suggest not buying the one i got and instead getting a smaller one so you can handle it easier
  
  Lastly invest in flatlands bash guard. Google it. Its cheap and will protect the tip(s). No one likes a bent tip(s).
  
  
  https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0000DD0L1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you don't go too far and cut into the actual part with the file, then not really. It will leave some small scratches, because that's basically how the file removes the nubs, but you can clear those up with a few passes of some really fine grit sandpaper. Something in the 1000+ grit range should do, because it's fine enough that it's basically polishing the piece. Automotive sandpaper usually ranges from 1000-3000 grit, and you can find it at any auto parts store in small multi-grit packages that sell for like $5. Something like this.

Well, if you're thinking about doing it get some mylar paper from goulet and go slow and use super cheap nibs. You will break your first 4-16 nibs.

I personally like to do it on my dremel at low speeds using a finer grit spinny thing :) The way you do it is keep a vision of what the nib should look like at a very detailed level and just go slow and light with the grinding and check it with a loupe often. I use a 60x loupe (this one, it's amazing) and check the shape of the nib OFTEN. After every few seconds of work I'll check it till it's in the shape I want, then I'll take some fine files and smooth it out a bit with different sticks between 3200 and 12000 grit. I'll usually move up from 3200 and just keep going until I'm on the 12000 grit stick. I usually have the nib I'm working on in the pen by the stick tuning part but I do take out the nib when I'm using the dremel.

Now that I've gotten pretty proficient at it, it usually only takes about 5 minutes to do a nib unless it's below a F, in which case it'll take up to 10 since you really have to go slow with those because you want to keep as much material on the nib as possible, but just shape it into a finer point where the paper touches it.

Highly recommend you get a stick to clean ur tape. You'll be happy you did 😁 I use that stick to get the gunk off and add a little water if it's really in there.


POWERTEC 71002 Abrasive Cleaning Stick, 8-1/2" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AJW0CY8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_NQ68AbRJG701J

Came out very well. I am a little picky about it all but considering I spent about an hour doing it (one headlight). I could have easily done another round though and it would have been slightly better but it was getting dark. I would highly recommend sticking with wet sanding all around because dry sanding it will clog up the sandpaper.

I 3d print so I had a bunch of sandpaper, unfortunately not enough of certain grits, but here is a link to the sandpaper I used. One sheet was good for one head light. Cheap and reasonable.

The 3k I've found is this one. It works fairly well, but is a bit of a pain on account of the thicker sheet and the texture of the paper itself, which gets caught up sometimes on the surface.

I used to use a micro mesh progression of sanding sheets, which worked great, but my girlfriend threw them out accidentally a couple of months ago and I have yet to replace. The kit I used was this. I definitely start to see a difference the further up in the grit I go, but strictly speaking, you can get a very presentable razor with 600 grit and some metal polish. It won't have a mirror finish, but will still look clean and nice!

3M Micron Papers are my personal preference - they are much more consistent than regular sandpapers and achieve much finer finishes - best used with some patience, going stepwise from the larger micron sizes and working through the finer papers (in one direction, of course with the grain of the finish) until you've reached what you're happy with (a set of 6, each color is a finer and finer abrasive down to 1 micron) -

With one big caveat:

Practice first, understand that literally nothing you can do at home will ever exactly match the factory finish without knowing which wheels/abrasives/techniques they use, and if you're too aggressive you'll turn one scratch in an otherwise nice finish into a complete mess.

Or just live with it... or take it to a good jeweler/watchmaker. Even they may not be able to exactly match a given watch' factory finish since there are so many different variables for brushed finishes...

Hi all,

So I have a few small paint chips on the roof of my truck that have rusted over time. I bought a kit from Dr. ColorChip after hearing such good things about them and thought I would give it a shot.

I purchased this sanding pen from Amazon, because from my understanding you need to sand off the rust first before applying the paint. The rust was much harder to get off than I thought, and since the sanding pen was a little wider than the chip I think I took off too much paint.

I cleaned everything up and continued on with the Dr. ColorChip kit. After following the instructions and applying two coats this is what I ended up with.

Where did I go wrong here? Did I wipe on the blending solution too early? I waited at least five minutes after I applied the paint before using it. Also, it looks like the rust is still there underneath even though I sanded a majority it off before painting?

Pretty disappointed with how it came out, looks worse than before I started. Any help here is appreciated.

Thanks.

If the paint came off with glue, you are screwed, the paint sucks and needs to be redone. When I needed to get a piece off intact, I would heat the backside of the panel and it would come off easily. Probably not an easy task, especially on doors. The eraser wheel mentioned is made for exactly what you are doing. It's meant to be used on a die grinder, the 3m one is far superior to the cheap ones. The paint cleaning fluids will remove the glue left behind, but take time to work. I used the kleenstrip stuff because it was half the price of the paint brands. I made a trough to soak moldings in, they didn't pay shit to clean them and wouldn't buy new ones, so this was the fastest way to save them. Of course sparks from welding would set it on fire, so it's dangerous to leave solvents out like that. Making that work on the side of a car wouldn't be easy, but doable, and the easiest way, if you odn't have a compressor and tools.


https://www.amazon.com/3M-03612-Adhesive-Eraser-Wheel/dp/B005RNGN8I

http://www.kleanstrip.com/product/prep-all

Not so bad. Depending on how perfect you want it, you might just paint it without sanding. Problem is you CAN'T test the colors they have in stores without buying. You can get an idea from the cap color, but they do have that dark Al / gunmetal color.

If you sand, I like these: https://www.amazon.com/Dremel-511E-Coarse-Finishing-Abrasive/dp/B000FBF3OM/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1494880198&sr=8-10&keywords=dremel+sanding

Use blue painters tape to tape off any area you don't want to sand and also to keep the tire clean. I apply the paint with a fine brush, not spray.

If that is all the actual rust, I dealt with rust spots about that size on my NB. I first used a sanding pen to sand the rust down. Then I applied some OEM Touchup paint. Last thing, I used Langka blob eliminator to form it to the rest of the paint. You can't tell its been touched up from about 10 feet away, any closer than that and you can tell. Better than leaving rust to sit. Here are links for all of those things.

Sanding Pen
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FN8H52/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Blob Eliminator
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0074BMB0U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Micro Brush (Helps with touchup, sometimes)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N6D0207/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The best part about the blob eliminator, if you mess it up you can use it to completely remove any touchup paint, and not damage the OEM Paint. The stuff is magical for small touchup spots, work on it until you are happy with the results. Will be much cheaper than 450$

Contact the technical department (or customer service) of the manufacturer of the specific paint you used and ask them for the best method. They test paints for these things and they will offer you their 'best' method, the best solvent to use.

With that said, if it is a matte finish and you can find a non-visible area to test it on (underneath maybe), you might be able to repair it with very fine wet/dry sandpaper (1500 grit) or even finer [wet/dry polishing papers] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BHGC7G/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1), which are graduated up to 8000 grit (one micron). Use both very wet.

Edit: if possible, test every repair method on a non-visible area first.

I generally use 4 wheels (Cotton Flannel Unstitched - The softest you can find, I ordered my current set from Foredom). One is brown tripoli, one is white tripoli, the next is wax, and the last is a dry buff.

For sanding, I like the micromesh pad set that reborn pipes uses: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HJC156U/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Always wet sand. I also use a few high grit papers from home depot.

Also, I've found that if you just want to hit the rim real quick to take down a little lava build up, a mr clean magic eraser works really well.. but be very careful, you can go too far very easily.

I've found that pipe restoring is a hobby in itself, and you will learn to develop your own tools and methods. There are a few basic principles, but beyond that, it is a learning experience in itself, and you don't really have to rush out and buy everything all at once.

personally i think the best course of actions is to just buy new keycaps, unless you really want to keep them. light sanding should work best, sanding stick

I just had to remove one of these stickers. The very best thing you can use is a 3M attachment for your drill. I had HUGE vinyls on both of my door panels and this tool removed it and all residue in less then 20 minutes of minimal work.

http://www.amazon.com/3M-03612-Adhesive-Eraser-Wheel/dp/B005RNGN8I/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1426111757&sr=8-4&keywords=3M+Vinyl+Remover

https://www.amazon.com/Zona-37-948-Polishing-11-Inch-Assortment/dp/B001BHGC7G/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1546215593&sr=8-4&keywords=flexible+polishing+papers

$13 for an assortment of all the grits. I've done everything on this entire guitar and have used less than a quarter of any given single sheet. The coarser grits tend to gunk up a bit with the finish I'm using (which is just some consumer-grade water based poly, not catalyzed).

I haven't used any rubbing or polishing compound at all and it still reflects wonderfully. If you need something cheap and easy, it's the way to go. Definitely cheaper than buying all the grits of sandpaper that you'd need to achieve the same result. Works both dry and wet.

Also, they are incredible for polishing frets.

I recommend this: https://www.amazon.com/Prostik-W1307-12-Inch-Abrasive-Cleaner/dp/B0000DD0L1/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1484675062&sr=1-1&keywords=belt+sander+cleaner

It functions like an eraser, and works pretty well.

Here is an actual answer instead of condescending replies you seem to be getting. I actually just did this to my 5° case! I have a silver one and recently saw some pictures of white cerakoted cases and really liked how nice and simple they looked. Got in touch with some local auto shops but the quotes all came back in the ~$100 range. I got a pack of assorted grit sand paper, Aluminum Primer, and some White Enamel from my local Lowes. I sanded my case, cleaned it with a microfiber cloth, applied a few of coats of the aluminum primer, waited a day and sanded that with 800 grit to get rid of any weird bumps the primer left. Then I started coating it with the white enamel. I would do a few light coats 1 hour apart, wait a day, sand it with 800/1000 and repeat that process for like 3 days (3ish light coats, wait a day, sand). I got a nice, even, and very white finish on it now. I'll send you some pics once I get home

3m makes a great adhesive remover that you attach to a power tool: https://www.amazon.com/3M-03612-Adhesive-Eraser-Wheel/dp/B005RNGN8I

​

also check our r/AutoDetailing they have stuff related to this asked about every other day and there are quite a few who will be more than happy to give some tips.

Thanks! Best tips I have are let your wood strips dry completely and don't let the CA glue get wet (it will turn ugly white), use at least 10 thin coats of CA sanding with 400 grit between coats, and buy some micromesh polishing pads. You can get them on Amazon for like 20 bucks. A buffing wheel or buffing dremel bit helps get it glossy at the end.

This is a decent tutorial if you don't have a lathe. I usually just use painters tape wrapped tight around a dremel bit until it fits snug to the inside of the ring and carve with a diamond tipped grinding bit of the proper size for the inlay. Poor man's lathe! You can also carve it with a sharp knife and a bit of patience.

You should be able to fix it with some wet sanding (go 400-600-800-1000-2000-3000-polishing compound). You should be able to buy an assortment pack that'll get you the above or similar combination. For example: https://www.amazon.com/Sandpaper-Furniture-Finishing-Automotive-Polishing/dp/B01LZ6TG05/ This is a random one, read reviews and pick a good kit.

Make sure to buy sandpaper designed for wet sanding. Let the sand paper do the work, don't push too hard on to the surface. Keep the surface wet with water. The water acts as a lubricant to keep the sandpaper from clogging up as well as controlling the dust.

edit:

Use tape to mask off the edges of the body work so you don't scratch it. I've found electrical tape to work extremely well for this. Once it's sanded and polished, apply a UV sealant or else your lights will start to yellow/haze after a while.

Good color matching. You can really smooth out the paint to make it look more seamless with a 3000grit sandpaper. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/3M-03064-Trizact-Performance-Sandpaper/dp/B005RNGL9O

I found it really improved my alters.

Hand saw . $31.66

Dovetail saw / fine saw $26.97

Japanese hand plane $55.35

Chisels $39.99


Combo Square $9.98

stropping compound $12.95

Sharpening Sandpaper $8.99

$185.89 total (excluding taxes). And you still have some left over for some coffee -- you're going to need some b/c learning to sharpen blades/chisels and turning/using a japanese plane is fairly uphill battle for a beginner. But this list is unquestionably your best bang for your buck.

If you want a cheap-but-good hand plane, you can buy an old Stanley or Record on ebay for pennies (I've picked up a 4, 5, and 5 1/2 for less than the equivalent of $20 each) and restore them by hand - it only takes an hour or two. For sharpening, as others have said, you can pick up a cheap honing guide like this one: https://www.amazon.com/WoodRiver-Honing-Guide/dp/B0035Y439C/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1505740493&sr=8-7&keywords=honing+guide

If you want to build a workbench, I'd suggest starting with a version of Rob Cosman's $100 bench: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtyrGlVWiTA

Depending on how poor you are and how perfect of a job you want done, you might want to consider some DIY body work. Depending on the depth of the scratch, you might be able to fix it with just some automotive sandpaper (NOT hardware store sandpaper), some polishing compound, and a microfiber cloth.

If the scratches are deep enough that they've gouged out the paint, you'd need to sand, prime, and paint. I'd suggest talking to the good folks over at Bloomington Autocolor - they can fill a spray can with a custom matched color for your car. They can tell you what you need to do, and there are plenty of good Youtube videos as well.

For the dents, sometimes you can pop them out if they're rounded, otherwise you might have to replace the part. You can try a junkyard, or just order online. Depending on how the mirror broke you might be able to do a temp fix with some 2-stage epoxy, otherwise you'll probably want to order a replacement part for that as well.

Also, just because I'm a tutor, the word is "exorbitant", not "absorbent" ;-)

2 pack

assorted pack sand paper

lifetime supply of oxiclean

obsidian oil

edit:
paragon wax for hand polishing smooth pipes
halcyon II for hand polishing rusticated pipes[https://www.ebay.com/itm/Halcyon-II-Wax-for-the-Pipe/323134732335]

just have plenty of pipe cleaners, qtips, and either vodka, rubbing alcohol, or grain alcohol

Regardless of what method you choose, you want a honing guide unless you woodwork full time (in which case, you need to buy better sharpening gear!). Even the editors of Fine Woodworking on the Shop Talk Live podcast use honing guides because it's too hard to build muscle memory unless you do it full time. A $20 honing guide works well (especially if you spend a few minutes tweaking it, but, of course, Veritas makes a better one. You also want to build a jig, so the chisels and plane irons are always inserted the same amount (I glued blocks of wood to another block of wood to use as stops).

For sharpening with an $80 budget remaining, there are two options: "Scary Sharp" and inexpensive water stones.

For around $40 initial investment, the "Scary sharp" system uses 150, 400, and 1000 grit sandpaper (you can add/use whatever grits you want) and a piece of machined granite or thick glass (I use a glass shelf I bought at Home Depot). This works great, but it gets expensive over time since sandpaper doesn't last long.

For around $80, you can get two two-sided synthetic waterstones, with grits of 400, 1000, 4000 and 8000, and a flattening stone. Inexpensive waterstones will sharpen just fine; they just wear out quicker, which means they dish sooner so need to be flattened more often. It's more effort but cheaper.

My primary sharpening is the above waterstones, but I also have the glass and sandpaper for the times that I need to reset a bevel, flatten the back of an iron, or true a plane's sole. I'll start with 80 grit sandpaper and work up to around 400, then move to my 400 grit waterstone. I could do all the sharpening with the stones, but the sandpaper is faster for the more course operations and has value for eg the plane truing.

The cheapest whetstone isn't a stone at all - it's a sheet of lapping film. Put it on a perfectly flat surface (eg, a piece of plate glass or polished stone tile from the local home improvement store) and go to town.

Nemosine has a nib that will fit in EF (and other sizes) for about $7, then there is the Goulet nibs, #6 will fit.

On to your question, search for micro mesh and you should be on the right path to re-shape and clean up a nib. For heavy profiling, you will want to start with a lower grit (800-1500), then work up to 12,000 or beyond for finishing. Be careful, it is easy to go to far, and ruin the nib. This will not be any cheaper than picking up a new nib, and probably more expensive, but it can be fun.

Yeah its probably stupid of me to help people play more comfortably if I ever want to get top 25% in Agendastats2.

Maybe I should autograph/get the GA logo printed on these...mousepads and sell them:

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Wetordry-Sandpaper-11-Inch-Assorted/dp/B001449TPS/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1409346251&sr=8-5&keywords=sandpaper+sheets

Basically soak the stems in oxy clean and water for a bit, buff em down with a Mr Clean Magic Eraser, polish them with some Micro Mesh Pads, and finish them off by dabbing a pipe cleaner in some inert mineral oil (smokingpipes.com and others sell specific obsidian oil for this) and running it over the stem. If you want to keep the inlays on the stems and such you'll need to cover them with Vaseline before the oxy soak and be careful with the magic eraser and mesh pads.

Yup a big ass rubber stick and a bunch of sweat brings most of it back, some mud/dog shit spots(uncleaned Boosted #2 with 4k miles) won’t come out but it looks pretty good. I’ll take a pic of both boards I just cleaned them the day I posted the wheel comparison picture.

If you're in the US then Hobby Lobby has a little section that sells them and other small tools, where the model kits would be, they also sell Vallejo paint oddly enough there. That's where I get mine since I live near one. If not Amazon sells these https://www.amazon.com/DuraSand-Sanding-Twigs-Models-Discounts/dp/B00G13A7F8/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=micro+sanding+sticks&qid=1565642429&s=gateway&sr=8-2

If that link doesn't work search for DuraSand Sanding Twigs. Also look around your area for any local gaming stores or stores that sell Gundam and things like that or military models, they always have all this sort of thing, at least the Japanese equivalents from Tamiya and such. MicroMark's webstore and on Amazon have a ton of quality if pricey stuff if you want to go all in on tools, which is fun too.

Try these, I use them on my refinishing projects. It's basically very fine sandpaper and will definitely accomplish what you're after.

These are amazing, but essentially the same thing as micromesh. I usually start on the 9 micron and work my way down to the 1 micron. If you are opposed to any abrasive "removal" smoothing, I have also had some luck with glass... I use an old Galaxy S3's screen, but I've also heard of people just using a window pane.

That's the honing guide, I filed mine down just google for "Larson guide modification" and follow the instructions using a guide. If you don't have a file they are like 6$ for ,4, but whatever, it will still work.


As high as you want to go. Here is an example, but it's just the first result for "wet dry assortment sandpaper" and it will last a while but there are only 3 sheets of each so you will go through lower grits fast. WINDEX
Is for the sandpaper to help clear the metal shavings from the grit.
42 Pcs Wet Dry Sandpaper 120 to 3000 Grit Assortment 9 3.6 Inches Abrasive Paper Sheets for Automotive Sanding, Wood Furniture Finishing, Wood Turing Finishing https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K22Q9R8

I use these sand blaster

Not that brand and they're expensive but, when I need to weld on the body of my project truck before my SO starts finding things for me to do, it takes the paint off super quickly, then I use a wire wheel to get in the crevices.

POWERTEC 71002 Abrasive Cleaning Stick for Sanding Belts & Discs Natural Rubber Build | For Woodworking Shop Sanding Perfection | A"Must Have" Sanding Accessory https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AJW0CY8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_r2xGDbVMCGHSE

I recently purchased this cleaner: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AJW0CY8

I was able to clean dirt and mud from my grip tape in around 10 minutes and make it look like new ;)
For $9.5 you will get probably like 20-30 through cleanups of both pads.

POWERTEC 71002 Abrasive Cleaning Stick for Sanding Belts & Discs Natural Rubber Build | For Woodworking Shop Sanding Perfection | A"Must Have" Sanding Accessory https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AJW0CY8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_eSVSDb217ERJ1

Get this, you will never use all of it and it’s only 10$

there are some SUPER fine grit papers. SO fine that you can barely even tell they're sandpaper. You can use these to smooth out nibs that just aren't quite right on the paper yet. I have some 362L 9 micron that I picked up somewhere, but this looks like it may be a good assortment on Amazon Although I have no idea: I've never used these.

I'm about to buy a Color N Drive touch up paint set so I could touch up all the paint chips before I give my new-to-me vehicle a wash/clay/wax. Now, the vehicle is about 10 years old, so I don't expect the paint to match exactly, but I think it'll be close enough. I have a couple questions about repairing paint chips that go down to the metal.

1. Would something like this be appropriate for wetsanding down a small area of exposed metal? Slightly rusty but I want to stop it before it spreads. About 1/2 cm in diameter.
   
   
2. Does anyone know where I can get touch up primer paint for cheap? The only one I could find on Amazon as an undercoat for paint was about $8+$6 shipping. There are a couple cheaper 3M ones but it says its used as an undercoat before wrapping your car. I don't want to pay shipping on something so small, so as an alternative maybe I'll go to Home Depot and buy a full on can of spray on primer and spraying a paint brush before dabbing the exposed metal on my car.
   
   Thanks for reading.

Seems like an angle grinder with the appropriate attachment would make this easier and not cost too much. Something like this http://www.amazon.com/3M-SandBlaster-9681-2-Inch-Clean-N-Strip/dp/B000BQURDI#productDetails or a wire wheel might do the trick.

Meh, you'd probably be better off with some jeweler grade sandpaper. Plus that seems pretty specific to countries that use monopoly money for currency.

When I make dice I polished my masters with these. https://www.amazon.com/SANDING-SHEETS-INTRODUCTORY-Peachtree-Woodworking/dp/B000H6HIK2
And when the dice come out of the mold I use them on the sprue marks as well. For the final polish I use headlight restoring polishing with an harbor freight version of a Dremel and a budding attachment.

One piece of advice, whether you find sandpaper or end up using something equivalent to a much higher grit paper, is to never skip grits. For example, if you want to bring them to a mirror finish it might seem like going from 400 to 2000 would save time over doing 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, and 2000, but the more intermediate grits you use, the faster things will go even counting the time to change paper. You'll only need a few swipes with each one. And if 400 doesn't seem to be doing anything at first, don't be afraid to start lower.

Something like this 36 piece incremental set from Amazon for $8 will give you all the grits you'll need.

I find the Olfa stays sharper longer than the current #11 Xacto blades. I also like that the tip is a bit shorter.

As far as sanding sticks, I use These, which are probably overkill. I get good results even using only half the set (progressing through every-other stick). Haven't tried any other sets, so can't compare.

I gotcha. I guess the crux of the issue is that, since I'm new to the hobby, I have yet to establish a baseline for "normal" sanding time through the grits. Thus, I notice how excellently a 'fresh' piece acts and it seems like a huge difference versus a 'medium' piece.

Thanks for the the bulk buying tip. This is the set I bought as my first batch. I've noticed that I use the lower grits much much more than the higher grits so, for the next round, I'll probably buy a 25-50 pack of the lower ones for sure.

I also got a few 8.5x11 sheets of 80-400 but I've only used them for corners that I can't reach w/ the ROS so far, so they should last me a while.

Thanks! :-)
The micro mesh can be a bit hard to find...any specialty wood working store should carry it, but it's available online.


http://www.amazon.com/MICRO-MESH-SOFT-TOUCH-SANDING/dp/B000H6EC4C


http://www.amazon.com/MICRO-MESH-SANDING-SHEETS-INTRODUCTORY/dp/B000H6HIK2


http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=62127&cat=1,42500

A cheaper method would be to start with a very fine steel wool, and then use a nail buffer, which is essentially a nail file with micro mesh on it...the "shine" side will be the finest. Both of these could likely be found in Walmart, etc.

They're strip & clean disks. Here's a like to one kind: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BQURDI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_D5UYDbP2B9SJ1

Yeah, that sound good. I saw those Micro Mesh sanding pads and I think I am going to order them.

https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Mesh-Assortment-Pack-18-Pieces/dp/B00HJC156U

thanks, is it possible to only use one type of sand paper if i am using the god hands and no hobby knife? would i only need 1000 or 1500 then? to avoid the discoloration?

​

something like this?

​

https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Mesh-MICRO-4N0000V-Colored-Sanding/dp/B003ELIO0A/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=1500+sandpaper+stick&qid=1563999174&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Zona 37-948 3M Wet/Dry Polishing Paper, 8-1/2-Inch X 11-Inch, Assortment Pack One Each 1, 2, 3, 9, 15, and 30 Micron https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BHGC7G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_29AYxb62FZ12A

I used them all that came in the pack. That's probably not necessary. Just keep going until you're happy with the look. I may take it back to a brushed look someday. Can always polish it back to shiny.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HJC156U/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1458088485&sr=8-2&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=micromesh

When I wear these out, I'll happily buy the same again.

If the paint is chipped and there's a difference in thickness between normal paint and the metal, you'll need to sand it down. Which you should do anyway to get the paint to properly adhere.

But if the panel isn't smooth (i.e. your fingernail catches on the edge of the chip) the damage will show up even after you paint.

Get a wet sand kit (cheap on amazon) and work your way through most of the grits until the surface is smooth. And if you're OCD about this, you can wet sand after applying the base coat, and then after applying the clear. Probably the proper way to do it, but it's more or less necessary depending on how much paint spatter/runs you get.

As for spraying- it's better to do multiple light coats, rather than a single heavy one (reduces runs, which are time consuming to sand down).

Just spots but there are a lot of them. I got the squeegee version because I have so many. I have never done any chip repair on my car before. I got a sanding pen (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FN8H52) to try to clean out any rust and I suppose rough them up.

can you chuck it back up? Try the micromesh pads

then a superglue finish or shellac (got those from the pen turner guys and gals)

while i agree that those grits are overkill for wood... what are you really out? an hour or 2 of work and 20 bucks of materials you can reuse in the future?

I own 2 SRs and only use them occasionally. I like my DEs.

I have found an inexpensive solution for honing them however. I use lapping film.

Some useful links:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/283576-Lapping-film-try-it.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dsp2u7L_WuY.

• 30 micron= 400 grit
  
• 15=600
  
• 9=1200
  
• 3=4000
  
• 2=6000
  
• 1=8000
  
  The vendor mentioned above doesn't sell ,5 or ,3 (12 and 16K) micron film, but others do, which would be the full progression necessary for honing.
  
  
  

Abrasive cleaning sticks are pretty commonly used https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AJW0CY8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mirka 23-615-AP Gold 5-Inch 8-Hole Dustless Hook-and-Loop Sanding Disks on my Bosch random orbital sander for the 100, 120, and 150 grit. The 80 grit was on my hand held belt sander...

Have they never heard of a rubber eraser wheel?

3M 03612 4" x 5/8" Adhesive Eraser Wheel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005RNGN8I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_AWj.BbKZ2Y78Q

These things remove glue really nicely

You can buy a latex rubber stick that's like a giant eraser. That works well to clean sandpaper on power sanders, but it would probably work on regular sandpaper with a bit more effort.

For example https://www.amazon.com/Prostik-W1307-12-Inch-Abrasive-Cleaner/dp/B0000DD0L1/

Recently got this and it works awesome!!

I had dried bourbon (don’t ask) that I thought stained the grip tape but this pulled it right off.

POWERTEC 71002 Abrasive... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AJW0CY8?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Amazon sells these, they work extremely well.

Micro-Mesh MICRO - 4N0000V Colored Sanding Sticks https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ELIO0A?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

I'd take the rail off, go outside and grind the paint off with a stripping pad or a wire wheel chucked in a drill. A new pad will probably tackle the whole rail in about 3 minutes total.

Edit: even better if you have an angle grinder, you'd probably be done in about 1-1/2 minutes with this

Get this (same as Grip Gum) to clean the grip tape: http://amzn.to/2qu0iSr

You just run it over the grip tape like an eraser and it removes embedded dirt.

I use these sharpening plates

then a fine whet stone - 8000 grit

Then leather strop charged with chromium oyxcide

I use this honing guide for 99% of my planes and chisels. It works well for me.


Then I essentially use this technique with diamond plates ( but use the honing guide because my hands don't have 50 years of muscle memory built up )

More like this pack:
https://www.amazon.com/3M-Wetordry-Sandpaper-03006-Assorted/dp/B005JPGTNI

You can use this to clean out the chip.

If you want to recreate the picture, paint with thinned (you can use water or alcohol) mr.hobby gloss black, silver, and dip the windows in acrylic floor wax. Then you'll need to polish that with some super fine sandpaper, 15,000 grit.

Shopping list:

Tamiya Extra Thin Cement: 5$

Mr. Hobby Gloss Black 4$

Mr. Hobby Silver 4$

Paintbrush set 5$

Sandpaper 25$

• Never get your glue on the windows.
Use something washable for attatching windows like Elmer's Glue.

• Do not paint everything and assemble rather paint as you assemble. Don't get paint on the attatchment points because that will make the cement useless.

Edit: I got the prices on the Mr. Hobby wrong.

This is what I use to polish out scratches in pens, woodworking, shaving razors, car headlights, etc etc. It's really cool stuff.

I bought a dremmel last year and I use these scuff pads to clean my clubs.... It works really well, but leaves a eggshell finish - http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-511E-Coarse-Finishing-Abrasive/dp/B000FBF3OM/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1394972219&sr=8-13&keywords=dremmel+bits

220 or 320 -> 400 -> 1000 -> 2000-> 4000 -> 6000ish

some thing like this
https://smile.amazon.com/Micro-Mesh-Assortment-Pack-18-Pieces/dp/B00HJC156U

then go through maybe 5000-6000

then polish with a felt pad

then final buff with lambswool pad

is how i do it

Try a [fiberglass pen](KTI (KTI-70550) Sanding Pen https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FN8H52/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0-fNAbT6MCGJ4) go really easy as you can easily go too far. Tape off around the switches to keep the broken bits of fiberglass and dust from getting in your keyboard.

Agreed. You get more for your money, e.g.: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AJW0CY8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Are they painted Blue or are they Molded Blue?

If they are painted, some rubbing combound and a lot of elbow grease might do it.

If they are molded, then get a pack of ultra fine wet/dry sandpaper and polish it back smooth.

Glass nail files. They do not give like metal files so you can get real control over your nail shapes.

Some kind of super-high grit sandpaper or micro mesh. I got this in 2016 and have used less than half of the sanding surface of each pad. By the time you get to the last sheet your nails come away like glass.

Order yourself some sandpaper. I bought this set off of Amazon. Polish the black parts off of your picks and round off the corners on the hooks (leave the rough edges on the rakes, you want them to grab & catch).

yes but i would use a sanding pen if you are trying to do small spots.

Figured I'd also mention if you're all about the fine sanding you should give these a try. They can supposedly polish watch crystal. - http://www.amazon.com/Zona-37-948-Polishing-11-Inch-Assortment/dp/B001BHGC7G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450485387&sr=8-1&keywords=micron+sanding

Go to a model/hobby store and get some plastic polishing paper, it's like 3000 grit sandpaper, but shines up plastic model parts.

Also online

https://www.amazon.com/Zona-37-948-Polishing-11-Inch-Assortment/dp/B001BHGC7G

3M Assorted.
1000-2500 grit.


Thing is its usually an Add-on item on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005JPGTNI/ref=pd_aw_fbt_263_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=ANS6PKY1W1HB0F7SC93A

http://www.amazon.com/3M-03612-Adhesive-Eraser-Wheel/dp/B005RNGN8I

If it's one like that it won't scratch anything. It'll leave a little rubber residue afterwards but that will polish right off.

I use a dry, stiff-bristled brush to get the big chunks, and one of these for the rest.

Soap and water would probably be ok if you're careful about it, but it's kind of unnecessary.

I usually don't bother but here in NC there can be a lot of mud, and I've had it build up enough to make the grip less grippy. I use this: https://amzn.com/B0000DD0L1

Replied to a similar post recently:

> I did this to a windshield once. Researching fix options was how I learned this technique. Use Micro-mesh sanding pads in this order:

• 3200 grit - horizontal strokes
  
• 3600 - vertical strokes
  
• 4000 - horizontal
  
• 6000 - vertical
  
• 8000 - horizontal
  
• 12000 - vertical
  
  > That should get it transparent, and looking close to glass. Sometimes I then polish with Novus if needed.

3m eraser wheel is the right tool for the job!

http://www.amazon.com/3M-03612-Adhesive-Eraser-Wheel/dp/B005RNGN8I

Polishing sheets
www.amazon.com/dp/B001BHGC7G/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_oJMttb14VTZ9R

Simichrome
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002YUQ4E/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_jKMttb1EX6ENW

Renaissance Wax Polish 65ml
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003AJWN62/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_RKMttb1YM5YXC

arnauba Wax
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009IQXCM/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_NMMttb1MPHYVW

http://www.amazon.com/Prostik-W1307-12-Inch-Abrasive-Cleaner/dp/B0000DD0L1/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1464233002&sr=1-1&keywords=sanding+belt+pad+cleaner

3M Adhesive Eraser Wheel

Get a decent sized brass brush, pop the grip deck off, squirt bottle of soapy water, squirt it down, brushy brushy, spray nozzle it off, let dry, then shred it with your prostik

https://www.amazon.com/POWERTEC-71002-Abrasive-Cleaning-Stick/dp/B00AJW0CY8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499737629&sr=8-1&keywords=belt+sander+cleaner

So for the ScarySharp method, would these work?

There only a couple dollars cheaper than the stone, 3 sheets per grit. How long do you think that would last? I don't mind putting in the work to learn how to use a whetstone or keeping it flat (I've read you can do it on the sidewalk?)

+router bit set:
https://www.amazon.com/MLCS-8377-15-Piece-Router-Carbide-Tipped/dp/B000FJRN8S

+honing jig:
https://www.amazon.com/WoodRiver-Honing-Guide/dp/B0035Y439C

Make the mallet.

Honing compound: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N20BY2T/ref=psdc_553346_t3_B00HT74364

Combo square:
http://www.harryepstein.com/index.php/12-4-pc-combination-square-metric-fractional-usa.html

Dust mask: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Facepiece-Respirator-6291-Particulate/dp/B000FTEDMM

sanding sticks.

https://www.amazon.com/DuraSand-Sanding-Twigs-Models-Discounts/dp/B00G13A7F8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1497816565&sr=8-5&keywords=sanding+sticks

POWERTEC 71002 Abrasive Cleaning... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AJW0CY8?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Been using this works great. Little elbow grease and one of these and the tape will be looking brand new.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ELIO0A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_NTi9BbYRY0FM5

https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Mesh-MICRO-4N0000V-Colored-Sanding/dp/B003ELIO0A/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1496455551&sr=1-1&keywords=Micro-Mesh+MICRO+-+4N0000V+Colored+Sanding+Sticks

Sandpaper I bought For reference , also i kinda suggest even getting higher grit sandpaper as i still see some scratches on the mouse (barely).

Build list:

Zev Dragonfly Slide

Trijicon RMR 06 Type 2

Zev Glock 19 Dimpled Bronze Match Barrel

AmeriGlo GL-429 Suppressor Sights

TTI Spring Kit

SSVi Tyr Trigger

Glock OEM Minus Connector

​

Tools used:

Wood Burner

Dremel Micro Max 8050

Dremel Bit 108 Engraving Cutter

Dremel Polishing Kit

Sand Paper Assortment

Flitz Polish

Step 1:
https://www.amazon.com/Sandpaper-Furniture-Finishing-Automotive-Polishing/dp/B01LZ6TG05/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=sandpaper&qid=1570513551&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&sr=8-4

Step 2:

https://www.amazon.com/Dupli-Color-EFP101007-General-Purpose-Sandable/dp/B000B6DG7C/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=primer+filler&qid=1570513585&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&sr=8-3

🙄

Rotary Tool- https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Woodworker-51832-Rotary-100-Piece/dp/B0065UXX08/ref=sr_1_19?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1482834981&sr=1-19&keywords=rotary+tool

Rat - https://www.amazon.com/Ontario-8848-Folding-Knife-Black/dp/B0013ASG3E/ref=sr_1_3?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1482835636&sr=1-3&keywords=ontario+rat

Opinel- https://www.amazon.com/Opinel-No8-Carbon-Pocket-Knife/dp/B002SCUO04/ref=sr_1_2?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1482835690&sr=1-2&keywords=opinel

Micro mesh - https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Mesh-Assortment-Pack-18-Pieces/dp/B00HJC156U/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1482835463&sr=8-9&keywords=sanding+pack

Sandpaper, I went up to 320. Then I went down to 1 micron with these

http://www.amazon.com/3M-03612-Adhesive-Eraser-Wheel/dp/B005RNGN8I

Hardware or hobby stores might have it in your area. Here it is on Amazon

3M 03612 4" x 5/8" Adhesive Eraser Wheel https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B005RNGN8I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3T6RCbKGYKSP7

ur only using the side of the wheel so it shouldn't really swirl

Give one of these a try.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DD0L1/ref=ox_sc_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Mirka

Try this

I actually only used polishing paper! Amazon Link

I just recently removed my side panels on my '06 Silverado which were held to the body by this kind of adhesive. This shit is amazingly difficult to remove, so I asked around on some forums. Conclusion: The 3M Adhesive Eraser Wheel It's probably a little overkill for a small patch like this but if you, in the future, run into a lot of adhesive, use this thing. It was worth every single penny.

I kind of assumed he'd use a belt sander cleaning block like this, which is basically just a big eraser. That's what I did before I sold my Landyachtz Evo.

I usually buy Sandpaper with assorted grits like these and Wood craft sticks that you can also find in Walmart/Targets (if you're in the US) with some superglue. Just cut the sandpaper to the size that I can wrap it around the wooden stick, superglue it, and go nuts. I can usually go through a whole MG kit with one set of sticks (400/600/800/1200/2000/2400/3000 - I make all of those grits, but most of the time I will only use 800/1200/2000 for most builds) and just make a new set with a new kit.

Depending on how old you are this could last you the rest of your life. Cut it off in about 1 1/2 inch lengths. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DD0L1/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I forgot one more method that I used before. It is a little more aggressive than an eraser but it works if you take your time. Wet sand using a high grit sanding stick. A drop of dawn in your water helps. These aren't the exact ones that I used but it is close. It will leave a little haze on the area you sanded but your clearcoat will make it disappear.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ELIO0A/ref=asc_df_B003ELIO0A5426676/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=395033&creativeASIN=B003ELIO0A&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167153283791&hvpos=1o6&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5050060401267926860&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033497&hvtargid=pla-309730325436

Cut with these

Sand with this

Fill in stressed plastic with these

As long as its still grippy it should be fine. I've had some ugly ass grip before, mud and dirt stuck everywhere but it still worked so I kept it.

The Grip Gum u/tangoRhubarb mentioned can be found for cheap if you look up "Sanding Belt Cleaner".

Here's it on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/POWERTEC-71002-Abrasive-Cleaning-Stick/dp/B00AJW0CY8?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_1

Ah, an egg strike. I hate people. Anywho, you can use one of these fiberglass prep pens. They are made to get into tight spots that you can't with sandpaper and are often used for touch up prep. They are sometimes called "scratch pens" as well. That said, with that much rust and damage, you are better off having a body shop respray the panel or at least do a spot prep and respray.

Sandpaper.

You can get a set of decent sized sheets for 20 dollars, and it'll have all the grit progression to take you from safety-scissors dull to scary sharp.

Try these