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In Progress Rocky & Bullwinkle Shop Log

I did get through a few pads, but to be fair it was the velcro backing which was giving up each time. The pad itself was still quite coarse.

I tried some more expensive pads from B&Q and these lasted much longer. I don't really mind if it takes a while as I found the process quite therapeutic.

I'll most likely just set aside a day to get each side of the cabinet done. The front shouldn't be too bad and i'm fully replacing the back anyway.

As for the filler - i've already got a fairly large tub of two-part ronseal wood filler at home which I planned to use. If that fails to do the job (and I doubt it will as it's what Paul used on his) then i'll keep the car bodywork filler as an option. :-)
 
OK, so question time :-)

I've removed all the paintwork from the exterior of the back box but i'm curious how much (if any) needs removing from the interior?

The plan is to prime and respray the entire backbox apart from the sides. The sides will only have the perimeters done. This is obviously overkill but my OCD won't allow me NOT to respray the interior too.

Does this mean the entire interior needs sanding back to bare wood or would the primer cover any bits that i'm too lazy to remove? Even my detail sander won't get into some spaces so if it all needs removing it's going to have to be done by hand.

I've removed a fair bit more of the paint tonight and also filled the dings on one side. My first time using a two-part filler so no idea how it's going to pan out. I didn't want to waste loads of filler so I only mixed up a small batch but I think I overdid the hardener because it went solid pretty quickly. Thankfully I filled the majority of the dings on one side. Might have left one a little shallow but I presume there's no harm in building it up a little more the next time i mix up a batch.
 
Remove as much as you can with an orbital/detail sander. You'll never get it all out, and as you say, it'll be re-painted again.

The filler will go unworkable in around 3-4 minutes, so you are right - only make in very small amounts!!
 
Paul said:
NO!!!

Never use a belt sander on a cab. Ever. I fell foul of that one...

@replicas will agree with me... since I did that on my TAF cabinet.... It carves channels in it unless you are VERY careful.... and took a LOT of work to even start to put right...

Cue Daz...... :(
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Yep, Paul learned the hard way.
Never use a belt sander, like Paul has already said it will leave channels and unless you are very carefully plenty of groves as well.
Stick with an Random orbital sander and take your time. Once you get used to it it should only take you around 30 mins to get the backboard sanded and ready for repair
 
Thanks for the tips guys.

The exterior of the back box has the vast majority of paint removed now so I think I can safely commence filling and then sanding with the finer grades. Did I hear someone say 120 and 240 grit should be sufficient? I'm sure I read somewhere about using up to 400 grit? :eek:

Taking the paint off the interior is pretty much a nightmare but as it's not going to have any decal applied there I think I can safely leave it as it is now and simply spray with primer and a few coats of the blue paint (once I finally choose the colour).

Oh, and can I just add that the two part wood filler smells absolutely fantastic, although it made me go a little light-headed too (I must stress I wasn't sniffing the stuff - but by hell it whiffs a bit).
 
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I use up to 240 Grit, however @replicas does it properly..... :)

The key things to remember is to get as much off as practical, and also that it has to end up as smooth as glass :)

A tip here that @TYHO came up with.... Sometimes where the filler is comes out smoother than the actual wood itself. 2 or 3 wipes over with some 40 or 80 grit gives it almost a "grain" texture. Use carefully and practice tho first :)
 
Thanks Paul. The smooth as glass thing is because the decals will show up the smallest of imperfections right? So it's especially true on the left and right side of the backbox, but i'm guessing other areas will be a little more forgiving?

The aim is to get a smooth as glass finish on all exterior surfaces. Interior parts might not quite be there as it's harder to get the orbital sander into such tight spaces. :-)
 
So last night I revisited the areas that i'd filled with wood filler a few nights back. I didn't fill all the dings and scrapes because i'd never used a two-part filler before and I wanted a chance to get familiar with how to work it. I also didn't want to waste loads of the darned stuff so I only mixed up a small batch to fill a couple of the larger holes which were in one side of the back box.

I have to say i'm really impressed with the filler. I was half expecting it to come away from the cavity once I started sanding but it stuck in place and sanded down really well. In fact the only problem is one of my own making - I was a little miserly with the filler and didn't leave it proud enough in a couple of places. Lesson learnt; make sure to fill it proud so that it sands down properly.

I only used 120 and then 240 grit but even with that the surface feels incredibly smooth when you run your hand over it. I quickly learnt not to rely on sight alone as some of the areas where it's been filled don't look smooth thanks to the appearance of the filler; but if you run your hand down the side it's easy to feel any minor imperfections. The section shown in the middle below is a prime example - it looks a bit of a state but when you run your fingers over it the whole thing feels perfectly smooth.

2014-08-19 19.10.24.jpg

Ooops, I think I need to fill this so it's a little more proud and then sand it back again. A side effect of me people a bit tight with the filler whilst also not wanting to waste heaps of the stuff.

2014-08-19 19.10.31.jpg

This side filled a bit better but it's got a slight 'chamfer' on the corner so needs building up a little more too so that it sands perfectly flat.

2014-08-19 19.16.09.jpg

2014-08-19 19.16.30.jpg
So yeah, i'm relatively happy with that for a first attempt. I'll mix up another batch tonight and concentrate on getting the last of the damage.

Does anyone have any tips on filling when it's on an edge or at the corners? Is it really a case of just building it up before sanding along both sides of the corner to make it perfectly smooth? Or is there anything that can be done during the application to assist (I did contemplate clamping a baton on the edge to give me a straight edge to fill against).

Also, one final question. In the last picture above you can see a chamfer to the left of the filled area. This appears to run the entire length of that side and it's matched on the other side. I therefore presume that this side shouldn't be filled to a square edge but the chamfer should be left in place. Is that correct? I guess I can just run a detail sander down that side at an angle?

More news soon - i'll hopefully get the filling finished Wednesday night and then I can get the 120 and 240 grit sanding finished off before the weekend. The it should be time to get the paint out.
 
Nope - Slightly overfill and then GENTLY sand back for edges and corners....

With regards to the chamfer - i HATE those.... Fill both sides and sand back to a point, and then I detail sand back to match the existing edge. Lowest speed i have on my detail sander i use. little bit at a time, trying to match the depth and angle of the chamfer. Sometimes it's good, other times it's crap and i end up doing it again..... :(
 
Thanks Paul. I'll have another crack at it tonight.

Not overly concerned - seems to be hard to screw things up too much just so long as you're steady and take your time.
 
Oh, just one thing. You say GENTLY. I presume by that you just mean don't apply loads of pressure when using the ROS?

To be honest I apply pretty much zero pressure and just let it almost 'float' around with me just guiding it to where I think it needs to be. Hopefully that's the way it should be done.
 
A little more progress tonight. Incidentally progress is a little slow because my daughter goes to bed just after 7pm so any noisy work has to stop around this time. It's means it's taking time to get things done but, hey, we're heading in the right direction.

Tonight I used some 60 grit sandpaper and a sanding block to remove some more of the black paint from the interior of the cab. I'm not planning on removing all of it because some areas are just too hard to get to even with a sanding block. But I figured the more I can get off the better.

After another hour of sanding it looks like this.

2014-08-20 19.30.55.jpg

2014-08-20 19.31.01.jpg

The vast majority of paint that would be visible when the backglass is in place has gone and what is left is minimal and should hopefully cover with a couple of coats of grey primer. I'm going to paint the entire backbox, inside included which I appreciate is probably overkill. But my OCD pretty much dictates that I have to do this.

I've also filled some more of the dings and scrapes tonight, this time making sure to leave the filler standing proud. Hopefully i'll get some more sanding done with the ROS tomorrow with a view to priming and painting over the extended bank holiday weekend. Then it's just the small matter of fitting the decals.

Oh yeah, and then all the stuff that needs cleaning/replacing/polishing before refitting back into the backbox.

Oh, and the main cab.

This is going to be one of those jobs I think....... ;-)
 
Yet more sanding and filling last night.

Sanded back the filler and found i'd not applied enough pressure when putting it in place. This left an air pocket in the filler which meant when sanded down there was a small divot left behind. Doh!! I also noticed a few scrapes and dings that i'd missed.

Cue me mixing up another small batch of filler. More sanding tonight and then hopefully that'll be it ready for painting.

Definately a learning curve when it comes to applying the filler, but better have it right than rush it I guess.
 
When I built my DK repo I spent a day filling/sanding the ply,
It was worth it in the end and it's like blue glass.
When youre finished you won't remember how long it took or how much it cost (that's debatable!) but you'll still see how nice it is!
 
Oh, and after mulling it over i've decided to go for either RAL 5015 (Sky Blue) or RAL 5012 (Light Blue) for the cabinet colour. They're pretty close so not sure which yet. I'll most likely decide on the spot when I go to get the paints, but i'm leaning towards 5015 more.

2014-08-22 12.51.43.jpg
 
Wiredworm said:
... Incidentally progress is a little slow because my daughter goes to bed just after 7pm so any noisy work has to stop around this time.
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You sure this is actually necessary? Half an hour after my kids have gone to bed I could practically use a pneumatic drill in their room & they'd stay asleep - absolutely no problem using any form of tools/playing pinball downstairs once they're asleep.

Regards,
Dan.
 
Fraid so. She's our foster daughter and things outside of a normal routine can lead to some really really extreme behaviour.

To be fair I haven't even got the paint yet so there's no huge rush. And the weather isn't helping of course.

Hopefully have the back box all ready for painting by next week.
 
Wiredworm said:
Fraid so. She's our foster daughter and things outside of a normal routine can lead to some really really extreme behaviour.

To be fair I haven't even got the paint yet so there's no huge rush. And the weather isn't helping of course.

Hopefully have the back box all ready for painting by next week.
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Is she autistic per chance? My son has aspbergers so he does similar things
 
Some of her behavious is 'autistic-like' but she's not been diagnosed with the condition. She has a disassociative personality disorder - but she's a lot better than she was 2.5 years ago when she first came to us.

We've learnt to stick to routines though as any deviation from the norm usually leads to problems.

So my sanding can wait - i'll hopefully get it finished off during the weekend ready for painting sometime soon. Hopefully will speak to our supplies lady on Tuesday as she can get me discount with a local paint supplier :-)
 
Back box has been filled and sanded back a couple more times now and is done.

I grabbed some grey primer today and gave it a first coat. It's covered fairly well but some areas (such as the back) are a bit patchy. I was very very liberal with the spray as i'd rather apply multiple coats than have any runs in the paintwork.

Is there anything I need to be doing between coats of primer? Does it needed rubbing down or is it ok to apply this stuff directly over the top of the previous coat with no additional prep?
 
Wiredworm said:
Back box has been filled and sanded back a couple more times now and is done.

I grabbed some grey primer today and gave it a first coat. It's covered fairly well but some areas (such as the back) are a bit patchy. I was very very liberal with the spray as i'd rather apply multiple coats than have any runs in the paintwork.

Is there anything I need to be doing between coats of primer? Does it needed rubbing down or is it ok to apply this stuff directly over the top of the previous coat with no additional prep?
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Depends on how long you are leaving it between coats. Flatting between coats will give the best top coat finish though.
 
Well i'm in no huge rush so I could quite easily leave it and then stick another coat on tomorrow.

Flat it? Rub it down with a very fine sandpaper? 240 grit is the highest i've got - is that sufficient?
 
240 between primer coats is probably ok for wood. On a car finish this would be too coarse.
Flatting is using a rubbing block with fine paper etc yes.

Leave it to fully harden between coats if you intend on flatting down.

If you are trying to build a good few coats then leave around 20 mins between coats.

I put three coats on a car, then flat and re apply two more before a very fine flat down and then top coat.
 
Wiredworm said:
Back box has been filled and sanded back a couple more times now and is done.

I grabbed some grey primer today and gave it a first coat. It's covered fairly well but some areas (such as the back) are a bit patchy. I was very very liberal with the spray as i'd rather apply multiple coats than have any runs in the paintwork.

Is there anything I need to be doing between coats of primer? Does it needed rubbing down or is it ok to apply this stuff directly over the top of the previous coat with no additional prep?
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Assuming you mean conservatively rather than liberal ? As in you put on less than required rather than too much ?

Not nit picking, just for reference
 
Aaaah, ok, so it's not necessary to flat between every coat then?

I think this is going to probably take three coats so I might well apply another, flat it down and then put the final coat on. The back is looking a bit patchy but I think that's because the rear is MDF and therefore it absorbs the paint a little differently. Sides and front both look fine.
 
BigIan said:
Assuming you mean conservatively rather than liberal ? As in you put on less than required rather than too much ?

Not nit picking, just for reference
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Sorry Ian, you're quite correct - I was very conservative when applying it. I didn't want it turning into a huge mess of running paint.
 
No need to flat between every coat as long as its not left to fully cure between. Its a wet on wet lay up when building layers so each layers bonds together.
 
Nope - I give it 4 or 5 coats in the space of an hour - just enough to touch dry in between.... then it gets lightly sanded with 240 and then all the dust removed again before the first top coat....

... i want to finish mine, however the Rain is putting pay to that at the moment :(
 
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