quick tip to check sanded surfaces

[The_Chaplain]

Hey all, first time ever posting a tutorial on this sub section- today i want to give a quick tip on how to check on your surfaces as you sand them down/smooth them out- this tip/tutorial is for people that can't afford magnifying goggles and other "hi tech" modelling equipment.

 

This works best with resin and plastic, I have not tried it on metal yet- now that the disclaimer is over lets get started.

 

What you will need:

 

your "victim" (the model you want to do the sanding work on)

 

sandpaper

 

A sharpie style marker- red or black works best.

 

 

Now, I don't know about you guys- but I have difficulty from time to time eyeballing my models that I'm working on- and of particular frustration are surfaces that I am sanding down.  On a rainy day such as today in the frozen wastelands of Northern Virginia, natural lighting to check your work isn't available, and quite frankly ceiling lights don't cut it either.

 

So this is what I do- after the initial round of sanding, I check the progress by eye.  If I can't make out the detail, I take the sharpie marker and rub it over the surface.  Any major imperfections appear raised to the naked eye, and are really a giant target for the next round.

 

Now to alleviate fears- Sharpie ink on a model is thinner than glaze/wash/etc, so when it comes time to prime and paint the model, anything you've done will be covered by the primer.  Also, as you continue to sand, the sharpie gets sanded off- so really anything left is likely in a corner thats hard to reach and frustrating to sand anyway. :P

 

 

Hope that helps someone out and saves them considerable eye strain!

[kataklysm]

This is how also to sharpen a knife by hand. Great idea crossing it over to sanding!

[The_Chaplain]

This is how also to sharpen a knife by hand. Great idea crossing it over to sanding!

Hey thanks brother, hope it helps. Yeah it's funny, I do use that technique on knives, but never made the connection.  

[DaBoiKyknos]

I´m not quite sure what sanding really is (good for).

I didn`t knowthe term until now.

 

As I understood, it is to make surface look damaged/used/rough etc... ?

For what kind of models surfaces do you use this?

And last: Does anding mean you use sandpaper ?

 

Greetings from a german native in case you wonder ;)

[Kraytirous]

The purpose of sanding is to smooth down a surface so it appears uniform and clean. The most obvious use is to get rid of moulde-lines. The other is to smooth the transition between two different materials. For example if you are using Green Stuff to sculpt an extension to a cape and you'd rather it not be obvious where the modelling putty starts and the plastic ends. Finally the third use is to remove unwanted details, such as a model with army-specific heraldry that is sculpted onto a shoulder-pad which cannot simply be removed or replaced in whole.

[Quixus]

I´m not quite sure what sanding really is (good for).

I didn`t knowthe term until now.

As I understood, it is to make surface look damaged/used/rough etc... ?

For what kind of models surfaces do you use this?

And last: Does anding mean you use sandpaper ?

Greetings from a german native in case you wonder

It depends on the grit (size of the grains of sand or the structure on a file) of the sandpaper, whether it roughens up a surface or creates a smooth finish. Sanding does not have to be done with sandpaper. You can also use files. The verb in German would be schmirgeln. Kraytirous already said why you would sand a surface.

[DaBoiKyknos]

I´m not quite sure what sanding really is (good for).

I didn`t knowthe term until now.

As I understood, it is to make surface look damaged/used/rough etc... ?

For what kind of models surfaces do you use this?

And last: Does anding mean you use sandpaper ?

Greetings from a german native in case you wonder

It depends on the grit (size of the grains of sand or the structure on a file) of the sandpaper, whether it roughens up a surface or creates a smooth finish. Sanding does not have to be done with sandpaper. You can also use files. The verb in German would be schmirgeln. Kraytirous already said why you would sand a surface.

thanks for your effort. Yeah "schmiergeln", that`s the word, nice that you looked it up. Though you would rather say "feilen", if you use a file.

[Quixus]

I know, I am a native German as well. Schmirgeln does not have an e after the i.

[DaBoiKyknos]

Really? Yes, you`re right, google corrects the "ie"-Version.

Sorry, I didn`t check your profile before posting, so I didn`t know where you`re from.

Anyways, thanks again for caring!

 

What could you use else to rough up surfaces (like minor damages, dents in armor for example) ?

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

A silver Sharpie will work even better at showing imperfections.