Cuttin' on bodies

[stony-stony]

Okay, I'm getting to be less than terrible at painting bodies...lol... but I still really suck at cutting out windows, and especially wheel wells that arn't completely round...hope you guys have some advice for someone as challenged as I am

 

[TINY_MAXX]

I use a dremel tool to cut out my bodies..I tried it once with scissors and i sucked..I never could get my wheel wells round.With dremel tools all i use is a cuting disk..and then a sanding drum to round it up.

 

[kwong2001]

yeah...dremel owns at cutting bodies...you can get it perfect...the scissors are hella hard...I think that's what some magazine uses when they cut the bodies for the test cars and their cutting jobs look horrible in my opinion

 

[TINY_MAXX]

I tried to cut out a chevy body for my Sledgehammer when i had it and it looked so bad.you can't get all the curves right..I cut out my hummer body.It looks pretty clean.:tank:

 

[CRSMP5]

the ofna circle cutter i great to try.. score it a few times with its razor blade and gently break the lexan away, nice clean perfect circles..

NEXT.. i am to the point i use a exacto exclusivly on trimming of all bods.. you lightly score it, then go over it a few more times, then fold the lexan away from the score and it makes a clean break... for a window i would do the same thing, score it, then since you do not have a edge to fold it into i stick the tip of the blade thru it in a few spots and use my finger to pry it away front the score and it does a clean break also..

 

[stony-stony]

Yeah, i'll give that dremel thing a shot...I don'tthink I can use the cirlce cutter, because none of the wheel wells I'm doing (so far) have been anywhere near circular...after you get it cut, and you start sanding the edges smooth? Is this before or after you've painted?

 

[kwong2001]

I use the circle cutter for the cooling holes...but I hate using it...it's real hard...so what I usually do is make a small hole then dremel the size I want

 

[NCNitro]

Stony-Stony, the best way I have found is the same method tiny maxx uses. A cutoff disc and a sanding drum. I prefer the diamond cutoff discs, they dont come apart at high speed sending schrapnel everywhere, lol. I roughly cut it all out with the disc then trim it up nice and clean with the sanding drum. Then I hand sand all the edges nice and smooth. I also use the olfa circle cutter just for perfect round holes in the windshield. I do all my cutting and sanding before I paint. there is a much bigger chance of screwing up the paintjob by doing all that after it has been painted. It is also easier to fit it to the car or truck while it is clear.

 

[maxxtrac]

I agree with nc I always do all my cutting befor i paint

 

[stony-stony]

Cool...thanks for the advice guys...Ill be doing my next one that way

 

[M@xximillion]

I use a spiral bit, looks like an end-mill, it takes practice, but it does the best job IMO. Its all in one too, you can cut out and trim to a fine line.

 

[LarryA]

Ditto on the dremel bit that resembles and endmill. I like the smaller diameter and if I'm lucky and follow my lines I generally only need to lightly file the edge to remove plastic fuzz.

 

[stony-stony]

Uhhh...really hate to show my ignorance...but I have NO idea what you mean by an end mill??

 

[Zoomer]

the way i go about cutting bodies is to get a surgical scalple (disposable) (UNUSED) and just kinda trace the wheel wells,a nd everything else that needs to come off the body. then take a pair of skisors and cut to the little cut out at one spot, and the rest just tears off really nicely. needs minimal sanding, but that depends on how steady your hand is. but on my Lamborghini damn that is smooth, i just had to take a piece of sand paper and just do minimal snading, NICE NICE NICE!!!!

oh yeah i forgot, i cannot buy a Dremel, too expensive!!!!

 

[NitroM3GTR]

I use fingernail scissors, works fine.

 

[elburro]

Originally posted by stony-stony
Okay, I'm getting to be less than terrible at painting bodies...lol... but I still really suck at cutting out windows, and especially wheel wells that arn't completely round...hope you guys have some advice for someone as challenged as I am

You need two things ...

1. A body reamer to make nice smooth post holes and the like.
2. A Dremel tool. Greatest tool ever invented. Does EVERYTHING. You'll ask yourself how the hell you did anything before you got this tool.

EB