How many coats of paint do i do

[Matthew123]

How many coats of paint do I use on my rc race buggy body

 

[Heisenburg]

If it's a light colour, then 1, 2, or 3, I follow with a light coat of black, white, or silver as backing. Be careful of the backing colour, it can make a difference in the final pigment.
If it a transparent colour, 1 or 2 coats of the base, then silver or gold if going for metal flake . Not sure what happens if a solid colour is used to back transparent paint. Just don't go too thick on that 1st and 2nd coat, it may not look like it's covering, but once the backer goes on, wow, it shows.

 

[WickedFog]

1st coat - I always try to hit the hard to get to areas first, then give everything a very light coat. Sometimes really tight areas like near the grille or tops of rear quarter panels will be really hard to get paint into. In cases like this, I spray a bit of paint into the cap and use a brush to get paint in the tight areas before I start spraying. This is where an airbrush makes a huge difference. After doing this I give everything a very light coat that is barely visible. Let dry 10 or 15 minutes.

2nd coat - I start out hitting the same hard to get to areas, then I give the entire body a light coat. At this point, I can typically still see through the paint somewhat. Let dry.

3rd coat - Before doing anything I hold the body up to a light to find any lighter areas. I try to even those up first, then I repeat step 2. Let dry for 10 minutes or so, then give it another quick coat, making sure to fix any lighter spots. At this point I am taking my time and holding the body up to a light and evening things out, making sure everything is covered. Even with black, the light will still shine through a bit.

4th coat - backer of white or silver for light or bright colored bodies. Black for darker colors.

 

[thatcraig]

If it's a light colour, then 1, 2, or 3, I follow with a light coat of black, white, or silver as backing. Be careful of the backing colour, it can make a difference in the final pigment.
If it a transparent colour, 1 or 2 coats of the base, then silver or gold if going for metal flake . Not sure what happens if a solid colour is used to back transparent paint. Just don't go too thick on that 1st and 2nd coat, it may not look like it's covering, but once the backer goes on, wow, it shows.

Yeah the backer can change the color of the outcome, so if you want a lighter color use silver as the final coat. Whereas if you want darker use black as you backer or final coat.

 

[Heisenburg]

1st coat - I always try to hit the hard to get to areas first, then give everything a very light coat.

Yeah, me too, good advice. Just haven't actually painted in a while, but yeah, lightly shoot those nooks and crannies so you don't drown the finish later in that same coat.

 

[partsmgr]

Not trying to hijack the OP's thread but I have already painted my grill area black and am doing the rest of the body in pearl white. What do I back that with?

 

[WickedFog]

Not trying to hijack the OP's thread but I have already painted my grill area black and am doing the rest of the body in pearl white. What do I back that with?

White or silver.