Home of the Sovereign Protectors

Entry # 7

Painting
This was terrifying. It really stressed me out as I’ve never painted anything that needed this level of quality before, and I have notoriously bad luck with things like this. After consulting with build buddies, Detachment advisors and doing some research on other Guard builds, I decided to approach this like painting a car. Multiple coats of primer with sanding using progressively finer grits, then applying the enamel safety red in multiple thin coats before a clearcoat, as per this video: https://youtu.be/_MsVWj3fGkY




Plan of action goes like this:

1. Clean each surface with mineral spirits, and after it flashes off wipe with tack cloth (a semi-sticky fabric sheet to get as much dust and contaminants out as possible.)
2. Prime first coat.
3. Sand with 320 grit.
4. Prime second coat.
5. Sand with 600 grit. Reprime if necessary.
6. Let dry a day or so.
7. Apply rustoleum safety red with multiple coats.
8. Sand with 1000+ grit.
9. Reapply safety red until desired smoothness is achieved.
10. Spray with clearcoat.
11. Sand and buff.

First step is to setup in the basement, as I could not spray outside due to winter. My good friend and fellow trooper Bridget was incredibly kind and let me work in her basement. Arm segments were suspended on a line and other parts were hung up using wire and clamps.




Before doing anything, if spraypainting, PPE is essential. Borrow or buy one of those 3M respirators since this releases a lot of volatiles and pigment which one really, really does not want in one’s lungs. Eyepro and gloves are very highly recommended as well.



After putting some primer down on the inside surfaces to seal them, I started laying down primer on surfaces, waiting 30 minutes as per directions and then wet sanding with 320 grit on a sanding block. Use a spray bottle for the water and saturate both surface and sandpaper.

First primer coat:

Post-wet sanding with 320g


After letting that settle for a day, I applied the 2nd coat of primer:




Note some cracks on the shoulderpad that I had to repair with spot putty, and some primer runs that I had to take care of during the next wet-sand phase. In total, I used around 4 cans of duplicolour filler primer.

The first piece I applied rustoleum to was the ab girdle, after re-cleaning with mineral spirits and tack cloth.



This paint is challenging to apply, definitely needs light passes to avoid buildup, but not too light or there will be coverage problems. After letting it dry overnight, I took a look at the surface.


I personally thought I had coverage problems, but they don’t show in the image. In the sun, the finish is alright but I’d like it to be smoother- that should be fixed later.



I started applying rustoleum to all parts, working in batches and being incredibly careful not to touch painted surfaces. There were some close calls where pieces almost bumped into each other but I fixed things relatively quickly.





I finished everything, and used 2.3 of 3 cans of rustoleum paint in doing so. Also note the amount of red dust on the floor in the last image- be sure to have tarps down and your respirator on securely. Also recommend wearing work clothes or clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.



At this point, things are securely drying (hopefully), but considering:

1. I am almost out of paint and won’t be able to get any more until spring (I have to source them via an aunt from the US).
2. I don’t want to ruin my fellow trooper's basement any more.
3. The two-part clearcoat I’d like to use is generally not safe to use indoors as its practically spraying resin. In fact, after research (some recommend an air-fed system due to 2K clear having some real toxic components) I might not go with 2K and just use 1K clear….but this still would necessitate spraying outside.

I think Step 7 of 11 is all I can get to in the basement. Next step is to assess paintjob when done, see if I need to do any touchups, and put everything together and see how it looks.

I can see the end of the tunnel, albeit through a haze of propellant and red paint, and it beckons to me. (I hope that’s just not the fumes tho!)

LOOKING GREAT! Carry on.......

dak wrote:LOOKING GREAT! Carry on.......

Thank you! I'm still anxious about how the paint job will turn out... I'm having random thoughts of my clamps failing and dropping pieces of kit on the floor or something like that.

Entry # 8

Interim Results:

Shiny.




Not perfect since there’s a lot of orange peel and the paint hasn’t cured fully due to low basement temperatures, so its still pretty delicate. Hence some scuffing and fingerprints when handling.



I brought the pieces to a warmer place and will check on them again in 48 hours.

Looking nice and shiny now. Great looking paint job. Again the detail on your progress is exemplary with such a tough build. Definitely on the downhill stretch now. All the best Guard!

Entry # 9/Final

I never actually finished this thread!

Long story short, my last post here was on February 2019, since then:

• I was officially approved on March 9, 2019 as the first Praetorian Guard of Capital City Garrison, and had a wonderful time with my kit until the dark times of COVID brought things to a screeching halt.
  
  
  
• During COVID, I moved cities and took the time to do some upgrades. Re-dyed my gloves and boots a better shade of red...
  
  
  and made a bilari chain-whip as a new weapon from Empire3d files. Unfortunately it doesn't break apart.
  
• I also did a stupid and while modifying my bucket dropped it face-first onto a concrete floor
  Thankfully Jimmi got me a replacement bucket ASAP.
• I ended up moving to a house with a garage, and set up my own workshop. In 2022, things were starting to open up so I decided to completely re-finish the hard parts as the paint never really lost its tackiness.
  
  
  I followed the same steps as in this thread, but sprayed in ideal conditions (20-30C) and with at least 24 hours of dry time between primer and red paint. Primer was also sanded with 400-800grit prior to colour coat. Then colour coat was left for a full week to cure.
• Finally, I clear-coated with 3 coats of 2K clear. Not cheap at almost $30 CDN a can, and I used every last drop of it. Honestly almost wanted a 4th can
  
  
  
• I let it harden for a few days and it is incredibly durable and shiny. I can probably sand it with 1000-2000grit and then polish for that new car finish, but I was tired of all the sanding, so I'll do that someday in the future. Maybe. For now it looks great and has been serving me well since!
  
  
  
  

And that's it! I post lobster troop pictures and other stuff on my Instagram at @kingstownroyalguard if anyone wants to give it a follow. And of course I am always available on social media or here for any questions or advice.