Project Sinister: Once Upon a Midnight Dreary - Smoothing the Finish

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Once the paint was dry, I broke out two excellent finishing products for the paint. The first I used was a 3M Perfect-It Rubbing Compound. The purpose of a rubbing compound is to remove fine scratches from your paint finish.

I applied a small amount of the compound to a soft cloth, in this case a shop towel similar to paper towel. However, never use paper towel for this work. Paper towels, the kind found in nearly every kitchen, are made from wood fibers and this can leave scratches in your finish that you’re trying to get rid of to begin with. A soft cloth is an excellent alternative to paper towel but shop towels can be found at nearly any hardware store.

First, I applied a small amount of the rubbing compound to the shop towel. I rubbed it on to the surface of the panel, spreading it thinly over the entire painted surface. Once this was done I quickly used a clean cloth to wipe it up and off the surface. If you let the compound dry, it will form a film on the panel that is much harder to remove. Once the panel dried I applied some 3M Perfect-It Polishing Glaze. The polishing glaze adds the final shine to the paint finish and draws out the natural gloss found in automotive paints. The methods to apply this product are the same as for the Rubbing Compound but always be sure to read the directions on the packaging to ensure that you are doing them correctly.

Once the glaze had dried on the panels, I set about assembling the mod. This is both the most satisfying stage of modding and the most stressful. Before I started assembling Sinister I made sure my work area was completely clean and free of any particles that might scratch the paint finish. I used a soft pad from an old chair on my work bench to lay the chassis on as I attached each component. The last thing I wanted to have happen at this point is to accidentally scratch the paint when I was this close to being finished.

Next: Reassembling the Case Mod >>
 

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