Rub-N-Buff

Soju · Jan 19, 2003

Great. So now I get to try to find and purchase Brush & Leaf. Son of a ... Doesn't it leave brush strokes?

Oh yeah, how many bottles, jars, whatever should I get?

Jedireject · Jan 20, 2003

Prime it. Buy silver automotive touch up paint. (test it on a scrap to be sure you'll like the color.) Shoot a part and let the paint dry over night. Apply the rub and buff with your finger in small areas at a time, you can do the whole thing but it might not come out well. Then either use the palm of your hand or very soft non-lotioned Puff's tissues or the like. Worked well for me.

Megalomaniac Mando · Jan 20, 2003

Okay, I have no experience with R&B whatsoever. (Maybe I should shut up) But I did read online that it will react to oil, grease, etc. and prevent proper adhesion in that instance. I'm also taking a total guess here, but is the leg armor on your thigh,(a handy spot for polishing leg armor) while the other stuff you held in your hand? Would the heat generated by your leg have any bearing in the finished effect? Maybe I should go hammer on something.

Kr0nk · Jan 20, 2003

Has anyone tried putting RnB onto aluminum armor? Just wondering how this would work.

Soju · Jan 21, 2003

I thought the whole point of having aluminum armor was so you didn't have to paint or R&B.

Well, it's a wax. I don't know if it would "stick." If I were you, I'd just get some polish.

Anyone got an answer for how many jars of Brush 'n Leaf I'll need?

sith camaro · Jan 21, 2003

One should be enough.

Soju · Jan 21, 2003

Thanks again sith.

ShocKWavE · Jan 23, 2003

There are various Rub N Buff threads, but I have not found a definitive source for the best overall techniques. Can the Rub N Buff Masters please step up and explain the following:

1) On Sintra/ABS, should Rub N Buff be used directly on the material, over primer, or over another type of paint?

2) How finely should the surface be sanded?

3) Clearcoat?

4) Rub n Buff with cloth or hand?

5) When applying, can you estimate the diameter that each application spreads out to (in other words, how much are you using)?

6) (Optional extra credit) If I Rub N Buff my dog, would it pass as a digital pet?

Thanks.

Soju · Jan 23, 2003

Well, my R&B looks like crap. I've tried it on all diferent surfaces, with and without primer, etc. Maybe I just got a bad batch or something. When I put it on an unsanded primered surface, it's too dull. It looks like metal, but not polished. When I put it on sanded primer or straight sintra, it comes out uneven (shiney in some places and dull in others - just flat out ugly really). I've buffed with a soft rag and my palm, and neither has a different outcome than the other. So, I'd be interested in this too.

Star Wars Chick · Jan 23, 2003

Here's my answers based on my experience:

ShocKWavE wrote:
There are various Rub N Buff threads, but I have not found a definitive source for the best overall techniques. Can the Rub N Buff Masters please step up and explain the following:

1) On Sintra/ABS, should Rub N Buff be used directly on the material, over primer, or over another type of paint?

I sanded my armor with 220 grit (sintra) then used krylon sandable primer, wet sanded with 330 grit, spray painted with Krylon dull aluminum, then applied rub-n-buff.

2) How finely should the surface be sanded?

See above answer.

3) Clearcoat?

I used Krylon Matte Finish on my jet pack over the rub n buff with no problem. I've recently experimented with my armor because right now the color is so awesome and it really looks like metal. When compared to the silver on my jet pack, it looks so much better (the jet pack was rub-n-buffed under the finish). SO I took a scrap piece of sintra, painted, rnb, then tried the matte finish and also tried the Krylon clear glaze. The clear glaze did not work well, kinda looked like oil and water. The matte covers fine but I think it detracts from the finish a lot. It goes on fairly smooth so long as you have buffed well but can be just a tad grainy. You can r-n-b over the finish and it is pretty nice but may be a bit grainy in some areas depending on the matte coat.

4) Rub n Buff with cloth or hand?

For my armor, I used my hand to apply then buffed with kleenex

5) When applying, can you estimate the diameter that each application spreads out to (in other words, how much are you using)?

Well, I use about 1/16-1/8 inch ribbons from the tube at a time and start is a spot and spread it out from there. Then just go to the next spot. I found doing 2 coats (buffing between each coat) gives a more even finish- you will see spots that need more coverage so just add it.

6) (Optional extra credit) If I Rub N Buff my dog, would it pass as a digital pet?

Only if you shave it first!

Thanks.

Jedireject · Jan 23, 2003

1) On Sintra/ABS, should Rub N Buff be used directly on the material, over primer, or over another type of paint?

Rub and buff is a polish, it should be used over a painted surface. But you can get a very convincing metal look if you lightly sand white abs or any plastic and apply the rub and buff directly to it. You will need to heavily polish it out.

2) How finely should the surface be sanded?

Depends on the texture you want. If your painting and applying, then it should be sanded smooth, primed, etc. If going direct to the plastic I would leave a few swirls in it so it gets that natural aluminum look.

3) Clearcoat?

Clearcoat will keep it from rub off and having to be touched up, but can kill the finish if you not careful. I did not clearcoat mine, others do. Test it on scraps and see what you like.

4) Rub n Buff with cloth or hand?

Ditto what Mirax said, except I used Puffs rather than Kleenex.

5) When applying, can you estimate the diameter that each application spreads out to (in other words, how much are you using)?

Again, ditto Mirax.

6) (Optional extra credit) If I Rub N Buff my dog, would it pass as a digital pet?

If you shave it first, yes.....yes it will.

ShocKWavE · Mar 19, 2003

It's 3 in the morning, work is gonna hurt tomorrow. I just finished my helmet again and finished it up with Rub n Buff. The helmet was pretty much perfect. So what went wrong? As usual for me, the Rub n Buff turned out like #$@%. First, it exposed where I had put masking tape earlier while painting(the previously taped areas are shinier), even after thoroughly cleaning the helmet with dishwashing soap before using it. Second, it just isn't even. I am really upset and should be sleeping rather than be here right now but I just had to vent. I've already had to strip the paint from the helmet several times and finally had it looking really good. It looks good from a distance, but is obviously not the way I want it close up. Well I'm gonna sleep on it.

Night.

Han Hunter · Mar 19, 2003

Hate when that happens.

Good luck at work, dude.

That Fett Hangover is going to be pretty bad, but take solace in the fact that we've all probably been there.

I had a spate of them last week staying up pretty late (1:30am - 2:00am ish) to sew vest and ammo pouch parts by hand, only to be woken up by my gorgeous 3 yr old daughter at 6:00am. She is great, but why can't she be great an hour later?

It is a labour of love and no mistake.

Si

Lodril · Mar 19, 2003

Since reading about it here, I've been experimenting on a few pieces with Rub 'n Buff. Honestly, I have yet to make it look good, so I think I'm just going to give up on using it.

Either I just lack that rub 'n buff touch, or everyone is lying and their pieces look terrible close up. I'm guessing/hoping it's me.

So take heart at least that you're not the only one to have trouble with that damnable stuff.

SEEKER · Mar 19, 2003

You wouldn't want you're rub and buff to be that nice and clean.

<image src=http://www.r2ro.com/images/jfhelmet.jpg>

Even this picture shows that not all areas are nice and even.

mgr · Mar 19, 2003

I think I am gonna try the brush n leaf on my ver 2.0.
Has anyone used it?

Bountys Hunted · Mar 19, 2003

As I'm not doing a Jango, I usually don't pay a whole lot of attention to Rub 'n Buff. Is it being used to make it shinier?

Modelers have been making their car models polished to a sheen w/ Johnson Floor polish for years. MicroMark has loads of more "high-tech" polish stuff too. www.micromark.com

Don't know if any of this stuff will help you guys out, but thought I'd give it a try.

Good Luck all!

ShocKWavE · Mar 19, 2003

Thanks for the advice and the words. I took a quick look at it this morning with burning eyes and am going to attempt to salvage it in it's current condition through weathering. The tricky part it going to be the parts that I mentioned which were masked off and now show a bit shinier than the rest. It caused straight lines to be visible from the edge of the masking tape, and I am going to have to try to break that up.

SEEKER, I remember you had a thread about your weathering technique which I am going to search for, but if you run by this thread again, can you tell me how you went about your weathering? I am going to do a Michael's run on the way home and see what I can do.

Star Wars Chick · Mar 19, 2003

I pm'd you about this already but for everyone else- no this is not going to look like one shiny even piece of metal, but metal doesn't always either. You need to do 2 coats and it will even out a lot more. You can see areas that don't have enough- be sure to catch those spots. As for the tape areas-what kind of tape did you use? I used some on my helmet and then used rub n buff where it had been and no problem- it was painters blue tape. I say just put more rub-n-buff on the outer edge where it isn't as shiny and blend it in- that may help. I'd like to see what your helmet looks like at this point- can you post some pics?

ShocKWavE · Mar 19, 2003

I used regular masking tape. The beige variety. I had the blue kind but I misplaced it and went ahead with the regular masking tape. After I painted the helmet and let it dry thoroughly, I didn't even see any residue. Additionally, I cleaned the surface anyway. The R n B picked up something from the tape that I couldn't see or feel. I'll post some pictures tonight when I get home. I'm gonna try to weather it a bit first though.

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