Never underestimate the power of rubbing compound
I’ll get some swirl remover tomorrow
Right, as promised, pics of my progress…
First off, my case after filling. The reason for so much filler is that this is my first ever stick so I used really cheap pine, just by way of an experiment really.
As such it was full of dents, gouges and scratches…
http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/6742/sticksand11024.jpg
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/5894/sticksand21024.jpg
A close up of one corner, so you can see how much of a mess it really is!!!
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/5214/sticksand31024.jpg
Same corner, sanded
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/1774/sticksand41024.jpg
I used 180 at first, mainly due to the fact that there really was SO MUCH filler. It was a bit heavy duty really but 400 wasn’t quite tough enough for this stage.
I know nothing of woodwork so don’t even know if it exists, but I’d guess a happy medium for this stage would be about 300…
Lastly, a general view of the frame post sanding, just so you can see how much an hour and a half of sanding cleans it right up!!
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/3149/sticksand51024.jpg
It’s currently upside down in the garage and will be overnight so that the glue that’ll hold the CP panel in place can set.
I’ve rubbed it down with white spirit and tomorrow will be the filler primer, and if I’m up aerly enough, I might even get the first coat of paint on before work!!
Big big thanks to Digital and other contributors to this thread, you guys are the only reason I’ve managed what I’ve done so far. 
Ok, so I’ve started to paint today and it’s mixed fortunes really…
This is the paint I’m using, as advised by Digital I’m sticking to all the same brand paints…
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/6233/stickpainting001large.jpg
One of my problems with painting, was that obviously I’m painting the top, the sides AND the bottom, meaning I’d need to hang the case somewhere to dry.
I don’t have enough space for that so I made a little drying platform for it…
The screws in the corners:-
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/2023/stickpainting002large.jpg
Are positioned so that the large ugly bits of wood inside the case that the base will screw into, will sit directly onto them
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/4730/stickpainting003large.jpg
Leaving the base free to dry and meaning I don’t need to hang anything
Here’s a pic of the case after about three coats of filler primer, a 10 minute wait and another 3 coats…
http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5905/stickpainting004large.jpg
And here is a bit of an issue I ran into…
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/2838/stickpainting005large.jpg
Basically, because I’ve never held a spray can before, my technique is atrocious!!
I must have sprayed too much in one area and as such the primer ran.
I wiped the run off and went over the now clean(ish) area again with another couple of coats and I’ll just cross my fingers that it can all be fixed in the sanding 
Remember, light, even coats. And don’t have the can too close to the surface. 10-12" away should do the trick. Remember, you won’t get even coverage on your first coat. It takes a at least 3-4 before the coverage starts to even up.
As for fixing that spot, just let it dry and sand it down and repaint. 180 or 220 grit should do the trick
Cheers Spenzalii, I’ve sanded so we’ll see how it goes
Just putting my second coat of filler primer on today…
I’m after some advice.
I had a good result on a test piece of wood when I used plain grey primer. I then re-read the worklog here and realised I wanted filler-primer, so I got that instead.
Would there be any issue in putting the grey filler, on top of the filler primer before eventually getting to put the paint on???
Cheers
Shouldn’t be an issue. You’re painting wood, not MDF, right? The filler primer is useful on MDF as it helps fill in the pores in the board. It’s not as necessary for actual wood (if teh paint sticks instead of soaking into teh wood, you know you’re good).
Right, I think I’m going to have to admit defeat on this one…
My problem is I chose cheap pine to work with as it was my first time working with wood and didn’t think it’d b e worth wasting decent wood…
I was wrong!!! As above you can see I filled and sanded and ‘thought’ I had all the imperfections out. No it has black gloss on it, it’s quite obviously has a LOT of imperfections still there, and I’m pretty sure these will only be magnified by a coat of laquer and a buffing.
I’m going to leave it as it is, it’s still passable and my next stick witll be made purely of MDF (as this guide was aimed at MDF in the first place!! so wish me luck :tup:
Just for those who were interested, or better still, those in the know who can offer advise…
This is how my wood ended up looking…
http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/3861/stickpainting018.jpg
http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/8489/stickpainting019large.jpg
It’s not like I’m going to bin it or anything, frankly, bearing in mind it’s the very first wood work I’ve ever done I’m actually very pleased with it, but I think next time I need better harder wood, more diligent filling and more diligent sanding.
Fingers crossed my next box will be much improved
Two last pics, still awaiting the buttons and stick I have on order, plus need to get my art printed, but here it is…
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/5742/stickpainting020.jpg
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/9489/stickpaintinglarge.jpg
As you can see, despite the paint not being anywhere near of a standard to go for the ‘mirror finish’, it still looks ok.
Thanks loads for you thread Digital, it’s been invaluable :tup:
Not bad, really. You could still shine it up a bit of you wish. It looks like some dust and dirt got in the paint.
As you already know, paint has a way of showing up imperfections. You could sand down some of those high spots (like that corner in the picture), or even put a thin (and I mean thin) coat of joint filer/spacke, etc sand it smooth and even, then hit it with another coat of black. It’s a lot of work, to be sure, but it can be done.
But, if you want to leave well enough alone you could do that too…
great write up, will have go at it once i get some free time
i will be following this guide shortly. question, the only filler primer i can find comes in gray. will this affect the outcome of my finish if i am going for a mirror white?
anyone know how to get rid of the area where you glue the pieces together. tried using spackle to fill it and then sanded it as smooth as i could but it’s always a thin line.
kind of like how he got his to the right.
http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/8489/stickpainting019large.jpg
can i use shamwows instead of standard terry clothes? there’s a street vendor near where i live that sells them cheap.
I wouldn’t recommend them. Shamwows are incredible for soaking up liquids but things like paint… not so much.
Shamwow? LOL. Just get terry cloths man they are very cheap.
Wow, this is good stuff for reference. Thanks! I’ll be using some of the advice from this thread to make my next stick.
If I were to spray MDF as per this guide, could my Mrs then paint something artisticy on top and if so, could she use any old paint or would it need to be something specific??
Cheers
The only suggestion I’d have is to sprat your artsy touches after the last sanded coat of base paint and before the clearcoat goes on. That way the shine can be ratained and your art can be protected as well. When I added the stripes to the side of my box it was after I sanded and cleaned the last base coat and before the clear. With enough coats I could sand and polish the clear without affecting the stripes.
Cheers dude, My bad because I didn’t explain…
She’s going to paint with a brush. Any ideas?
What kind of paint? Acrylic? Water based? Either way, I think the same suggestion would apply. Depending on the level of detail, you MIGHT be able to lightly sand with 1500 or 2000 grit paperto smooth it out a little, but if it may smudge the details or you’re worried about sanding it off, just hit it with the clearcoat with the rest of the case.