Model Rocket Building Blog 
Model Rocket Building Posts
Spray Paint Tips (2010-07-22)
Years back, when I built a scale model rocket, I'd have to go the extra and buy a can of flat spray paint. I had cans of flat white and gloss white, flat black and gloss black. When I re-joined the ... [Read More]
TIP: Doing Paint Touch Ups (2011-07-28)For the longest time I would spray some paint in the spray can cap, dip my brush and touch up a mistake. But after a few sprays in the same cap, new paint could dissolve some of the previously dried ... [Read More]
Rustoleum 2X Gloss White Paint Problems! (2012-01-26)There's a lively debate of TRF about how the builder is being blamed for paint results like this: This is my Estes Mini Honest John on October 16, 2011. The Rustoleum 2X Gloss White paint came out ... [Read More]
My New Gloss White Paint (2012-02-12)After all the bad luck I had with the Rustoleum 2X Gloss White paint I may have found a new white. This is the generic Duplicolor Gloss White available at auto supply stores. I'm calling it the ... [Read More]
TIP: Cleaning Up Flat Finish Paints (2012-06-24)I've mentioned these Eraser Sponges before. Here you can see how well they clean up - even on a flat finish. Enlarge the inset picture to see the dirty decal area before. Flat finishes can easily ... [Read More]
Upper Body Painting TIP (2013-04-12)I had to make a painting wand to re-spray the upper body tube of the Cosmic Explorer. But how could I hold onto the body tube and nose cone to paint it black? TIP: On the left is one of my ... [Read More]
Clear Coating Aluminum Paint - TIP (2013-05-16)I've brought up this clear coat before - Americana Acrylic Sealer / Finisher - Gloss. It's available at Michaels Crafts. I've never had great success with Future floor finish. This clear coat can ... [Read More]
Spray Paint Coverage Comparison (2013-06-23)I was putting together a Quest Viper kit given to me by Lonnie B. This is not a fancy model, I've made some enhancements coming up in a blog build. I had a older unused can of the WalMart ... [Read More]
Painting Wand and Tip (2013-10-03)On the forums, some builders complain of runs after spray painting rockets. We've all seen this illustration in kit instructions, this one from a recent Semroc Cherokee D. DON'T PAINT YOUR MODEL ... [Read More]
The Best Spray Paint Out There? (2013-12-11)A few months back Lonnie Buchanon gave me a can of gray spray paint at a Tampa TTRA launch. He said to give it a try and report back on the results. I'd never heard of this brand before - Fixall ... [Read More]
Best Spray Paint Out There? NOPE! Part 2 (2014-01-13)A few weeks back I was talking up what I thought could be a great spray paint. http://modelrocketbuilding.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-best-spray-paint-out-there.html This first single gray can of ... [Read More]
Rustoleum Metallic Paint Update Part 1 (2014-03-05)My local Home Depot only had a limited selection of Rustoleum Metallic colors. I went to the Rustoleum website to see if more colors were available. HERE There is a good selection . I was interested ... [Read More]
Rustoleum Metallic Paint Update Part 2 (2014-03-09)I used the Rustoleum Metallic Bright Silver on the recent Quest Stiletto build. One of the problems with most silver or chrome paints is dulling and oil stains from fingerprints. This metallic ... [Read More]
A Letter Worth Posting (2014-06-28)A letter from Andy that sizes up what we've all been through building rockets: Hi, I am a long-time follower of your blog and really enjoy it. I have been in and out of the rocketry ... [Read More]
TIP - Metallic Paint and Humidity - NOPE! (2014-08-13)I had great results with the Rustoleum Metallic paints earlier this year. It seemed to be goof-proof. It dried fast, very shiny and no fingerprints! In Florida, in August HUMIDITY it was a ... [Read More]
Bug In Paint! Arrrg!!! (2014-09-24)It happens to all of us, sooner or later. I spray most of my models outside. Look what flew into a newly sprayed body tube. Look close and you can make out the path the bug walked before getting ... [Read More]
New Painting Wands (2015-07-30)It was about time to make some new painting wands. I bought a 48" long, 1/2" diameter dowel and cut it into three 16" long pieces. An empty engine casing friction fits over the 1/2" diameter ... [Read More]
Paint Rotisserie TIP (2015-08-28)Horizontal spray painting of rockets (versus vertical spraying) was brought up on a forum. Coincidentally I put together this post about a week ago. Once in a while on the forums I ... [Read More]
Flat Finish to Semi-Gloss? TIP (2015-09-28)I wanted to paint the upper tube on the Estes QCC Explorer gloss grey. I didn't have any gloss grey but I did have some grey primer. Grey primer is a flat finish. Years back I painted a Estes ... [Read More]
Humid Summer and Paint Drying Times - TIP (2016-09-03)Body tubes and balsa seem to dry in a reasonable time. Plastic nose cones have taken days! Balsa and Kraft tubes can "breathe" where the plastic cant, I guess. I still use the questionable Rusto 2X. ... [Read More]
Rusto Paint Conversation at Home Depot (2016-09-10)I was out of yellow paint for the upper half of the Alien Invader build. I stopped by Home Depot. Somebody else was also looking for yellow paint. As we both checked out the three available shades ... [Read More]
What Happened to Butrate Dope? (2016-09-13)Remember Sanding Sealer? In 1974 you paid 35 cents for a small jar. Today, a 1 oz. jar of Aero Gloss Clear Dope retails for $9.49!!! Butrate dope has gone out of fashion, it's hard to find at the ... [Read More]
Paint Observations (2016-11-15)This nose cone was found a while back at the Orlando R.O.C.K. field. It wasn't picked up for a few weeks and I adopted it. It's the classic PNC-60AH used in the Red Max kit. Plastic nose cones are ... [Read More]
Getting Around To Painting? (2016-12-27)Eric Specht posted this picture on the NAR Facebook page. Eric commented: "I need to get around to some painting it seems." I counted 38 rockets on that table. I have four models in the ... [Read More]
Paint Blob! FIX (2017-02-09)We've all been there - The paint coverage is great except for one little raised blob! Sure, you could sand it down and spray the entire model again, but that would add weight and you run the ... [Read More]
Crazing Paint? TIP (2017-02-16)A builder posted this picture on Facebook. I'm not showing this to embarrass anybody. The information below might help somebody with their paint issues. We've all been there. Imagine the fr ... [Read More]
Uh Oh! - Rusto! (2018-07-21)At one time, Rustoleum 2X was a great rocket paint! Then, they changed formulations. Sometimes the 2X gloss white sprays out like cottage cheese leaving a grainy rough finish. I didn't want to ... [Read More]
A Lighter Gray? (2018-07-22)If you followed the Dragon Ship 7 build, you know I had trouble finding a light gray color. Neil Weinstock emailed me some information on a better shade of gray - Hi, Just thought I'd share my ... [Read More]
New Rusto 2X Nozzles (2019-04-30)Greg Eberly posted on the Model rocketry USA Facebook page: "My favorite paint is Rustolium paints for painting and primer, some people aren’t to Happy with this brand because the spray ... [Read More]
Paint Thinner $$$ (2019-05-04)This 1/4 oz. bottle of Testor's Thinner and Brush Cleaner sells on Ebay for $2.79 plus shipping! Very expensive when you consider how long it will last. Most builders will dip a wet brush ... [Read More]
Felt Tip Pens on Boost Glider TIP (2019-06-02)A photo from Ed Mitton's Blast From the Past Blog: "Yes, the FlatCat was colored with permanent markers. Before applying the markers, the glider was shot with a coat of Duplicolor white ... [Read More]
Pre - Hurricane Painting (2019-09-04)I don't know what the weather is going to be like over the next two days. I crossed my fingers to squeeze in a mask and paint before the wind picks up. The one orange fin on the Mercury Little ... [Read More]
New (Good?) Spray Paint (2019-09-15)I hate to recommend anything - especially spray paint. So, I'm early for a dentist appointment and stopped at the nearby Ace Hardware store. There was some spray paint on sale. I'd been looking ... [Read More]
Handling Flat Finishes? (2019-09-16)From the Facebook Model Rocketry Fanatics page, Matt Steele posted this: "Chas Russel brings up the Pod Bay Door's "Uprated Saturn 1B" for its first flight." TIPS: This is why I rarely paint ... [Read More]
Sponged Goblin? (2019-09-22)From a post by John Lightning Lajoie on the Facebook Estes Model Rocket page: " So I'm getting ready to lay down the decals when my daughter takes a look at it and says, Goblin, eh? So I ... [Read More]
Oh No - More Paint Picks (2019-11-12)In a post from September 15, I talked about success using the Ace Hardware Premium Enamel spray paint. Here's my experience from that post: The Ace GLOSS WHITE doesn't dry quite as shiny as the ... [Read More]
Why Gray Filler/Primer? (2020-01-06)In a comment, Scigs asks: " . . . I notice you use grey filler primer after filling your fins, then sand most of the primer off. You then follow this up with a base of gloss white. Just wondering ... [Read More]
Uneven Paint Gloss? TIP (2020-01-30)From the Facebook Model Rocket Fanatics page: "How do you fix paint that’s unevenly drying? It’s matte paint but some areas are glossier than others. Paint has been cured for like a day. ... [Read More]
A Vote for Rustoleum Professional High Performance Enamel (2020-03-14)A post from David Scigs on the Facebook Estes Model Rocket page: "On the Model Rocket Blog, Chris has been trying out Rustoelum Professional spray paints with good results. I wanted to give this ... [Read More]
Bad Paint - AGAIN! (2020-07-10)I'm never going to recommend a brand of paint again. I started having troubles with Rusto 2X Gloss White a while back. Occasionally it would shoot out a rough splatter or what I called "cottage ... [Read More]
Sticky Sprayed Clear Coats? TIP (2020-07-21)On YORF, Erik 442 wrote: "Steve, please be careful not to leave anything coated with that clear out in direct sunlight for an extended period. I learned the hard way when I left my new Redstone ... [Read More]
Masks? (2020-07-23)This post has nothing to do with the Corona Virus. With the abundance of available masks, I hope you are wearing one when spray painting. Years back there was a very well known luthier who had to ... [Read More]
Oh No! Trying New (Old) Paint (2020-08-10)I started in Model Rocketry back in 1969. My "go-to" spray paint was Krylon. (Like we had many choices back then.) I had very good luck with the old Krylon. Never any re-coat time concerns, like ... [Read More]
Rustoleum 2X Gloss White Paint Problems Explained (2020-11-13)I'm interrupting the Estes Asteroid Hunter for a day. This is important information if you have ever experienced a rough spray finish when using Rustoleum 2X Gloss White paint. Here's ... [Read More]
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