How do you apply "Rub-N-Buff" to resin/Plastic??

avbat

Well-Known Member
I have a few small resin pieces that I want to apply "Rub-N-Buff" to to give them that more authentic metal look, but I dunno if it is a doable thing? Has anyone tried this? I know it has wax in it. Can it be sealed with some sort of clear coat once it applied? Thanks all !
 
How would this work on finely detailed pieces? What if I need to mask part of it off to paint another color? Once it has been buffed will the stuff ever come off?
 
I like to use it over flat black when I want a little aged look. These were all Rub-N-Buffed.

A little dab will do ya!

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That looks great! I was going to use gloss black as a base, but the flat will work way better.

I'm also curious about clear coats. Try as I might, I can't get the crap to stop coming off all over everything it touches.
 
Use it sparingly, the buffing part is suppose to remove the excess. If you can still smear it off after, you either used too much or haven't buffed enough.

Personally I use the tip of my finger to apply it. It doesn't need a clear coat, after it has dried it won't come off; at least not easily. I use it all the time on stage props that are handled and performed with. If you do need to take it off rubbing alcohol on a q-tip is your best bet.
 
Clear, coat will instantly dull it down to a gray color.

Just lightly apply and buff as the name suggests. You'll get the excess off. :thumbsup

I put a small dab about the size of a dime on a piece of cardboard and lightly swipe at it with a paper towel then apply in sweeping (left to right) motion adding the finish in layers.


That looks great! I was going to use gloss black as a base, but the flat will work way better.

I'm also curious about clear coats. Try as I might, I can't get the crap to stop coming off all over everything it touches.
 
I've tried those methods and more, and no matter how I do it it just keeps coming off until there start to be obvious gaps in the finish. Tried it on top of paint and primer alike. Is the main point of the buffing more for wiping the extra off or for heating it up until it more or less solidifies?
 
The buffing is mainly to polish it to get the shine or gloss. The removing excess is a by product really since you aren't suppose to put that much on in the first place.

And heating it up actually has the reverse effect making it flow easier since it's wax based. It has to dry and solidify to harden and bond. Let it sit a bit before you buff it out, that might solve your problem.

If not have you tried it on different objects or just this one? It is possible that it is just not compatible with that particular material composition.
 
I think that you need to buff it quite a bit to make sure any excess is removed, then I think it will eventually 'set' but it may take a while, I did a jango fett helmet years ago and it took ages! I remember reading a thread somewhere where someone had found a clearcoat that worked well over R'n'B
 
I've tried it on a lot of different objects, most recently my Mal Reynolds pistol. All of the rub n buff came off on the inside of the holster and my hand, even though I only removed the gun once all day.
 
I was actually using rub and buff yesterday on my resin tusken pieces. I put down a flat black base and after some trial and error found that putting on a light coat and letting it dry like a car wax then buffing with a cloth worked real good. I also tried using a buffing wheel on my dremel but I liked the hand buffing better.
 
I haven't tried letting it dry so much. The time I did it wasn't on a primed surface, so that might account for the issues.
 
Is it better to put it on top of flat black paint, or to put it directly on some black primer?
 
I've applied it over painted surfaces and over cold cast resin as well to bring the shine out a bit more. Never tried the flat black suggestion, normally I paint the basecoat silver or gold, then add the rub n' buff on top of that.

These were done over cold cast aluminum. Raw resin, no paint except for the weathering coat.

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They look great. Can you share more about your process? Did you use those swabs to apply the RnB, or was that something else?
 
I've tried it that way, it was really messy and rubbing it with my palm pulled almost all of it back off of the surface.
 
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