Do you cut before or after painting?

Do you cut your body before or after painting?

  • Before

    Votes: 27 54.0%
  • After

    Votes: 22 44.0%
  • Someone else paints my lids

    Votes: 1 2.0%

  • Total voters
    50
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whipnet

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OK, I am starting my 4th body (Grave Robber) and love doing it. I am going airbrush soon, but I am enjoying doing shakers for now.

Everything I read about painting bodies always has them cutting the body after painting.

I have always cut mine before and the results are great. I can sand down the edges afterwards and never have to worry about messing the paint up. I also think it's easier to see the lines to cut.

What do you do?

*
 
When I Paint my own I cut before hand but when I have my artist paint them I cut afterwords. I wish I had the time to learn how to do neat paint jobs but I leave them for her and I airbrush the simple ones.
 
I usually cut a good portion of it out and use the scrap plastic as practice with new colors or whatever I'm planning for the body. I then go back with lexan scissors and finish up after it is finished. I also have used the scraps as inside patches on older bodies that have been abused. The last body I painted I used fiberglass resin to beef it up on the inside. It adds extra weight but the body is very ridgid.
 
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Blazer, how the fiberglass held up? I was going to try this but I figured the fiberglass would stick to the paint and eventually would come off.

Oh yeah..I have done 3 bodies and cut after I painted, mostly because it minimizes the mess from overspray.
 
On new shells the resin/glass combo will stay much better. I have used it to repair old shells and it holds up ok but sometimes it does seperate. It's worth it to me, plus it's good rainy day project.
 
I cut after with scissors and then clean it up with a dremel or die grinder. I just have to be careful because the scissors will scratch the paint. It never fails, I always scratch it!
 
I only have done one body but I cut it after painting. But the fact you can sand the edges down smooth before painting sounds excellent I think you changed my mind now. Cheers!!:cheers:
 
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lol I'm not really a new guy,, but i cut out first ,,i diont understand why ppl don't do it t6his way... its better to cut out clean edges then paint... is it cause fear of over spray? uhhhhh clear plastic on the out side is for that reason..... or is it cause the package says to cut after painting? i don't get it ... anyways ... imo.... cut it clean it up ,, spray it .. peel it.... done!!! lol nice poll...
 
My first body I pre-cut it before paint, even though the instructions said to cut after. . .
 
I always cut before and make all my body holes its easy to see how it all fits and sits before you spend a lot of time painting and you don't like how it fits the wheel well or wing or whatever
 
I m with Max on that one . Strongly recommend to cut before for several reasons.
Mostly you do not risk to damage your paint job cutting the body.
I use the cut and snap technique, it leaves really clean edges but is NOT recommended on paintet bodies at all.
Overspray with the film on the bodies isn t a problem really.
It does work both ways but if you cut before, you really safe yourself the risks of ruining your new paint job and if something goes dramaically wrong during the trimming, well you can get a new body and didn t waste X Hours painting it yet .
 
I cut after. Mostly for clean graphics into the wheel wells I also like the lip to hold at odd angles
 
i only cut the hole for the mill first it is easyer to see exactly where it needs to be! verry hard to tell after you paint i just tape over the hole so no overspray gets on the out side of the bodie. then cut the rest after the paint the edges makes a nice hold spot to paint as bank said..
 
I got so I trim the body out and then paint it. I scratched a paint jb up a bit when I trimmed after I painted. Good luck on the Robber lid, it is a fun lid to paint.
 

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