Removing Laser Burn?

[Shaft]

Hi folks, I’m new to the forum and to the hobby.  I’ve built the Amati Drakkar; I’ve started the Artisania Latina Swift (2011).
 

Forgive me, I’ve looked for this answer and did not find it...

 

Is sanding the only (or best) way to remove laser burn?

Does anyone have a suggested painting technique for covering it?

I would love to learn from some more experienced modelers.
Thanks in advance. 

[Bossman]

Shaft, sanding or scraping is my method. As for painting, especially if using a light color, I would sand all the char off or it will not match the rest of the piece. Hope this helps. 

[BobG]

You only need to sand off the laser char if it is in a place you do not want it to be seen or you need to sand it in order to get a better fit for a part. You can glue surfaces with laser char just fine and the bond will be plenty strong. You can also use a good primer over laser char when painting over it especially with colors that are lighter than the char.

[turangi]

I found that scraping it with a hobby knife or cabinet scraper has worked well for me. If it is a part to be glued after scraping pulling a fine razor saw blade pulled perpendicular to the surface creates fine grooves and seems to promote better adhesion,120 grit sand paper also does a good job I have never encountered any problem with painting as long as most of the char is removed. One thing I have noticed is that the laser cut edge is usually not square and and a bit of scraping or sanding may be needed to correct this. Post #2 in this thread discusses that issue. 

 

[No Idea]

If the part is a tricky shape a red scotch bright pad works well to remove the char

[Kevin]

i am going to need lots of sanding to finish mine when the time comes, i will use a belt sander, to get the raised edges and glue of then possibly a dremmel before different grades of sandpaper