Basics. Colors. Types of paint

[TER-OR]

Please use this thread to discuss the relative merits of different types of paint.

[Richard D]

Matt paints: matt paint are used to create a flat surface because when applied, it makes a even, smooth texture. from a pot, mix well to get the same results.

Gloss: gloss paints have a shine to them and is not best to use at a base coat.

Metallic: mix well to get appearance of metal.

clear: used as a sealer.

clear colour: used to in areas of see through colour (stained glass for example)

[TER-OR]

Paint interactions...

Essentially, you can paint dissimilar paints over one another if you're very careful. However, acrylics dry very quickly, and create an acrylic shell. This will not allow the vapors from organic solvent-based paints to escape easily.

So, if you have a layer of enamel or lacquer, make sure it has plenty of time to sit before overcoating with acrylic.

Enamels or lacquers over acrylic is OK, if you are very careful and don't apply too thickly. Otherwise, lacquers will damage anything, as lacquer thinner is the "hottest" around. Lacquer clear coat will damage acrylic paint, unles applied in very very thin layers. I don't risk it, and use acrylic clear coats.

[sbaxter]

gloss paints have a shine to them and is not best to use at a base coat.

Why not? I think plenty of people do use them. You can then skip gloss-coating with a clear as decal prep.

Qapla'

SSB

[Morty Seinfeld]

Does anyone know the best types of thinner for the following acrylic paint?:


Testors Model Masters
Tamiya
Pactra Racing Finish

I hate to pay through the nose for their suggested thinner unless there's something cheaper and just as good out there.

[TER-OR]

Tamiya and Gunze-Sangyo are essentially the same, and respond well to Isopropyl alcohol. Use the 99% material.

Model Master is an enamel, and responds well to odorless mineral spirits. AFAIK, you don't need their specific thinner - I believe it's odorless mineral spirits anyway.

I'm not sure about that Pactra line, but the Pactra acrylics and PolyScale should use their thinner, also called diosol.

[TimeScape]

I have achieved good results using laquer thinner with enamel hobby paints.


Also note that Testor's Model Master has also put out a line of acrylics. However, I have only used them once and used the Testor's thinner. I have not come a cross any literature recommending any other thinner.

[Jonas Calhoun]

On the MM Acryl, I previously used distilled water, Testor's airbrush cleaner, and windshield wiper fluid. They've all worked to some degree, it kinda depends on what you are going to do with it. For handpainting, water seemed OK. For airbrushing, I'd go with either the airbrush cleaner, or the wiper fluid. Also, Testor's does say that the Acryl is airbrush ready--I think I only put in a few drops of thinner.

Nowadays though, I use the recommended thinners for each paint. I discovered they have retarders and surfactants that just seem to make the paint work better. I use other stuff for cleaning, so the expensive thinners last an awful long time. I haven't had to buy any of Gunze's thinner in almost a year.

HTH,
Dan

[JimPV]

As macfrank posted below in the "Model Master Acrylics - thinning and mud" thread below:

MM Acryl can be safely thinned with denatured alcohol - this is not Isopropyl alcohol. It's rather Ethanol with some extra special crap in it to make it undrinkable. Works great with both Tamiya & Acryl.

I can confirm this works quite well with MM Acryl, just thin it to the consistency of milk. Denatured alcohol can be found at any hardware store.

[Morty Seinfeld]

What about Pactra's Racing Finish? Anyone know or have an idea what might be a cheap thinner? ...Future Floor Polish maybe?

[BERT aka MODEL MAKER]

how about spraying light colored enamel on the surface then going back 24 hours later and respraying the surface a dark brown is 24 hours enough time for the second color to be applied safely

[TER-OR]

If you're working with enamels, that's plenty of time. The second coat will be "hot" with these types of paint, and will eat into the coat beneath. This can let you do light-over-dark preshading with great effect.

Don't spray too heavy a coat, though, or you can get bleed through.

[BERT aka MODEL MAKER]

thanks, it's the polar lights jupiter 2 floor that i am working on. the deck first gets sprayed the light tan, then when that is dried mask the center to make a circle then spraythe floor dark brown and when you remove the mask you have a dark brown floor with a light tan circle in the center it's been almost 48 hours so i think it should be safe to spray.

[TER-OR]

When masking, I like a glosscoat so the tape anneals down well.
A coat of a dissimilar clearcoat can be very useful, too - acrylic over enamel, you won't damage the acrylic with light treatment using paint thinner.

Plus, you're less likely to leave tape adhesive residue on gloss.

[BERT aka MODEL MAKER]

both are enamels, i had a little success in rubbing lightly with a clean cloth on the edge but it wants to leave a shiney area where i rub, i will be applying a coat of dullcoat afterwards so maybe that will get rid of any shiney spots.

[compucrap]

How about spraying lacquer over an enamel basecoat (that has had several days to set up?)

Josh

[BERT aka MODEL MAKER]

i ended up completly stripping it and started over and got it perfect this time and sealed it with clear flat laquer

[Bomech1]

thanks guys you answered some questions i had. what about enamel and mineral spirits?

[TER-OR]

Mineral spirits and lacquer thinner will remove enamel paints.

[zaphod]

I found something new that I wanted to share. I have recently started tinkering with Alclad, and have found a great undercoat. The Krylon Fusion line has a gloss black. I layed down the fusion gloss black and let it dry for a few days. Here in the high desert, paint cures rather well.
Anyway, I then sprayed on Alclad steel and it went on beautifully. The underlying surface was smooth, so the new metallic coat said, "bling!"

What I like in particular about Krylon Fusion is that it doesn't tend to peel up with masking tape. Also, after trying a few different masking tapes, my favorite is good ole' Tamiya tape. Very little bleed-under, which is a good feature on my current model, ERTL's Enterprise A.

Happy modeling!

[BERT aka MODEL MAKER]

yep AMEN to the high desert for drying paints

[irishtrek]

After stripping some pieces of styrene that had a top coat of lacquer I discovered an under coat of enamel primer and yet the 2 types of paint did not mess react to one another. And I don't recall how long I waited to put the top coat on after the primer, since it was about 8 years ago that the model was painted. Comments, observations?

[TER-OR]

Lacquer is nice and hot, and will be fine with enamels- from my experience years ago. Not so good with acrylics, though that might have been me over-applying them when I was switching to acrylics.

Lacquer dries very quickly, and cures quickly but the solvent is hot enough to etch into the next coat - they're great to work with, but man do they smell up the place. Enamels take substantially longer to cure.

[Beacher]

I'd like to mix some powdered pigments with clear lacquer for airbrushing. Can anyone recommend a good, non-yellowing clear lacquer medium?

Thanks.

[lestatdelc]

Does anyone have a good hand on shooting a translucent white (very translucent) over metal foil (or other basecoat)...?

[Kylwell]

The problem with any translucent colors is the more coats you lay down the less translucent it looks. Very tricky stuff, hard to get an even coat over large areas. Best way I found was try to get it all down in a single shot and avoid going over it multiple time.

[lestatdelc]

The problem with any translucent colors is the more coats you lay down the less translucent it looks. Very tricky stuff, hard to get an even coat over large areas. Best way I found was try to get it all down in a single shot and avoid going over it multiple time.

That's what I was thinking would be the most problematic aspect of it. What about very very diluted tin coats done multiple coats? This would build up and "average" across the numerous coats.

I was reading that Future can be used as a main base medium and acrylic paints added to make it a translucent over at The Complete Future article swannysmodels website. The ratio mentioned is like 80% Future to 20% paint. I am thinking going with like a 90/10 and doing multiple coats to build it up and "average out" the coverage of the multiple coats (i.e. one small area may get slightly less in one coat, but may get more or average amount the next coat, etc. and thus balance out over numerous coats).

Thoughts?

[Kylwell]

Might work. Try rotating your piece 90° everytime you spray a new coat to help break any possible hot spots.

[TER-OR]

Thinned pearlescent white might be even more effective. Testors makes pearlescent paints in their Boyd line, both acrylic and enamel. I think less is more with this approach, remember not to let it pool.

[lestatdelc]

Thinned pearlescent white might be even more effective. Testors makes pearlescent paints in their Boyd line, both acrylic and enamel. I think less is more with this approach, remember not to let it pool.

The pearlescent have too large a flake in them IMHO. It looks to "glittery" when viewed up close.