I need paint advice
R JERMYN
I am new to this group and am hoping to get some advice on the best way to
paint a plastic car model with Testors Enamel without access to an airbrush.
I want to bring my modeling skills to the "next level" and the thing that is
most glaring in my modleing is the inferior paint results I get on my cars.
Lumpy, ugly you name it. It seems in my research that most people airbrush
but I do not have access to one nor the money to buy one at the time, (nor
the know-how to use it.)
If anyone has any pointers for me I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks
Steve Brauning
plung and get an airbrush.. Look into the Testors or Aztek brands they are
not outragously expensive. Really I mean it. It is worth holding off and
not buying a few m,odels and saving up for the airbrush. You can get a
couple of air cans to start out with or even paint with the pressure from a
car tire. (cheap but a hastle) I use a SCUBA tank and regulator.
Sorry to have to break it to you this way.
Steve
R JERMYN wrote in message <92t8im$4f0$1...@bob.news.rcn.net>...
David
some on this group will gasp when I say that I prefer paint cans but I have
my reasons. I.E. I'm only in the hobby for my personal enjoyment and with
not the cash or the desire to get "whole hog" I find paint cans a
"convenience" I agree airbrushing is better but some of us just are not at
the level.
Also have you considered the weather factor in your spraying and also that
you need to use a primer and then set your final coat with misting coats
before you do the final gloss coat. Some molders use cans only and achieve
some startling results so hang-in there OK!
"R JERMYN" <mha...@rcn.com> wrote in message
news:92t8im$4f0$1...@bob.news.rcn.net...
Francis X. Kranick, Jr.
airbrush is really not that great. The Badger 350 is a basic airbrush that you
can buy online for about $35. It's my opinion that an airbrush is the only way
to go to get the results you desire. You can also use the Testors rattle-cans
if they're available in the colors you want.
I use Model Master enamels almost exclusively and obtain nice results using
the Badger 350. Check out Sam's Club or Wal-Mart for low-priced packages on
airbrush/spraybrush sets. I think you'll be surprised on what can be had for a
little bit of money.
Using airbrushes is not rocket science and if you're willing to experiment a
little, you can get acceptable results very soon after filling it with paint.
You certainly don't have to spend a ton of money to get worthwhile results in
airbrushing. But, you will have to use one to get the results you want -
there's nothing else out there that can enable you to lay down paint in a thin,
accurate manner. There certainly are some excellent 'brush painters' out there
but when you want to paint model car bodies and get them to look good, an
airbrush is gonna be the only game in town.
Use the Propel cans to start out and then you can look into a small
compressor or a small cylinder of nitrogen, CO2, etc. I use CO2 and have no
regrets. I recycled five pound fire extinguishers to power my airbrush - that
was cheap at about $15 each.
You don't have to plunk down a lot of money all at once if you plan it out a
bit... Good luck in the search/hunt/decisionmaking...
--
Frank
IPMS/USA 20352
"Watch it - I say - watch it fizz!"
- Foghorn Leghorn
*****************************
Francis X. Kranick, Jr.
CAD Drafter/CAFM Administrator
University of Scranton
Scranton, PA USA
kran...@uofs.edu (work)
fran...@usnetway.com (home)
(570) 941-7898 - voice
(570) 941-6220 - facsimile
Rob Gronovius
Maybe not the award winning, magazine cover kit. But it'll be better than a
brush. A Testors airbrush can be had at the local Wal-Mart for less than $20,
add a couple of the aircans and you're set. Just make sure you get the thinner
for airbrush. If you're set on the spray can, do like the previous poster says
and warm the cans in a pan of warm tap water, shake repeatedly. Use a primer
for gloss colors and make sure the surface is smooth and even before putting on
the final coat. Spray in light mists and build up the finish, do not blast away
with the can like you're putting out a fire! First spray shot should be away
from the model, then back & forth stopping the spray after you pass by the
model. With practice, you can get pretty good. And if your finish seems kind of
uneven, try coating it with Future floor wax (acrylic), you can brush this on
and it will appear to even out your coat. Try it on one of your older kits and
see.
Rob Gronovius
Major, U.S. Army
Pipo
"R JERMYN" <mha...@rcn.com> schreef in bericht
news:92t8im$4f0$1...@bob.news.rcn.net...
Never done this myself but perhaps you could try using a roller. I've seen a
real car once which was painted with a foam roller and it was amazing to see
how smooth the finish looked. It really looked as if it was pray painted.
Since the coach-work of a model car is quite large and foam rollers can be
bought quite small (or make one yourself), i think it is worth a try. The
room temperature shouldn't be too low though and perhaps you need a little
practice first.
Success,
Ron.
cco...@us.hsanet.net
As another poster said, warm the spray cans with hot tap water and
keep them warm during the painting session. I have one of those plug
in mini-hot plates designed to keep your coffee cup warm. I put a
little water in a large coffee cup on the warmer and set the paint can
in the water between spraying sessions. Also make sure the can is
thoroughly shaken before and during the painting session.
The key to a good paint job on a car body is the same as for a natural
metal finish on an aircraft: surface perparation.Clean up any mold
parting lines, fill any sink holes or other blemishes. If any
customizing was done, ensure that all putty edges are feathered. Wash
the body with warm soapy water and scrub with an old tooth brush.
Rinse thoroughly and air dry or use a hair dryer on a low setting.
Prime the body with an automotive sandable primer. Dupli-Color and
Plasti-Coat are two brands available at auto parts stores and places
like K-Mart, Wal Mart, or Target. The primer coat will probably reveal
more blemishes. Fill and sand as necessary and reprime. Repeat the
prime-check-fill and sand-reprime cycle until all the blemishes are
gone.The final primer coat can be sanded overall with a very fine grit
paper to give a silky smooth base for the color coat.
The timing I use for enamels is:
First coat is a light dusting. Wait 15 minutes.
Second coat is another dusting slightly heavier than the first. Wait
15 minutes.
Third coat just heavy enough for complete coverage. Wait 30 minutes.
Fourth coat is wet, just on the threshold of running. With practice
you'll learn where this point is.
Get a polishing kit and you'll be turning out mirror-like finishes
before you know it. The president of my model car club does all his
painting with spray cans and gets spectacuIar results. I would
recommend that you get the book "The Modelers Guide to Scale
Automotive Finishes" by Pat Covert, available from Kalmbach Books
www.kalmbachbooks.com.
HTH!
Regards,
Chuck C.
MFE
Hagueman
1500 or 2000grit paper between coats, 3M X-fine artificial steel wool is
nice for this also. After about 5 or 6 coats of paint, and I am assuming you
know how to use a spraycan, you can begin to polish. If you have fisheye or
orange peel, stop and figure out why. I use airbrush, but cans will yield a
smooth finish if you use them properly(warming, distance,speed). You will
have to buy a Micromesh abrasive polishing kit, True Details sells them,
they run about 15-20 bucks. Using water polish with each grit starting with
the 2400 and ending with the 12,000. Follow this up with The Treatment
model wax and you are finished. Let the paint cure properly before you
polish also, it has to harden up or you are wasting your efforts.
Hague
R JERMYN
I neglected to mention that I have only been using the brush. I have picked
up one of the Testor Airbrush kits with the Air can but it came with water
based acrylics that are really bad colors for what I want. Does anyone know
if I can use the oil based enamels in it?Or does that kit necssitate using
water based paints?
Rob Gronovius
with it.
Ted
What do you mean by airbrush thinner? Is this different from the "brush
cleaner" that they sell. Or could one use lacquer thinner as with other
paints?
"Rob Gronovius" <sabot...@aol.comnojunk> wrote in message
news:20010102192010...@ng-cs1.aol.com...
Rob Gronovius
#1156 has a label recommending not to use it for airbrushing (don't know why).
They recommend using Model Master Airbrush thinner #1789 (same size container)
or a 1/2 pint can #8824.
Robert Grinberg
I use an airbrush for my aircraft and armour kits. I use the Tamiya lacquer
spray cans for all my motorcycle and a lot of my car bodywork, keeping the
airbrush for the smaller detail parts.
To get good gloss and coverage with the Tamiya cans, make sure that your
bodywork is as smooth as you can get it - crucial as Tamiya lacquer goes on
in extremely thin coats, showing up even the slightest scratches. Second,
warm the tin as already mentioned, and if possible warm the kit parts as
well (use a hairdryer at a lowish setting). Spray a light coat (just put a
mist of colour on), allow to dry, then follow up with as many heavier coats
as required to cover the surface. I leave the finished body in a dustfree
place for at least a week, then I polish using Silvo brand silver polish (I
hope it's available where you are!) Great gloss with no clear overcoat req!
If you want to cover decals with a clear, use Humbrol's 'Glosscote' if you
can find it, or choose an acrylic gloss clear.
If you can get these Tamiya paints, I recommend them. They come in a fair
range of colours, some colour matched to 'racing' colours for Tamiya's car &
'bike kits. If you need to touch up paintwork, they can be decanted into an
airbrush cup. They airbrush beautifully, but you will need to use cellulose
thinners to clean a 'brush out. Also try the Tamiya grey primer in a spray
can for blocking dark bodies when you need to overpaint with a lighter
colour, or to even out colours when you've done any body work, including
joining two body pieces.
I've seen some gorgeous work done only with a paintbrush, it's just a matter
of perfecting the technique. For most of us though, an airbrush helps no
end!
Hope this helps,
RobertG
Charles Fox
By that I mean two things:
When using spray cans, don't try to cover, just "dust" the model. Let it dry
for 15 minutes or so, then dust again. Build up the color slowly. It takes
great patience (I can show you lots of runny paint on slick bodies).
Clear-coat after, so any polishing or waxing works on the clear, not the
paint.
If you're using a brush, use more thinner, and just "flow" the paint on.
Don't go over it. Let one coat dry completely.
Then use a polishing kit, with graduated grits.
"R JERMYN" <mha...@rcn.com> wrote in message
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