First time Zero Paint buyer

[a62213]

Hi guys,

About to order my first Zero Paints, and just want to know if there are any things I also need.

Going to get a 2k Clear set also.

My priming is going to be Vallejo primer.

Do I need Alcad for the chrome parts, or is the Vallejo good enough?

I have a couple of tamiya 1/12 and Ebbro 1/20 set.

Regards Henrik

[Riggers]

How bizarre....just finished spraying Zero Paints.....

Here we go with the basics:

• 1. Wash & scrub all parts you're going to spray using Fairy liquid
• 2. Pat dry using kitchen towel
• 3. Leave to air dry for a while
• 4. Have a cuppa.....
• 5. Spray an undercoat of Zero White Primer or Grey Primer.....depending on what your base colour is. Give it MINIMUM 3 MIST coats. The last coat go criss-cross....
• 6. Leave to dry....THOROUGHLY!
• 7. Go to bed & have a nap....
• 8. Sand down all areas using 1000 grit wet & dry or Micromesh so the whole model is smooth as a baby's bum
• 9. Now....your top coat. use the same techniques as your primer....light mist coats spraying at 20-30psi. The paint dries really quickly, so you can give 3 coats without any issues
• 10. Bear in mind that ALL Zero Paints dry matt! They MUST be clear coated for the final finish.
• 11. Admire your handy work with an airbrush!
• 12. Leave to dry for AT LEAST 24 hours!
• 13. Lacquer coat....use Pre-Thinned Clearcoat for ease as it's already done for you ZP-3003. If you want to do your own mix, then 2 Pack Gloss Coat is the way to go. This stuff is simply the doggies dangly things!! Dries so flat it's amazing....you'll be a true convert

Apart from that lot, it's great paint! Just sprayed the Red for my Eddie Irvine Ferrari, with a white primer, then Chrome Yellow base, then Pre-2004 Ferrari Red.

Don't use Vallejo primer as this is acrylic, whereas Zero is lacquer based. Yep, go with Alclad as this is also lacquer based, so you can fire that into the same airbrush without "gunging" issues with the change from acrylic to lacquer or vice-versa.

Have fun & ATB.....

[tank152]

First of all unless you're going to be using some sort of fume extractor and and a respirator mask then don't even think about using the 2k clear set, just go for the pre mixed stuff instead. Also for the primer, I would use something like Zero's own, Alclad, Tamiya the or Mr Surfacer, in other words something lacquer based the same as Zero paints are. The same goes for your Alclad question.

Before I started building aircraft I used to build 1/43 cars and always used Zero paint, it great paint to use.

Edited October 15, 2014 by tank152

[cmatthewbacon]

Get a GOOD respirator mask -- something £20-30 on eBay, made by 3M, will do the job nicely. And some kind of fume extraction is essential. IMHO, whether or not you're using 2K clear. And if you have the mask and extractor, you might as well use the 2K stuff. Get some latex gloves as well.

That said, I think once you have the safety precautions in place, Mr Riggers makes it sound rather harder than it needs to be! Prime with whatever you like -- Tamiya, Mr Surfacer, Halfords Plastic or Zero. I use rattle cans at this stage. let that dry. Then be sure you've got rid of any mould parting lines etc. Then prime any bits that you had to sand back. Let that dry overnight. You don't need to sand this surface back until it's smooth, IMHO -- the base coat paint goes down rough anyway, and the primer is meant to get it to "key" to the surface.

For the base coat, do a light mist coat first, let that dry (5-10 minutes max), and then build up the colour. You don't want to let it look 'wet" ever, but on a normal size car body, if you spray with a relatively light finger on the paint trigger, and KEEP MOVING all over and around the body, you don't need to keep stopping between layers... the nose is dry before you get back to it from the boot. As Mr R says, if the paint is metallic you want to make sure you've criss-crossed the panels in at least 2 directions at 90 degrees, and preferably in 3 directions with 60 degrees between them.

Now you can take a break, and leave it overnight if you want, but make sure you keep it in a clean plastic box. But you can clear coat an hour or so after the base coat, if it's normally warm where you're spraying.

Full-on advice with pictures here:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234956647-matts-tips-for-painting-cars/

bestest,

M.

Edited October 15, 2014 by cmatthewbacon

[a62213]

Thanks all, for your advise!

I will go with the premixed clearcoat.

[Riggers]

Thanks all, for your advise!

I will go with the premixed clearcoat.

Good choice....you won't be disappointed.

Just please, please make sure you have GOOD ventilation where you're spraying & you wear good respirators. This stuff stinks to high heaven!

Please let us know how you get on & your thoughts....you have ours as veterans, so do share. I have to say Steve Noble does know his stuff.....his Hayabusa is simply stunning! "Hi Steve...."

ATB........

[a62213]

Don't really have a good ventilated room, and my shed is unheated, so won't be painting out there in a normal room temperature.

[PC2012]

Hi,

Is there any difference in the finish between the Pre-Thinned Clearcoat and the 2 Pack Gloss Coat?

[Riggers]

Nope.....

ATB

[cmatthewbacon]

Yep. In my experience anyway. The two pack makes up for the extra faff of safety precautions and mixing by being much easier to spray a glass smooth wet look finish that needs no sanding or polishing. Somehow it's "thicker" and settles into a mirror finish after spraying without sagging or running. The pre-mixed stuff is IMHO more vulnerable to orange peel, harder to spray without runs, and takes longer to fully dry/cure...YMMV, obviously...

Bestest,

M

Edited October 22, 2014 by cmatthewbacon

[shood23]

The 1k stuff takes about a week to fully harden but it says you can polish after 2 days at 20 degrees but personally the way i learnt how to use zeros was through mates guide and then just getting the hang off it on scrap plastic even to the point of just spraying in 1 spot just to see how long I have before it noticeably starts to run and just a quick bit on the colour coat i have found that you can clear it after 15 mins (it says it on one of the bottles) but i normally use riggers time of 24 Hour just to be on the safe side oh and I didn't read it but if anyone has already mentioned it im sorry but always up sprayed stuff under a big plastic box to stop dust and stuff getting on while drying

Last thing is just to enjoy the wonders of zeros paint and to explore there paint range as some of the colours are amazingly good

Shaun

[Scratchbuilder]

I wouldn't touch 2 pack with a barge pole. It's toxic.

With that in mind, I did a good deal of research and found Akrifan one shot. It's an Italian paint, but came from my local auto body refinishing suppliers.

It was an amazingly cheap £20 a litre and is glass like, hard as a rock when dry (very quickly). It is ready to spray, no thinner. I use a spotting gun (proper little spray gun for a fraction the price of a fancy airbrush) and get a perfect gun finish every time. Clean up with cellulose thinners. If you use a litre in a lifetime I'd be very surprised.

I build rally car models for one of my customers ( for whom I do the masters) and he demands a superb finish over the decals. Because these are slot race rally models the final finish HAS to be tough as old boots.

Martin