weemanreturns Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Hi. Can anyone help with this problem. I am having problems trying to brush paint this 'stuff' and it is awful. It is too thick and if thinned will not cover properly. Is there anything on the market that is an equivalent to this 'metallic' rubbish. I do not/will not use an airbrush (sorry, but that's my preference) so I need something 'brushable' that is similar to 'Dayglo' but in the normal enamel range. I hope you understand what I am trying to say. Best Regards WEEMAN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwh Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I used this fluorescent paint on a Matchbox Victor many moons ago. I found the art to it was to give a good white undercoat ,left to dry for at least 48hrs, then brush on thin coats of the paint. To get a good coverage I had to give around 3 top coats, each one let dry 48hrs,then fine rub down. This was essential to avoid lifting the last coat. Use a good brush and paint in one direction only without going back over it, takes time but effort worthwhile. Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viscount806x Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Halfords do an aerosol in their generic paint colours which is close to blaze orange fluoro. I've just recently been using some 35+ year old Humbrol fluorescent which would only thin down with old fashioned turpentine ( absolutely not white spirit) and airbrushed it OK onto white primer. I did brush paint some bits as well but it took 3 or 4 coats, over white again, to cover satisfactorily. Hope this helps. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weemanreturns Posted December 2, 2014 Author Share Posted December 2, 2014 Hi Derek. Thank you for your information. Hmmm! Seems a bit laborious and fraught with problems to me. The paint doesn't inspire me if that what it takes to get a decent finish. I think I'll 'take a rain check ' with this paint and explore further. I can't believe this is the only option after all these years. Many thanks for taking the time to reply. Best Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weemanreturns Posted December 2, 2014 Author Share Posted December 2, 2014 Hi Viscount806x. Thank you for the info. I'll keep that in mind, but I really want a 'brushable' paint. I don't really want to go into a lot of masking, plus, I have used aerosols before and never achieved any kind of satisfactory finish. That is why I prefer a bristle brush. Thanks to you for taking the time to reply. Best Regards Andy PS to all - I am not being a defeatist or a quitter. It's just that I want to explore more avenues as there must be alternatives out there somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwh Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Hi Weeman. is the area you are trying to cover available to accept decals? If so check out xtradecal X72115 from hannants Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hepster Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I have had the same problem trying to brushpaint Humbrol dayglo. In fact, I had the same problem also with Revell and Lifecolor Dayglo, and resorted to rattlecans in the end. Then I found that the Tamiya and Humbrol rattlecan dayglo is orange, whereas I needed red dayglo for RAF types. I realise the RAF colour fades to orange, but you need to 'weather' it with patches of yellow for it to look faded. Then I found a red dayglo rattlecan made by Liquitex and sold at Hobbycraft which was the right shade, so I have used that on RAF and RN types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weemanreturns Posted December 2, 2014 Author Share Posted December 2, 2014 Hi DWH. Checked out the xtradecal on Hannants. Unfortunately it is for a meteor fighter, and my build is the cf-105, so that won't work. Good shout though. Thanks for your comments Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weemanreturns Posted December 2, 2014 Author Share Posted December 2, 2014 Hi HEPSTER. Makes me feel not alone knowing you had troubles with the paint as well. As I said earlier, I want to avoid 'rattle-cans'. I have always been a 'bristle brush' man, and I will stay that way, even though air brushes are used more these days. Thanks for your comments. Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weemanreturns Posted December 2, 2014 Author Share Posted December 2, 2014 Just found an article on the 'Airfix Tribute Forum' (I know, I am a traitor, and no doubt will be 'castigated' or worse!). Someone had trouble using 'fire orange' and experimented with different undercoats. He found that 'Trainer Yellow' did the job best. I have just tried it on a small piece of scrap, and it does appear to work. I will try it for real over the next few days and see what happens. I will keep you posted. Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelpillow Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 (edited) Assuming it is similar to the old Humbrol formula I used to use.... 1. Apply a good, opaque gloss white undercoat. This reflects the light back through it and makes an absolute world of difference. 2. Stir it smooth! No lumpy bits hiding in a corner anywhere, it needs all the covering power it can get. Then stir it some more to be sure you didn't miss anything. 3. It is a bit gloopy. Pour or dip some out and thin it a little so it applies smoother. Be prepared to lay down a good many coats. Each time you let it dry then lay on another coat, thank your lucky stars it is gloopy in the tin or you would still be stirring in the lumps. 4. Stand back in awe at the sheer fluorescence you have achieved. Edited December 2, 2014 by steelpillow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weemanreturns Posted December 2, 2014 Author Share Posted December 2, 2014 Hi 'Steelpillow'. Many thanks for your comments and tips. This paint is very similar (if not the same) as the paint I used to use for fishing floats, to enable the float tip to be seen clearly. The paint seemed to cover better on the floats than on the kit. However, I do not necessarily want the 'fluorescence' effect on my model. I want the colour to look right of course, but I am not concerned whether it stands out. I fully understand what you are saying and a lot of modellers will probably want that kind of finish. Thank you very much for taking time out to comment. Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelpillow Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Well, the only comment I would make is that to "look right", a fluorescent colour needs to fluoresce a little: that's why the big boys painted it fluorescent in the first place. If it doesn't stand out then it probably won't "look right". Working from photos can be slightly deceptive because they don't play the game. Just don't ask me about scale effect of fluorescing from a distance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planebuilder62 Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 An undercoat of orange works really well beause it reduces the number of fluorescent layers. Revell make the same type of paint but it spreads just as badly. All the best Toby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelpillow Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 An undercoat of orange works really well beause it reduces the number of fluorescent layers. That would be a good way of muting the fluorescence too, if that's what you want to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Noble Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Most fluorescent reds I've used always state that a matt white undercoat is required to obtain the correct shade. The Humbrol paint that you are trying to use is not a great choice. Personally I don't think you will obtain a result that you're happy with, especially as you are painting it by hand, with a brush. Even if you were to spray it, the results would still be mediocre at best. That pretty much goes for most of the so called 'model' paints, as I've tried them all over the years and they have all left me underwhelmed. If I was advising you on a good quality fluorescent and you were spraying it, then there would be many choices and all of them excellent, however for brush painting the choice is much harder, almost impossible to a point, as I'm not sure a good, easy to use, brushable fluorescent exists. The only paints I've ever used that brush really well are Vallejo acrylics. They really are some of the best available for brush painting. There is a fluorescent red in their Model Air range, however that is for airbrush use. If they carry the same in their Model Color range, for brush use, it would be well worth a try as I'm sure it would yield a nice result.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelpillow Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 I was probably wrong about using gloss for the white undercoat, then. Hope it's not too late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planebuilder62 Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Check out Marks Gnat on the WIP section on Britmodeller for another idea, it looks good. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggers Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Just my 2p...you not tried Zero paints? ATB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan1302 Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Just my 2p...you not tried Zero paints? ATB Op wants brush paints though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggers Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 bottom.....! Why adamant that no airbrush is used...? ATB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Noble Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 bottom.....! Why adamant that no airbrush is used...? ATB Would be a lot easier via airbrush. So much choice with the paints and a better finish. It's only a tool, once mastered the brushes will go in the nearest bin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caerbannog Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I agree that an airbrush will be much better for this task. You do not need to invest into a expensive airbrush - there are cheap double action airbrushes available that are absolutely OK (I have a Badger and two cheap ones for less than 30 GBP and get very similar results with them). My main mistake is that I do not thin the paint enough for airbrushing and I recomment to start with very thin for trying as this will not clog the airbrush. Up till now I used a flat white basecoat, but I read about using a yellow basecoat can improove the look so will try it next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan1302 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I agree that an airbrush will be much better for this task. You do not need to invest into a expensive airbrush - there are cheap double action airbrushes available that are absolutely OK (I have a Badger and two cheap ones for less than 30 GBP and get very similar results with them). My main mistake is that I do not thin the paint enough for airbrushing and I recomment to start with very thin for trying as this will not clog the airbrush. Up till now I used a flat white basecoat, but I read about using a yellow basecoat can improove the look so will try it next time. You don't even need an airbrush if it's a one off job. A spray can would be fine for this - although I think Op said he didn't get on well with spraying which is why they wanted to brush paint it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weemanreturns Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share Posted December 12, 2014 Hi Guys. Thank you all for taking the time to reply, and for your helpful comments. I have decided to 'plough on' with my project using a tin of Humbrol 'Blaze' I had. Apparently it is a deleted item now. It is not brilliant and is not quite the match I required, but is near enough for me. It covers far better than the 'Fire Orange' rubbish, but, as with all metallic type paint, is no where near perfect. I have come to the conclusion, with the help of your replies, that none of the metallic paints are really suitable for brush painting, and by the sound of it, not too good for spraying either, unless one is prepared to take a heck of a lot of time to try to achieve a decent finish. I am sorry, but despite all the comments, I still prefer my 'good old' bristle brush, and I will never change (that's me!). I fully enjoyed your replies and comments, and this post has been worthwhile. I have had a great lot of help on these forums and 'met' a lot of great guys and gals, and hope it continues. Best Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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