vinyl silk

[skiny]

This is going to sound stupid(ok i know i am) but has anyone used normal household paint like vinyl silk,gloss paints on there models.An acquaintance has said he use to use it when he was making models in the 70s.Im sure he,s winding me up.

[goggsy]

I did a Matchbox Victor in anti flash white like that. It looked crap though.

[Greenshirt]

The pigment particles in household paint are not fine enough for most modeling applications. Not to say you cannot find an enamel for household use that would work. I've tried a few basic colors that have worked for large model applications, like the B-1a I did 20 years ago. Came out "ok" but not competition quality. 

 

Tim

[Black Knight]

I used to use Woolies White gloss and Silver Aluminium wood primer on my models. Matt black was a tin of car paint. Gold was often 'Rub 'n' Buff' gold cream paste for picture frames.

 

[sinnerboy]

It looks awful when I paint skirting boards and window sills with it so it would be absolute crap on a kit!

and is it just me? but the acrylic stuff is a complete and utter waste of a good tin, if you can still find it, oil based is sooo much better!

[LaurieS]

I would not bother Skinny. Think of the colours you are going to use..

 

By the time you have finished some models you will have 15 tins of 2.5 litres on the shelf of household paint.

 

Seriously, if you have to be, emulsion household paint is thicker than model making paint. Plus it is not self leveling for which you use a roller.

 

Model paints are designed to self level ie flow level. If you want an eggshell finish there are two way with model paint. Eggshell varnish over a matt model paint..

Second, which I do when satin or gloss is required, add gloss or satin varnish to the paint. Compatible ie Vallejo paint to Vallejo varnish etc.

 

Laurie

Edited October 16, 2016 by LaurieS

[Rumblestripe]

The only time I've used household paint is for scenic work, so as an earth or sand base colour and them applied texture with static grass, flock and scatter materials, it is a good cheap base for this kind of use where model paints would prove expensive to cover a large area, You used to be able to get quite a decent sized tin of "tester" from those outlets that mix you any shade for a quid, just take along a sample of the model colour and the computer would mix you a copy. I had a very good equivalent of a GW colour that I used to figure bases. Not sure if you can still do this?

 

Applied to a model it is far too thick and would look like someone had thrown "goo" over it.

 

Don't even think about it...

[skiny]

Some canny answers there.No im not going to use it nor am i going into compitition making models.im just passing time as i cant get out of the house . Looks like i owe him an apology,i have read about halfords paint but when i asked them they said they no longer do it(didnt think he could be rrrrrsed to do it mesel)Cheers lads.

[mollythedog]

Hilarious. Seriously.  Just the thought of a shed full of 2.5 litre tins of Olive Drab,Extra Dark sea Grey  etc,and trying to persuade SWIMBO that these would look great on the living room wall.....

[Mike]

I remember people saying that they used to pour household white paint (the latex based stuff) down the gullets of intake trunking to give them a "seamless" look, and that it "worked", whatever that means.  I never tried it, and doubted whether it would give a decent finish, but there you go.

[Paul J]

The above link will show you the success I had with Dulux. I had the color mixed in my local hardware/diy shop and was nearest to the green on Buffalo Airways  aircraft. I had no issues with using the paint. Thinned with either water or acrylic flow improver the paint air brushed and brush painted very well with no brush marks. But to get it to stick you have to have a decent matt surface undercoat and Halfords primer works well enough for this purpose.  True, there is quite a lot of paint in the smallest tin they do but was cheap at £3.50.

 

On the model the painted areas are the wings, fin and tailplane.  The fuselage cheat lines are decals produced for me. 

I have also done a DC-3 that is also featured somewhere in BM archives

[mollythedog]

I think you have mentioned 2 key areas,that apply to just about any acrylic paint-the foundation,incredibly important if it going to stay put,and the thinning.If you can get the colour you want,in a sensible size there is probably no reason why it would not work.But learning yet another paint and all its foibles is too much for me,it took me a couple of years to learn about Vallejo,and that stuff still catches me out!

[Greenshirt]

On 10/19/2016 at 7:15 AM, Mike said:

I remember people saying that they used to pour household white paint (the latex based stuff) down the gullets of intake trunking to give them a "seamless" look, and that it "worked", whatever that means.  I never tried it, and doubted whether it would give a decent finish, but there you go.

Actually it's Kilz latex primer; not sure what the equivalent would be in the UK.  Post #8 on this thread discussed the method. I've seen guys use it, and it works very well. 

 

quoted here:

Quote

I've been very successful using the "pour paint in the intakes" method. I've been called a liar before, but it really does work. It probably makes the intake some minuscule amount smaller in diameter, and therefore, out of scale to some people (which is probably their main rub with this trick), but the trick works on seams.

Here's the deal.... Buy a small can of the Kilz 2 LATEX primer. It might work with original Kilz (which is oil based), but I don't know from personal experience about the oil based version. The Latex version is easier to clean up and use. Kilz is very thick (about the thickness of pancake batter) in its "straight out of can" state. This is waaaaaay too thick to use. Because it is a latex product, you can thin it with water. I usually try to thin it to the consistency of pancake syrup.....maybe even a smidge thinner, but definitely thicker than enamel model paint. 

All you do is pour it in the intake from the front and let it drip out the back (where accumulation will be less noticeable). As you can imagine, this stuff will move very slowly through the intake because it is thick. As the Kilz makes its way down the intake, rotate the intake so that it covers the entire sides, bottom, and top, not just the seam itself. If you make it too thin, you can apply it again once the first coat dries, but most of the time it will work on the first try. You'll know if it is too thin immediately when you pour it in....because it will gush out of the other end like water. The key is to get it the right consistency. Like I said, pancake syrup is a good rule of thumb. Kilz can also be sanded if you get a build up in a certain area or whatever. It sands just fine, but it has to be dry. Because it is so thick (and dries a little slowly when poured), I usually give it a day or two before I even start to fiddle with it.

This will only take case of small seams. It will not take care of gaping canyons. The stuff is self-leveling; very similar to the way Future behaves. Once I have coated the entire insides of an intake, I will rotate the thing every few minutes for the first couple of hours to allow it to coat and dry uniformly. If you want a different color to the intake, after the Kilz has completely dried, mix up some regular model paint and coat the inside of the intake with it after the Kilz dries. I know for a fact that you can put acrylics or MM enamels over this stuff.....just make sure it is dry before you attempt it. I have no idea if you can put lacquer over it because I don't use lacquer paints.

I did a demo of this at my local IPMS meeting a few months ago and the guys were blown away. People might say it doesn't work, but if 12 of my fellow members saw it work......I guess it works. I've even won local IPMS events with aircraft who have intakes with the Kilz treatment. The proof is in the pudding, as they say.

Note: There is a possibility of bubbles in the Kilz, especially once it is thinned. Most of them will pop on their own as the stuff dries, but the really large ones can be popped with a needle while the paint is still wet (if you can reach them). 

Again, the trick is consistency. Too thin and you'll have to do it numerous times. Too thick and it will look like the intake has a concrete slab in it.