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Tinting Clear Parts


GazB

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So I have a few various kits that require some kind of tinting on the clear parts, either to represent armoured glass or shading. Previously when I sprayed a Tamiya clear colour, it just frosted (though oddly the clear red did not). Clear Mig Ammo does the same, and while I sort of managed to build up a blue tone brush painted on, doing a more intense blue green for another vehicle resulted in some noticeable brush marks, and trying to remove it to try again doesn't really give the best of results.

 

Therefore I have to ask what a good way to either brush or airbrush a clear colour onto a clear part would be that either doesn't result in the frosting or returns the clarity after. I don't have access to Future, only some old Pledge Floor Wax stuff I often use as a brushed on gloss coat but never on clear parts (I tried dipping once and the didn't work), which is also a tad contaminated. I remember Mig Ammo recommending a laquer paint for this, so would something like an AK Real Color work through the airbrush?

 

If possible I'd prefer brush or spray techniques, mostly the latter to avoid any strokes.

 

Cheers, 

 

Gaz

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Not sure how strong you want the tint to be. I always brush paint the tail lights on 1:24 and even 1:18 model cars and I use Tamiya and Mr. Hobby clear paints (acrylics). You can try it on some scrap (maybe some CD clear cases if you don't have any plexiglass laying around). I just apply it in a rather thick coat (yes, I know, blasphemy) and let it self level. You can add a drop of retarder to help it.

If you're getting frosting there's 2 possible reasons in my experience:

1. the distance from the airbrush to the part is too big and the paint is drying in mid air (is the surface very rough after the paint fully dries?)

2. the pressure is too big and it's drying the paint in mid air

There's also number 3: too thick coats and the flattening agent builds up, but you're using gloss paints so we'll ignore that one.

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I have done armoured windscreens in aircraft by using Klear tinted with green artist acrylic.  Brushed on and left to dry.  I've only done small areas though (1/48 windscreens) so don't know how the technique scales up.

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3 hours ago, bmwh548 said:

Not sure how strong you want the tint to be. I always brush paint the tail lights on 1:24 and even 1:18 model cars and I use Tamiya and Mr. Hobby clear paints (acrylics). You can try it on some scrap (maybe some CD clear cases if you don't have any plexiglass laying around). I just apply it in a rather thick coat (yes, I know, blasphemy) and let it self level. You can add a drop of retarder to help it.

If you're getting frosting there's 2 possible reasons in my experience:

1. the distance from the airbrush to the part is too big and the paint is drying in mid air (is the surface very rough after the paint fully dries?)

2. the pressure is too big and it's drying the paint in mid air

There's also number 3: too thick coats and the flattening agent builds up, but you're using gloss paints so we'll ignore that one.

1/35 would be the primary scale. I've had a bit of luck with some hand painting, but it's also inconsistent for avoiding brush strokes and too heavy a tint. It worked in one case, but not another. I once watched a vid of a guy using smoke and copper Tamiya to tint an aircraft canopy, and then sprayed something else on to restore the clarity, but when I tried the technique at the time on some scrap it didn't work.

3 hours ago, Grey Beema said:

I have done armoured windscreens in aircraft by using Klear tinted with green artist acrylic.  Brushed on and left to dry.  I've only done small areas though (1/48 windscreens) so don't know how the technique scales up.

1/35 would be the primary scale for me, with a single 1/48 helicopter. I had done it with very thinned down Mig Ammo painted by hand in gradual layers, but while the first attempt worked, the second did not. The tint was too heavy, and the coverage not exactly even, so I'm not the happiest with the look (unfortunately attempts to strip the paint back didn't help).

 

Gaz

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The frosting is usually a result of alcohol in Tamiya paints. The best way to cure it is either to dip clear part in Future and let it dry for a day or two or airbrush Future on the clear part and let it dry for couple hours. Sometimes you can minimize or negate frosting by adding Future to the paint when airbrushing but for me it usually end up in a thicker layer of paint than a dip in or airbrushing Future after applying paint.

 

PS: I know what video you are talking about (many thanks to the author of it). He was using Future :)

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2 hours ago, Doom3r said:

The frosting is usually a result of alcohol in Tamiya paints. The best way to cure it is either to dip clear part in Future and let it dry for a day or two or airbrush Future on the clear part and let it dry for couple hours. Sometimes you can minimize or negate frosting by adding Future to the paint when airbrushing but for me it usually end up in a thicker layer of paint than a dip in or airbrushing Future after applying paint.

 

PS: I know what video you are talking about (many thanks to the author of it). He was using Future :)

Hmm. Is there a good place to get Future (also, how would you clean it out of the airbrush?). Would you do the dip prior to the colouring, or after to level the surface?

 

Gaz

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Future is an acrylic floor polish that is constantly getting renamed by the manufacturer every few years. And to make our lives even worse in different parts of the world it may go under different name and have a bit different look. Here in US it's current name is "Pledge Revive It Floor Gloss" and sold almost in every hardware store and Wal-Mart.

The way I use it for tinting is simple. You first paint your part with whatever clear color you want and let it frost as it wants. Let the paint dry for an hour. Then pour Future in some container and submerge the clear part in ti for a few seconds. Then place it on on top of paper towel so the edge of clear part would have a contact with paper so all exccess would drain to the paper towel and if you worry about dust particles close it with some sort of box. Forget about it for at least 12 hours (if you covered than even longer). Pour Future back to bottle for later reuse. If you do not like result (sometimes it may pool, you notice big nasty fingerprint or whatever, especially few first times) it could be easely stripped (with acrylic paint) by soaking a part in Windex that has ammonia.

 

To clear airbrush right after the painting I use 91% Alcohol. You can thin Future with Alcohol for airbrushing as clear coat or could be shot straight from the bottle.

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2 hours ago, Doom3r said:

Future is an acrylic floor polish that is constantly getting renamed by the manufacturer every few years. And to make our lives even worse in different parts of the world it may go under different name and have a bit different look. Here in US it's current name is "Pledge Revive It Floor Gloss" and sold almost in every hardware store and Wal-Mart.

The way I use it for tinting is simple. You first paint your part with whatever clear color you want and let it frost as it wants. Let the paint dry for an hour. Then pour Future in some container and submerge the clear part in ti for a few seconds. Then place it on on top of paper towel so the edge of clear part would have a contact with paper so all exccess would drain to the paper towel and if you worry about dust particles close it with some sort of box. Forget about it for at least 12 hours (if you covered than even longer). Pour Future back to bottle for later reuse. If you do not like result (sometimes it may pool, you notice big nasty fingerprint or whatever, especially few first times) it could be easely stripped (with acrylic paint) by soaking a part in Windex that has ammonia.

 

To clear airbrush right after the painting I use 91% Alcohol. You can thin Future with Alcohol for airbrushing as clear coat or could be shot straight from the bottle.

Cool.

 

I got this stuff ages ago (actually can't find it anymore now. The spot it was sold in and marked at the supermarket is now occupied by something similar but different)

 

41GJsPJ+ClL._SY450_.jpg

Its got a very faint dirty look now. Still brushes on nice and clear (its been the best way for me to clearcoat models since my airbrush was hit and miss in the coverage or didn't get everywhere) but I'm wondering how it might work for dipping. I think I tried it once, but it didn't perform as expected.

 

Gaz

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1 hour ago, GazB said:

I think I tried it once, but it didn't perform as expected.

When I was coming back to scale modeling few years back it took me about 10 times to dip and strip same canopy till I figured out how to do it the way I like it :) Oh poor 1/72 F-16 from Academy (crap model btw after which Academy was on my "do not buy list" for quite long up until I faced their 1/72 F-4J) I played around with gold tinting canopy, cutting out and positioning wing mechanization, scratchbuilding instrument panel... It is still on the shelf of doom though: I really hated the decals it has but I cannot provide a good decals for it. Maybe someday I am going to do paint it in some "what if" scheme and use some decal leftovers...

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20 hours ago, Doom3r said:

When I was coming back to scale modeling few years back it took me about 10 times to dip and strip same canopy till I figured out how to do it the way I like it :) Oh poor 1/72 F-16 from Academy (crap model btw after which Academy was on my "do not buy list" for quite long up until I faced their 1/72 F-4J) I played around with gold tinting canopy, cutting out and positioning wing mechanization, scratchbuilding instrument panel... It is still on the shelf of doom though: I really hated the decals it has but I cannot provide a good decals for it. Maybe someday I am going to do paint it in some "what if" scheme and use some decal leftovers...

I remember trying to use the decals with an ICM kit. Lawd. Thankfuly they were few and far between.

 

12 hours ago, Steve Noble said:

Alclad clear colours airbrush perfectly with no frosting..

Are Alclad paints lacquers? Since the AK Real Color paints are lacquers, would ttheir clear colours spray without frosting? Or would the AK thinner work to clean the Alclad?

 

Gaz

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1 hour ago, GazB said:

I remember trying to use the decals with an ICM kit. Lawd. Thankfuly they were few and far between.

 

Are Alclad paints lacquers? Since the AK Real Color paints are lacquers, would ttheir clear colours spray without frosting? Or would the AK thinner work to clean the Alclad?

 

Gaz

Yes, Alclad are lacquer based. I just use regular cellulose type thinner to clean the airbrush after use. I've never used the AK paints, so I'm not sure if their thinner would clean Alclad..

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32 minutes ago, Steve Noble said:

Yes, Alclad are lacquer based. I just use regular cellulose type thinner to clean the airbrush after use. I've never used the AK paints, so I'm not sure if their thinner would clean Alclad..

Thanks for the pointer :)

 

I had problems with the AK stuff at first because they originally said acrylic thinners would work, but that wasn't the case. Their own thinner, or Tamiya lacquer thinners were what was recommended.

 

Gaz

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On 2/6/2019 at 9:25 AM, Steve Noble said:

Alclad clear colours airbrush perfectly with no frosting..

Any chance of a picture of something you've done like this? I have a few in my paint cabinet I've tried with mixed results including their armoured glass which is very it and miss.

 

Cheers

 

Anil

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23 hours ago, azureglo said:

Any chance of a picture of something you've done like this? I have a few in my paint cabinet I've tried with mixed results including their armoured glass which is very it and miss.

 

Cheers

 

Anil

Sure. Windscreen on this Tamiya Hayabusa was done with Alclad smoke, also the front indicator lenses in orange..

 

Hayabusa-Finisheddaytimeoutdoors038.jpg

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46 minutes ago, Steve Noble said:

Sure. Windscreen on this Tamiya Hayabusa was done with Alclad smoke, also the front indicator lenses in orange..

 

 

Outstanding: How did you prep this? Future or other protective coat and then standard 12-15 PSI at 2-3 inches? Any post spraying clear coating?

 

Cheers

 

Anil

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Just now, azureglo said:

Outstanding: How did you prep this? Future or other protective coat and then standard 12-15 PSI at 2-3 inches? Any post spraying clear coating?

 

Cheers

 

Anil

No special prep. Just cleaned the parts with soapy water, dried them and straight Alclad from the bottle, no need to thin. Very light coats at 15 psi. Build up the colour slowly. Had to mix red and yellow to get orange for the indicator lenses..

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1 hour ago, Steve Noble said:

No special prep. Just cleaned the parts with soapy water, dried them and straight Alclad from the bottle, no need to thin. Very light coats at 15 psi. Build up the colour slowly. Had to mix red and yellow to get orange for the indicator lenses..

I must remember this for my own use... 🙂

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On 2/9/2019 at 11:13 AM, Steve Noble said:

No special prep. Just cleaned the parts with soapy water, dried them and straight Alclad from the bottle, no need to thin. Very light coats at 15 psi. Build up the colour slowly. Had to mix red and yellow to get orange for the indicator lenses..

How does the Alclad avoid frosting/paint spotting when spraying? I would've thought as a lacquer it would dry very quickly. I gave it a shot with some new AK Real Color Clear Green (somehow I stupidly ordered two instead of one ><) and tried thin coats, but it just fogged again. I even tried using some of my Pledge floor wax with a few drops of my Mig Ammo Clear Blue and Green in it and dipped, but it wouldn't take to the part. I've resorted to trying very very thinned down Mig Ammo paint applied with a flat brush. It kind of works but it still doesn't look fantastic. Not to mention having to remove the previous foggy, poor coats has left the windows look less than brilliant, with small marks. 

 

Wish companies, when they include armoured windows, would do what Meng has done before and include pre-tinted clear pieces.

 

Would that AK Gauzy stuff work to restore clarity to a sprayed part?

 

Gaz

 

 

Edited by GazB
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The Alclad sprays just like any type of clear colours. I never had any so called frosting? Just fill the airbrush with the clear colour and spray the parts. In the case of the motorcycle screen I applied two or three lighter coats to get the smoked colour to the depth I wanted, and then one final wet coat to finish. No problems at all. 

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I think if you're getting this frosting/spotting then something is wrong with either the paint, the technique or the thinning/pressure etc. All the clear colours I've ever used sprayed perfectly, that's Tamiya, Mr Color and Alclad. Never had any frosting or spotting or such..

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5 hours ago, Steve Noble said:

I think if you're getting this frosting/spotting then something is wrong with either the paint, the technique or the thinning/pressure etc. All the clear colours I've ever used sprayed perfectly, that's Tamiya, Mr Color and Alclad. Never had any frosting or spotting or such..

I used my larger needle airbrush, might it work better with my 0.3mm?

 

Gaz

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7 minutes ago, Steve Noble said:

I used Tamiya airbrush HG Wide 0.5..

Hmm. Only reason I mention it is because when I used my Mig Ammo matt varnish in my larger airbrush, it seemed to have that same kind of spotting look that I mentioned earlier, but the smaller one seemed to have a finer spray. Might give it a try.

 

Gaz

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