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Gloss Paint Finish + Acrylics?


Knikki

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I have had a look, but not sure if my search words are not right but anyway.

 

Trying to kick my Model Mojo into working again, usually do planes, tanks etc but found in my stash a Tamiya F189, so thought, why not.

 

Now I know that these types of cars have a high gloss finish on them and looking around it seems that many use enamel or lacquer based paints with some form of polishing.

 

But I don't like these paints and use the water based acrylics, so, the question is do you still use the same combination of Gloss Varnish and Polishing to get that high gloss finish? 

 

Thanks

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I've never been able to polish water based paint. I'm guessing you need something that's low odour and as least toxic as possible. Maybe try Tamiya's acrylics. They're solvent based, but they're easier to use and buff out than Revell's Aqua for example. Gunze is another way to go, but their glosses require a LOT of drying time.

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Right, I don't think it's possible to polish water based paint, you'd need something solvent based which is tougher. I use mainly Tamiya's acrylic or lacquer paints for that, but have also used some Zero Paints. The latter being less odorous (if that's your problem with these types of paints), at least the colours I've used. For Tamiya's paint: the acrylics (X) are less smelly than the lacquers (LP/TS). 

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5 hours ago, Knikki said:

ARH! Ok

 

Thanks for the info and will go have a look at Zero paints :)

Just a quick heads up and contrary to what JeroenS posted above. Zero paints are actually very noxious. They are fabulous paints, but if you're looking for something that's less smelly, then Zero are definitely not your paint of choice. They're actually auto paints in smaller quantities for model use. They need thinning with basecoat thinner, itself very noxious and they dry matt, so you must use clear for a gloss finish. If you've got all the kit needed for spraying them they'll give you a great finish. But without an extractor fan or mask, they're not the most pleasant paints to use from a smell point of view.

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Ok I went ahead and opened a couple of ZP jars, I just had to know 🙂 ... Two of them are colours which have a deep but not very sharp smell, a bit sweet even to my nose at least (that must have been what I remembered). The third jar was pearl effect and it was just plain obnoxious! So, it was good of you to shout out @Steve Noble Btw when painting I use both extractor fan and fume mask. 

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As mentioned above the zero paints range do provide excellent results however do not ignore the safety advice ! The 2k clear in particular is extremely toxic but again does produce superb results. I have used these products for a while now but only after investing in the best safety equipment I could find. So are they worth the hassle well for me yes but anyone thinking that a dust mask and an open window is good enough needs to steer clear of these products. Just my thoughts based on my experience. 

                Regards Andy 

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28 minutes ago, Andy J said:

As mentioned above the zero paints range do provide excellent results however do not ignore the safety advice ! The 2k clear in particular is extremely toxic but again does produce superb results. I have used these products for a while now but only after investing in the best safety equipment I could find. So are they worth the hassle well for me yes but anyone thinking that a dust mask and an open window is good enough needs to steer clear of these products. Just my thoughts based on my experience. 

                Regards Andy 

Sound advice there, especially about the 2k clear. When I actually read up on 2k clear a few years ago I was alarmed by what I read. So much so that I cut it's use immediately. At that time my son, (who is 4 years old now) had recently been born and I decided that even though I had the necessary safety kit I didn't want to risk using it any more. My model building now is virtually non existent, but when I do return to building, I'll be looking for something less hazardous...

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I just thought I've been waffling on and not actually answered the original question. Well, you can polish the gloss versions of the water based paints, but you have to be very careful when you do so and use the right product for the polishing. They are simply not as tough as their lacquer counterparts. I've managed to polish Tamiya X series and Gunze Aqueous with the finest Tamiya rubbing compounds used sparingly on a soft cloth. Anything stronger and you risk rubbing through the paint way too easily. You need to allow them to dry for as long as possible, as they remain sticky to the touch for weeks. A month is usually best for drying. The best way to use them is to spray such a nice finish that you don't actually need to polish them, but this is easier said than done as they are not the best paints to lay down and get a mirror like shine from the airbrush. That's the main reason why I use lacquer paints for car and bike kits, just the ease of the gloss finish and the quick drying time. But they do smell quite a lot more than the other paints, but that is their only drawback...

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Hi All,

 

Just my two-penny worth.

I have used Zero-Paints gloss (1K) clearcoat and Tamiya X-22 Gloss Clear thinned with Mr Color Levelling thinners.

I didn't really get on well with the ZP clear. It was smelly, cleaning the air-brush was a bit messy, and I couldn't get rid of the orange-peel effect, even after careful sanding and polishing.

However, I had much more success with the Tamiya Clear. Very little, or no orange-peel, and in my opinion just enough high-gloss to be scale effective. I firmly believe that too high a gloss finish makes the model too toy-like!

You DO have to be careful when polishing the Tamiya Clear as it isn't as robust as the pure lacquer paints, (ask me how I know!) but with care you can get a very good gloss finish.

I still think that even with the Tamiya paints, you should use a face mask as you only have the one pair of lungs and transplants are few and far between...

 

Cheers,

Alan

Edited by Alan R
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Just a thought. I sprayed Tamiya gloss red on a Mustang the other week left it to dry for a couple of days but it was still tacky is not the right word but you knew it had not gone off fully. So sprayed some Klear (Ido still have a couple of bottles.... liquid gold) over it and left it the best part of 5 days...……………….....

 

Result …. one of the best gloss finishes I have ever done and hard.. 

 

As I said just a thought.

 

Cheers

 

Dick

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On 14/12/2019 at 12:09, Alan R said:

Tamiya X-22 Gloss Clear thinned with Mr Color Levelling thinners.

I've never tried that combo, it sounds like it's worth a go. Whenever I've sprayed Tamiya clear, it's always took an age to dry. What's the drying time like with the levelling thinners?

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Hi Steve,

It's been a while since I did this last, but if I recall, it was touch dry within 20 minutes. It obviously depends on temperature, humidity etc.

 

Cheers,

Alan.

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Why faff about with air brushes when there is an extensive range of rattle can acrylic automotive primers and top coats available at any good automotive accessory outlet?  They go off hard and fast and thus are easier to polish out if required. Many of these outlets can mix colours both into aerosols and jars. Some time ago I enquired about Ferrari Red at Halfords and was asked what particular model and year and was told that Ferrari's reds varied. I was unaware of this at the time and thought that Ferrari Red was just one particular shade.

Before I get a load of flack, I am a double action airbrush user, and naturally the instrument comes into its own when I do  custom paint jobs and weathering etc. 

Having said that for overall colours the aerosol can is just so much more convenient than all the mixing and cleaning out procedures necessary with an air brush.

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As a former rattle can (heavy) user I would never return to them. A single wrong move and you can get drips, splashes whatever. You have very little control over them on such complex surfaces (even with skinny caps). Also you can't use them indoors even with a good extractor. Even a low quality airbrush will be way better than the best rattle can.

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On 12/17/2019 at 4:04 PM, Noel Smith said:

for overall colours the aerosol can is just so much more convenient than all the mixing and cleaning out procedures necessary with an air brush

Rattle cans are OK, but I found that while you could get a good result, there seemed to be a lot of waste, and fume build-up.

I know that zero paints aren't exactly non-toxic, but on the whole I would rather pay a bit more, have less waste and I don't find the brush cleaning ritual that bothersome (except at 11:30 at night when all I want to do is go to bed... :))

Just my two-penny worth.

 

Cheers, Alan.

 

P.S. I would heavily recommend a filter face mask for either. The lungs will thank you ...

 

Edited by Alan R
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  • 2 weeks later...

Had to break away from my last post. Airbrush v Aerosol? It is a matter of horses for courses really. As a car modeller I just find aerosols very handy for overall paint jobs in many cases. Even when I use the airbrush I find that using aerosol white or grey auto primers before hand more convenient. It is really what works best for you. I have tried many different paints through the airbrush over the years. Some suit me and some do not. Someone else may get on better with something that I do not as air brushing is a bit subjective. Zero paints got mentioned. They are very good I found. I used their French Blue over aerosol auto primer and topped off with clear acrylic on my scratch built Bugatti Type 59 that won best civilian vehicle at Telford in 2012. I tend to use what is best to hand. As far as airbrush cleaning goes I do not advocate a strip down clean after every use. My method is blast cellulose thinner through it followed by white spirit then a dedicated air brush cleaner. Not had to strip an air brush down in ages. 

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Interesting subject I've used both methods in the past with great results. However if it came down to a vote I think the airbrush would win hands down, purely because of the control and versatility they offer. Thing is we can all use whatever method we choose so it is definitely a matter of personal choice. I recently looked at my work bench and noticed I have 10 different types of glue some used regularly some rarely used, so do I need them? Absolutely right I do they all have there use one way or another. My point is there are loads of methods and products available to the modern day modeller and once again it's down to personal choice, after all it's the ability to build what you like however you want that makes this such a great hobby 

                                Regards Andy 

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On 1/1/2020 at 8:14 AM, Noel Smith said:

Not had to strip an air brush down in ages. 

Hi Noel,

I used to do that, but found that the time saved by blasting cellulose thinners, et. al. through it, was lost when I found that the thing was still gummed up with the time taken to re-clean it before use later.

As you said, "It is really what works best for you", but I find that it only takes 10 to 20 minutes to clean the brush after a session. Maybe I'm doing the 'blast-through' thing wrong, but I seemed to spend more time "retro-cleaning" it before use when I tried that.

As always, "Your mileage may vary"...

 

Cheers, Alan.

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Hi Alan 

What I failed dismally to mention in my airbrush blast through procedure was that I use a soft paint brush loaded with thinners and work it around the nozzle area each time I close the airbrush off. If I get any stubborn bits of paint around the nozzle I shut off the compressor, discharge the pressure, and then use the airbrush control lever to pull the needle back into the nozzle. Then I get a wooden cocktail stick, dip the end of it into thinners and very gently work away the stubborn paint build up. On no account do I ever use anything made from metal to do this job! It is very, ,very rarely that I even have to do this provided I brush thinners regularly around the nozzle during my blast through procedure. I have an old Aztec airbrush cleaning glass jar unit  into which the airbrush can be discharged during this procedure. Hope this info is of further help.

Cheers Noel

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