peteski

Of course, plenty of practice, and lots of compatibility testing is very important, but knowing the basics about paint chemistry doesn't hurt either.

The main difference between enamel and lacquer paints is that while both dry by solvent evaporation, after that, enamels continue to cure/harden for longer time period, but lacquers, once the solvent is evaporated are fully dry. The binder (the resin which holds the pigment and which also adheres to the painted substrate) chemically changes during the hardening process (usually caused by reaction with oxygen). Once cured, enamel cannot be redissolved using its own paint thinner or other solvents. Cured enamel will soften or become gelatinous when solvents are applied, but it will never liquefy. Lacquers on the other hand can be redissolved from their dried state, fully mixing into their solvent. That is why when you have partially dried bottle of lacquer, you can add its thinner to get it back into usable state. But if a bottle of enamel gets past a certain point in the drying/hardening state, no amount of thinner will get it into usable state. It will just be a curdled chunky mess. As for the taboo words like acrylic, polyurethane, nitrocellulose, and others, those are simply describing the paint's binder. It is the paint's "body" which holds the pigment, and adheres to the painted surface. Usually those are some types of resin. This is all mentioned in the links I posted earlier. It also irks me that modelers took to describing all of the low-odor paints which are either water-based and are usually enamels as "acrylics". While it is true that most do use type of acrylic resin as binder, acrylic is also often used in other types of enamels or lacquers. That is why when I talk about those types of paint, I usually call them "water-based acrylics". The 2-part paints are yet another variant of paint. While they contain solvent (since they are liquid), after the solvent evaporates, they continue to cure (harden) by a chemical reaction similar to a 2-part epoxy adhesive. But they are not really enamels either. I'm no paint chemist - just a model builder. But with the advent of internet I was able to gain knowledge about the chemicals we use in our hobbies. This helps me to be a better modeler.

Here you go. Lots of info about lacquers (including nitrocellulose). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacquer Basically "lacquer" is a colloquial name used on this side of the pond for for coatings (paints) which are not enamels. Hey, there is info on what enamels are too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enamel_paint As you can see, both lacquer and enamel originally meant something totally different than just paints. Since we are on educational kick, it is also good to understand basics about what paint is generically. Nitrocellulose is just one or many possible binders used in lacquers. Seems that it has become a colloquial name for describing lacquer paints in general in Europe. Good reading if one wants to educate themselves about to be a better modeler about what paint is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paint Both "lacquer" and "enamel" have become generic terms to describe a broad range of paint coatings. There are multiple formulas for both lacquer and enamel paints. They use a range of binders and solvents. Complicated isn't it? That is why it is beneficial to at least have basic understanding of what paints are and how they work. I'm no chemist, but I read quite a bit about paints to be a better modeler.

Yes, nickel plating has a warmer (slightly orangish) tone than the "cold" chrome mirror-like shine.

Yes, toothbrushes are good for tasks like that. Soft enough not to cause damage, and stiff enough to pick the softened paint out.

I guess the question is exactly what degree of weathering/patine is desired? For example is it a brass radiator which has a clean and dull (not polished) surface, or is heavy patina (discoloration) needed?

Exactly, as the tinted Futrue runs off, so will the tint intensity. You might have to dip multiple times, and even then the tinting will be very weak. But as I mentioned earlier, you can try that technique, and if it doesn't work, just remove the Future and go to "plan B".

Epoxy (like the 5-minute type) will not affect either the paint or decal. When you do that the weakest bond will be the decal to the painted hood surface. So it will not be as strong as if you glued the scoops directly to the hood's plastic surface. If you accidentally firmly bump the scoop, in might come off, taking some of the decal with it.

Actually you will have to add quite a bit of food coloring to make the tinting visible. Worth a try since Future can be removed easily, but I suspect that as excess Future runs off or pools on the surface, the tinting will be streaky and uneven.

I sure hope you meant DOT3 brake fluid, not brake clean!! Brake clean will instantly attack and ruin polystyrene.

Just to bring up another experience ,I visit the forum regularly throughout most of the day (from around 8am to midnight), and have not experienced any hangs here. My browser is Seamonkey.

The sad thing is that if someone actually clicked on the link Joe posted in the first reply to the question, that was the the exact answer there. Alcohol.

I really think this "not painting over chrome" thing is way overblown. It is not like paint will not stick or will flake off. Really! Some of those "chromed" (actually vacuum metalized aluminum, not the real chromium used on 1:1 cars) parts have a clear coat applied on top for protecting that very thin layer of aluminum. Or if the parts are brass colored, there is a layer of clear yellow/amber lacquer applied over metallic surface to make it look like brass. Those clear coats don't come off easily. Paint won't either. While paint might not adhere as well as it does on bare plastic, the bond will be strong enough to withstand the handling as well as any paint on the other parts of the model. You might want to spray a coat of primer first, or even shoot the color coat directly over the metalized parts. The paint will stick! I'm not sure where this whole "don't paint over model chrome" started. Maybe because instructions recommend scraping the metal/clear-coat layer off before gluing parts? Someone assumed that paint wont' stick either? I don't know, but is it false.

I don't see any visible bricks in that photo. I would go with some sort of smooth plastic sheets and other shapes (styrene, acrylic, etc.). In the end you'll likely paint everything anyway. If the surfaces should be rough, you can use textured paint, if smooth you use semigloss (glossy painted building would not look right).

Yup. R.I.P. Bill's microwave.