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Dave G.

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Posts posted by Dave G.

  1. 14 hours ago, Jim B said:

    I used MCW enamel to paint the engine on my MPC 1978 Dodge D100, and I had a hell of a time with the paint.  I'm sure part of the issue is that I was brush painting with it, and it's probably formulated to airbrush; but I cannot confirm that.  Good luck with them, but I don't think I'll be using them in the near future.

    Why do model companies assume that everyone has an airbrush?  At least it seems that way,

    I've used the MCW lacquer and it sprays fine. I made the mistake of leaving rumble seat underside and door jams for brushing on a 1/16 model A . 3 coats later it still wasn't truly covered well is best I can say. Now that was maybe 3 years ago and I know MCW went through a time where the lacquers were mixed a bit extra thin, so maybe that's what I got.

  2. 5 hours ago, Nicholas said:

    i use MCW paints as my go to paints,mostly the enamel line,i also use their hardner with it always drys within 24 hrs,..not forever and a day like the old testor ,i dont use a dehydrator either i use there 1-k clear,and also add hardner to that,..gives a wicked shine/finish!,..the mcw enamel paints come out so well for me that sometimes i dont need clear,and do not clear it after paint,hope this helps.

    I find that gloss "as shot" pretty much to be the case with most enamels, even decanted and airbrushed Rustoleum 2X. The key is to mix it and put it on right. However, I will say that if I recall correctly, the MCW enamel is solvent based acrylic automotive enamel ( not to be confused with waterborne enamel acrylics in any way). But it's not the old alkyd enamel either.

     

  3. 7 hours ago, Jim B said:

    I used MCW enamel to paint the engine on my MPC 1978 Dodge D100, and I had a hell of a time with the paint.  I'm sure part of the issue is that I was brush painting with it, and it's probably formulated to airbrush; but I cannot confirm that.  Good luck with them, but I don't think I'll be using them in the near future.

    Why do model companies assume that everyone has an airbrush?  At least it seems that way,

    It sounds like you had their lacquer which is pre thinned for airbrushing and basically brush paints lousy.. The enamel is not thinned, it should brush paint fine.

  4. I suspect the clear MCW uses for the enamel line is a 1K clear, not truly enamel then if so. I don't think it's 2K but could be. You would have to ask though, don't go just on my word.

    When I use enamel, regardless what brand, it's generally for an old classic car like 1950s on back into pre teens era.. I don't use clear on those if to use enamel. To me it's pretty much ready to display as shot if done right and all turns out successfully. But these days I'm using more acrylics than I am solvent paints. Base coating with acrylic or lacquer probably would need the clear in my case unless it's a true gloss like Tamiya products. Then I can just buff it up.

  5. That's about a dead ringer for the old Model Master Classic Black enamel. You can use the Tamiya, it will be a bit more stark black or Jet black but not way off. You could make a fine rendering with either if done right.

    I wish they made the model in a 4door like that. My dad had one back in the day, it was gold.

  6. Some of the hottest lacquers are automotive acrylic lacquer, which by the way is the same stuff the cherished and highly acclaimed MCW people sell as model paints.

    Some of the most health concerning enamels around are automotive acrylic enamels with an optional secondary agent that catalyzes it. Which incidentally is the enamel some model specialty paint suppliers sell with optional hardener. Same stuff.

    So no, acrylic doesn't have to be water borne. At all, in any way.

  7. 16 minutes ago, Lunajammer said:

    The conversation has sorta moved past this already, but here's what happened to me when I didn't engage my brain before spraying it over enamel.

    IntDoorPanelCrap3.jpg.b98d2c011f663f12e992f663c803c445.jpg

    I don't know what "it" was you're referring to but what you're showing is a a good classic and repeatable example of what a reaction of hot lacquer sprayed over fresh enamel often looks like.

  8. 5 hours ago, peteski said:

    Yes, it is really too bad that hobbyists started using this generic "acrylic" term as an indicator of a paint using mild (often water) solvent.

    I agree, plus: Really it was the paint producers and suppliers selling acrylic paints to hobbyists leading that for the most part were water borne, the modelers just picked up the conception acrylic must be mild like latex house paint lol..And nobody from the industry filled in between the lines. Meanwhile, as some of us who shot 1/1 for any amount of time knew acrylic to be generally a pretty hot product, especially acrylic lacquer and long before model paints took the plunge into mild waterborne acrylics.. Acrylic lacquers were quite hot. To which incidentally, MCW supplies hot acrylic lacquer. Their lacquer isn't just lacquer but acrylic lacquer. So it's not just the idea the term acrylic came to be known as mild in the model industry but meanwhile acrylics had already been in hot solvent paints a long time. In fact as waterborne acrylics for models came out, so too was a stab at it for base color coating in 1/1. The term base coat clear coat came out of that. Before then, (what late 1970's ish,) clear coating wasn't a standard at all in refinishing cars or trucks. Clear was around but it wasn't on production cars nor really in refinishing till base coating took hold.

    • Like 1
  9. I looked it up, in Dupont it was 817, then there was a suffix for what type of paint. We used it for 7 Up and Dr Pepper trucks. I'm including a drop down that should list numbers, paint brands etc. MCW can probably mix it or just go to a Napa store and get a sample in acrylic enamel. You don't have to do anything, I'm posting for fun none the less !

      image [year] make model paint color name code     sample GM code Chrysler code Ditzler PPG Dupont RM BASF Glasurit Autocolor Spies Hecker Martin Senour Sherwin Williams comment  
                    C     X        2185 21667             Mack Truck Dupont Imron PPG Durethane Offset Listing June 1988  
                    C     X        2185 817, 00817             Mack Truck Dupont Imron PPG Durethane Offset Listing June 1988  
              White          X    WEA5111, WE5111, WA5111 DT1084 2185 21667, 378-21667, 6715, 776-21667, 817, N0006 1347           PPG/Dupont Cross-Ref 1990  
          Caterpillar   White          X    WA5111, WA9225, WE5111 DT1084 2185 817 1347 GM-5111, GM5111, GM-9225, GM9225 8HM4, 8JT9, 8JT9B 17841 1208 7209 GM Corporate White  
          Clark   Lift White          X    WA5111, WA9225, WE5111 DT1084 2185 817 1347 GM-5111, GM5111, GM-9225, GM9225 8HM4, 8JT9, 8JT9B 17841 1208 7209 GM Corporate White  
          Fleet 7up White          X    WA5111, WA9225, WE5111 DT1084 2185 817 1347 GM-5111, GM5111, GM-9225, GM9225 8HM4, 8JT9, 8JT9B 17841 1208 7209    
          Fleet Dr Pepper White          X    WA5111, WA9225, WE5111 DT1084 2185 817 1347 GM-5111, GM5111, GM-9225, GM9225 8HM4, 8JT9, 8JT9B 17841 1208 7209    
          Fleet Northwest Airlines White          X    WA5111, WA9225, WE5111 DT1084 2185 817 1347 GM-5111, GM5111, GM-9225, GM9225 8HM4, 8JT9, 8JT9B 17841 1208 7209    
          Chevrolet Chevrolet Corporate White          X    WA5111 DT1084 2185 817 1347   8HM4, 8JT9, 8JT9B 17841 1208 7209    
          GM   White          X    WA9225  

     

  10. The thing about all white paint jobs is it's white. I mean it's not a pzazz color like pink or purple iridescent pearl or something. White isn't everyone's cup of tea without an accent color or unless it's the accent color.

    6 hours ago, Sonorandog said:

    Thanks for all the advice. I typically use an airbrush. The current body I’m working on has gone through three paint jobs.  I put down a white primer in each scenario. The three paints I have used have been ammo, Vallejo and Tamiya. The Tamiya was a bottle of the X2 white thinned with Tamiya thinner. in each case as well as with previous white paint jobs the final color always ends up being boring. I’m trying to get a nice crisp shade of white. A bright white.  For some reason I can accomplish this with other colors, but the white always ends up just blah. I think I’m going to try buying a can of Tamiya white spray paint and see if that gives me better results. I don’t know if the attached images convey the issue.  Those are the results with with Tamiya white.

    IMG_6550.jpeg

    IMG_6549.jpeg

    I don't recall the name, code or paint number but GMC had a crisp white in their fleet colors around the late 70's or so. Every time I shot it in 1/1 it made me think of freshness. I shot it over light platinum primer. If you put the paint chip ( I had a huge thick book of chips and codes by manufacturer)next to other chips of whites you could see it had just a hint of blue in it. You didn't see that till you compared. Some whites a hint of grey, others yellow etc.

     

  11. 32 minutes ago, DanR said:

    I'm with you. How the heck do we know the thickness of milk? As a rule of thumb, I once saw that if you drag a small line of thinned paint up the side of the paint cup, and it's not watery and running down the side, nor is it sitting there in a lump at the stopping point, you're likely ok. You should have a clean, even line of color that basically hangs there.

    The mixing stick thing works quite well actually. Drag a good batch of paint up the side of your mixing cup with the mixing stick. It should return down the side of the cup in 1-3 seconds or so and leave a film behind. If it returns instantly with nothing on the cup then its too thin. If it sits like a blob or creeps it's way back down it's too thick. You don't have to be exact and can change air pressure for the difference. Also this depends on your thinner mix in terms of any additives, the brand paint as well. Some paints just flow out a little better than others and this is something you get a feel for. Thinning this way is thinning by viscosity. But once you get a good repeat going on with this you get a sense for what ratio you hit on for that color.

    But that range of thickness above will get ya going. Some paints like the thinner side of that method, others will take the thicker. And if it doesn't want to spray out right it may still be a bit thick,just put in a few drops more thinner, it will probably spray fine..

    I've sprayed low fat milk by the way, to entertain myself. Swirled it around in the cup, got a sense for it, put it in the airbrush and it sprays great. But so does water or alcohol or lacquer thinner if you think about it. So when your paint won't flow it's probably too thick.

    • Like 2
  12. Thinning with water in most any acrylic paint and then airbrushing is never optimal . Nix the water or at least water alone. In Testors I find my own mix of thinner to work best but then I have a whole system of shooting acrylic paints that I doubt anyone else follows.

    Here's the deal from another view though, Testors makes their own acrylic thinner, try that first.

    Don't forget to use a decent primer on your model as well.

    • Like 1
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