CHEAP WALMART ENAMEL TEST

[Ace-Garageguy]

I bought several cans of this ultra-cheapo stuff several years ago to do a Q&D camo job on some tarps. I had a couple cans left over and sprayed out a little color a few days back. 

Though the monitor may not show it, it's a pretty good match for a '51-'54 Ford commercial color I wanted to do a pickup in, and certainly close enough to represent a repaint.

The bare plastic was scuffed with a generic Comet equivalent, washed with 70% iso, and then received 4 coats of paint at about 15 minute intervals.

It was slicker than snot initially.

After drying about an hour, it still looked pretty good.

After shrinking in for a couple of days, it's not as nice, but still acceptable as a starting point. A little 'grain' has showed up in it, and small particles of dust have become more visible.

After almost a week, it still looks pretty much the same. As soon as the enamel smell goes almost entirely away, the plan is to wetsand it and polish. We'll see how she looks then. 

 

Edited July 17, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[Snake45]

As you know, I love the gray and white primers in this line.

Couple years ago, I tried the dark blue. Didn't work well for me.

Couple weeks ago I bought a can of the gloss black. It crazed a plastic spoon horribly. Primed another spoon with the lovely Walmart gray primer, and shot a nice wet coat of the gloss black on that. It looks like a satin black. I'm sure if I had to I could lay on several coats and sand/polish a nice paint job out of it, but with other, better products available, why bother?

[Ace-Garageguy]

...with other, better products available, why bother?

In this case, I've got the stuff and it's a damm close match for a color I want for a specific project.

And...lotsa modelers are, let's say...frugal when it comes to buying materials and paint. Never hurts to know something cheap that can look as good as the expensive stuff.

Even top-line paints need sanding and polishing to look their best usually.

[bismarck]

I used that line of paint on my Auto Car dump truck cab with pretty darn good results. It took about a week or so to gas out enough to wet sand and polish, but its durable and polishes out nice.

[Mark]

A guy I know uses a lot of big-can, store-brand enamels on his builds.  For replica stock, he'll go with automotive touch-up sprays, but if the color is available in Wal-Mart, Krylon, or some other "household" brand, he'll use it, and polish it out.  He's on permanent disability, so he's got more time than money.  But, the stuff does work...you only have to wait long enough to polish it.

[TarheelRick]

I used that brand orange on a replica 65 Mustang a couple of years back.  I taped for some black stripes and the tape pulled large strips of the orange off.  The body was primered with Duplicolor, so that was not the issue.  When I dropped it into the Purple Power, the whole paint job came off in almost one piece.  Since than I have sort of shied away from them, although I have used their white primer on a couple of things.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I used that brand orange on a replica 65 Mustang a couple of years back.  I taped for some black stripes and the tape pulled large strips of the orange off.  The body was primered with Duplicolor, so that was not the issue.  When I dropped it into the Purple Power, the whole paint job came off in almost one piece.  Since than I have sort of shied away from them, although I have used their white primer on a couple of things.

Thanks for the input. Good to know there may be an adhesion issue when masking over it.

[Snake45]

In this case, I've got the stuff and it's a damm close match for a color I want for a specific project.

And...lotsa modelers are, let's say...frugal when it comes to buying materials and paint. Never hurts to know something cheap that can look as good as the expensive stuff.

Even top-line paints need sanding and polishing to look their best usually.

My "better products available" line referred specifically to gloss black. Sorry if I was unclear on that. Your green test looks much, MUCH better than my black did.

Still, if I wanted that shade of green, I'd start with Testor Little Bottle green (very bright) and add a tiny bit of black at a time until I got what I wanted. Then cut it with lacquer thinner and airbrush it. I've done at least one paint job with the TLB green+black and the stuff mixed beautifully and polished out to a breathtaking shine (which not all mixes will do, for some strange reason). I went a bit darker than "your" green but the principle is the same.

[Snake45]

I used that brand orange on a replica 65 Mustang a couple of years back.  I taped for some black stripes and the tape pulled large strips of the orange off.  The body was primered with Duplicolor, so that was not the issue.  When I dropped it into the Purple Power, the whole paint job came off in almost one piece.  Since than I have sort of shied away from them, although I have used their white primer on a couple of things.

I used the dark blue on a '65 Chevelle wagon that I'd primed with the Walmart primer. I forget what the exact problem was but I do remember that the finish was completely unsatisfactory with no chance of saving it through sanding/polishing, so I stripped it. The blue came right off in rubbing alcohol, leaving the primer completely intact underneath. Due to the fact that alcohol took it off so quickly, cleanly, and easily, I suspect the "quick-drying enamel" might in fact be lacquer. Alcohol will sometimes take enamel off, but it takes a lot of soaking time. (It's great on old AMT or Pactra lacquers, though, and on the newer Testor rattlecan lacquers.)

[Ace-Garageguy]

Interesting stuff, Snake. I have to admit that one of the things that appealed to me about using this stuff was my assumption it will strip very easily in the event it fails to provide satisfactory results.

[Snake45]

Interesting stuff, Snake. I have to admit that one of the things that appealed to me about using this stuff was my assumption it will strip very easily in the event it fails to provide satisfactory results.

If your green is the same as my blue, won't be a problem. Why not spray some on a spoon, let it dry 24 hours (didn't take me long to decide to strip), and see if alcohol takes it right off?

But again, your finish came out much better than mine, so maybe it's not the same kind of paint.

Also, try this: lay one nice wet coat on some expendable kit area, like the top of a chassis or the underside of the interior tub. Let it dry a few hours or even a day, and then see if you can put a dent in the plastic with your thumbnail. I did this with the blue and the Chevelle and "left a mark," which told me it was soaking into the plastic and hadn't gassed all the way out yet. Although, strangely, I don't recall that it crazed the plastic when I tried this.

[Ace-Garageguy]

When I'm doing a test, I usually shoot the first coat wet, as wet as I can without running it. 

I know this goes against the prevailing wisdom of shooting light or mist coats first, but it shows immediately if there's any chance whatsoever of a crazing problem.

The enamel stink is about gone now, a little over a week after shooting it. I'm going to put it in the sun to try to harden it a little more and then sand / polish / photograph.

No matter what the outcome, I'll hit the whole panel with oven cleaner and see what happens then.

 

[Snake45]

 

No matter what the outcome, I'll hit the whole panel with oven cleaner and see what happens then.

 

Try the rubbing alcohol first. If it doesn't work, the oven cleaner should. (I've stripped many, many glue bombs with oven cleaner, but would prefer to use alcohol where it works.)

[Ace-Garageguy]

Oven cleaner is my go-to first choice. I love watching the paint practically jump off the parts...when it works.  

[TarheelRick]

  I'm going to put it in the sun to try to harden it a little more

I would be really careful setting it out in the sun for very long.  Around here lately the sun has been quite brutal and would possibly turn it into a pretzel rather quickly.  Of course, I figure you know that already. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

I would be really careful setting it out in the sun for very long.  Around here lately the sun has been quite brutal and would possibly turn it into a pretzel rather quickly.  Of course, I figure you know that already. 

On average, styrene begins to flow or permanently deform at around 212F. It's unlikely it will get over 160 in direct overhead sun, but I'll keep an eye on it anyway. 

[Snake45]

Oven cleaner is my go-to first choice. I love watching the paint practically jump off the parts...when it works.  

I've never seen anything like that. But I DO routinely get results in as little as 15-20 minutes. By results, I mean at least SOME paint coming off. I don't think I have ever completely stripped a body with just one application. I call three aps or less a Big Win, and it's not uncommon to have to go to five to seven to get everything off.

[Ace-Garageguy]

If it's really bottom-of-the-barrel spray paint, like this, I've had the oven cleaner wrinkle it just like it had been hit with paint stripper...and all of it come off in essentially a single sheet.

On the other hand, I've had what was certain to be 50-year-old Testors brush enamel take multiple soakings in oven cleaner, in a sealed bag, to finally break it down. The bottom coat of blue on one little Fiat Topo was so resilient, I thought the thing had been molded in blue (painted inside too) until it finally gave up and slithered off.

Edited July 17, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[jwrass]

Ace,

Very interesting! Big $$$$ paint doesn't necessarily mean it's good or will perform well. I won't go deep into the chemistry of Cheapo vs Big $$$ in a nut shell the Big $$$ paints ingredients are just more refined.

I see so many on this forum and others with so many paint problems... IMO most are due to improper preparation. My favorite is the I sanded it with 9 million grit paper and nothing will stick!

I really don't think Ricky's adhesion problem had much to do with the product as much as the tooth on the Duplicolor ( not a fan of the Duplicolor brand)

Great Post! I will be watching this for the results..... My money is on it's going to look great!

 

P.S. Remember the days when the finest grit would could get was 600.... those days put a whole new meaning to sand and rub and rub and rub......

Peace Jimmy "RASS

 

[hotrodz]

I used to buy the clear years ago, was the best aerosol clear I've ever used. I buy the flats, and glosses all the time. Still have some orange an yellow on the shelf.