Could you kids educate me on rattle can paint jobs?

[tygr1]

Hi all,

 

I've been building models since I was a child, but have never achieved a really great paint job on the body of a kit. Maybe it's because I've always used enamels, maybe I didn't prep correctly, maybe I just don't have the patience for it. So what say you "experts"? Could you help an old man out with some pointers for a decent rattle can paint job?

[Casey]

A polishing kit is the great equalizer, in my opinion, but there are truly many different ways and materials to use when painting. That said, a solid foundation is always the best starting point, so here's some recommended reading to get you started:

http://italianhorses.net/Tutorials/tutorials.htm

[aurfalien]

Hi,

Well being a noob I don't really feel comfortable giving you any advice.

However after watching Don Yosts video, and applying his technique, I am starting to achieve paint jobs that I am very happy with.

Of the many things he touches on, two stand out;

1) Most ppl stop at two to three coats of paint.  He applies several.

2) Most ppl don't really prep there primer surfaces.  He makes em perfect and shiny as if they were a almost final coat.

I've watched several YouTube vids and most seem to echo these mistakes.

At any rate I'm still learning and paint is my major weakness.  However armed with the two points above, I feel much better about the future.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Good rattlecan (or any) paint jobs depend on two major factors:

1) Meticulous surface preparation and primer work, and

2) Developing good, consistent spray technique.

Enamels can be difficult to get repeatable results from when shot right out of the can, which is why a large number of modelers prefer either automotive lacquers intended for real cars (like Duplicolor) or hobby-specific lacquers such as Testors and Tamiya.

This hood is Duplicolor rattlecan...       This is Testors...   

Airbrushing is another ballgame entirely.

Unfortunately, there are many really GOOD methods that are used to get excellent paint finishes, and they could fill a thick book.

Here's one thread on this forum. There are many more. Read as much as you can, do some experimenting, and try to develop more specific questions.

 

Edited February 26, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[tygr1]

Shall I start trying 2 part lacquer paint jobs for better results?

[Fat Brian]

The things that have helped me are number one, surface prep. I do everything I can to get the body right before the primer because ideally I only want one thin coat of primer to not bury the body detail. Second, I try to get my body painted in as few coats as possible. Paint comes out of a can like a firehose and builds up very quickly. Don't paint the same part of the body pass after pass or you'll get a big wet layer than runs. When everything goes right I put on about an 80% coverage coat and set that aside to dry for a few hours. Once it's mostly dry but still tacky I put on a thin finish coat then let that stand for about ten minutes before putting in s thin layer of clear. Let that stand for another hour or two then do a last coat of clear. This should get you 90% of the way there with just minor wet sanding and polishing left. 

[tygr1]

Brian, are you using enamel or lacquer?

[Fat Brian]

Enamel, the Testors laquers dry a bit thinner than the enamels so you dont have to be quit as concerned about the number of coats.

[JollySipper]

I use DupliColor on all my bodies.........I like them because they have a fan nozzle instead of the cone spray pattern that most other paints use. I scrub the bare plastic with Comet, wash thoroughly and let air dry, then I prime with the Duplicolor sandable...... Sand the primer with 2000# wet, wash again and air dry......... Then usually two or three color coats, then two or three clear coats.......

Here's a good paint job I got using this method,, as Bill said, there are Many techniques to get a decent finish........

The clear can be polished once it cures, which only takes a few days since they are lacquer

One other advantage to using lacquer instead of enamel is it dries faster so there's less chance of lint and dust getting in your paint job.............

[StevenGuthmiller]

You can do amazing things with a polishing kit!

If you're anything like me, your painting skills might not be entirely up to par, & your patience for hours of surface prep may match that.

I don't consider myself a professional painter by any stretch, but I do get consistent compliments on my paint jobs, all directly attributable to my polishing pads & liquid polishes.

You don't have to be a paint guru to get nice results.

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

[Miatatom]

2 hours ago, Casey said:

A polishing kit is the great equalizer, in my opinion, but there are truly many different ways and materials to use when painting. That said, a solid foundation is always the best starting point, so here's some recommended reading to get you started:

http://italianhorses.net/Tutorials/tutorials.htm

I second Casey's suggestion. I've saved some pretty marginal paint jobs with polishing.

[Snake45]

I agree with much of the above. It's all about pre-paint prep and post-paint polishing. 

I know of few IF ANY modelers who get a great finish straight out a spray can (or an airbrush either, for that matter.) 

Edited February 26, 2018 by Snake45

[peteski]

I do prep the bodies well. If possible I don't use primer (to minimize the total paint thickness).  I never polish or wax my paint jobs (unless I have to polish out some nasty speck of dirt stuck in the paint, which doesn't happen often).  I use Badger 200 bottom fed airbrush. My method is to lay a thin first coat and few more heavy coats (almost to the point of running). That way I get no orange peel.

Here is a 1:43 Cobra.  It is about half the size of a 1:24 model.  Primer: Tamiya Fine White Primer (decanted from a spray can).  Then several coats of the nail polish shown in the photo, thinned with plain lacquer thinner. Last are 2 or 3 clear coats: Testors Wet Look Clear decanted from a can, and thinned with lacquer thinner.  Like I said - no polishing - no wax. It doesn't look too shabby.

 

My paint jobs didn't always look like this - It took lots of practice (um, kits with sub-par paint jobs) and experimentation.

Edited February 26, 2018 by peteski

[JollySipper]

Something I forgot to mention in my previous post...... I kinda do a "flow test" of the primer while I'm wet sanding it. I just hold the body under the tap for a second, then look at how the water flows out. If the primer looks slick and shiny when it's wet, then the paint should flow out also. Little trick I picked up!

[tygr1]

You guys are great! Thanks for all the tips and help.

[Pete J.]

Here is an article I did right after Tamiya came out with rattle can lacquers.  It is old but still applicable. https://www.tamiyausa.com/articles/painting-with-tamiya-synthetic-lacquers-35?article-id=35#.WpSj4-jwaMo

[tygr1]

For my latest project I have accumulated Some Model Master enamel, Testors clear gloss lacquer, primer, wet/dry sanding cloth, and a polishing paper kit. I'm thinking I'll have this paint job licked!

 

With your help of course.

[BigTallDad]

As a minor favor....I celebrated my 75th birthday last week, so I don't exactly consider myself a "kid" or, in your terms, an "expert"; perhaps a better choice of words might be in order.

All that aside, avail yourself of the prep and polishing advice listed above.

Rattle cans work! This is a 48 Ford done with Ace Hardware enamel right out of the can

[tygr1]

First coat of primer is on the truck. Sanding begins tomorrow! I'm excited about modelling again. Thanks everyone!

 

That is a beauty, Ray.

[JollySipper]

Hey, friend...... I'm not sure about the brands of materials you have and how well they play together, but as a general rule, you can't put lacquer over an enamel...... You may want to find something to test compatibility of the paints first before spraying your pickup..........

[tygr1]

Oops!! I will certainly do that TJ. Thanks a bunch.

[StevenGuthmiller]

8 hours ago, tygr1 said:

Oops!! I will certainly do that TJ. Thanks a bunch.

You will have no problem spraying Testors clear lacquer over enamel.

I've done it many times.

Just be absolutely certain that the enamel is cured fully.

And yes, that can take weeks or even months!

 

Steve

[tygr1]

Thanks for that, Steven!

 

Edited February 28, 2018 by tygr1

[Fat Brian]

This is a situation where you hear about people doing the "spoon test", using their paints on a plastic spoon before trying them on the actual model. The test is two-fold, one to see if the paint attacks the plastic and two to see if the paints play well together. The first one isn't as much of a concern when using hobby paints but is very important when using hotter auto quality products. If you decide to go that route the general concensus is to use decent spoons, not the super cheap soft ones as the better ones are more analogous to model plastic. You can also use kit parts you don't plan to use in your build for testing. The tonneau cover in that Ford kit would be ideal to test on if you don't plan to use it. It's even big enough you could get some painting practice in with the actual materials you're going to use.

[Ace-Garageguy]

12 minutes ago, Fat Brian said:

This is a situation where you hear about people doing the "spoon test", using their paints on a plastic spoon before trying them on the actual model. The test is two-fold, one to see if the paint attacks the plastic and two to see if the paints play well together. The first one isn't as much of a concern when using hobby paints but is very important when using hotter auto quality products. If you decide to go that route the general concensus is to use decent spoons, not the super cheap soft ones as the better ones are more analogous to model plastic. You can also use kit parts you don't plan to use in your build for testing. The tonneau cover in that Ford kit would be ideal to test on if you don't plan to use it. It's even big enough you could get some painting practice in with the actual materials you're going to use.

If that's the general consensus these days, it's wrong.

Hard styrene spoon plastic is usually much harder these days than the soft stuff being palmed off in model kits today. Styrene spoons are usually far more solvent-resistant than model plastics, and far more resistant to crazing than model plastics of recent years.

I have recent Revell models that were rendered useless (for anything other than rusty ratrods) by Duplicolor primer crazing, when the same primer shot wet on spoons produced no damage whatsoever.

And that's the reason I started harping on the spoon test being not-necessarily valid some time back.