Weights of Testors Products per Fluid Ounce: I have written to Rust-Oleum Product Support (US)

[Plumcrazy Preston]

I have just asked them the following questions via web-based corporate email messaging (and I await for their answers if they can provide this information to me). 

 

1. What is the WEIGHT (in grams or avoirdupois ounces) of 

a. Testors Flat Enamel per fluid ounce?
b. Testors Semi-Gloss Enamel per fluid ounce?
c. Testors Gloss Enamel per fluid ounce? 
d. Testors Universal Enamel Thinner per fluid ounce? 

I might find it more useful to use my accurate digital postal scale in determining the correct mixtures for enamels and thinner as opposed to trying to measure these products by volume which can be messy, inaccurate and waste product. 

2. What is the recommended mixing ratio for Testors SEMI-GLOSS Enamel and Universal Enamel Thinner for airbrushing? The instructions on the 8 oz. can of Universal Enamel Thinner only provide information regarding mixing for FLAT Enamels and GLOSS Enamels.  

 

Some of you seasoned modelers here and Testors products aficionados might already know the answers to some or all of these questions already. Please feel free to chime in if you know any of this information already. If the current manufacturer of Testors products is even worth their salt, they should already have such technical information as product weight per unit of volume in their files. Paint is a very scientific matter. There is chemistry, mathematics and physics involved. 

Does anybody here actually use a scale when dosing out paints and thinners (of any brand) for mixing? It also helps to know the weights of the containers used in paint storage and mixing to zero out a digital postal scale using the TARE function. 

I received my shiny new red 8 oz. tin can of Testors Universal Enamel Thinner from amazon.com the other day. Over $16 with shipping!!! My word!! I have a good number of Testors enamels in 0.25 oz. bottles and some of them have been opened already and are only partially full. I want to use thinner to actually rinse paint residue out of the Testors bottles for airbrushing and don't want to waste a single drop of paint. Trying to measure products by volume here and maintain accurate ratios would not be very feasible. I have pipettes for dispensing but don't want to rely upon them for accurate product dosing. 

 

The Testors Universal Enamel label instructions call for 3 parts paint/2 parts thinner for GLOSS and 3 parts paint/1 part thinner for FLAT. Nothing is specified on the label for SEMI-GLOSS Enamels. 

Edited October 28, 2021 by Plumcrazy Preston

[Ctmodeler]

Just my suggestion but I use lacquer thinner instead of enamel thinner. Testors gloss about 2/1 thinner to paint . Personally I don't think it has to be that precise to weigh it out.

[Plumcrazy Preston]

Does lacquer thinner harm any of your plastic models in any way when used as a base paint mixer? My current project is an EXPENSIVE amt brand truck model kit, the Kenworth W-925 tractor. I plan to do a painting test session using runner material from the model kit. I will first follow mixing directions from Testors/Rust-Oleum as a starting point. If I follow manufacturer directions and recommendations, I might have a better chance of getting satisfactory results right off the bat and possibly reduce expenditures of time, money, energy and resources. 

 

I also have a new can of Klean-Strip lacquer thinner from Walmart. I need more economical material for clean-up after painting than enamel thinner. Besides, I will need the lacquer thinner for Testors Dullcote and Glosscote mixing later on. Various customer reviews on amazon.com indicate 1:1 ratio is preferred with these products. I should also do a trial of top coating over my test runner material with cured base enamel with spare decals applied. 

Edited October 28, 2021 by Plumcrazy Preston

[Mark]

A low temp lacquer reducer will work on primed plastic (as always, test first!).  Cheap lacquer thinners tend to be "hotter".  The Wal-Mart stuff would be strictly "out" for anything but cleanup IMO.

[Plumcrazy Preston]

I don't plan on priming my plastic for mixed Testors enamel as a base coat. Just a light scuff with 1,000-grit sandpaper followed by a warm-soapy-water cleaning of parts and complete air drying as a prep. I don't like to sand too much or the rivets molded into the truck cab and sleeper unit get worn down. I had to sand and scrape off with an Xacto knife a bunch of mold flash on the edges of the hood, cab and fenders. Over the years, I've painted a bunch of parts with a hand brush and Testors enamel and some parts with Testors flat or semi-gloss enamels in spray cans and never found priming necessary. Testors enamels seem to bond well and level well with model kit plastics. 

[Oldcarfan27]

If you've got an expensive kit and don't plan on using primer as a shield, I would strongly suggest AVOIDING using any lacquer thinners to mix into the paint!

At the very least I would practice on junk plastic from the kit (not spoons) to be 110% sure it would work. 

The damage isn't worth the risk. 

[Classicgas]

The key to using a paint thinned with lacquer thinner is a automotive primer, such as Dupli-Color. I use it exclusively, and spray automotive paints on my models with zero problems. I spray a couple of mist coats of the primer before a wet coat or two.

[StevenGuthmiller]

You’re really overthinking this whole subject, big time.

Somewhere you got the idea that painting a model car with enamel is rocket science........it’s not even close!

weighing your paint??........be serious!

Mix some paint and thinner until it’s roughly the consistency of whole milk and test spray.

If it’s too thick, add more thinner, and vice versa.

Good lord, if I had to think this hard about spraying a little bit of paint, I’d quit building and take up fishing or golf!

My suggestion?, use lacquer thinner.

Any garden variety lacquer thinner will do if you prime first with a good lacquer primer. (I’m still trying to figure out what you have against primer)

Use enamel thinner or mineral spirits if you don’t mind waiting for three months for your paint to dry! 😑

 

 

 

Steve

[Bucky]

I personally would rather pay about $6 for a can of primer, than to ruin an expensive kit because I didn't use primer. Another benefit of using primer is that it should let you see if you are finished with the body prep. Let's say you have finally figured out all your airbrushing ratios, and you squirt TESTORS enamel on your kit parts. Any flaws in the body prep are likely to show right through that shiny enamel paint.

[bill-e-boy]

I second what Steve has to say.

Take it easy on yourself and don't be to pedantic about ratios. About 2/1 lacquer thinner/paint has worked for me for years. And I say about as some paints require a little more or less

Easiest way is to dump the whole bottle into a larger mixing jar and put the thinners into the original paint jar, give it a shake and dump it into the paint twice. I try to always start with a fresh jar of paint to begin with. Then paint away to your hearts content

 

[Nacho Z]

13 minutes ago, Bucky said:

I personally would rather pay about $6 for a can of primer, than to ruin an expensive kit because I didn't use primer. Another benefit of using primer is that it should let you see if you are finished with the body prep. Let's say you have finally figured out all your airbrushing ratios, and you squirt TESTORS enamel on your kit parts. Any flaws in the body prep are likely to show right through that shiny enamel paint.

Regarding the use of primer, Keith has nailed it.  You may have perfect body prep but I’ve never been that lucky.  Primer really brings out sanding marks, etc.  Unless you empty an entire can of primer on your model I seriously doubt that you will completely bury detail under it.  Personally, I like to use gray primer for my body work.  Depending on the final color I may actually shoot white primer over the gray primer.

[SfanGoch]

Are you guys:

1. offering useful suggestions because you think they really matter?

or

2. Just trying to run up your post counts knowing full well you're essentially talking to yourselves because nobody at the other end of the line actually gives a rat's patootie?

[Rodent]

When I bake, I weigh my flour and sugar. It makes a big difference with consistency, especially with weighing the flour. You might be surprised how "off" you can get using a measuring cup.

Weighing paint may be overthinking things a bit unless you are painting the Queensborough Bridge.

[Oldcarfan27]

4 hours ago, SfanGoch said:

Are you guys:

1. offering useful suggestions because you think they really matter?

or

2. Just trying to run up your post counts knowing full well you're essentially talking to yourselves because nobody at the other end of the line actually gives a rat's patootie?

And this is helpful, HOW?

Running up your own count?

[StevenGuthmiller]

30 minutes ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

And this is helpful, HOW?

Running up your own count?

If you read through any of the OP’s previous threads, you’ll quickly learn that he’s really not interested in any help, just affirmation.

 

 

 

Steve

[Oldcarfan27]

Ok, understood Steve.

But why run the rest of us down for trying to offer serious advice.

[SfanGoch]

1 hour ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

But why run the rest of us down for trying to offer serious advice.

Are you familiar with the expression "pissing in the wind" is, Patrick? Read what Steve wrote.

2 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

If you read through any of the OP’s previous threads, you’ll quickly learn that he’s really not interested in any help, just affirmation.

 

3 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

And this is helpful, HOW?

Running up your own count?

Do you actually believe any suggestions posted here or, as Steve pointed out, in any other of his other threads, were? To be considered helpful, any suggestion(s) would be acknowledged with at least a minimal expression of gratitude as being a possible solution to a particular problem. Nothing in any of his other threads even remotely indicates that he heeds anyone's advice about anything.

Also, if I was inclined to run my post count up, I'd have tens of thousands more tacked on to my total by making inessential and gratuitous monosyllabic comments

(practiced by not a few members, either intentionally or otherwise)  which are neither informative, entertaining nor intentionally irreverent.

[Sandboarder]

On 10/29/2021 at 3:39 AM, Plumcrazy Preston said:

My current project is an EXPENSIVE amt brand truck model kit.

So spend a few dollars on primer. It’s cheap insurance. 
 

Studio G on YouTube weighs his paint if you care to look him up and watch his videos. Very useful considering his paint expensive kits.

[NOBLNG]

On 10/28/2021 at 11:46 AM, Plumcrazy Preston said:

 Paint is a very scientific matter. There is chemistry, mathematics and physics involved. 
 

The Testors Universal Enamel label instructions call for 3 parts paint/2 parts thinner for GLOSS and 3 parts paint/1 part thinner for FLAT. Nothing is specified on the label for SEMI-GLOSS Enamels. 

Manufacturing paint is a science. Using it is an artform.

I would start with an average of the two. The best way to get the proper mix is to ACTUALLY MIX some paint and start spraying it!  Competence can only be achieved with practice. A scale and calculator won’t help you.

And yes, I know I am wasting my breath.

[Zippi]

Interesting conversation.  For me....although I have never measured my concoctions I would use the little plastic measuring cup that came on the cough medicine bottle to get it close when I first started airbrushing.  I don't even do that anymore.  If you have any time behind an airbrush you just know when it is right.  Once you start spraying you'll know if it's not right.  Just my 2¢ worth. 

[Mark]

Some in the scale modelling community refer to the car guys as "the cheap guys", and I don't doubt that.  How many times have we heard (or read) someone complaining about a paint problem...come to find out, they just grabbed the nearest spray can (mostly household or automotive paint) and just started blasting away...no testing for compatibility with whatever is already on the chosen part, no testing period.  It still blows me away to hear about someone putting a bunch of work into a project, then trying to cheap out on paint.  I can see someone looking for less costly alternatives...but only after thorough testing would they actually try it on something of value...

[bobthehobbyguy]

In my opinion I don't think that responding is a waste of time. Hopefully others will read some of these posts. A lot of good information has been provided. And although weighing paint is overkill it is a valid question. Temperature , humidity, and technique are the most important factors. Surface prep is super important also.

In the end you just have to get your hands dirty. A lot of painting is finding what works the best for you. Not all techniques work well for everyone. For example primer. One needs to see whether they like the results with or without.  That means trying both ways.

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

9 minutes ago, bobthehobbyguy said:

In my opinion I don't think that responding is a waste of time. Hopefully others will read some of these posts.

I suppose that's a valid point.

 

But you can't begrudge the frustration that some of us feel when an individual comes here and pretends that he actually wants advice when it's become pretty obvious to all of us that he really doesn't.

I suppose that it should be a hint when his "questions" are 6 paragraphs long.

 

I just wish this guy would stop goofing around with sending companies emails, watching YouTube videos and asking dumb questions and get his back side into the shop and start doing something!

Then maybe he would have some valid questions to ask!

I'm really starting to believe that he has no intention of ever doing anything model related, other than to come on this forum and irritate the hell out of everyone!!

 

If I ever see an actual "progress" post from this individual, I'll be extremely surprised!!

 

 

 

 

Steve

[tbill]

A lot of what I read in his posts are the fear of messing up an expensive kit, yet he was willing to buy all the stuff to air brush, guessing two kits could have been bought to equal the cost of air brush set up. I get the searching the net for videos and what not, I get a lot of the questions he’s asked, but at the end of the day, your first build is not going to be astounding, it’s gonna be a mess ( of sorts ), mistakes will happen, paint finish will not be showroom like, and inevitably there will be a glue smudge or fingerprint somewhere, it happens.

 

I will admit to the original poster that some of your topics have amused me and made me shake my head in wonder, BUT, I will offer the following to you, if you are truly worried about messing up a paint job on an expensive kit, PM me and I will send you some car bodies to practice on, free of charge, this way you can fire up your equipment and paint without fear, all it will cost you is some paint and some of your time, no worries about ruining what you really want to build. I can honestly say, until you do the work, and experiment some, it’s never gonna happen. I have models I’ve painted 3-4 times……, and ultimately in different colors, like anything else, it’s a learning curve, but if you don’t actively participate, you won’t achieve your goals. Again, I will send you clean, fresh bodies to practice on if you would like.

[Rick L]

I doubt Rust-oleum will supply that information to you personally. They will probably refer you to the MSDS for each product. That will give you all of the useless information that you need.