hungry4knowhow Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Hey all, im doing a new model right now, and something that always has me curious is drying times between coats. Ive done a search on the forum read a few things but not many people seem to use Testors Enamel cans. or enamel at all. I am guilty of not sanding much between coats, except on the body which I will allow to dry 24hrs or overnight before working with it. When im not sanding I wait between 2-4hrs for drying time before applying another coat. 2hrs if its same color, 4 if its a new color. Am I crazy? I dont have enough experience to really judge whether it works well or not. Let me know how you guys do it between coats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randx0 Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 testors enamel are notorious for not drying very quick if you were sanding between coats you'd have to wait a week maybe longer between coats. enamels are OK for detailing small areas but for nice shiny paint jobs lacquer is the best as it dries fast and you can sand within a few days depending on brand.also some of the automotive touch up paint can be a better value.if you are comfortable with the enamel then by all means use it as long as you are happy with the results .there are some reducers out there that can help the drying time but then you need to airbrush which is a whole other can of differing opinion worms. if you are striving for a great paint job you should be sanding between coats invest in a polishing kit and use the polishing cloths wet to keep them in good shape.this is just my general opinion and should only be used with an opposing viewpoint to make sure that the secret to painting models is kept to only those who know hope this kinda helps good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hungry4knowhow Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 lol I love the disclaimer at the end haha. I figured I would ask now, im new enough in the hobby that I am definitly not set in my ways with Testors Enamels, but I just remembered them from when I was a kid so I bought a bunch of testors stuff last year when I got back into it. On another question, it seems most people RAVE about laquers...whats the deal with these? How are they different from enamels? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 On another question, it seems most people RAVE about laquers...whats the deal with these? How are they different from enamels? Lacquers are used by a lot of guys simply because of their quick drying time. Frankly, I outright hate Testor's enamels for two reasons..............their VERY slow drying time (some colors never dry), and their terrible lack of pigment in the paint to cover reasonably without seeing through it. The drawback to lacquer though is you MUST use a decent primer coat underneath, and to be on the safe side, some kind of barrier on the plastic. Lacquer has some pretty "hot" solvents in it and will etch into the plastic if care isn't taken to barrier it in some way. Some guys have used an airbrush to apply lacquer in very fine mist coats without a barrier or even a primer coat for that matter. This CAN be done, but you'd best be proficient in airbrush use before trying it. If you have a food dehydrator, Testor's paints can be forced dried in about 8 hours to where it'll be rock hard to rub out an polish. Set your dehydrator to about 105 degrees to get the best results. Randy's suggestion of a polishing kit is a good one------however like everything else, it takes some practice to get the best results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billd64 Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 there is no immediate trick to painting, its practice and skills used. 12 years a go i met a man that used car paint, i learned his trick prior to his death, its a two part primer from dupont called vari prime..... as of today, (knocks on glass table) it has not harmed any of my models, and though its a two part 3:1 usually with a paasche airbrush, i now use an HVLP touch up to prime with, and add some reducer to thin it it dries flat, which is better then model master primer.... this primer has no adverse for me at least on styrene... no idea about resin, ive yet to work with resin.... and i can use any paint over this primer, or nail polish i usually try to give it 3-4 days to dry thourghly, and when i ve needed to strip the model due to issues, the primer dissolves, with the model putty in brake fluid vs. any thing aerosal bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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