Dave G.

To me if to use a rotary power tool I'd get it close and file the rest of the way. It would be nice if someone made a rotary oscillating sander scaled for models to follow up on the filing with. But hand sanding will do on the final as well.. Your thread reminds me of the Mercedes metal kit I had that someone unpleasantly scoffed from me in my younger years, first married not much money, the kit had been gifted to me. That incident has left a bit of a mar in my thought process of metal car kits though I did go on to build a few HO locomotives. Plastic auto models mostly has pleasant memories associated with them so I kind of hover there. I did do a Model A in metal, the metal flashing of which was pretty hard as I recall. Many moons ago, a vague memory, I don't recall the manufacturer. Finally a dust mask should do just to not suck in metal dust. I have a full face shield so personally would use that for grinding and power sanding etc.

You could also try the X-22 in Tamiya flat black. I've done this but used Liquitex satin varnish in the Tamiya flats. Since you wanted Tamiya references I bring up the X-22.

All I can say is the last thing I'd do if intending to puncture the can by whatever means, is shake it all up. Why do you do that ? Now I do shake it if to decant out the nozzle into a jar. When I do that it's usually just into the airbrush jar of a siphon feed airbrush of which I have several jars and also mixing jars with caps, and enough for the single job at hand, so usually 2/3 of a jar or so..

And this is how I also have been doing it for the last couple of years if not decanting the entire content of the can. Works for me.

I think Quick Shine floor finish is one of the latest go to products to move to if your Pledge has run out ( mine is low but still 1/3 bottle or so and I'm the house keeper lol ). I've seen it at Home Depot, it's also advertised at Walmart. But what I don't know is which iteration is the one modelers are turning to and there seems to be a few.

And if there is not quite enough sheen just add in a little X-22 to the mix ( in the paint not over it).

Any enamels I use ( not too many these days, after 5 decades of using them have gone more acrylic) I thin with hardware store lacquer thinner, pretty close to 50-50. I doubt it's your airbrush. Metallics are known to have the metal flecks sink, so you need to keep them agitated, this is one place where bottom feed or a cap for top feed is helpful. Even in 1/1 we had to keep swirling the cup to have the metallics stay suspended. You get a feel for that in due time.

I didn't know the Model Master was discontinued, it's my favorite glue for a strong welded type bond for things like door hinges and such. Glad I have a nearly full bottle of it.

Not sure what you used for heat ? Any time I've shaped plastic, reshaped plastic, dented plastic, sheet or otherwise I used fire. A mini butane torch, candle. Or back when I was a kid matches. I never had much luck with hot water or hot air etc. , though I hear that others do. And you have to be real careful with fire or you get melted or curled up plastic. But it works when gotten just right.

My experience is about the same as Eric's, in my case 3-4 years after application. But don't touch it, it just goes silver if you do. Clear coat mutes the chromish effect also. I say chromish because it isn't quite chrome but it is brighter than any silver paint I have used. I suspect airbrushed would be great for larger areas. I tend not to use it for that.

Ya but to look at the photo it simply doesn't even look dry. It will go clear when it is dry. But that bead could be 1/4 as much, the glue holds well but to dry air has to get at it which will eventually happen.

I use the Testors glue but agree that you don't need much. Pretty sure in the photo you posted, the glue just isn't dry yet.

It's actually a term I learned from the lure painting and T Shirt art communities using Createx paints, Rich. They flash them off between coats with a hair dryer which is mostly what I do as well ( just on warm not real hot but any moving warm air source should do). Then at the end with garments they get heat pressed or with model parts and with just about any paint I use they get the dehydrator. But yes, the heat flashing is the application of warm air blown over the parts between coats.

According to Tamiyas site if you want a harder finish with their X series paints then use lacquer thinner to thin them. If you go to their web site it's down in the finer print. X 20 produces a softer finish according to them. Also to me lacquer thinner will flash X-22 off more quickly. But over decals I tend to use Pledge or clear lacquer personally. A couple of dust coats and heat flash each then wetter coats, heat flashing those as well. But I can't imagine X-22 not working if applied right.

I prefer to go to a Micheals or Hobby Lobby as well and do the touch test thing, dry strokes on a jar etc. And in so doing I find some hair ones I like but almost always it comes down to Golden Taklon bristles for me. Course my wife and I use these lines of brushes in art work as well as models. Also different styles of brushes, there are many. Rarely have I found the need to go above level 1 or 2 brushes though. Course there are many shapes for many purposes as mentioned. But ya, level 1 will cost $4 or $5 each and to me if Golden Taklon then work well ( there is white,gold and black taklon fwiw). But I do test each for bristle flex and spread, indeed in a lot of 3 or 4 of the same brushes One may feel like a dud or another stand out from the rest. Course they need washing anyway in reality because some are stiff with a sizing or something on them. Just my $.02 worth.

Unpack and pack, usually back into the original box. And it could be the last will be completed before the first ( or not) depending on interest level at any given time for what is taking place. Or I may put a little 1/32 curb side together in the midst of it all, paint and all.

It's always been curious to me the big draw on Neo and Iwata and the idea by some folks that Neo is Iwata. Especially given Neo is made in China by parts from Taiwan and made for Iwata. Not that they are a bad airbrush mind you and Iwata does back them, they're decent enough. It even says on the box Neo For Iwata. It's just Interesting.

All my underpinnings, engines, drive lines, interiors and more and more even bodies have been acrylic for a while now. But after more than 60 years of enamels in modeling and 1/1 as well, I do like to play in the stuff now and then. Thus the decanting of Painters Touch and 2X. I might do a 1/16 body in enamel soon. My last lacquer I shot for a model was about 3 years ago. Other than some Mr Primer Surfacer, though even there I tend more towards Stynylrez by quite a bit. I will say that acrylics have been a learning process but I shoot the freely now that I understand them much more. All that to say I won't be buying the Rustoleum cans Steve has presented here, that I know of at least. But I've enjoyed the thread.

The Paasche H is rated to spray between 20 and 75 PSI. Many airbrushes, even top brands have an upper limit and or are restricted for max pressure, you could set 50 psi but only get 30 for instance. This is not the case with the H. And it likes air. So here is the point, if you miss on your mix and the paint is a bit thick you can bump up the pressure. I learned this in shooting T Shirts with little or even no thinner with Createx paints with both the H and VL airbrushes. Most of those guys are shooting 50 or even 60 psi. But the thinner you mix it the lower the pressure can be. When you flash the paint it will lay down flat with craft paint, Createx and some others ( I use a hair dryer between coats). And just for the record my Paasche H and VL pretty much live around 23-25 psi, I mix my paint accordingly. I have brushes for lacquer and washes where I shoot 15-20 psi. I just shot a 53 Ford pickup with Liquitex Fluid silver and then Createx Red over that @ 28 psi. That was all over white Stynylrez primer shot @ 25 psi two days before. Some paints don't like drug store alcohol, my generic formula for craft and artist acrylics is much the same as Toms but now and then you can hit on a paint that will gel. Parts of one paint line that will do this is DecoArt. So for that I sub out the alcohol and put in the same portion US Art Supply thinner ( I believe that's the name, will confirm when I can get to my thinners cabinet). That thinner does two things: no alcohol so no gel and it sustains rather than dilutes the binders in acrylic paint. But on it's own,outside my mix it tends to turn flats into satin coat. Ok so this comes down to application now. With any acrylic put on two very fine mist coats letting each flash before the next. Once that base is on you can now paint as normal with wetter coats, still flashing off before the next coat. Without that base you can get a runny mess if put on too wet. Also you want to prime the model first, many acrylics don't stick to plastic for beans but they do stick to primer very well. Thinning paint isn't always ratio but it is viscosity. Wipe some up the side of your mixing cup, the bulk of it should return right back down to the paint in the cup in a second or two but leave a film behind. If you're waiting 15 seconds it's too thick and if everything runs back instantly it's too thin. There are some paints that seem to defy this, like Createx with their thinner and 4030 additive for instance. Now with Tamiya acrylic thinned with lacquer thinner ( suggested at the Tamiya web site for a harder finish) you can mix 50-50 or so called 1-1. That is one part paint to one part thinner or even a bit more thinner. Nice paint too. I can't speak for the " Mr " acrylics line because I shoot those in solvent not acrylic. But I'm 100% sure it's easy enough to figure out. Once you stop fighting ratios and shooting an H at 18 PSI things become much easier, the H likes air as I already mentioned. Ya it will shoot water or watery paints at 15 psi but it literally isn't designed for that, though people do it.

The case isn't closed, look for old stock. Ebay is your semi friend, in that you may find one, maybe even un opened but not like the price.

It looks like you're headed to 1.25-1 thinner to paint. Gonna be good stuff !!

Nah, I was trying to place it as an early edition flopper style funny car and maybe even a Ford fiberglass bodied one ! So don't feel bad, yours was imaginary by it's creator mine by me lol !

You can check but I too think that stuff is the same as in the cans you showed earlier,just in spray form. The Painters Touch/2X is a different product . For one thing faster drying, though either may work for your needs. The can you show above is more industrial strength than the Painters Touch/2X. Hey all you can do is try it but as I mentioned PT 2X has worked well for me .