Dave G.
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Posts posted by Dave G.
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6 hours ago, doorslammer68 said:
Dave G look under General model building questions and answers and you'll see my 68 Roadrunner painted light blue enamel/lacquer thinner 1:1 ratio airbrush then flat black spray paint maybe two feet above roof to get vinyl affect; VERY PLEASED THUS FAR! Rest of model to come.
I imagine it did come out nice but I haven't found it. We are in the questions and answers forum here, fwiw. Maybe check your forum title and post header.
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10 hours ago, TransAmMike said:
Thanks again Buddy. It came out fairly decent. But I just don't seem to ever get a completely smooth finish with most of my paint jobs. A bit grainy.
Mike, were you using the 4021 reducer ? How rough or grainy are you talking about.
Explain your procedure, if you don't mind. Like thinner type and amount. Airbrush, the tip size, air pressure, working distance from the model. Atmospheric conditions the day you shot it.
Meanwhile read this:
For model car top coats,Createx 4050 Gloss UVLS Clear is generally considered a better choice than the 5620 Gloss Clear.
Here's why:- Superior Adhesion: The 4050 offers better adhesion, even as an adhesive primer for surfaces like plastic, metal, and glass.
- UVLS Protection: The "UVLS" in 4050 indicates its formulation includes UV protection, which is beneficial for protecting the underlying paint from fading, especially with candies or other dyes.
- Multi-Functional: The 4050 can also function as a mixing clear to create a more durable, mar-resistant, and better-leveling acrylic-urethane paint mix.
- Recommended for Mixing: Createx recommends 4050 for use as a balancing clear with candy2o, pearls, metallics, and flakes for increased viscosity and durability.
Considerations for 5620:- Acrylic Resin: The 5620 is a water-based acrylic clear designed for use over any Createx Colors paint.
- Durable (Non-Automotive Grade): While it's durable for indoor and outdoor use, it's explicitly stated as not automotive-grade. This might be a factor if you're looking for the highest level of protection or long-term durability.
- No UV Protection: The 5620 lacks UV blockers, meaning it won't offer the same color protection as the 4050, particularly with sensitive colors like candies.
In summary: If you want a top coat with superior adhesion, UV protection, and the ability to function as a versatile mixing clear for improved paint performance, the Createx 4050 is the preferred choice for model cars. The 5620 may be a suitable option for indoor models where long-term UV protection is not as crucial, but it's important to remember it's not automotive-grade -
On 5/28/2025 at 3:35 PM, doorslammer68 said:
Thanks Dave very much!! I'm posting my 68 Roadrunner almost completed finally LOL. Have a look. Your comments most welcomed.
Did you post it yet, if so where ?
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2 minutes ago, TransAmMike said:
HI Dave, as I mentioned in the previous post I'm using the 5620 clear right now. 3 more coat, I tbingabout 7 right now and it's a little shiner then shiny satin but still I wouldn't call it gloss.
You said you buff the 4050. With polish or just soft cloth?
I use Formula 1 Scratch out. Sometimes Colgate tooth paste first, but usually just the scratch out. Then bees wax, most folks use canuba wax, but my bees wax formulation can't decide if it's polish or wax, so it covers two chores lol ! If the finish is real smooth I may just go straight to that.
4050 doesn't dry full gloss either but it shines right up real easy, much easier than automotive acrylic lacquer. More like the old nitro lacquer..
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It looks like, from your photos anyway, that it goes on way too heavy.
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8 hours ago, Greasefinger said:
Car manufactures and car paint companies have started to use water based colors instead of solvent based.
Any experience of those in model building?
Waterborne color coats I remember coming in back in the 1980s in 1/1. I was using urethane clear with activator then, from DuPont. However so early on I did not trust waterborne color, so my color coats were lacquer with urethane clear for factory matched automotive. Otherwise I shot acrylic enamel with activator ( solvent based, not waterborne acrylic). And I used DuPont as my main line but not exclusively.
Most or many production paint jobs today are waterborne color with 2K clear coat. My 2024 Subaru Crosstrek in Christel Pearl White is just that. And it looks awesome under any kind of light, be it sun or shopping center at night.
Really you could use any waterborne acrylic base color coat and 2K, if you don't mind 2K in your house. I do mind that, so I use Createx 4050 waterborne clear coat, which is also UVLS protective. Anything from properly laid down craft paints to actual auto paints should give good color, as long as you get it on even. The magic is in the clear coating. I use more waterborne on models these days than the old stinky paint. Though I must say, you can shoot and be done using alkyd enamel, if you know it's ways. The old classics still look good done in that.
I bet a lot of folks here don't know that Ferrari was one of the very first waterborne adopters, not far behind was BMW. GM in the US used it pretty early on as well. In fact it was a GM I first ran into this on.
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2 minutes ago, Greasefinger said:
Have you uset their gloss clear (5620 I guess)? If yes, how was it, will it dry hard enough for wet sanding?
I use 4050 UVLS clear. And just buff it. It lays down smooth, enough, unless you get dirt in it, to go straight to buffing it up. Looks like hand rubbed lacquer to my 75yo eyes..
I looked up your clear you mention one time. The description didn't mention what I do in clear coating. So I've never tried it. Sorry.
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1 hour ago, Greasefinger said:
Car manufactures and car paint companies have started to use water based colors instead of solvent based.
Any experience of those in model building?
A lot of people dont know it but waterborne finishes in automotive use has been around since the 1980's, I remember them coming in for the after market. In fact one of the first mainline base coat clear coat systems was all waterborne. Ford uses it in their repair shops. Ferrari was an early adapter to it in products, BMW not far behind. Several manufacturers use it today. The winner in manufacture of autos is low heat setting, vs something like baked enamels higher heat.. In this regard in our hobby industry, Createx emerges closely aligned with heat setting . It will air dry but it will be tougher heat set. And they have the UVL clears to go with it, also waterborne. So truly base coat clear coat, and all the more so in the Candy2o line.
Also DuPont was an early adopter of waterborne two step systems, with the base color coat water, 2 part urethane clear top ( clear coat with catalyst activator, around 1980ish).
I have not used the 1/1 auto waterborne. I do use Createx.
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Just fwiw, I don't clear over foil or Molotow. I clear under where decals will be, apply, dry, then clear everything that will be clear coated, including decals. Generally speaking of course.
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I'll be watching fI agree with the mock up, but I'll still be watching the thread.or answers, I have this kit and the Fleetline, which I assume those pans mount the same in both kits. I haven't broken into these kits yet, but have worked up colors for each, to be built stock.
I agree with the mock ups. Still be watching.
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18 hours ago, TransAmMike said:
I'm gonna try the Createx, which I do like, with the new 4021 thinner and see what I get.
Let us know how you make out with the 4021, Mike. Works great for me for most waterborne acrylics, not just Createx ( though sometimes I use another blend I make up instead).. Craft paints with 4030 and 4021 come out real nice too. Since I was left with well over 130 bottles of craft paints, it seems they should be utilized.
By the way, I've thinned Stynylrez with the 4021 too, for smaller tips. It flows wonderfully, levels out with a slight sheen.. Clean up of the airbrush is a matter of getting right to it immediately, flush with hot water, back flush, spray several times. Then I switch to Iwata Medea airbrush cleaner and do the same with that. Then a shot of 91 ipa just to flush everything out. But I prime and shoot acrylics with the Paasche H and #5 tip. I'm not pulling out needles and tips all the time that way.
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19 hours ago, Shark said:
Hey Dave, that wasn't an odd phenomenon, it happened to me also. Wasn't going to say anything in my earlier response just in case it was a one-off occurrence. I airbrushed Tamiya jar paint on a body, several days later wasn't happy with the shine, so I sprayed Tamiya clear on it. Same result.
Well on my reapplication I mixed up my color in Testors enamel and it came out great. It's a 34 classic era vehicle anyway, I've often used enamels for that with no clear coat. It's not even buffed out. The fenders are black LP lacquer, same there, came out awesome.
It was real fluky for me what I did the first time anyway.
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Just so you know, in the last couple of years or so, I once put Tamiya LP lacquer over their acrylic X series paint. It looked good and I put it aside to build later. A couple of months later I decided to go back to that project and the whole finish had cracks all over . Into my mason jar of 91% alcohol it went, 30 minutes later I had it back to bare plastic. This may just have been an odd phenomenon, but personally I won't repeat it. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't know better than take the chance of mixing up formulation coats.
Now on the other hand, I've used the X22 clear over X series colors many time, works great. But LP over acrylic series in time cracked wide open right through the color coat.
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13 hours ago, TransAmMike said:
Well what you described, "droplets", is what I was getting. I freaked out but as you said, flashing it with the hair dryer smoothed it. But my next coats didn't fair so well.
I ordered the 4021, more 4030.
4021 improves flow and leveling, reduced tip dry. Those droplets are caused by surface tension, where the paint didn't flow out evenly. 4021 addresses that. And also addresses compatibility with 4030 additive. Flash time will be increased slightly.
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35 minutes ago, TransAmMike said:
I did a repaint on the Willy's i'm doing, the pearl gold Createx. I've used this same color paint a couple other times with no issue (maybe lucky I guess).
Anyway, I did use the 4011 and 4030 Balancing clear and a few drops of the Liquitex, air dried with the hair dryer. I just couldn't get it to spray good. Maybe I just had the mix formula wrong or it was the 4011. Almost like I was spraying water onto it.
I will get the 4021. I actually remember another discussion about the 4021 but I forgot about it.
Thanks again for your valuable info.
Well, Mike. I mostly use my Paasche H for Createx. Sometimes the VL. But in either case it's larger tips, like .7 or more. You can thin to 50% if need be. I use 15% 4030, unless it's Candy 2o of course.
Also if it doesn't spray right, it's usually a matter of a bit more thinner or more air. Sometimes both. I've had good results even using my own thinner formulas ( I have two or three of those). Additionally again, the first should be a mist coat and fully flashed off before trying to get more on.. I've put the first coat so misted you can barely see color, but it's enough of a tack layer that the rest of the coats can build on it.
I've seen it go on seeming like droplets but when it flashes it all levels off. I don't recall what thinner that was with, but it worked out. 4021 doesn't act like that at all, it's a nice reducer with any waterborne acrylic I've tried it with actually. And it was developed to work in 4030, 4050 as well. When you get your hands on some I think you will like it.
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6 minutes ago, Beans said:
Not an expert but I don't think I have waited as long as 10 minutes to recoat with createx. Paint it, spray it with air (or light once over with a hair dryer if it isn't warm), paint it again. Probably doing it "wrong" but it's worked for me so far.
Createx can take heat from a hair dryer, especially the opaque formula ( the original Createx line). It was made originally to be heat set in a heat press on garments. I've done it, the press temp is still used and is pretty high. Well known in the T Shirt industry for the art work.
4030 is a urethane balancing clear, made to convert Createx from a flex type acrylic to a converted poly acrylic. This gives greater bond to hard surfaces like plastic models. It helps flow in the airbrush and produces a harder shell finish. But it doesn't play well with 4012 reducer fwiw. So 4011 was introduced, then 4021. You only need 10-15% 4030 in your mix for it to do it's thing. I never paint a model without it. 4050 will do the same but it's thicker product, I use that for clear coat, thinned a little with 4021.
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17 hours ago, TransAmMike said:
OK, instead of starting a new thread, I'm adding on another question.
I've used craft acrylics, Createx and Mr. Hobby lacquers (that I really like. After today's cleanup of the lacquer and it's mess I said to myself, self, I think i'm done lacquer thinner cleanup.
My question....What is the preferred Acrylic paint??
Comments, suggestions really welcome!! ☺️
Mike, if you're liking Createx and craft paints, you might do best just to keep honing your skills on them. I've even tinted Createx with craft paints to make pastels. Also added 4030 to craft paints, then clear coated with 4050 or 4053. It's quite a diverse pair of products. And who wouldn't like a well done Candy 2o paint job ? Ya know, at one time I'd have pointed right to Tamiya's acrylic line ( X and XF paints) but it's not my direct go to these days.
24 minutes ago, TransAmMike said:Thanks Dave. I can count on you to make good suggestions/recommendations.
And concerning Createx. I always seem to have issues with when spraying at the beginning it does just fine but when stopping between coats, sometimes as little as 10 minutes the airbrush stops spraying. Also the Createx is liquid in the cup but after a while gets very thick.
What ya thing?
It sounds like you have 4012 thinner if it's thickening. Or else the thinner that has acetone in it , I forget the product number of that one. But I recoat in about 2-3 minutes anyway, as I heat flash each coat with a hair dryer, or if using double action, just blow air.
You want 4011 and add some retarder to it ( you have the Liquitex retarder I've suggested before). Or better yet, get the new 4021 reducer. This one addresses everything, tip dry, thickening, compatable with 4030, and leveling.
Also I believe that my thinner blend works without thickening and no tip dry. It's been a while since I've used that in Createx though, so not 100% sure. I've been using 4021 in both Createx and in craft paints probably for a year now. Hope this helps, if not let me know and we can work it out.
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The key to cleaning the airbrush after acrylic waterborne painting is to get it flushed, back flushed etc, immediately. I find Iwata Medea airbrush cleaner to clean Createx and Craft Paints very well. I first flush and back flush in good hot water, then move to the Iwata. I don't find hardware store lacquer thinner to clean up waterborne acrylics any better. In fact I've noticed later iterations of hardware lacquer thinner to be milder than I remember, even in clean up of enamels. EPA standards are creeping in. Anyway, my final rinse is just cold water.
By the way, in talking with one of the owners of Createx, he stated that they make the Iwata Medea product and that its a great cleaner for Createx paints.. And in my experience it's not particularly expensive at Hobby Lobby. I had bought it on a whim, not expecting much, but turns out I was very surprised at how well it works. However, you don't want to be breathing it's atomized vapors any more than lacquer thinner. It gives a throat cutting caustic like effect when vaporized or atomized. So back flush or spray it into a closed container and all is well. I use an old tissue box lined with paper towel. Works great for that or LT
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I have an LVLP 2 gun kit. The smaller gun is a touch up gun. But what's nice about LVLP ( low volume low pressure) is the air settings and cfm requirements are much lower. The touch up gun in particular can be used from mid 20psi to about 40 psi, depending on the paint mix. Same as in the video above, which that one must be hvlp that it requires 50 psi, but the control features are the same, and mine is top feed. It's made by Spray-It, all nice shiny aluminum, not anodized. Plastic top feed cups.
There is a screen where the cup screws in, but if you pre strain your paints you can pluck that out of there, as it's a bit fine.
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Paasche H #5 tip with enamel or Createx for me too, with large scale. Depends what the model is and just how big your Large Scale means.. On some old vintage cars in 1/16th, the body parts have no more surface area than 1/24th in a more solid body form. They're all chopped up area coverage. I've used a Badger with .25 tip on some of those. Thinner ratio and pressure are key, get those right ( if your compressor can keep up with an opened up H #5 at 26-30 psi) and you can back up to where you get 2-3" swaths on each pass. And it will level right out. Really it becomes a no brainer once dialed in ( thinking enamel here), you can't put it on wrong. Createx you need to flash off each coat, start with mist coat and progressively heavier coats. Otherwise same thing. Createx also needs clear coated and a buffing.
That Candy 2o comes out looking gorgeous ( just my opinion) ! And the enamels give a very classic era look ( again IMO).
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For model lacquers in general I like Mr Surfacer 1000 primer. It looks smooth as a babies butt, but being 1000 it has a little tooth for the paint to grip. However, that said, I don't use TS paints, but rather the LP thinned with Mr Leveling thinner. Or X series acrylic, also thinned with Mr Leveling thinner. I'm assuming the MLT plays well with Mr Surfacer and help the paints get a bite.
The latter method has passed my pull tests using full strength blue painters tape, fwiw. I'm not gentle in my testing, I just rip the tape off. That's the nature of the testing, push the limit.
Same for Createx over Stynylrez primers. Course it helps that my Createx colors all get 4030 poly intercoat mixed in, which is designed to give better bond and harder shell to Createx paints.
However, the tape I use on the models is a low tack Fine Line tape. Just if it can pass the blue painters tape test, surely the low tack won't pull the color coat. Or de tacking the blue tape won't either. Sometimes I do a layout, where I cut stencils with a razor in blue tape, and just de tack that on the back of my hand. Anyway, 0 paint lifts. And really no concerns since I've already tested the methods on kit plastic.
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29 minutes ago, rossfox said:
Thanks for all of the advice. Good advice it is. So, I left the Tamiya tape on for a day - probably too long. I did find out that I put the body back into the dehydrator for 6 hours at 122 degrees and the aligator effect is now gone away. So, I am back okay at this point. I have got to figure out how to handle these painted bodies without messing them up. I hate cotton gloves and I can't work with them. Latex the same way. I guess I will just have to constantly wash my hands to keep the oils off of the bodies, unless someone knows another trick.
I don't use gloves. . I wipe my fingers with alcohol soaked tissues. I don't get carried away with it, just a quick wipe . I do use nitrile or latex gloves when airbrushing a body, for the sake of easy clean up of my hands lol..
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We have had other reports on this issue using Tamiya tape. But on all different paints. I don't use Tamiya tape personally but I know from 1/1 painting two tones, not to leave the tape on for any longer than needed to get your second color on and tacked up. That's regardless of brand. Then get it off of there. Pretty much as Trevor mentioned above.
On another note, I thin Tamiya acrylics with lacquer thinner, which according to Tamiya, leaves a harder shell finish. I dehydrate for X paints 30 minutes, then let it air dry at least 3 days before moving on. I've also had a new finish sit from one month to years lol !! Not because it was deliberate mind you.
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Regarding the Createx white paint, Wicked or otherwise. You shouldn't need to thin that much. It will spray fine mixed thicker, especially with about 10-15% 4030 added. Thin that combo with 4011 or better yet 4021 reducer, up to 50% of the volume. So you're no where near skim milk. Up your pressure to mid 20's using the .5 tip ( I actually use bigger than that but .5 should do fine).. I use the white a lot, either as white or as the base to mix pastels ( I also use the pearlized white to good effect). I shoot over white Stynylrez primer, even if you thinned 1-1, you still get coverage over the white Stynylrez). Each coat needs to flash off, or flash dry, then add the next coat and so on till you get the build you want. Don't go by the leveling when first shot on and wet, but see how smooth it flashed off to. It should level right out.
4030 is your best friend when shooting models or other hard surfaces with Createx paints, for several reasons I've covered before in the forums.. And 4021 is their latest and greatest reducer.
Siphon feed airbrush
in Model Building Questions and Answers
Posted · Edited by Dave G.
Vevor actually makes some decent quality products. I imagine the compressor will hold up pretty well, about like Master or Point Zero.
The airbrushes in this kit look to be the same as every other Chinese set. Usually a little tune up gets them going OK. To which you can find videos online about doing so.
It's very possible that external mix airbrush that got batted to pieces, had the little siphon tube hitting the bottom of the glass, thus stopping flow with anything thicker than water. Also with any external mix like that, you turn the nozzle tip outward to get more paint flow. If it was in too far, that would cause the problem too. I've seen that even with my Paasche H. It's rarely the tool at fault but the users knowledge and understanding, something you will never gain in airbrushing if taking a bat to each perceived problem. Just sayin.
You can get a replacement .8 external mix Chinese made airbrush at Amazon for $20. And try again. It should work when set up properly, but .8 is a very nice size for shooting properly thinned craft paints. The products and thinning of which is another whole topic, good for another thread of opinions.