Dave G.

I mentioned way back in the thread ( I think it was this thread on Rustoleum) that I decant 2X and Painters Touch, thin a little extra with lacquer thinner and spray it via airbrush over Stynylrez primer. The results are equal to that of having sprayed the Old Model Master Enamels or the square bottle Testors thinned with Lacquer thinner which is kind of the old time standard. But it's all airbrush work. There isn't a thing wrong with PT or 2X if done right. It comes out great. Non the less, I see that Amazon UK sells airbrush sets. Just sayin. I know that seems daunting to some folks but some of us have been painting spray cans or airbrush for 60 years and you find ways to solve problems is best I can say. That said, I've spent now about 8-10 years to get acrylics to performs as I want them to. So I don't use many solvent paints these days. I wish you the best in your endeavors however you go ! Just keep at it.

It could be the last plastic run was yellow and some remnants are left in the lines as this one ran off. Course I have no idea if that's how it even works but if so it might explain the yellow that should be white.

I do still use limited amounts of enamel paint. Nobody can argue the finish is great ! But as someone up the thread a bit mentioned, I too use a dehydrator. I also use limited lacquer, I do that either when the asthmatic wife is out of the house or I shoot it outside. More and more I'm going acrylic though, I have them working great for me.

Oh but their models look pretty. We got all the health info when I was in the business. Main supplier was Dupont and the jobber was very good at getting us the info, seminars etc. right from the horses mouth Here is something I bet most don't know: you don't have to be spraying the stuff, the drying fumes are just as dangerous. If you can sniff it out during the curing process, that's just as dangerous as the spray. You just don't see particles. It still enters through eyes, skin, lung, eats tissue and catalyzes never to be removed. It becomes one with the damaged tissue. I'm speaking up now but had gotten tired of vocalizing the warnings just to be put down because models are small lol ! Do as they may but not me. Nope, I didn't get away from two part systems professionally just to bring smaller quantities home and use it here, kill the cats, the wife, damage myself. I got away for a reason. You don't want to be hearing about a friend who has an incurable fog looking mess in his lungs that shows up in scans. That happened to me, he eventually died from complications of it.

Yep and two part paints, especially urethanes are what eventually drove me out of the refinish business. To do it right in 1/1 you need more than a mask, really you need a suit. In my case it was a positive pressure head piece that blew air out the front so no paint or fumes got to the eyes ( another entry point for isocyanates), then a complete body suit. While I did all this I eventually deemed it too dangerous. I'd never bring this stuff into my home ! That includes any hardener, two part systems, enamel or 2K. Our models don't need it anyway, they aren't beat to death by weather. And I can get the look I want just fine by a number of other means.

Tractor supply has enamel hardener, at least locally. Hardeners in enamel do work to both produce a more mar resistant surface and increase gloss. I used a generic hardener in several brands shooting 1/1 for decades. Also a shot of this stuff: https://www.toolsource.com/body-fillers-and-spreaders-c-34_473/smoothie-fisheye-eliminator-8-oz-p-67053.html?gad=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7czM8NbC_wIV8hetBh0WWgXrEAAYAiAAEgLje_D_BwE

Hot acrylics are an acrylic polymer in a solvent base much like acetone, could even contain some acetone in the mix. It could also be acrylic lacquer which is usually in a relatively hot solvent base as well. It should go over most lacquer primers fine, Duplicolor, Mr Primer Surfacer, Mr Surfacer etc.

Oops beat to the punch ! Well anyway, https://www.oldmodelkits.com/ I've never used them but they list quite a lot in various categories as in stock items.

Ya I agree, the headers are a stretch not to be confused with first things to try scratch building for sure.

There seems to be 3 Minicraft A roadsters on this page, no promises on condition: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1997-Imma-Minicraft-Models-1931-Ford-Model-A-Deluxe-Roadster-1-16-Scale-READ-/294794849667?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c4#viTabs_0

Cutting out doors and trunk lids then learning to make hinges is a decent first step. After I got that done many decades ago I moved on to making individual stacked leaf springs and shackles and spring mounts and making working suspension on classic cars. Course today's cars would be much more difficult. Also I might note that my hay day of that stuff is over and I'm now back to kit builds but with better paint work and eye for what should be full gloss, semi gloss or flat.. Ignition wiring is a good step to take. There was a time I made working head and tail lights, that would be easier today with tiny led lights, the smallest we had was grain of rice bulbs. Exhaust pipes, headers. Throttle linkage or cables, fuel lines are all simple additions.

I've got one of the Minicraft Model A roadsters half built and a second one unopened. The door hinges are inaccurate but functional or you could just do your own or even glue the doors shut. Mine has a slight fitment issue of the rear body to the fenders but I think clamping while glue sets will take care of it. These are old kits so in mine there is a little warping in the fender assembly that I don't believe is a manufactured issue but just age/storage etc. I didn't see it before paint at any rate. But it's all workable and 1/16 is a nice size. One thing that bugs me about the kit is no up top, just the down boot. The door hinges are fussy to get right and use a good strong plastic welding glue is my suggestion, even if it takes a bit longer to cure. Pretty sure Monogram had a 1930 roadster, it's pretty close to the same as a 31. I believe it was in 1/24. Any of these kits will be old stock someplace, mine came off of Ebay sellers. Scale Mates might have the Monogram, not sure. But the Minicraft 31 roadster comes up often on Ebay.

It can also be water vapor that pickup oils in the air lines, as already mentioned there is a host of ways to pick up contamination. I've seen many sources in shooting 1/1 for 35 years. My latest method of clear coat for models is with Createx 4050. It has it's own ways so I'll drop out here ( it's not the product or system of OP). Createx also has 4053 which is more wet look but I thus far like the 4050 because while I can spray it on so it looks like glass it dries more semi gloss, then I can buff it back up to the sheen I want and I know it's already very smooth. I do mostly classic era and antique cars, their finish in 1/1 is generally not like wet look but is high luster. So best of luck to you all in solving this issue.

You can also get cratering that looks much like fish eyes but there is a different cause. It's a surface tension problem with certain thinners in the paint. For instance Testors enamel thinned with hardware store paint thinner flows out beautifully but then here come the craters. If you mix it 50-50 with mineral spirits first, then thin you still get nice flow and no craters. Also the best of all is probably hardware store lacquer thinner, back to great flow out and no craters. So why am I saying this ? Because the little circular rings that appear are not always fish eyes though they look similar. A product call One shot fish eye eliminator tends to cover both sins, it also improves gloss slightly. However, back on the topic of actual fish eyes, surface contamination can even come from your own fine mist if your talk over your model to someone, say on a phone or whatever. We give off a fine unseen mist in the air when we speak. The droplets of which can settle on ready to be painted surfaces. Smoke from the kitchen when frying things too. Spray furniture polish has been covered.

That's what I kind of figured, thanks. I have a reason to build a 50 Ford coupe.

The paint and build in general look great. The question: how did you manage to get this in a 1950 version ? Is it a kit bash ?

I just want to mention one thing before I'm done with the thread. That has to do with the sets of polishing pads, the little square ones you may be scuffing . In terms of grit they are not each or all created equal compared to wet and dry name brand paper. A given grit isn't always the same in another brand. It probably has to do with international standards on such things. So for instance you may think you're scuffing with 1500 and in something else that may be more like 600 or 800. Somewhere along the way I read an article on this but also by experience I know there can be quite the difference sometimes, especially with no name Amazon brands. Norton 800 wet and dry will be 800 though. Or 1000, 1200 etc. And it's all ok as long as you're working it within your own system and understand what smooth is or coarse with your own pads. Just when we start telling others do such and , well it might not match with their system. Have a great weekend everyone, I'm done here for now !

I personally never liked the look of dry metallic lacquer coats, regardless how much clear it's buried in.. I want the fleck in the film not standing up. There is a point of wetness to a coat where the metallic fleck suspend as the coat flashes. They don't stand up nor sink out of sight. I do this best with light wet coats not dry. The last couple coats can be even wetter and still hold up if there is a good base. Whatever you do in the color coat will be magnified with a high gloss clear over it.

Some of my nicest but now 50 yo paint jobs were rattle can enamel from Pactra ( long gone brand now). Get in a little closer and slow down your final passes in particular. Also let each coat flash off. This flash off concerns lacquers and acrylics both. With enamel I keep shooting till done. Acrylic needs the flashed off base coats so the next will stick. Lacquer needs them to build on. There is a difference: the acrylic will basically slide if you don't have the flashed base coats. Lacquer deepens the color. You basically have to work at making lacquer run though but with metallics if your coat is too wet to the point of heavy you can get the metallic particles or fleck running within the coat before the coat can begin flashing, causing a mottled look . All of this is acquired skill, at least in terms of repeatability. With a rattle can your limiting factor is one spray pattern one volume of paint. In all painting you need to work with distance of passes and speed of passes but with rattle cans those are the only variable, besides heating the product. I won't get into the added flexibility of airbrushing and how to of all that since you didn't ask except there is that capability on the very first coat to get a very light thin smooth layer to build upon.. You need to find your happy medium with rattle cans. I think you will find that Tamiya lacquer and Duplicolor lacquer are two entirely different lacquers with different solvents and thinners, retarders etc. Thus one technique won't work for both. And that's just the way it is.

Could depend on the acrylic used. But I agree, certainly lacquers goes over the water based acrylics at least. I've never tried hot clears over Tamiya acrylic but it goes over artist acrylics, craft paints and Vallejo easy enough. I'm moving from clear lacquers on models, going more and more with Createx 4050 or 4053 and very pleased with the results. I still use lacquer over my wife's acrylic paintings though, in fact I'm clear coating one today.

I like testing though, it's a hobby in itself for me. But lacquer over enamel for me there is no need to test. I had too many fails doing that back around 1977ish. Sometimes it takes me a bit to learn my lesson but once I get it it's gotten in to stay. Anyone can say whatever they want about lacquer over enamel and they had success and that's great. I had a few wins myself but sure enough it came around to bite me in the butt eventually.

Steve that was meant more tongue in cheek than statement, don't assume too much. I also have no dog in the hunt, my own behavior would still be a thanks. I would answer to my own actions.

I haven't figured out my nearest HL 40% off sale pattern lately. It used to be every Friday but it seems random now. When I pop in there they either have the sale and no 37/38 Ford pickup or the pickup and no sale. I have one of those trucks which I want to build as the 37 but would like to build a 38 for a Christmas theme with tree in the back. I'm building the AMT 53 Coca Cola pickup now ( all stock). I caught that on the 40% off.

He's alive, must be a quiet sort of guy. No further posts.

No, last I knew if looking at his profile he was last seen posting his question in this thread. I haven't looked today.