Dave G.

I decant the 2X paints, add a bit of lacquer thinner and airbrush them. And cook them for a couple of hours. That makes it handl-able but full cure takes longer ( 6-8 hours in the dehydrator,or a few days room air dried). Works for me, super smooth gloss. But that's if to use enamel, I've gone more and more to acrylics. Cincinnati tends to run humid so that will further the dry times of most paints, I'm sure. As to Rustoleum from the can, it helps to heat the can up in hot water just so after shaking it's still warm to the touch but not hot, you get more pressure,better atomization and thinner coats that flow out more evenly. Thinner coats make for a little faster flash time to the touch. I did a 40 Ford hood that way and it came out like glass in one coat. If it goes on unheated it's too thick, you get the blochiness, thick here, thinner there, orange peel over there, smooth in that spot etc.. Just heat the can up you don't get that or less of it. But that's why I decant and physically thin it a bit extra, plus the airbrush has better control and I do about 4 coats. Out of the can you get one shot at it in my experience. I used to use Krylon years ago, it's harder to find here these days and when you do find it there are a bunch of missing slots. I mostly used the primer colors in model railroading though. The only gloss I stocked was at work, red, white and black and semigloss black. It was used on the old metal heater boxes and such things in 1/1 heavy trucks.

I've gotten Glued models apart that were assembled with the Testors orange tube glue by me on assembly. I wouldn't put any bets on doing the same if Model Master black bottle glue was used. The Testors orange tube glue today isn't what we had back in the 1960's, plus I'm kind of a sparing user of glue in general. But I just pried the parts apart, as mentioned above, gently, however persistently. I got body parts, under frame and engine parts off that had been glued two years prior. They really were not welded very much at all unlike when using the black bottle. Or Testors tube glue I remember from decades ago. And of course there are many variables.

By the way the primers were applied in an electrostatic dip. It didn't look like sprayed primer as such. Over in the 1/1 Mopar forums they speak of this, then the body went on a rail system about 9" off the ground and that got painted the cars color. Apparently not a ton of over spray hit the underside floors around 1968. I imagine it was an automated spray system.

Same here, don't know the specifics of that car but most undersides in the 60's, especially unibody cars, were some color primer with body color over spray. Most were an oxide or some tone of gray as I recall. I still do them black quite a bit though because being here in the NE we often saw black undercoat on a lot of cars.

If I remember right I read someplace the alcohol in X-20a is some form of glycol alcohol. Denatured alcohol would indeed be closer than iso. And actually denatured alcohol works well in Tamiya acrylics. So does lacquer thinner. At the Tamiya site they list LT as the thinner to use if you want a harder finish ( look in the fine extended print there).

If you were going to have trouble with the lacquer thinner mix it would have occurred most likely right in the mixing cup. Some acrylics accept lacquer thinner some don't but you will get anything from glop to separation to grit or strings usually within minutes if not sooner. Now I never tried MM Acryl with LT personally, I always have used either my home brew thinner or the brand name for the paint with no problems. Actually my home brew works a bit better than their own did. My home brew is 60% water and 40% 91 IPA with retarder and flow aid added. It works in most but not all acrylics. And it sprays great with MM Acryl. But hey if LT worked so be it ! The biggest issue with MM Acryl that has bit many here is to not use a good primer first. It's a nice hard paint on primer but practically falls off of bare plastic.

I use blue painters tape to cover the first finish color, de-tacked as mentioned, but I use the back side or underside if you will, of my arm. Just once. Along the edge of the Tamiya tape or other model tape you can put down a light coat of clear to seal the edge before applying the second color. Or as already mentioned, a light coat of the first color.

Tamiya clear red for me as well.

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.