Dave G.

Does it come pre thinned or do they sell thinner separately ?

I didn't know this. Too bad, the thinner is decent in at least a few acrylic paints ( the airbrushes should have gone for what they get for them long ago imo). But I suspect US Art Supply acrylic thinner may work too. I haven't tried it yet though so don't quote me on that. I mostly use my own thinner I make up for most craft paints anyway but DecoArt is the problem child and so happens DecoArt has some nice colors. If Aztek is going out then I'll get to work right away on a substitute thinner to use in DecoArt craft paints.

IPA is isopropyl alcohol.

It's going to be a little fussier than a rattle can on distance and speed of your passes. I mix it just short of 1/1 for straight up clear @ around 24 psi with a Paasche H and medium nozzle (.6). The more factory look ( less wet look) is 110-115% thinner, so a bit thinner than 1/1 ratio and I shoot that between 20 and 24 psi. Again it's the distance and speed of pass that you want to nail down , so get yourself a good test subject before you go painting a model with it. That said it won't be as prone to hazing in humid weather as lacquer can be. I've shot this stuff as high as 26-27 psi fwiw. And I put it down real wet with the nozzle pretty opened up. For what ever airbrush youo use you may need to tweak but this is how it works for me with the H. I use lacquer too, sometimes even Rustoleum gloss lacquer. I have used Liquitex varnish and also Pledge. Right now I'm on the X-22 kick,I like what I'm getting without going to what I consider dangerous K2 clears.. Years ago I used to clear with enamels, all of which yellowed eventually, so now I try to avoid those. Good luck with it and if you want to get into details while you mess with it just shoot me a pm. I'll help best I can.

Something I find works for me with nail polish is a 50/50 blend of lacquer thinner and xylene ( I use Klean Strip hardware store variety), then thin the nail polish with that around 50/50 also. You will get less dry effect and sometimes more gloss. Nail polish also can be put on with pretty low pressure which makes it go on wetter too. And finally shooting distance from the subject matters. Get all those things right and you can get a pretty natural looking buffed finish without clear coat. Or clear coat if desired. I make my own thinner for Folkart and apple Barrel craft paints too. You can use straight IPA too. Also Aztek thinner does fairly well with them, or a blend of it and alcohol too ( helps leveling though it shoots on a bit funky, levels beautifully). Aztek thinner works in DecoArt craft paint but don't ever put any alcohol in Decoart. My thinner blend works in Martha Steward and Craft Smart craft paints. Beyond these I have not experimented with craft paints, oh except Color Technic ( not my favorite). Right now my clear of choice is Tamiya X-22 acrylic clear thinned with lacquer thinner. It makes for a very clear clear. Or you can thin it a bit extra and get a more traditional production looking clear. I use varnish and Pledge too, just depends what I painting or what my intent is. Not all clears are for automotive final finish.

Wow, never had anything like that happen with Stynylrez fwiw.

64 that tractor is awesome !

Badger Stynylrez is a superior poly acrylic primer to Vallejo. Right off the bat it has a shorter recoat window, is more sandable and it sticks better. It's nearly as good as a solvent based primer with 0 stink factor. If you're going to buy an acrylic primer I suggest you buy it rather than Vallejo. It's the only primer I use anymore ( for about two years now). Vallejo primer needs 24 hour dry time if you end up going with that fwiw.

Just a suggestion, you don't have to listen to me: Lose the windex in your mix and mix your IPA with 60% distilled water instead. If you have some retarder, mix in a few drops of that ( ends tip dry helps leveling). Assuming the paint is good and not old and lumpy this will spray fine ( if it is old a lumpy you can get a new bottle for around $.80 at Walmart or $1.40 minus a coupon at Micheals so it won't break the bank) . Try it, it works very well. If you have some Aztek thinner, mix the solution I mentioned 50/50 with that then thin, this will increase flow out and gloss if it is satin or gloss FolkArt ( lays down different initially though). The same thinners for Aapple Barrel paints. I have these two brands spraying as nice as some model paints. Don't let alcohol anywhere near DecoArt paints when thinning, instant gel. Again just a suggestion but I know this works and works well.

Depends what I'm clearing, you didn't specify that.

That may not be a universal time in all climates. I've seen lacquer flash off in ten minutes and also seen wet or softer pockets in 30 depending on weather and depth of coats. And that's just flash off, says nothing for being dry down to the painted structure. It could still be out gassing in an hour. Course the above says nothing about force drying in a cooker or using a hair dryer.

As good as my eyes are at pushing 70 yo, a little coat of glue painting the tips silver would serve fine for clips lol. I just need the allusion or suggestion at this stage of the game.

You could hog out that stove pipe that is standing there and dead head your wires into it. Then run just short leads out the side of the channel to each plug. Skinny wires, 5mm with L shaped clips, no boots on the spark plugs, originally anyway. Curious, Which 32 Chrysler kit are you building ?

I clean my mixing bottles as I go, each time I paint. For enamel I use lacquer thinner and it just swishes right out and or wipes off. If you let em sit and get caked up with paint it might take more work. But I don't do that personally.

If the orange peel was in the base coats no amount of sanding will leave the clear coat in tact. You have to sand to the bottom of the orange peel to level the finish which leaves basically no clear coat and gets you mighty close to plastic and all the easier to wear through. You need to work on your thinning, thinner type, air pressures and get your coats of paint to self level.

Looking good ! Probably only you know where you sanded through. But the overall representation to me looks great, at least in the photo.

Model Master Aluminum Plate Matalizer . Has to be sealed with their Matalizer seal coat though or other clear. Similar choice to Snakes but it's a buffing metalizer, just don't buff it buff the clear.. It goes down silky smooth, the only trick is swirl your airbrush ( I airbrush it) to keep the metallic suspended.

This thread brings about a very old memory. Years ago when I was building a lot of short track modified and class A coupes and sedans ( 40 fords, 36 Fords cut down using flathead or small block engines etc. and long before any kits of these came out) I used slot car tires. We had a commercial slot car track and local hobby shop that supported it with tires of many sizes. Anyway, those looked better than any kit tires I ever found even though there was no lettering. Might not work on a muscle car but it worked great for circle track cars. They actually had treaded tires too, I put a Model A sedan street rod on the slot car track and used the chrome wheels from a kit and treaded slot car tires on the back, it looked awesome going around the track.

Ya I use the metal color cup a lot on the H and also on my Badger 200 for painting all the smaller parts and also when test spraying different paints and blends etc. I use glass jars, both the Badger and Paasche came with those and I use them when shooting larger areas. Both sets came with a jar and siphon cap plus a jar with solid cap. Besides those I have a Badger mixing jar set. I think it's six jars with solid caps and three pipettes. I mix my paint in those often. They are for mixing or storing paint only because they are smaller than the spray jar set with a different cap size, but very handy non the less. I don't think I could really like the plastic jar sets personally.

I would try adding a little retarder first. If that alone doesn't work for you, then just have a Qtip/cotton bud handy with a little alcohol or thinner in a cup . Dip the Qtip in the thinner and wipe the tip of your airbrush off if it dries on you. As I mentioned already, I have retarder in my thinner blend and haven't had any tip dry issues and MM is one of several acrylic paints I use. Don't over think it, just clean the tip if paint dries on there. Another thing I do sometimes is have a hair dryer handy and heat set the freshly sprayed paint. You can usually flash dry it off in a minute or two with acrylic paints and move on to a second coat shortly there after.

My own thinner I make up has Liquitex retarder in it and this really slows down the tip dry issue. I don't know about leaving the airbrush sitting for ten minutes but it's good for three or four minutes with the retarder in there. Just to clarify , this is not a Passche H thing but any airbrush will do this with most acrylic paints that have either no flow aid or no retarder in them.. But with the H if the nozzle does get tip dry what I do is completely close the needle and gently wipe off the tip with a little alcohol or acrylic cleaner, then open the needle wide give it a shot or two and reset to my operating setting. By closing the needle the needle protrudes out the tip breaking the clog up and the alcohol melts the clog up. Also with the Passche H and Model Master I shoot more like 23psi. there is a sweet spot you will find someplace between 20 and 25 psi.I don't like the working pressure with the H to fall under 20psi when using bottles on it, sometimes with the metal color cup I might let it drop a bit more. But I also don't thin MM paint 50/50.

Also when decanting from a spray can for airbrushing , you need to let the paint sit and out gas for a few minutes. The propellant once out of the can acts different than spraying from the can, you can sometimes see the paint bubbling in your paint cup. I've even had to re-thin paint I've decanted. But ya know, Testors last I knew sprayed great from the can directly so why bother decanting really. There are plenty of airbrush paints to use.

Ya, there is another shot there at that page I linked to looking down on the wagon and hardtop side by side and the wagon looks to have tan seats. Again not very sharp though.

In an images search I did the wagon looked to have black inner door panels. But it wasn't a sharp photo. Here is a link to the page I was at with a bunch of Don's cars at it. https://www.google.com/search?q=dyno+don's+mercury+wagon&client=firefox-b-1-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0ipbbhuLiAhUQr1kKHe6-Af8Q_AUIESgC&biw=1252&bih=579#imgrc=7qRxpQuE6Fl93M:

I see, thanks.