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Yeah Dave, I get it. I wasn’t so much promoting One Shot as much as saying that I have used it over the Walmart HOK paints without a glitch. If I were to promote an enamel clear it would be the MCW Clear and hardener I think someone else thought One Shot would be the answer to all their ills. Likely forgetting that enamel paints and clears can sag well after the airbrush is cleaned and put away. I’ve had a few “how did that get there” runs with enamel myself!

https://mcwfinishes.com/shop/ols/products/1017-clear-enamel https://mcwfinishes.com/shop/ols/products/1003-enamel-hardener If it were me, I think the MCW Finishes and their Hardener would probably work better for a model car as should any enamel that can be catalyzed as you want the quicker flash and setting time the hardener is going to give the enamel. If you’re going to polish, the hardener going to help out there too, or at least allow you to polish sooner. MCW will give you a straight answer whether his clear will work over the HOK paint, but it’s going to be up to you to test it out on a spoon or spare body to see if it works in practice. If that doesn’t work, do as Bob suggest, toss the stuff and write it off as a real bad experience! Another thought on the Walmart HOK paints, from what I understand when Walmart specs out any product, they tell the manufacturer what they want or they aren’t purchasing the product. So, it’s quite possible that’s what happened with the Walmart acrylic enamel HOK paint sets being wonky! I know that they were only on the shelf a short time and never got restocked. That part is all pretty much speculation, so it may be close or miles off!

Bob is correct, the HOK Acrylic Enamels should only be covered with (preferably) HOK Acrylic Enamel Clear or acrylic enamel compatible clear. Along with using a Lacquer based clear over an enamel, you may also be encountering a reaction between the primers as well, especially if they were not allowed to off gas completely. It is not a good idea to mix and match different manufacturers paints, they have already spent a ton of time and money on product Engineering, R & D, they know their system works. Automotive Primer is about the only thing that can be mixed and matched, even then it’s problematic as some manufacturers color coats are hotter than others Doing sign work and automotive graphic work, I’ve used those same Wal Mart HOK acrylic enamels I have covered them successfully with One Shot Enamel Clear, both flat and gloss, I always use a few drops of One Shot hardener both to speed things up and so I don’t encounter any reaction between the two different formulas. I also test my paint method, over the same substrate that will go on the finished (sign) work, so I am aware of what will or will not work before clearing a piece.

The last Austin Healey Sprite we restored used the recommended Med-Gray primer under 2 coats of BRG color coat. Most BRG covers really well, that is if it’s a high solids pigment paint, if not it will take a few coats to cover the primer. I would recommend gray primer, black is almost too dark, red oxide might try to do something weird, white is too bright under a darker green it would lighten things up reflecting off of the BRG paint.

Depends if you are talking 70’s and older NHRA & AHRA Foreign Car Gas Classes, which were Anglias , Poplars, Prefects (English Ford), Jaguar XKE, Volkswagen Type I (Bugs) ran F/G through I/G classes, toss in a few other mostly English like the Lloyd. Trouble with most Foreign Cars in the true Gas Classes we’re their short wheelbases of Less than 100 inches, many of them had way less than the minimum wheel base. If memory serves me correct, Anglias were allowed in under a NHRA Rule change, one reason there were tons of them. Now, if you’re talking, the (Neo-)Gassers like they are running now, I’m not 100% sure what they are allowing for manufacturers body’s. Pretty sure a quick peruse through their rules will tell us that. Street Gassers, Street Freaks, we’ll that’s pretty much up to the builder, because there are no rules other than state and fed motor vehicle laws.

True, Tacking was a term used by painters primarily shooting enamel paints, it would be a misty coat 60 - 80% coverage which was allowed to flash off then the heavier color coats applied. If you go back and read some of the Model Car Science, Car Model articles where they were shooting Enamel Paints, they did call for the "Tack Coat" or "Mist Coat" which was not full coverage at all, it just gave the subsequent coats something to both mechanically and chemically bond to. I have worked with Painters on bridge projects and such who were applying Epoxy-Paints, they referred to the first of a three-coat system - as the "Tack Coat" - second "Mid-Coat" - third "Color Coat" all three coats the being same color. Referring to the first Primer Coat as a "Tack Coat" - second the "Primer Coat". So, it's probably an older painter's term that with both the passing of time and improved materials isn't being used as widely as it used to be. Not to mention with newer spray methods, HVLP and others the term just isn't used as much. Enamels by themselves tend to run long after the brushes, spray can, or spray gear gets cleaned and put away. Which is why the old Sign Painters and Pin Stripers cut their enamels with Lacquer thinner. Recently, Don Yost was another proponent who got it! If you're going to paint with Enamels cut them with Lacquer Thinner, they flash off quicker, less prone to the running after you walk away, lay down smoother, just makes them easier to shoot. I mostly use Lacquers as well, but if there is a color that I'm going to use that's an enamel, it always gets cut with whatever lacquer thinner/reducer that I have close at hand. A reminder on Safety: Enamels are probably a "safer" paint to use than Lacquers, Acrylic Lacquers or Urethane based paints, you'd have to huff a lot of enamel paint to get a buzz if that were at all possible. LoL! (Don't know, never purposely huffed anything! I've got plenty buzzed a few times spraying lacquers without the right mask! That's another story.) Mitigate the health risks with whatever PPE the paint manufacturer recommends, even for the small stuff I'm wearing the proper mask and Nitril gloves! Acrylic's being probably the absolute safest hobby paints out there, you can protect yourself from the finely ground pigments with a dust mask or better yet and N-95 mask. These days, in my "Old Fart years" (like a whole lot of us are), I'm worrying more about what I am ingesting through fumes, skin exposure and or other exposures than I used to be when I was say in my teens and twenties... Interestingly enough, I read an article on painter safety in the now belly up - Bob Bond's "Auto Art Magazine". The gist of the article was they were talking about how many of the painters from the 1950's and earlier consumed so much alcohol after working with paints. (Not to promote its consumption in large quantities as lots of them did.) Alcohol was found to flush many of the toxins picked up during the painting process. Primarily targeted to the liver, only to replace them with the "toxins" from the alcohol. The end of the story talked about how many of the old painters probably had no idea they were "cleansing", they were just relaxing and knocking back a few cold ones after a hard day on the job!

Don't let Steve fool you, however he does it his paintwork always looks great. I have been modeling and painting since I was 8 or 9 years old, I've got the gray whiskers to prove that I've been at it a while, but my paint never looks as good as Steve's does, I'm impressed with the way he does things! I for one would like to see Steve do an article in said magazine with a rough detail sketch of how he does his paint from first scuff of the body, bodywork primer, color coats and clearcoat. I know he has sort of detailed his painting method on here a few times but to have something in print would be really nice to refer back to.

I have been using the flat plastic "Jewelry Parts" boxes from Hobby Lobby for all of my small parts, if they don't fit in there they go into a plastic shoe box. I think I have 8 of the flat jewelry parts boxes and 2 of the shoe boxes full of bigger parts. The small parts take up one shelf in my upper cabinets in the hobby room and are getting ready to start on another shelf as I add additional boxes. The Jewelry Parts boxes work well for engines, small parts, tires, wheels, extra kit parts, resin and 3D goodies, there is even a long compartment that will take grills, front and rear axles... I think they are $3 or 4 apiece and keep my stuff organized enough to keep me from digging through boxes and scuffing off any useable chrome there was on parts. It's cut down on the chrome repairing normal to the big box storage I used to have.

I use a toothpick and a little dot of 3-M poster tack, the stuff you put posters on the wall without tacks. It sticks to the part, releases it easy enough that I've never had a problem. Been using this stuff for years now, tried the wife's glue dots, they are too sticky and don't let go as easy as the poster tack does.

I use something similar to this, uses a couple of tapered plastic plumbing washers about the size if the hole in the tire, once they pass through the 1/8" Screw and Nut they center inside the tire with little if any runout issues.

Mask it off. Use a Q-Tip and paste cleaner car wax and buff it away. I've done this on a larger scale on full sized vehicle paint oopses it works.

I'm using a Black and Decker cordless screwdriver that's old enough that I'm not seeing pictures of it on the 'net. From what I see on the B & D website, most of their cordless screwdrivers turn around 180 RPM. That's slow enough that you will never burn styrene, I've never melted anything with it. I use the same type of Hex Bit Chuck that everyone else is using, with a bigger and smaller jaw set up. Works fine for everything that I do. If I need slower speed, I use my pin vises and a shop made drill block which helps hold the drill rod at 90 degrees.

The bottom Sprue looks like it came from Monogram's Big Deuce, the top of the firewall and Pontiac valve cover are kind of a giveaway. The top looks like something Aurora while the middle looks like Lindberg, probably wrong on both!

If I remember right from inspecting paint for a really big used to be Seattle based Aircraft Manufacturer; the Cup you are talking about is called a Zahnn Cup. Sets in a heavy wire rack with another catcher cup below it. Dump a measured amount of the thinned paint into the top cup then time how many seconds it took to empty the top cup. Next there is a formula for the Temperature and Humidity factors and that gives the Viscosity of the paint. Didn't have to use this on most of the Commercial aircraft but had to do it on every Military variant. The painters all used the stick, the inspectors were forced to use the Zahnn cup and compute the viscosity... No one else has commented, but you said that your air temperature is around 90 deg F. that's pretty warm to be shooting paint, could be that you are having flash off occurring in the air before it hits the painted surface as dust. You might look into a high temperature reducer (thinner) to somewhat counteract this. Humidity at 90 deg shouldn't be an issue, in Texas it's probably next to zero hot & dry! What about painting in the morning when the dewpoint is a little higher for at least a few percent humidity and the air temperature is lower to help you with the flashing issue. It's worth a try, and you might not even have to mess around with switching reducer. You also might be picking up some dust out of the air as well, if you can cover the painted model with a stainless-steel bowl, plastic bowl... to guard against the dust you might help that issue. Being that painting is a process you can check off one step at a time to isolate the source of the issue until it's found.

Bob's comment just jarred a memory of stuff that's in my toolbox to do the waxing and buffing. I use "The Professionals Choice" Rifle & Pistol Cleaning Patches, 100% Cotton Flannel 3 by 3 in I think I got them last time at Wally World for like $3.99. They're really soft cotton and at 3 X 3 they are just about the right size to do the job without a bunch of extra to snag everything in sight!

Depends on if the paint laid down with zero to almost no orange peel and the paint is slightly dull then you can polish it up a high shine using polishing compounds. Almost Flat paint will buff up using either Novus 1, 2, 3, polish, Tamyia course, fine, ex-fine compounds or McGuair’s fast cut, swirl remover an then yellow carnuba. All three of these will polish if you’ve got orange peel, dust particles or slight runs then you will need to begin with polishing pads or cloths using the finest pad that will remove the defect. Then work finer and finer finishing out with a scratch remover like fine then extra fine Tamyia or Novus 2 and 3, or the McGuairs swirl remover and the Yellow carnuba wax. It’s all a matter of going with the least aggressive compound or polishing cloth that removes the heaviest defect such as smoothing over orange peel. You have to balance with aggressive enough to remove but not so aggressive that you are causing additional scratches that you might nit get out of the paint, determining that comes with experience.

I've shot a ton of paint through airbrushes doing sign work, custom automotive stuff, and model stuff over about a 30 plus year spread; it depends on what you are painting and the overall appearance you are looking for. High Shine - Either Enamel or Lacquer, thin both with Lacquer Thinner (Reducer) The High Shiny Luster comes from the after paint and clear coat wet sanding either color sanding or wet sanding over the clear coat. Medium to Shiny Luster - Acrylics + an Acrylic Clear Coat - Flat - Med. Luster - Shiney Clear Coat, you can use an Enamel, Lacquer or 2K Clear Coat over acrylics, In my opinion, I don't think they look as well as the Acrylic Clear Coats. You can buff the Acrylic Clears with a microfiber cloth or I have even heard of people using coffee filters to buff acrylics out to achieve more shine. Brands - Vallejo Acrylics, Model Air or Game Air are the two go to pre-thinned paints that I use for acrylic painting. I do on occasion use thinned craft paints thinned with either or both Vallejo Reducer or Vallejo Flow Improver. Thin the paint to just slightly thicker than skim milk, so say whole milk should just about right to begin with, adjust the paint thickness once you start spraying to get a good spray pattern. Use a good Automotive grade lacquer-based primer, white, red oxide, gray or black matched to the color you are shooting. If you shoot a Lacquer Clear coat test the stacked paints Primer-Color Coat- Clear Coat for overall compatibility, I've never had an issue with acrylic compatibility, but I still do test it for overall compatibility, so I don't get caught in a bind at the last minute. Enamels and Lacquers - MCW Paints, Scale Finishes, Splash Paints, Tamyia, Testers and a few others are what I usually shoot through the airbrush for bodies and some interior colors again there are clear coats in the flat, med and shiny ranges from the manufacturers line or another that is tested compatible with the color coat that you are shooting. Use a good Automotive grade lacquer-based primer, white, red oxide, gray or black matched to the color you are shooting. Testing overall paint stack up, I always check the paints used Primer-Color Coat- Clear Coat for any compatibility issues, there have been times when I have been caught in a bind with Lacquers and Enamels reacting even after testing, often it is an issue of too much thickness of the clear coat reactivating the primer under the color coat, depending on how severe the reaction is you might get lucky and jus sand the orange peel out, other times it involves a trip to the purple pond for complete stripping. Rattle Can Paint Straight From the Can - I still use Rattle Can paints right out of the can, painting with a Rattle Can should be your first paint delivery system that you master. Doing to may require a whole lot of stripping, sanding and polishing but it is the easiest paint system we use in building models. Decanted Rattle Can Paint - Typically decanted rattle can paints are not in my preferred materials, I use them but really infrequently. I do not decant any of the primers that I use, I prefer to shoot them onto the bodywork straight from the can to get both enough coverage and thickness enough to do some finish sanding on the primer. Dehydrator - If you don't own a Dehydrator yet, get one, this is one thing that will help you get better with all of the paints we use, I use my $3-Garage Sale dehydrator on everything that will fit into it. Not only does a dehydrator speed up the curing process, it also in most cases yields a harder paint finish that can be polished out quicker. Make sure the dehydrator you get has a temperature control on it and do not exceed 110 to 115 degrees F. That's probably enough to get you going, and for all the others who have their own patented paint systems arguing about what and which is the best! LoL!! I hope not! The real thing here is to develop a painting system that works for you, where you're at, and with the temperatures you have in your area. That's why sometimes someone will recommend a certain primer, paint, thinner and clearcoat combination; the works like a charm for them, doesn't quite work somewhere else. That's when painting gets exasperating because you are getting sound advice from someone the combination works for them, but you are having problems getting it to work for you. The key to fixing paint issues is taking small steps back to a repeatable condition. Then follow that process every time you paint! Long answer, but hope it helps you on your airbrush painting journey...

A friend of mine has a daughter that is a museum curator, I specifically asked her what the museum uses to keep objects that might move around like a toy car or something with wheels on a shelf. She recommended, Quake Hold, Museum Wax. Quake Hold Clear Museum Wax I found some at a local art store which has since gone out of business, so the link here is for Dick Blick Art Supply. The stuff looks like clear bees wax or other pliable wax, you take a tiny dot apply it to the tire and stick it to the shelf. On most of the models that I have used this on i put a dot on both front wheels and have had zero movement. It comes off pretty easy and like the Blue Poster Tack it will get between the tire treads and you will have to use a toothpick to remove it if you want it off completely. I have used both the Blue Poster Tack and the Museum Wax, I like the Museum Wax the best as it is not detectable on a glass shelf between a tire and shelf, where the blue Poste Tack looks like you ran over a spot of gum. That's just my opinion though.

Yep, go for it,,, time to pick up a 51/52 Chev and a C1 Corvette, then let the slicing and dicing begin! Have Fun with this one, looks like it might just keep you scratching your head all the way through.

As for the rubber mat’s surface, how about using a medium or fine rubbing compound to polish the worn areas. Maybe use something like a pencil eraser under the polishing towel to create the smalll foot worn spots on the mats surface. Followed by a spot polish with a cleaner type wax in the smaller spots within the areas of wear using a smaller eraser tip to put the pressure under the polishing rag. Another thought for rubber mat basic color, might be as simple as using the rattle can truck bed liner, experimenting with spray nozzle! Should give the surface that rougher texture you are looking for. Follow that up with the above might give you a plausible worn rubber mat look that you’re after, especially using Steve’s foil suggestion.

When we restored my Brother’s 1953 F-100 it had Red Oxide primer under the original Sheridan Blue paint. We found no other color primer anywhere on the interior or exterior. Hope that helps.

Good observation and trick, I've used a sewing needle to do the same.

I should have mentioned this earlier, I regularly use my ultrasonic cleaner on my airbrush parts, with either Windex, Simple Green or Harbor Freight Ultrasonic Cleaner concentrated powder and they always end up squeaky clean. So, I have little doubt that this would clean up the extra metalic bits floating around your airbrush.

Same here, if it seems really stubborn, I might spray some decanted primer or non-metalic paint through and go back to flushing and cleaning, the few times that I did resort to that it worked picking up the extra unseen metalflake bits. Cleaning up after metalics is a matter of flushing and brushing. My other tool is a 1/8" hog bristle brush like the oil painters use, then cut its hog bristles down to a straight across at about 1/4" long, this makes a stiff cleanup brush like Iwata sells for a lot more than I have in mine the hog bristle wears out pretty quickly like after 6 or 8 cleanups. Which is why the cheap version works for me.

I think your analysis of painting over chrome is a good one. Plus, modernized painting methods where nearly everything that is painted is also primed to further promote paint adhesion. If I remember correctly, a lot of it began in the pages of SAE, where the chrome was being removed from kit parts to paint, baring the plastic's details and not for adhesion purposes. Much of the Alclad and the other chrome paints that followed gained acceptance because they replicated chrome in scale better than vacuum chroming and two the chrome paints allowed the surface details to show better than through the "chrome plating".