scalenut

Painting a 70.5 camaro, just sprayed it with The Ultra Gloss from the model master custom laquer system How long should I wait before applying the big stripe decals ? Would decal set/sol be recommended? ...and finally how long after the decals can I hit it with another coat of the same clearcoat? Or should I ? I believe on the 1:1.... the stripes are a decal so maybe I should leave it raw for more realism ? I have about a 10 day window to get it finished. * I know ..lol.. I need to feed the Pic beast.. *I will post some pics after I get it decal-ed* Promise thanks in advance

I use the paasche H with #3 needle for metalizers and alclad ... set around 15-18 psi perfect spray every time.. I have it set up to screw strait into the bottles. there is a flaw with the harbor freight dual action 150 knock-off the interior is not machined out like the badger and many have an issue with the trigger mechanism either catching/dragging or rubbing. including the issue with the trigger it has a cheap air valve , and uses a completely different needle and tip assembly.. I have both, and it's like night and day comparing the smoothness of the faint flow. the badger has a dual angle needle ,well polished, that goes from hairline to 3" pattern,, the HF has a simple pointed needle that has a very rough texture for an airbrush needle,,at minimum some polishing would make a huge improvement. for the really frugal,there is a cheaper option ,, a dried hollow grass reed that one can hold to the mouth and blow paint thru , cavemen approved.

I got one and a 74 barracuda + a 74 dodge van and trailer for $25,a few weeks ago from greedbay, just had to "unglue" them.

I made a variable speed(foot pedal) mini lathe from a $10 yard sale sewing machine and a $10 harbor freight chuck. works like a champ.

it's not the "removeable" type , but can be broke loose with hand tools ..vs something like loctite red which requires a torch Great idea on the knob Doug.

thanks Jason !

I would not recommend alcohol ,, it dries them too fast ,, leaves a grainy finish and causes major tip dry .. the testor's thinner works 10X better ,

no problems with them, I use the testors universal acrylic thinner to make them spray at 18-20 psi. If that doesn't work you need a larger needle. the basecoat will show thru on any paint if you don't put enough on, or need to prime first.. the acrylics are actually quite opaque. for brushing the same thinner also works well highway , instead of saying something is "junk"with no explanation ,, try explaining why or perhaps don't comment at all and maybe learn from people who have some worthwhile info.

Any rastor programs like photoshop are not the best choice for decals . As Bastardo mentioned , you need vector drawings if you are going to do any sizing ,, unless you don't mind jagged and blurry images. That means drawing the decals in a vector format. with Illustrator , corel, or the freeware Inkscape. this would allow you to draw the images at a large full page size , than shrink it to model size and still retain all the crisp detail

...........this is gonna be a tough one

the badger 155 rocks.. my go to out of 5 AB's...

anything that is not crepe paper based for house painting.. also the thinner the better , like 3m fine line or tamiya. shop at the auto body stores not the hardware store and your in the right place

John,do you mean from a photograph ?

...good point

I've never had a visitor to my home break out calipers and 3-views to dissect the inaccuracy of a displayed model. I don't get all the hoopla

I get them from the dollar store ,forget what they are called but they are for ladies who put moisturizing cream on their hands before bedtime.

cracking and lifting usually have to do with uncured primer,paint, or lack of adhesion. I prefer spray-canned primers over airbrush-able primers. you can get replacement bottles for any of the name brand airbrushes as far as.. "better iwata".... the best airbrush, is the one you can use the best. there are a lot of great AB's for less money starting out.. once you have tried a couple than you will be able to feel what makes the Iwata better... I think everyone can benefit with a Paasche H in their arsenal.. It's great to have for quick spraying down basecoats, clears and super easy cleanup... instead of pulling out their higher end AB everytime for those situations.

Doc,I found a thread on Jalopy Journal.. there's a ton of them, the forum won't let me link pics. prepare to spend a lot of time, it's many pages,,, amazing http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=257556

this would keep someone busy for a while... talk about candy !

that's what I mean doc ,, all the killer paintjobs I see around here are on lowriders, donks,and sclades.

It's still out there , but most of the time I see it around here,,, is on a 80's camaro or whatnot...it just looks putrid to me , that blue green brown shifting color that comes in a spray can... I'm sure some different colors, done right, on the right car would be more like it. we just don't have much cool running around my area with killer paint jobs ,, except for donks and lowriders and lots of them

I have to say,thank goodness that fad died in the 80's early 90's

cool, tho it doesn't have the huge engine like a zinger,, still cool