How to get a good white paint job?

[Sonorandog]

Does anybody have any tips for getting a quality white paint job. I’ve never been able to produce a body in white that I actually liked. Does anybody have any paint or technique recommendations to get in a good white paint job?  I have a couple kits on the shelf that I really want to build, but since I want to finish them in white they keep sitting.

Thanks for any and all advice.

[karbuildr]

You can try Tamiya TS-26 Pure White in the spray can with TS-13 Clear. They're both model friendly lacquers. I've used TS-26 a few times. Doesn't fade and the color won't shift like Testors enamel. You can also decant the TS-26 if you wish to airbrush it. Either way it sprays very nicely.

[D.Pack]

If it's a colour problem, perhaps an off white? For scale effect.

My black cars I paint with lighter RAL Signal or Graphite shades.

Paint application, for me it's just the same as other colours. Check for peel and polish out.

Edited June 26, 2023 by D.Pack

[ctruss53]

If it is a race car and has a lot of decals I don't even use paint. I just use white primer and then gloss coat that.

If you need a bright white and have an airbrush, Splash has a great Frozen White that is very bright. MCW also has a generic commercial white paint.

If you need an off-white, Tamiya make Championship White, I think it is called, in a spray can. They also have a basic white spray paint.

As for base coat, use white primer.

[Rodent]

8 minutes ago, ctruss53 said:

If you need an off-white, Tamiya make Championship White, I think it is called, in a spray can.

Racing white(TS-7). It's also a pretty good match for Ford Wimbledon White.

[Nacho Z]

David (karbuildr) gave the answer I would have given you.  Tamiya's TS paints spray great and behave great.

[GLMFAA1]

Ford Wimbledon white is an off white color not a snow white color. Just used DupliColor Wimbledon white spray. I use flat white primer and gloss it for my black & white cop cars.

greg

[Rodent]

15 minutes ago, GLMFAA1 said:

Ford Wimbledon white is an off white color not a snow white color.

So is the TS-7 Racing White. Much creamier than the TS-26. It's also a decent match for 1980s Ford truck Colonial White.

[atomicholiday]

Another vote for the Tamiya TS line.  I recently shot a body with TS26 and it's probably the best paint job I've ever done straight from the can. 

[Raoul Ross]

I believe he's looking more for application tips.... ie. not what but how.

I'm interested in this also so preach on!

[StevenGuthmiller]

I guess I don’t understand the issue, unless you’ve been using bad paint or something.

White is just a paint color, and paint is paint.

If you have good paint, just use a base of a good white primer, and you’re in business.

My suggestion of course would be white lacquer primer and white lacquer.

 

 

 

Steve

Edited June 27, 2023 by StevenGuthmiller

[Dpate]

There’s a lot of info missing from your topic. Do you want information about aerosol cans or airbrush? What type of finish are you currently getting? What white paint are you using? White isn’t the easiest of colors to do as it’s…white.

[Sonorandog]

Thanks for all the advice. I typically use an airbrush. The current body I’m working on has gone through three paint jobs.  I put down a white primer in each scenario. The three paints I have used have been ammo, Vallejo and Tamiya. The Tamiya was a bottle of the X2 white thinned with Tamiya thinner. in each case as well as with previous white paint jobs the final color always ends up being boring. I’m trying to get a nice crisp shade of white. A bright white.  For some reason I can accomplish this with other colors, but the white always ends up just blah. I think I’m going to try buying a can of Tamiya white spray paint and see if that gives me better results. I don’t know if the attached images convey the issue.  Those are the results with with Tamiya white.

[Dave Ambrose]

White doesn't cover very well. The color of the underlying paint/model has a big influence on the final outcome. I have a few suggestions:

• Use white primer. Tamiya is fine, or use Mr. Color Surfacer, 1000 or above. 
• Multiple very light coats. You need to build up the paint gradually. 
• Use the Tamiya pre-thinned paints. Those seem to spray better, at least for me. 
• If you're still having coverage issues, try the Tamiya matte white. That will cover better. You can follow up with a clear coat. 

The surface on your model looks rough. The paint is likely drying too much before it hits the model. This is a constant problem in a low-humidity environment. Spray less paint, get closer, move fast. 

[Sonorandog]

Good tips.  Thank you very much

[StevenGuthmiller]

Both of these models were painted with nothing more than Duplicolor white sandable primer, and Duplicolor white lacquer touch up paint, straight from a rattle can.

The Edsel was molded in blue plastic, so good coverage was essential.

Plenty of primer, and several light coats of color was all that was required.

A few coats of clear will go a long way to adding depth to a “drab” paint job as well, even white.

These are both painted with a “warmer” white, but you get the picture.

I don’t recall either of these being any more difficult to paint than any other color.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

[Dave G.]

The thing about all white paint jobs is it's white. I mean it's not a pzazz color like pink or purple iridescent pearl or something. White isn't everyone's cup of tea without an accent color or unless it's the accent color.

6 hours ago, Sonorandog said:

Thanks for all the advice. I typically use an airbrush. The current body I’m working on has gone through three paint jobs.  I put down a white primer in each scenario. The three paints I have used have been ammo, Vallejo and Tamiya. The Tamiya was a bottle of the X2 white thinned with Tamiya thinner. in each case as well as with previous white paint jobs the final color always ends up being boring. I’m trying to get a nice crisp shade of white. A bright white.  For some reason I can accomplish this with other colors, but the white always ends up just blah. I think I’m going to try buying a can of Tamiya white spray paint and see if that gives me better results. I don’t know if the attached images convey the issue.  Those are the results with with Tamiya white.

I don't recall the name, code or paint number but GMC had a crisp white in their fleet colors around the late 70's or so. Every time I shot it in 1/1 it made me think of freshness. I shot it over light platinum primer. If you put the paint chip ( I had a huge thick book of chips and codes by manufacturer)next to other chips of whites you could see it had just a hint of blue in it. You didn't see that till you compared. Some whites a hint of grey, others yellow etc.

 

[Dave G.]

I looked it up, in Dupont it was 817, then there was a suffix for what type of paint. We used it for 7 Up and Dr Pepper trucks. I'm including a drop down that should list numbers, paint brands etc. MCW can probably mix it or just go to a Napa store and get a sample in acrylic enamel. You don't have to do anything, I'm posting for fun none the less !

image

[year]

make

model

paint color name

code

sample

GM code

Chrysler code

Ditzler PPG

Dupont

RM BASF

Glasurit

Autocolor

Spies Hecker

Martin Senour

Sherwin Williams

comment

C

X

2185

21667

Mack Truck Dupont Imron PPG Durethane Offset Listing June 1988

C

X

2185

817, 00817

Mack Truck Dupont Imron PPG Durethane Offset Listing June 1988

White

X

WEA5111, WE5111, WA5111

DT1084

2185

21667, 378-21667, 6715, 776-21667, 817, N0006

1347

PPG/Dupont Cross-Ref 1990

Caterpillar

White

X

WA5111, WA9225, WE5111

DT1084

2185

817

1347

GM-5111, GM5111, GM-9225, GM9225

8HM4, 8JT9, 8JT9B

17841

1208

7209

GM Corporate White

Clark

Lift White

X

WA5111, WA9225, WE5111

DT1084

2185

817

1347

GM-5111, GM5111, GM-9225, GM9225

8HM4, 8JT9, 8JT9B

17841

1208

7209

GM Corporate White

Fleet

7up

White

X

WA5111, WA9225, WE5111

DT1084

2185

817

1347

GM-5111, GM5111, GM-9225, GM9225

8HM4, 8JT9, 8JT9B

17841

1208

7209

Fleet

Dr Pepper

White

X

WA5111, WA9225, WE5111

DT1084

2185

817

1347

GM-5111, GM5111, GM-9225, GM9225

8HM4, 8JT9, 8JT9B

17841

1208

7209

Fleet

Northwest Airlines

White

X

WA5111, WA9225, WE5111

DT1084

2185

817

1347

GM-5111, GM5111, GM-9225, GM9225

8HM4, 8JT9, 8JT9B

17841

1208

7209

Chevrolet

Chevrolet

Corporate White

X

WA5111

DT1084

2185

817

1347

8HM4, 8JT9, 8JT9B

17841

1208

7209

GM

White

X

WA9225

 

[NOBLNG]

This is my first and only white one so far. Paint is Tamiya LP-2 and MR. Hobby UV cut clear. The first coat was a little pebbly, so I gave it a light sanding then a couple more coats. The foil gives some contrast and the clear gives it some depth. If your model doesn’t have any trim to accent the paint, white may look a little bland? Also, highlighting the panel lines before the paint may help to define them and break up the “whiteness”. I’m certainly no expert…just my thoughts.

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by NOBLNG

[Zoom Zoom]

For those that use Tamiya sprays they have a relatively new product called "Base White". It's one of the best paints they have, it covers multiple colors of plastic with ease, and dries to a very smooth semigloss finish. In some cases like a weathered finish that may be enough, but allows spraying their regular white over it (or airbrushed decanted or LP lacquers). My only gripe with Base White is the can is small, same size as the regular colors and IMHO should be available in the taller primer sized cans. Tamiya rattle cans are nearly foolproof. White is an easy color to achieve if you use the right compatible products. They have white primer, base white, regular white, racing white. All of it is plastic and user friendly. I generally ignore their acrylic gloss colors, they take too long to dry (even when mixed with Tamiya or Mr. Hobby lacquer thinners) and their jars of LP lacquers for airbrushing are all good, mix well to get custom colors and dry rapidly. 

Example below was a model that the body was molded in white but the separate engine compartment was molded in black. The Base White easily got the black engine compartment into the same shade of white as the primer on the body without having to flood it; I used white primer to help make the metallic blue a bit more vivid than if applied over gray primer.

[ctruss53]

Tamiya acrylics take too long to dry???

Their flat acrylics dry within an hour. Their gloss acrylics dry in a couple hours.

[Bill Eh?]

This might help.

 

[Zoom Zoom]

1 hour ago, ctruss53 said:

Tamiya acrylics take too long to dry???

Their flat acrylics dry within an hour. Their gloss acrylics dry in a couple hours.

They might feel dry to the touch but they don't fully cure nearly that fast. Might be okay for minor brush painting but this thread is about spray painting which often includes masking at some point for another color/finish. Masking over Tamiya gloss acrylic in that scenario is very risky unless the paint is fully cured, not just dry to the touch.

[espo]

Lot of good suggestions, but I think one thing to remember is to use a good quality white primer before the final white color coat. Using the same brand of paints from the object you're painting all the way to the final clear coat. This will minimize any possible reaction between any of the paint applications. 

[Dpate]

Good white primer Mr surfacer 1500 or Tamiya white primer. Even pink primer would work good too. Id recommend use water n 3000K grit to sand the primer nice and smooth, and then go for the color coat. 3M has 3K grit pads you can get from Walmart or any automotive store, and worth every penny too $6 will last long time. I wouldn’t recommend Vallejo or ammo for doing a car body, and wouldn’t recommend Tamiya hybrid either. If you have to use Tamiya use their lacquer line up either aerosol or air brush 10ml bottles. Leagues better than their hybrid line up, and even the color pigment is better.