Is this a good idea?

[jacko]

This morning the hyperscale website has an article on a car model project. After finishing with Splash 2K Clear, "after a few minutes" he airbrushed a wet coat of 100 % Mr Color Leveling Thinner over the model and says he could "watch as it leveled out" Has anyone tried this?  Thanks, John.

https://www.hyperscale.com/2024/features/tamiya1966 vw24bh_1.htm

[Mark]

Apparently he's tested the idea, and it works well enough that he's announcing it to the world.

Anytime you're using something in a way it's not really designed to be used, or using paint materials from different manufacturers or systems, TEST, test, and test again before going near anything of value.

[Ace-Garageguy]

10 minutes ago, Mark said:

Anytime you're using something in a way it's not really designed to be used, or using paint materials from different manufacturers or systems, TEST, test, and test again before going near anything of value.

Exactly.

And still, people want one-size-fits-all answers to refinish questions.

Edited September 20, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy

[Dave G.]

 

 

 

Can you use standard thinners with 2K?

 

 

This is the answer to one brands 2k. To me into and onto when wet equals the same thing. Now it's a very old trick to do this with clear lacquer. I only use lacquers, enamels and acrylics anyway. As I've mentioned before, since 2k or two part paints in general are what drove me out of 1/1 refinishing, I'm not about to bring them into my home. But that's another story I've well covered in the past. To each his own.

 

Never Put Standard Cellulose Thinners into Paint

For thinning down any Ultrimax two pack paints the Ultrimax Universal 2K Paint Thinner is the thinner we recommend for use.

[Fat Brian]

I can see how this would work but I'm concerned it would thin the paint too much around panel line edges. I think you would need to pre-shade around panel lines and sharp edges like the aircraft guys do to have a bit more margin for errors in the thinner coat. It's certainly and interesting idea though.

[Mark]

It's been a long, long time since I have seen it, but I recall Duplicolor having a spray can product called "blender" or "panel blender".  It may have been a clear coat (cars weren't clearcoated in the Sixties), but now I'm wondering if it wasn't a spray can thinner intended to soften the OEM paint in areas adjoining the repair/repaint area.

[Rick L]

This model T was painted that way with lacquer as an experiment with no buffing involved. 

[bill-e-boy]

I had heard of progressively thinning lacquer as you build up coats and I have used this method and it works OK. But I have not spayed just thinners as last coat.

One thing you do need to watch out for is thinning metallics too much as you can end up with tiger striping.

May give it a go one day as the better the finish before colour sanding and polishing the better

[oldcarfan]

It sounds legit, but would take some experimentation. I've done that with Duplicolor or Model Master Clears and sometimes it worked fine and then the next time it shriveled. I'm not a great painter so I never could get a consistent finish. When I do try that stuff, I keep a Gladware tub nearby so I can dunk the part if need be. It's so much easier to strip the paint when it's fresh!