Two Painting Questions

[Bruce Poage]

1. As with many other builders I find myself using more acrylic paints. In my case I find them especially good for detail and interior work instead of enamel. The question is what type of brushes are best. Are some brushes, i.e. red sable better for acrylic than enamel?

2. I am trying the use of a dehydrator to dry enamel prior to wet sanding and two finish coats. What would be the recommended amount of time to "cook" the paint at about 105 degrees before wet sanding and finish coating?

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

I can't answer both questions but as for the brushes. Any natural hair brush will loose it's snap when used with water and be hard to control. Your best brushes for acrylic water base is a synthetic, but some hog bristle will work too. You can use red sable for a short time but the longer it's wet the less control you'll have. I doubt you'll have much luck finding a decent synthetic at a hobby shop or big box store. Try Dick-Blick art supplies.

[MrObsessive]

To answer your dehydrator questions........enamel needs a good 8 hours in the dehydrator to dry completely. It's one of the reasons I so dislike hobby enamels---------they take so dang long to fully cure.

Problem is there are some hues that you just can't get in a fast drying lacquer IMO (some of Humbrol's neat colors come to mind), so the next best thing is the dehydrator.

[Brendan]

I use red sable brushes all the time for acrylics. The trick is to clean them with alcohol and not water. Then dry them after use. But it is true that the sables will lose their snap if used in water. I have several red sable brushes that I've had for over 10 years and are as good as when I first bought them. Make sure you buy the best that you can afford. It will pay off in the end.