hellonwheelz3 Posted May 16, 2010 Share Posted May 16, 2010 I have only been using testors enamel paints and am wondering what other brands of paints you guys use in your airbrushes? I have tried lacquer paints and I'm thoroughly UNIMPRESSED. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
59 Impala Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 (edited) I too use only testors enamels almost exclusively. I have used Alclad which I think is lacquer. I haven't used anything else in my airbrush except future once in awhile. Dan Edited May 17, 2010 by 59 Chevy Impala Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 I have only been using testors enamel paints and am wondering what other brands of paints you guys use in your airbrushes? I have tried lacquer paints and I'm thoroughly UNIMPRESSED. What is it about lacquers that leaves you "unimpressed?" Some lacquers dry with a satin finish, not a high gloss, and they need to be either rubbed out or clearcoated, but otherwise what's not to like about lacquers? They go on smooth, they go on thin and don't hide surface details, and they dry fast! Same with acrylics. Personally, enamels are the one paint I try to stay away from... I've had much better results with lacquers or hybrids... nothing but headaches with enamels, mostly the fact that they take forever to dry, and even then they're not fully dry. I've heard of thinning enamels with lacquer thinner to get the best of both worlds, but I've never tried that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ddms Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 I have tried lacquer paints and I'm thoroughly UNIMPRESSED. Which lacquer paints? What do you mean by "unimpressed"? Was there a problem? What happened? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellonwheelz3 Posted May 17, 2010 Author Share Posted May 17, 2010 I just never could get it to lay down flat no matter how much body work I do. I haven't been impressed with the color and for some reason, no matter how much i thin it, my brush will not spray it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CustomFerrari Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 I cant figure out my airbrush its all dismantled Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyledr330 Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 I just never could get it to lay down flat no matter how much body work I do. I haven't been impressed with the color and for some reason, no matter how much i thin it, my brush will not spray it. Lacquer paint needs to be thinned out a lot. 1 part paint to 3 parts thinner. Also some air brushes will not work with lacquer paints. What type of air brush do you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete J. Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 Lacquer paint needs to be thinned out a lot. 1 part paint to 3 parts thinner. Also some air brushes will not work with lacquer paints. What type of air brush do you have? That depends upon the manufacture of the lacquer. I use Dupont automotive lacquers and I start at 5 to 1 and go from there. You need to make it about the same consistency as skimmed milk. Also, nothing and I mean nothing dries as quickly or polishes up like lacquer. That is why a lot of us use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuel Coupe Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 Dont give up on lacquers yet. I use House of Kolors lacquers and mix them according to their directions. Without looking at my notes I believe its 1:1 on the basecoats and candys/clears is 2:1. I shoot through a Paasche External mix airbrush at 25#. The finish on the color will come out flat. I then follow up with urethane clear which gives me a pretty nice finish. You can achieve the same finish with lacquer clear... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyjim Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 I'm hooked on the HOK pearls from TCP Global. I now have a stock of 16 colors. Using either the base gold or silver, that gives me the potential of 32 colors. I haven't even thought about mixing colors to get yet other colors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyledr330 Posted May 30, 2010 Share Posted May 30, 2010 That depends upon the manufacture of the lacquer. I use Dupont automotive lacquers and I start at 5 to 1 and go from there. You need to make it about the same consistency as skimmed milk. Also, nothing and I mean nothing dries as quickly or polishes up like lacquer. That is why a lot of us use it. I total agree with you Pete. I thin mine down 3 to 1 because I use a very slow drying thinner. It makes the paint milky and dries a little slower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDO Posted May 30, 2010 Share Posted May 30, 2010 Maybe it's the airbrush. Try some Tamiya spray can lacquers. Go get a primer, color coat, and clear. Yeah it will go on thicker than an airbrush, but man you can make a mirror finish. No foolin'. I tried them for the first time while deployed overseas. I had actually planned to build model cars and just the the bodies unpainted. I was talking to the guy who runs my LHS and he recommended the Tamiya paints. Even in dusty Afghanistan, I laid down the best paint jobs I have ever done. A Duesenberg got a couple of dust particles in the clear. I just sprayed more and sanded it out. Use a polishing kit but don't use the wax that comes with it. Use Novus plastic polish #2 and #3. I PROMISE you will be happy. I'm not suggesting using spray cans for the rest of your life. Just a trial to see what lacquers can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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