painting?!!!

[m3m]

hello all! i have a question, probably been answered before and dumb, so sorry , but i have always painted my models with spray cans, no polish etc.. i have painted real cars and i was wondering about painting models with an airbrush.touch up gun..etc. 1 what are the pluses? aside from mixing your ouwn colors. 2 what should i by? i guess i need a new compressor and gun! mine is a little to big!( 1:1)! but i can't spend a lot! (right now)3- i have lots of models already painted and clear coated (model master clear) what is a wax i can use to protect and make dusting easier? 4 is polishing a model the same as a real car, as far as wet sanding, polishing? i know how to do the real thing but i am a little scared with my models! my models are shinny but i want more! thanks for any help and sorry for all the questions!

[ghansel98]

Hello,

I only have a few moments now, but I wanted to give you something to start with. I use automotive paints and clears and have awesome results. I also use House of Kolor laquers available from

http://www.blackgoldweb.com/default.asp

For an airbrush/compressor combo, there are alot of choices, but I have had great luck with a Badger 200 single action internal mix brush and a Campbell Hausfeld compressor from Wal Mart. I also use alot of Iwatas but the Badger 200 will get the job done...well.

The best part about these paints is the super quick drying time. I have actually sanded boogers between coats with only minutes between them, and curing time...not really an issue. I have polished bodies within 48 hours of painting.

If you are going to use these paints there are a few safety issues. You must use a dual cartrage resperator(fresh air system recommended for two part paints). You also need a good spray booth and ventilation. These paints are harsher then enamels.

The paint from Black Gold is House of Kolor and is laquer based and you can use laquer thinner to reduce them or buy them pre-reduced. They offer the full HOK line and have clear and primer. Great system and I suggest starting with them. You can also get HOK in 4oz bottles from automotive paint shops, they are urethane based and require HOK reducer

I use DuPont Chromabase paint from my local paint jobber. They can mix any car color including 2007 models in 2oz quantities and the paint is just incredible to spray. There are some costs involved since you have to use their reducer, but it's not bad at all. DuPont also has a new line of colors called Hot Hues and even candy...and the candy is sooooo cool!

As for polishing there are alot of good polishing kits out there, Black Gold offers one and it's great!

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I could write all night but it's late and I'm off to bed. Here's a link to one of my articles on Modeling Madness where I describe my painting process in more depth.

http://www.modelingmadness.com/reviews/car...nselcharger.htm

Hope this helps.

[Olle F]

A touch-up gun might work, but I'd say that an airbrush will work much better. It will use less paint, reduce the overspray, and will also atomize the paint better. It might also be difficult to spray small items like 1:25 body parts without blowing them away with the higher pressure and air flow that's required for a touch-up gun. And once you start using an airbrush, you'll find that you'll get much better finishes on everything by spraying, so you might end up like me and spray paint just about everything.

You can use the compressor you have, just turn down the pressure and you'll be fine. I run my Badger 200 off of a 6 hp Craftsman compressor, with the pressure set at about 40-45 psi. I use enamels, but laquers or catalyzed car paints will be easier to polish. I have used a Micro-Mesh polishing kit for years with good results, it contains polishing cloths in different grits down to 12,000 and requires minimal polishing after the final sanding. The cloths are reusable, and will last forever if you use plenty of water when sanding. There are many polishes to chose from, but I use "The Treatment" wax/polish for the final polish as it won't attack the enamel. If you use car paint, you should be able to use any car polish.