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Acrylic model paint alternative?

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xcz - 19 Mar 2006 12:14 GMT
Hi all,

I checked the RMS FAQ first but couldn't find the answer to this one, but I
paint a lot of airliners using a lot of white paint.
Is there a cheaper acrylic paint alternative to using Tamiya white acrylic
paint?

I.e. can you use general "acrylic" paint made for home reno's and the like
and thin it down for airbrushing. It is much cheaper than buying the smaller
bottles which i seem to go through like crazy. Will general acrylic white
paints work on models or do you have to stick to the dedicated small bottle
kit paints?

Thanks in advance.

Deano
Val Kraut - 19 Mar 2006 16:13 GMT
"> I.e. can you use general "acrylic" paint made for home reno's and the
like

Not sure what you mean by Home Reno's. Although I'm assuming you mean
something bought at Home Depot to paint a ceiling.

All paints are not the same - in particular you have to worry about thing
like fineness of the final layer which is not always the same. Putting
ceiling paint on a model would most likely not cover or set properly if
thinned too much or obscure detail if used out of the can. Acrylics may be
somewhat different than solvent based paints - in these there are pigment
"Grains" in a binder and solvent. The Solvent evaporeates and the binder
fully sets (some times takes a week) and holds the pigment in place. Pigment
size in the hobby paints is much smaller, and thus the final layer thinner

Many years ago a friend build a model of the Mohawk aircraft. He got
actually aircraft paint at work (Grumman built the aircraft). It looked lke
the aircraft was painted with a mop or a trowel - total disaster.

I can't help but wonder if you're going through so much paint if you don't
have too wide a spread on the nozzle of your airbrush and are wasteing a lot
into the air. What type of airbrush do you have, and which nozzle are you
using.

                                           Val Kraut
ABCD - 20 Mar 2006 10:24 GMT
> "> I.e. can you use general "acrylic" paint made for home reno's and the
> like
[quoted text clipped - 21 lines]
>
>                                             Val Kraut

Thanks for the info and knowledge.
SL - 20 Mar 2006 09:16 GMT
Hi Deano,

In the UK many of us use Halfords car spray cans which are easy to use, dry
quickly & give very good results.

I just posted some pics on alt.binaries.models.scale of my recently finished
Airfix Sptifire F.22 in which I used Halford Nissan metallic silver.

Maybe you will have something similar in your area? I also find their
primers very good, though I never used any on this occassion.

Cheers,
Stephen
ABCD - 20 Mar 2006 10:23 GMT
> Hi Deano,
>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> Cheers,
> Stephen

Hmm ok thanks for the info. So automotive paints are probably a better
choice than wall/ceiling paint :)

Deano
William H. Shuey - 20 Mar 2006 23:35 GMT
> Hi Deano,
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> Maybe you will have something similar in your area? I also find their
> primers very good, though I never used any on this occassion.

Stephen

    I have been hearing and reading about these Halford's paints for some
time now. They sound good, but apparently they don't make it across the
Atlantic. Am I right that they are basically acqueous acrylics??

                        Bill Shuey
Al Superczynski - 21 Mar 2006 00:11 GMT
>I have been hearing and reading about these Halford's paints for some
>time now. They sound good, but apparently they don't make it across the
>Atlantic. Am I right that they are basically acqueous acrylics?

    They're acrylic lacquers, Bill.  US equivalents would be
Dupli-Color and plasti-kote or similar auto touch-up sprays.
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William H. Shuey - 23 Mar 2006 06:38 GMT
>      They're acrylic lacquers, Bill.  US equivalents would be
> Dupli-Color and plasti-kote or similar auto touch-up sprays.
> --

Al:

    I wonder just how equivalent they are. From all that I have read the
Halford's pigments are very finely ground, almost on a par with the old
Floquil line. I am not that familiar with Dupli-color, it has been a
long time since I worked at Joe, The Motorist's Friend.

                        Bill Shuey
Mad-Modeller - 23 Mar 2006 07:13 GMT
> >      They're acrylic lacquers, Bill.  US equivalents would be
> > Dupli-Color and plasti-kote or similar auto touch-up sprays.
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
>                                                 Bill Shuey

I used some on a die-cast car.  It seems to be as finely ground as
regular model paints.  I haven't tried it on naked styrene yet so I
don't know the result of that.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.
Serge D. Grun - 22 Mar 2006 10:08 GMT
> Hi all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> paints work on models or do you have to stick to the dedicated small bottle
> kit paints?

In my experience, even the tiny 10ml bottles last quite some time. I use
Tamiya's XF-19 as a primer, and one larger bottle (15 or 18ml) is
usually enough for 15 or more planes in 1/48th scale. Same with Gunze's:
I don't need more than 8-10 drops of each color for, say, a 1/48th
Spitfire.

Check the nozzle on your airbrush - up to 1/48th, anything over .3mm is
overkill, unless you have to spray metallized paint, where a .4mm nozzle
is necessary to get an even paintflow. You should also experiment with
thinning ratios. I use Tamiya's thinner at 1:1 to 2:1 thinner-to-paint,
and several very light coats instead of a heavy one...

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"Un gromono, mon royaume pour un gromono!"
                        Shakespeare - Richard III

ABCD - 24 Mar 2006 12:10 GMT
> In my experience, even the tiny 10ml bottles last quite some time. I use
> Tamiya's XF-19 as a primer, and one larger bottle (15 or 18ml) is
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> thinning ratios. I use Tamiya's thinner at 1:1 to 2:1 thinner-to-paint,
> and several very light coats instead of a heavy one...

What kind of airbrush are you using?
I use a bottle siphon type so I have to put in a fair amount of paint just
to cover the bottle base and the siphon tube.
Should I get a gravity fed cup type instead?
 
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