I bought a jar of Dullcote to use in the airbrush 25 years ago. The jobs I would have used it on have been too small to bother with the airbrush so I have always used the small spray cans.
I was in Home Depot and saw that Rustoleum now has something the looks like it could be an alternative at 1/4 the cost of Dullcote.
Has anyone used this stuff?
Rick
Both dull coat and rust oleum are made by the same company. RPM company. this is almost the same thing as dull coat Same with the gloss coat version. I never thought o using it. it might go on a little thicker but should work just fine
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I've used it, but not on models. Although the product works well, the spray nozzle is designed for high flow/quick coverage and might be a little hard to control the amount of paint being applied.
.........Paul
I guess that I should add that I have used their satin Canyon Black to paint some of my locos and was happy with the results. It went on smoothly, but i had to be careful to spray light coats. It also did not cause any problems with plastic etching.
....Paul
Thanks. Since I mostly am painting buildings I use rattle cans often and the Rustoleum Painter's Touch is one that I have used before. You are correct that the key is short bursts. I have only had problems with it when I got too heavy handed.
I guess this clear matte version is worth trying.
i have not tried the rustoleum brand, but i have used krylon, both smooth and matte finishes .. in both cases i decanted from the spray bomb into a small bottle. it worked well ..
I use Tamiya acrylic spray can paint from the LHS, including their flat, gloss, and semi-gloss finishes. It's designed to be used in modelling (primarily military) so the nozzle produces a much finer spray than hardware store spray paints.
My one post for the month, I still can't get my head around the idea of using hardware store rattle cans to paint models. Model paints have finer pigments. Scalecoat clear gloss and flat can be mixed to any sheen you desire.
Sheldon
Krylon products have the finest spray and pigmentation than the other hardware store brands. I read that in MR years ago and it still holds true. I find that the matte finish products can lay down too spotty though...orange peelish look.
Rustoleum products are good for spray painting patio furniture and flower pots.....
- Douglas
I find Rustoleum Duplicoor spray primers are pretty good for most anything except the most delicate of detail parts. Seem to go on pretty smooth and good coverage. For figures and really small/intricate details I revert to Tamiya spray primers. I use the White, Grey, and Red Rustoleum primers as needed for the base coat. I use the Rustoleum paints more sparingly (often over the primers) since they seem to leave a thicker coat, so I use them for say concrete or brick walls, sidewalks, foundations and so on. Their E-Z clog nozzles that I've encountered so far are a pain though.
wjstix I use Tamiya acrylic spray can paint from the LHS, including their flat, gloss, and semi-gloss finishes. It's designed to be used in modelling (primarily military) so the nozzle produces a much finer spray than hardware store spray paints.
I've been using Tamiya myself since I can't get Testors anymore. I'm quite happy with the results.
By the way, I'm an O Gauger so superfine detail isn't an issue for me.
Hello All,
I too use quite a bit of "Rattle Can" paints and finishes.
Tip:
Use the "Bane Marie" method of heating the cans prior to and during application.
Take a tall container and place the "Rattle Can" to be used in it.
Run hot tap water in the container until the can is approximately the same temperature.
Shake often during this process.
DO NOT USE BOILING WATER!!!
When applying, use light coats and allow to dry between applications.
Return the can to the hot tap water bath to maintain the temperature between coats.
Hope this helps.
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ATLANTIC CENTRAL My one post for the month, I still can't get my head around the idea of using hardware store rattle cans to paint models. Model paints have finer pigments. Scalecoat clear gloss and flat can be mixed to any sheen you desire. Sheldon
I agree with Sheldon...any time in the past that I've used a rattle can, then come back a week-or-two later, the can won't spray, despite previously turning it upside down, and spraying to clear the nozzle after use. When I later realised that most of those spray cans had a very short-useage life, I turned to airbrushing, and have never had a bottle of Dullcote or Glosscote drying-up just because I haven't used it recently.
Especially for model working, spray cans waste more paint, whether by putting too much going through the nozzle, or having it thicken or drying-up due to non-useage between projects.
It's also very easy to mix Dullcote and Glosscote together, in varying amounts, to create a variety of sheens that best suit the items that you're painting, just in the same manner as mixing various paint colours to create the exact colour that's needed for a project, rather than settling for a spray can that's holding a colour thats not-quite what you had in mind. And, of course, you can also thin Dullcote, Glosscote, and pretty-well any paint you have, if you have the appropriate thinner on-hand.
A spray can gives you, at best, only what it's got, and, in my opinion, that's not always what you want.
Wayne
It depends on what you are painting.
I used to paint everything with an airbrush except for any fine detail work that needed a brush. Then someone gave me a VHS tape on the Franklin and South Manchester. In that video George described his methods which included painting the buildings with rattle cans. I figured if it was good enough for him it was good enough for me so I tried it on some buildings.
I would say that I am now approaching the point where about 1/2 of my buildings have been done with an airbrush and the rest with rattle cans. I don't notice the difference. I am completely freelance so there isn't a need for an exact color for a building.
As for wasting the can I don't care as they are cheap enough. I do try to paint several items at the same time if I know they are going to be the same color. If the can doesn't work again after that it is no big deal, but I seem to be able to use cans that have been sitting around for years.
Do I still use the airbrush? Of course. There are some things I wouldn't consider using a rattle can on, but rattle cans do have their place. I will try the Rustoleum clear matte on something that is not front and center to see how it works out.
I was running out of my Model Masters lusterless flat so I started looking around and testing on real parts, mainly DPM walls with a brick wash so I could see the total effects and went so far as to test both the original and the new on the same peices. Ended up adding Krylon crystal clear flat to my stash. Could not really tell the difference from the control area.
rrebell I was running out of my Model Masters lusterless flat so I started looking around and testing on real parts, mainly DPM walls with a brick wash so I could see the total effects and went so far as to test both the original and the new on the same peices. Ended up adding Krylon crystal clear flat to my stash. Could not really tell the difference from the control area.
Thanks. That sounds better than the Rustoleum clear matte.
hbgatsfrattle cans do have their place.
I agree Rick. The truck side-frame weathering tutorial I follow suggests Rust-Oleum dark gray automobile primer as the base coat. "Way too grainy," I thought after applying a couple light coats, but turned out to be 'just what the doctor ordered' in terms of color, texture and holding onto the weathering powders. Been painting my side-frames with the same can for a few years now.
Regards, Peter
HO-VeloThe truck side-frame weathering tutorial I follow suggests Rust-Oleum dark gray automobile primer as the base coat.
This is the product I use to simulate tarred roofing on some structures in addition to caboose and heavyweight passenger cars. Rattle cans are not an ideal solution for every application but they are one more tool in the box.
another forum was recommending Rustoleum "Dead Flat" clear coating. I didn't find it all that useful and it would "orange peel" on some surfaces.
The bottled DullCote and GlossCote are still my go-to clear finishes. Sometimes I use Scalecoat interchangeably. For whatever reason I seem to be able to achieve a much "duller" finish with Dullcote in the airbrush over the rattle can "equivalent".
PRR_cabin-NDA4 by Edmund, on Flickr
I applied the Rustoleum Automotive Primer directly over some still wet flat black on the cabin car above and even attained an aged, cracked look.
Good Luck, Ed
As far as priming the trucks, I agree with the Rustoleum Dark Gray Auto Primer. I have also had pretty good results with Vallejo German Panzer Grey Surface Primer.
Now, back to the OP and his rattle can dullcoat. I guess it also depends on whether you are shooting locos, rolling stock or buildings. Yes, rattle cans can be cheaper than mixtures shot through an airbrush, but, you get what you pay for.
I have used rattle can dullcoats from Krylon and Rustoleum, and even though they state "dull" or "matte", they either still leave a slight sheen or they dry darker. I even de-canned Rustoleum Dead Flat Clear, shot it through an airbrush and it dried with a sheen, which I knocked down/got rid of with Testors Dullcoat through an airbrush.
So, for cost effectiveness, I might use the rattle can dullcoat/matte in between layers while weathering rolling stock, but the final layer is ALWAYS Testors Dullcoat through an airbrush.
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The main issue I had with Rustoleum paints was the nozzle clogging. You can't invert the can and spray to clear them; they spray when inverted. After using, I would remove the nozzle and spray CRC contact cleaner to remove the paint. The next time I would use the paint, I had NO issues with the nozzle being clogged.
Marlon
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hbgatsfI bought a jar of Dullcote to use in the airbrush 25 years ago. The jobs I would have used it on have been too small to bother with the airbrush so I have always used the small spray cans.
It wouldn't at all surprise me, if you still had that bottle of Dullcote, that it would still be useable.
When I need to do small paint jobs, I usually let them accumulate until there's enough of them to justify the time to airbrush them all, regardless of what colours or types of paint will be used.Now that winter is beginning to set-in, it's a good time to heat-up the small paint shop in my garage, and take care of all those projects, without wasting muchpaint at all.
If I need a clear semi-gloss, or another clear semi-gloss that's either slightly glossier or less glossy, it takes only a minute-or-so to create it, and it's easy to re-modify as needed.Need to paint a number of different items "black", but not all to the same degree of black? A couple of minutes will allow you to make that adjustment, and you can usually make such adjustments to "blacker" or "less black", and likewise to pretty-well any colour you need to create.
Done properly there's little-to-no wasted paint. You could probably also do it with spray cans, but I'd guess that the cost would be prohibitive....how many shades of "black" (or yellow, green, or red) can you afford to buy?
Anyway, that's just my take on it.