I may have to break down and eventually buy an air brush. This is not necessarily a bad thing but one that I've been able to avoid up to this point in time. I do have a few questions about painting with enamel that I'm hoping you all will be able to answer for me.
I've observed that certain Floquil colors (e.g. Boxcar Red) "appear" thinner and/or seem to flow and spread more easily than other colors when hand painting them with a brush. I'm assuming that these observed differences in paint characteristics means that their application when air brushing may mean initially adding more or less thinner to them, depending on the color.
My question: Is Floquil Bright Silver or Old Silver easy to air brush with? Again, from observations while painting by hand, silvers tend to have distinct "flecks" of color to them vs. other hues of paints. I was wondering whether these so-called "flecks" made their use with an air brush more challenging because of clogs.
On the topic of clogs, with acrylic paints I've read or heard that it's best to thin the paints for air brushing with water and a couple of drops of alcohol (as a wetting agent) to prevent clogging. I've also read that some folks swear by Windex as a thinner.
With enamels like Floquil, is there anything else needed for thinning other than a good paint thinner? I'm assuming that an economical can of paint thinner from Home Depot will work just as well as a thimble-size bottle from Testor's.
Thanks for your help and your expertise. I do appreciate it.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
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tstage My question: Is Floquil Bright Silver or Old Silver easy to air brush with? Again, from observations while painting by hand, silvers tend to have distinct "flecks" of color to them vs. other hues of paints. I was wondering whether these so-called "flecks" made their use with an air brush more challenging because of clogs.
Yes, way easier than brushpainting them. And they will not clog your Airbrush if you use a right size nozzle (0.3 or larger).
tstage On the topic of clogs, with acrylic paints I've read or heard that it's best to thin the paints for air brushing with water and a couple of drops of alcohol (as a wetting agent) to prevent clogging. I've also read that some folks swear by Windex as a thinner.
No to Windex and it´s counterparts for thinning waterbassed paints, they are best used for cleaning your airbrush after the painting is done. Yes to water (de-mineralized) and some alcohol if you want it to dry VERY fast, not so good if you want a smooth surface though. As the properties of alcohol as a wetting agent to prevent clogging; I don´t think so. Try this instead: Medea Super Lube needle oil, available from here:
https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php?cPath=14&products_id=41&osCsid=4fb4888811dc2678ce1e74ad570fbe09
tstage With enamels like Floquil, is there anything else needed for thinning other than a good paint thinner? I'm assuming that an economical can of paint thinner from Home Depot will work just as well as a thimble-size bottle from Testor's.
Yes and no , some household thinners have a tendency to make the paint kind of "slippery", but then again some work as a charm. Try what works out for YOU. And before i quit; When airbrushing with waterbased paints Vs. enamels, the amount of overspray is very much in favour of the former!
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ndbprr,
I actually prefer hand painting but have never really had much experience at air brushing. The reason for wanting to spray the paint is that I have a larger project (a Walthers Miss Bettie's Diner) that I'd like to paint silver to mimic the stainless steel interior and exterior. Hand painting is a bit tedious for the amount of detail but - more importantly - is not giving me quite the desired look that I'm trying to achieve. Even buffing the paint after it dries with a 3M scrubby pad still leaves the finish a bit too grainy.
Floquil makes the Bright Silver in a 3 oz. spray can. I like and actually prefer the subdued look of Floquil's Old Silver for the stainless steel. However, it only comes in the 1 oz. bottle, which means I'd have to hand paint it without an air brush.
My concern is that I'm not entirely sure that I can maintain a good uniformity to the silver over large areas like the diner's interior and exterior walls. And I think the Bright Silver will make the structure stand out way too much - especially if I want to illuminate the interior. The raw silvery-gray plastic of the kit looks okay as stainless steel. However, there's unrealistic molding lines in the plastic itself that can only be covered by a coat of paint.
Floquil paints are easy to airbrush, much moreso, in my opinion, than acrylics, although my results with the latter are improving. As noted, it's a good idea to shake or stir metallic paints frequently, as the components tend to separate fairly rapidly. For thinning Floquil paints, I've found ordinary lacquer thinner to be an excellent thinner - Floquil recommends 25% thinner for airbrushing, but I generally prefer about 40% for most applications - experiment and see what works best for you. For weathering, I use up to 95% thinner - this allows you to build up your weathering effect gradually. Even when thinned to the suggested 25%, I've never had an issue with clogging of the airbrush, and I use only a #1 tip. Floquil suggests 10-20psi, although, depending on the situation, I have used up to 30psi.
Wayne
Ditto to doctorwayne's comments. Floquil paints are extremely easy to airbrush. They are my preferred brand of paint. In fact I find their silver paints airbrush better than brush painting, just keep the silver mixed.. Clogging is not a problem and unlike the acrylics you don't have to worry about setting down the airbrush and having the tip clog from dried paint.
tstage ndbprr, I actually prefer hand painting but have never really had much experience at air brushing. The reason for wanting to spray the paint is that I have a larger project (a Walthers Miss Bettie's Diner) that I'd like to paint silver to mimic the stainless steel interior and exterior. Hand painting is a bit tedious for the amount of detail but - more importantly - is not giving me quite the desired look that I'm trying to achieve. Even buffing the paint after it dries with a 3M scrubby pad still leaves the finish a bit too grainy. Floquil makes the Bright Silver in a 3 oz. spray can. I like and actually prefer the subdued look of Floquil's Old Silver for the stainless steel. However, it only comes in the 1 oz. bottle, which means I'd have to hand paint it without an air brush. My concern is that I'm not entirely sure that I can maintain a good uniformity to the silver over large areas like the diner's interior and exterior walls. And I think the Bright Silver will make the structure stand out way too much - especially if I want to illuminate the interior. The raw silvery-gray plastic of the kit looks okay as stainless steel. However, there's unrealistic molding lines in the plastic itself that can only be covered by a coat of paint. Tom
Tom, If you're after that rich stainless look on the dinner may I suggest using Alclad coated over black or a very dark gray. One forum member has repeated posted and has a link to a tutortorial for the use of the product to simulate stainless steel. I believe it is AntonioFP45
Just did a search, yes it was Antoinio here is a link to the post http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/86907/1026570.aspx#1026570
There is also additional info on the list if you place (Alclad/ painting stainless steel) in the search or try link http://cs.trains.com/trccs/search/SearchResults.aspx?q=Alclad+painting+stainless+steel&o=Relevance
Hope this helps
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
tstage Floquil makes the Bright Silver in a 3 oz. spray can. I like and actually prefer the subdued look of Floquil's Old Silver for the stainless steel. However, it only comes in the 1 oz. bottle, which means I'd have to hand paint it without an air brush. My concern is that I'm not entirely sure that I can maintain a good uniformity to the silver over large areas like the diner's interior and exterior walls. And I think the Bright Silver will make the structure stand out way too much - especially if I want to illuminate the interior. The raw silvery-gray plastic of the kit looks okay as stainless steel. However, there's unrealistic molding lines in the plastic itself that can only be covered by a coat of paint. Tom
First, I'd recommend avoiding Floquil in the spray cans, it doesn't spray, it floods the area with way too much paint at once. Of course, I may be comparing it with airbrushing, with finer control, which I've done for years.
If the metal flecks in the paint are a problem, and you want to stay with Floquil, try their color Platinum Mist (one of Amtrak's colors). It's silver without the flecks. To spray Floquil paints for decalling, the mix is 2 parts paint, 1 part Glaze, and 1 part thinner. I use Floquil's Dio-Sol only for thinning paint, and a half pint can lasts me for YEARS. Experimenting with other thinners seems to be akin to "reinventing the wheel." Floquil already markets a thinner designed to work well with their paints, and I've always like the good coverage with the thin paint film of the Floquil paints.
Remember to work in a well ventilated area (I built a paint booth that vents outside through the Dryer Vent), and I even wear a paint spraying respirator. I work with HAZMAT on the job, so I'm used to the precautions.
Not totally on topic here, but I still have a 1/25th scale Willy's hot rod that I painted with Testors silver back in about 1979, and it still isn't totally dry !!
I talked with the owner of City Classics about his diner kit. He said he tried all different colors to get that stainless look and found Testors spray silver to worked and looked the best. You could also look at an auto parts store at their spray touch up paints. Duplicolor makes a bunch of different shades of silver. The nozzles on their cans work pretty well too.
Silver-and any metallic paints for that matter- will tend to lay down better and more even if you are spraying them, but also to keep the contents in some sort of motion. I got that idea from watching a guy metal-flake a car some years ago. He was using some sort of device that kept the mix in constant suspension, thus getting a really nice even finish. I try to emulate that simply by swirling the paint in the jar while I am working. THis is an accumulated "skill", but it does work. hand-painting will work pretty well, but I prefer airbrushing for the nice even finish.
RIch