What type of paint can I use to paint plastic buildings. What type do I use for weathering?
I use acrylics for everything. I am not very good at it, but it is not the paint's fault. I have found the cheap acrylics work as well as the special model paints if the color is not an issue. For weathering; chauks, weathering powders and acrylic washes all have their place. Weathering is an art and I am not very good, but I have friends who are and it does not seem to matter what they use, it works. The best weatherer I know simply srapes some artist chauk with a knife and puts it on with a little brush. It really looks easy. I think practice is they key. A bigger issue for me has been finding good small brushes. Cheap does not seem to work at all.
Testor's makes a variety of paints including a group of Railroad Acrylics under the brand name Floquil.
Here is a link to all of the Railroad Acrylic colors:
http://www.testors.com/category/137367?n=0
I use these acrylic paints exclusively on all of my structures.
They apply evenly and the brush cleanup is real easy, using just water.
Speaking of brushes, Testor's also makes a variety of excellent brushes in three quality standards: good, better, and best.
http://www.testors.com/category/137231/Brushes
Rich
Alton Junction
Eventually, some die hard solvent-based paint user is going to chime in and tell us we're crazy, but for now, I'll add another vote for acrylics. I use both PollyScale and ModelMaster Acryl colors, both made by Testors and widely available.
I use them both with an air brush and regular bristle brushes and they work fine for me. I weather things both with my airbrush and by dry-brushing.
I've never bothered to prime plastic models, although I do wash them first to get rid of mold release compound and dirt and oil. Paint adheres very well. Acrylics are usually dry to the touch within minutes and fully cured in about 24 hours. I use either Dullcote (after letting the acrylics dry for 48 hrs) or an acrylic sealant (which you can used pretty much right away) after weathering.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
ACE102613 What type of paint can I use to paint plastic buildings. What type do I use for weathering?
I guess we're not really answering your question. You can use just about any kind of paint you want to, as long as it won't attack plastic. Solvent based, acrylic, even household latex all work. Same goes for weathering.... whatever works for you. Experiment and see.
You'll find that in this hobby, there is rarely a "right", "wrong", "best", "worst" etc. Everyone has his own preferences. The bottom line is, if it works for you, then it's fine.
For everything except railroad cars I use spray paint available from Walmart or big box hardware stores. For railroad colors I use the brand that has the color I need. Testors, Floquil for example. I also have a number of military colors too.
Bob
Photobucket Albums:NPBL - 2008 The BeginningNPBL - 2009 Phase INPBL - 2010 Downtown
Ace: Floquil oil base works fine on almost all plastics. Test out on the backside if in doubt. In 30 years of using Floquil I found only one piece that glazed!
The Ferroequinologist layoutconcepts@yahoo.com eBay store: Backshop Train & China Store Facebook: Model Trains, Train Sets, Buildings & Layout Concepts
For structures and figures, I use acrylic craft paints from Walmart or Michaels. They are inexpensive, easy to clean up, and come in a large variety of colors. The main thing to do for plastic models is to clean them off to remove any oils that may be on them, then let them dry thoroughly.
For weathering,I first use the same craft paint in an appropriate dirt color, diluted in rubbing alcohol. I use a 1/2" or 1" wide paintbrush to coat the wall and roof, and let it wash down and dry. I'll use chalks to create rust effects. They too are pretty inexpensive, and a little will go a long way. I'm still using the same chalk set I bought ten years ago! An earthtone set will have pretty much every color you'd need.
You can practice on scrap pieces beforehand, if you wish. It's easier than it seems to make a decent looking model.
John
If everybody is thinking alike, then nobody is really thinking.
http://photobucket.com/tandarailroad/
Your correct about those acrylics, Rich, but the Testors site makes it appear, initially at least, that these are Floquil, a solvent-based paint. In actuality, they're from Floquil's line of acrylic paints, more commonly known as PollyScale.
You wouldn't want to be labelled a "die-hard user of solvent-based paint", would you?
CTValleyRR Eventually, some die hard solvent-based paint user is going to chime in and tell us we're crazy, but for now, I'll add another vote for acrylics. I use both PollyScale and ModelMaster Acryl colors, both made by Testors and widely available.
I could possibly be that person, CTV, as I do have a preference for solvent-based paints. However, I'm learning the idiosyncrasies of acrylics and have used them to good advantage, especially for larger structures.
One reason some of us are such diehards is that some familiar techniques that work so well with lacquer-based paints simply don't work with acrylics. That's not to say that you can't achieve the same effects: however, it often requires the learning of new techniques. I have been painting with lacquer-based paints for over 50 years, but have found it useful to not dismiss new materials (and their associated methods) until I've tried them, so my paint cupboard is well-stocked with both types.
Wayne
doctorwayne You wouldn't want to be labelled a "die-hard user of solvent-based paint", would you? CTValleyRR: Eventually, some die hard solvent-based paint user is going to chime in and tell us we're crazy, but for now, I'll add another vote for acrylics. I use both PollyScale and ModelMaster Acryl colors, both made by Testors and widely available. I could possibly be that person, CTV, as I do have a preference for solvent-based paints. However, I'm learning the idiosyncrasies of acrylics and have used them to good advantage, especially for larger structures. One reason some of us are such diehards is that some familiar techniques that work so well with lacquer-based paints simply don't work with acrylics. That's not to say that you can't achieve the same effects: however, it often requires the learning of new techniques. I have been painting with lacquer-based paints for over 50 years, but have found it useful to not dismiss new materials (and their associated methods) until I've tried them, so my paint cupboard is well-stocked with both types. Wayne
CTValleyRR: Eventually, some die hard solvent-based paint user is going to chime in and tell us we're crazy, but for now, I'll add another vote for acrylics. I use both PollyScale and ModelMaster Acryl colors, both made by Testors and widely available.
Nah. It's not you, Doc.
As you expressed above, there are different techniques and methods which make the two processes and materials different, not necessarily better. If you say, "I don't get the same results with acrylics as I can with ____" That's fine. It's a difference of opinion and you're entitled to it. The OP may well find that he agrees with you.
It's when you say, "Don't use acrylics because you'll never get...." or words to that effect that you become a die hard. In other words, translating your own preferences and experience into rules that MUST apply to others.
We had a bit of a spat on an airbrushing thread a while back. I and several others have been using acrylics and airbrushes successfully for years, but there were a couple of people preaching doom and gloom if you ever allow an acrylic paint near your air brush.
I use red primer from Walmart. It closely approximates red brick. I keep gray primer on hand, too. I spray the inside walls with it. This prevents the dreaded "glowing building" when lit from the inside. Krylon has a line of "camouflage" colors that works great; and they're all flat colors.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
I use rattle can auto primers. The primers are all dead flat, stick well and cover (conceal what's underneath) anything. Red auto primer makes a dynamite red brick color for brick buildings. There is also light gray and dark gray. The primers are all paint friendly, everything sticks well to a coat of primer.
Rattle cans avoid the problem of brush marks. If you can find the color you want in a rattle can (flat rather than gloss), go for it. Trouble is, most rattle cans, except the auto primers and some "camouflage" cans, contain gloss paint, brightly colored gloss paint at that. If the color you want only comes in gloss, you can give the model a final coat of DullCote, a clear flat spray from Testors. The DullCote will kill the gloss and tone down the color of the paint somewhat.
For weathering, powdered chalk is easy and looks well. And if you don't like the effect, you can wash it off. One thing to be aware off. Handling will over time rub off the chalk. If you don't handle the structure much, that's not a problem. If you try to fix the chalk in place with DullCote, be prepared for a surprise. DullCote "marries" into the chalk and turns it invisible. I did this once, and after the DullCote dried, the model looked unweathered. Either skip the DullCote or apply the chalk VERY heavily.
Another weathering technique is the "wash". You dilute some paint (black usually) down a lot, so you have colored water, rather than paint. This trick is probably best with acrylics 'cause the wash is a messy process, and cleanup with soap and water is easier than dunking things in lacquer thinner. The wash is applied with a paint brush and allowed to run down the side of the building like it was rain water. The color builds up in joints and cracks and mortar lines and looks like rain washed dirt. I'm going to do the mortar lines on a brick building with a wash of white.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
Dstarr,
Not trying to pick on you, but are you sure you want to use a primer that "covers" anything. Don't you lose a lot of the fine detail when you do that?
I often hear people complain about brush strokes. If your paint is the proper consistency (it should run freely off of a stirring stick dipped in the paint), it will self-level when applied to the model and not leave brush strokes.
You can also use an airbrush.
Also, when I weather with washes, I do a side at a time, and make sure that side is flat and level. If there is too much of the wash pooling at any one spot, I blot it slightly with a rag or shop towel.
If you're painting brick structures, the final appearance will depend on the colour used for the brick, the colour used for the mortar, and the colours chosen for the weathering.
The Elfrida Stove Works (only those passing by in an airplane or dirigible can read the sign - I'll get around to moving it eventually) was kitbashed from some broken wall castings (Magnusson, I think) picked-up for a couple of bucks from the "used" table at the LHS. It was airbrushed with Floquil Reefer Orange, then weathered with a wash (or two) of very well-diluted PollyScale paint, black or dark grey, with a couple of drops of liquid dish detergent added. The detergent makes the paint wash "wetter", allowing it to flow more freely rather than bead on the surface.
Like CTV, I try to prevent the wash from pooling, especially around raised details on the walls. If the wash is very dilute, I let it dry flat, one wall at a time. For a darker wash, I often apply it to a single wall, then prop the building at an angle to control the downward flow. The corner of a paper towel is useful to siphon-away excess wash as it collects, and the angle can be altered and/or varied as the drying continues. Other times, the wash is applied to all walls simultaneously, with the structure sitting as it normally would. This requires constant attention to prevent pooling around details, and is often repeated several times. Like any weathering, you'll have more control if you use multiple light washes as opposed to a single heavy one.
This structure, yet to find a tennant, was painted with the same Reefer Orange, but the first wash applied was a light grey, meant to represent, not too distinctly, mortar. Most is not especially visible, although it did alter the over-all colour of the bricks slightly. After this had fully dried (I left it a couple of days), I followed-up with a wash or two of dark grey to represent accumulated dirt and grime. This obliterated a lot of the mortar effect, but still left it visible in other areas. A light application of splashed dirt was added, using an airbrush, around the base of the walls, and I may add a little more weathering after signs have been painted or applied.
Another Reefer Orange structure, the Auction Hall at the Lowbanks Stockyards (a kitbashed version of the old Revell "Weekly Herald") got a coat of pre-mixed drywall mud "mortar". Using a rag over my finger tip, I simply dipped into the mud container, then smeared the mud all over the brick. After it dried (a matter of minutes) a clean rag was used to wipe off the dried excess (an outdoor job on account of the dust created). This was followed by a fairly heavy application of a dark grey wash, which tinted both the drywall compound and the brick. I was careful to limit the amount of brushwork, in an effort to avoid removing the "mortar". The wash was repeated as necessary, then a light spray of splashed dirt and the structure was ready to be placed on the layout.
Here's a closer look at the brick. I left the mud white, to represent mortar with a high lime content, which was very common in earlier times.
I also tried tinting it, before application, on another structure, but PollyScale paint, straight from the bottle, had only a minimal tinting effect. A better choice might be artist's tube-type acrylics, but I had none on-hand.
Unless I'm weathering with chalks or pastels, I never Dullcote over weathering.
doctorwayne Your correct about those acrylics, Rich, but the Testors site makes it appear, initially at least, that these are Floquil, a solvent-based paint. In actuality, they're from Floquil's line of acrylic paints, more commonly known as PollyScale. You wouldn't want to be labelled a "die-hard user of solvent-based paint", would you? Wayne
Aghhrrr, no doctorwayne, we don't need no stinkin' die-hard users of solvent-based paint.
For sure, it is the Floquil line of acrylic paints, more commonly known as PollyScale.
Thank you for that clarification, good sir.
CTValleyRR Dstarr, Not trying to pick on you, but are you sure you want to use a primer that "covers" anything. Don't you lose a lot of the fine detail when you do that?
Yes, I want the paint to cover well. "Cover" when applied to paint, means the dried paint coat is sufficiently opaque to prevent seeing anything thru the paint. For instance, I use "For Sale" signs for my sheet styrene. I don't want the brightly colored "For Sale" text showing thru the paint job. To cover well, the paint need not be thick, it just needs a pigment that is really opaque to light.
I don't have an airbrush. I find that I get very good results with rattle-can paint, too. I have a large collection of different primers, which I also like for their ability to cover with a light spray, and their flatness. I don't like heavy auto primers, though. Some of them go on pretty thick, which does tend to obscure the details.
Since I model an urban area, I have quite a few brick structures. So, I've accumulated a bunch of slight variations on "red brick" colors, so that my buildings don't all look the same. I leave the original plastic colors on some, too, and other get browns and even tan. The different spray-paint companies all have slightly different primer colors, so buy a can of Krylon and one of Rustoleum to get a bit of variety.
I hand-paint the trim colors with acrylic craft paints, most of the time. I've I've got a large area of trim, sometimes I mask the building with blue painters' tape and do a second spray with a different color.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
dstarr Yes, I want the paint to cover well. "Cover" when applied to paint, means the dried paint coat is sufficiently opaque to prevent seeing anything thru the paint. For instance, I use "For Sale" signs for my sheet styrene. I don't want the brightly colored "For Sale" text showing thru the paint job. To cover well, the paint need not be thick, it just needs a pigment that is really opaque to light.
Granted. But since I've never used a model primer that didn't cover completely (unless I actually miss a spot), I didn't think that's what you meant. If I need something a little more opaque, I use a gray primer rather than a white. OTOH, since you're using a "for sale" sign, you're probably not worried about hiding the grainy brick / stone details on the underlying casting, are you?
I generally don't need to prime styrene models to paint with acrylics, but if I do, I use the Testors spray primers, which cover completely without hiding details. I would have thought that an auto primer, which is designed to resist tougher environments, and not designed for fine details, would be too thick to work well on a model. But again, I'm thinking of things like commercial model kits and Evergreen / Plastruct styrene, not "reclaimed" materials.
Doctor Wayne,
You've nailed it-especially the unoccupied building and auction hall! Modeled brick can't get much more realistic than those!
Dante
dstarr For weathering, powdered chalk is easy and looks well. And if you don't like the effect, you can wash it off. One thing to be aware off. Handling will over time rub off the chalk. If you don't handle the structure much, that's not a problem. If you try to fix the chalk in place with DullCote, be prepared for a surprise. DullCote "marries" into the chalk and turns it invisible. I did this once, and after the DullCote dried, the model looked unweathered. Either skip the DullCote or apply the chalk VERY heavily.
I found that applying your chalk/weathering powders while the Dullcote is still tacky works wonders. The chalk is pretty much glued to the surface and will withstand handling.
You are talking about applying a coat of DullCote FIRST and applying the chalk on top of the wet (tacky) DullCote. I have never tried that. Sounds like it oughta work.
El Cheapo acrylic craft paint
Brushed-on Testors dull solvent-based "plastic model paint" for the brick BG, mortar lines filled with thick tempera paint dabbed on and brushed off top surface...
Mostly Testors rattle-can spray paint for plastic models
when you purchase the testors paint do you buy a set like this?
http://www.testors.com/product/136640/9196/_/All-Purpose_Acrylic_9_Color_Gloss_Paint_Set
Or do you purchase individually? Also do you use only flat paints?
I paint all of my plastic models. I use some spray cans from the hardware store (which is very inexpensive) and spray cans by Floquil. I also use an airbrush with Floquil or PollyScale paints.
Craig North Carolina
I use the following if I can in this order of easy first.
1. Rattle paint from hardware store to Testors at hobby store. Definitely for primer.
2. Brush paint from artists acrylics to Floquil to Railroad Acrylics to house paint
3. Airbrush above paints(including house paint) plus Scalecoat(very interesting paint that you bake) with good results.
4. Chalk/powders to add texture, color ,etc.
What I use and how I apply it is usually first determined by what's the easiest with least cleanup but will give me the results I want. For example if I'm painting a vehicle and want a gloss finish I will first try to use a rattle can, but almost always have to use my airbrush with Floquil if I want a good prototype match. A high quality house paint is cheap for the volume and can be thinned and airbrushed as it covers well--at least for me and that includes applying yellow. I thin with water and 70% alcohol, more alcohol if I want it to dry faster.
Richard
onecrazytrain when you purchase the testors paint do you buy a set like this? http://www.testors.com/product/136640/9196/_/All-Purpose_Acrylic_9_Color_Gloss_Paint_Set Or do you purchase individually? Also do you use only flat paints?
Postulating for a minute that I could find a kit with the right colors, that might be OK, but I've never seen one
Generally, you're going to want flat colors, not gloss (although you can use Dullcote or a flat brush on top coat to dull things down a bit.
However, I buy individually so I get only the colors I want.
Another thing to keep in mind about paint: while spray cans can be quick and easy to use, you get the colours which you buy. When you buy paint in bottles (jars, tubes, cans, etc.) you get not only the colours purchased, but all the ones which you can mix from those colours.
For the price of a bottle of Dullcote and a bottle of Glosscote, I can have a gloss finish or a matte finish, plus hundreds of degrees of semi-gloss. If I paint a 40-car lot of boxcars, no more than 3 or 4 will be the same shade of boxcar red - I could just as easily make each one different, and I seldom use a colour without altering it somewhat.
I should have mentioned that I do plan to use my airbrush as much as possible when painting. On the smaller details I will use a very small artist brush, so rattle cans are out.
I also do have a good variety of household latex paint , it sounds like it will be okay to thin down and use this?
Yes, household latex would work, but the pigments aren't ground as fine, and it may hide some fine detail. Just remember: "surface must be clean and dry". Wash your model first, to remove any oils or mold release compound, and handle it as little as possible (or wear gloves).
I have an airbrush but really hate the prep and cleanup so frequently, particularly on structures, I also use rattle cans. One good brand that has a wide variety of shades useful for structure work is Tamiya -- a bit pricey but the choice of colors and smoothness of application is worth it.
While it is absolutely true that with rattle cans you basically are stuck with the colors you can get, not only does Tamiya offer a nice variety of shades, but with a little practice you can spray with two "close" shades at the same time and get a very interesting and subtle "blend" of colors. I weather my flex track outdoors that way as well, avoiding total uniformity of color. (Keep notes of what colors you use by the way.)
Go to this link and scroll down to page 4 to see a photo of how I do this
http://www.mwr-nmra.org/region/waybill/waybill20093fall.pdf
Dave Nelson