RPM/Testors spray paint cans spray way too much paint, way too fast. And the nozzle produces a rather course pattern. The RPM/Model Master line is much more suited to model railroading, and several of the old Floquil/Pollyscale colors have been added to the Model Master line of paints. The big issue is that they have a rather limited selection available in the spray cans.
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
I have a feeling by reading the last two posts, that what You guys are experiencing is more often than not, caused by not using the correct paint for the job. What the OP had asked is what the ''T'' and ''C'' meant in the paint number. Tester's makes a lot of Model paint and not all the paint is going to work the same way on all materials. I do not use the spray can paint, but I use the other's, but only the solvent based, air-brushed and brushed and have not ever run into any problem's You are describing when using the correct formula for the material I am painting. Paint not drying is a indication that it was put on too thick to begin with and will take a longer time to cure, heat lamps will work, a plain old 75 watt bulb in a desk lamp will work about two feet from the article painted. It's always quite possible, that the wrong prep. was also used, which is most important for a good paint job, Model or otherwise.
I've been doing this stuff, for a long time and heard many different complaints about paint, models, glue and found the reason behind many complaints would have been avoided if only the instructions/directions were read. LOL ''When all else fails, read the directions" and how true that is today.
Said My piece.
Take Care!
Frank
+1 to everything Dave says!
I have a few Testors rattle cans and I've had the best luck with the "Metalizer" line of coatings but that's it.
I never had any luck with Dullcote (I get orange peel) and the cans of black gloss, flat black and reefer white went into the trash. They went on way too thick and stayed tacky for weeks.
The old formula Krylon worked well for me, the recent Rustoleum product is OK but it also comes out at a higher volume. This is fine for non-critical work but for anything where you need the detail preserved use a good quality airbrush.
Ditto on just my 2¢ (you have 4¢ worth of advice so far Ed
caboose63:
If you haven't already purchased the spray cans, I would suggest that you buy just one and test it on a piece of rolling stock that you can afford to scrap.
My (admittedly limited) experience with Testors spray cans suggests that they are not suited to painting finely detailed items. I used a can of yellow Testors to paint a Grandt Line 25 ton switcher. The paint came out of the can at far too high a rate to allow me to put down thin coats. I tried backing the can up so there was a significant distance between the nozzle and the target but the results basically didn't change. The only difference was that I seemed to be losing a lot more paint into the air.
To make matters worse, the paint does not dry fast enough to prevent puddling in the inside corners, and it flows off of the outside edges before it starts to dry. The result is too much paint in the inside corners and not enough paint on the outside corners. By the time I had the outside corners covered the inside corners were obliterated.
Then I decided to start over, but I discovered that the Testors paint was next to impossible to strip. None of the normal methods like isopropyl alcohol would touch the stuff. I ended up using a cleaner called Mean Green which is intended for heavy duty grease removal.
I started a thread asking what I was doing wrong. Some suggested warming the can up before spraying to increase the pressure inside the can, but the general opinion was that the Testors spray cans are better suited for painting larger surfaces. Here is the thread:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/231942.aspx
(highlight the thread, right click, and select "Open Link" or words to that effect)
IMHO the stuff is crap!
Shame on Testors for discontinuing Floquil and Polly Scale!
If you think that you might be doing a lot of painting, buy yourself an air brush and a compressor.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Caboose63,
''T'' Means all purpose, wood,metal, paper, glass etc. ''C'' Plastic's and certain other materials. The info is on the paint can.
I am interested in using testors 3 oz enamel gloss sprays to paint my locomotives, cabooses and passenger car. What does it mean when their website says light blue is 1208T and 1208C?