painting photo etch brass like subtle detail eduard...how ?

Question

Hi,What is the best way to paint etch brass with oh so subtle superb detail like eduard ?I have tried cleaning it with cellulose thinners, then painted precision paints black (enamel) onto it, it rubs off dead easy an hour later with a kitchen paper towel.Vinegar is mentioned occasionally in giving it a subtle tooth. 10 mins, 2 hrs and overnight soak times are mentioned...so some experimenting there it seems !Etch primer ?  putting that stuff through an expensive Iwata airbrush is scary, dont fancy that, what will it do to my fine metal nozzle I fear and other parts...and what will it do to my e-brass detail ?Has etch primer a pigment ?  Will it clog the detail ?I aim to airbrush on the paint colour to avoid detail clogging.What do most scale plastic modellers using eduard and the like do ?There is nothing on the internet I have found after hours of searching on this.Nothing found in 'groups'.Even sites like Hyperscale have no tutorials on it.Unless I have missed it all ?No instructions in with the ebrass.Steve

The Old Man · Accepted Answer

I've never used Etch Primer, but have you considered using it in a pump bottle instead of your spray gun? I spray Future with an aerosol pump sprayer that originally held eyeglass lens cleaner that I got from Lens Crafters. $5.00 gave me two bottles, one 6oz. and the other

1oz. I used the smaller one for spraying Metalizer Sealer because I didn't know what it could do to my spray gun and didn't want to take any chances. The aerosol worked great and became part of my repertoire for future sprayings.

Don Stauffer · Answer

I just use Krylon spray primer, dry, thin coat ( back off a little further than normal, hit it with quick coat. Not perfect  adhesion, but better than with NO primer.

Rufus · Answer

I would think something that might work really well as a brass primer might be a flat clear lacquer of some sort - like nail polish...that should stick to brass pretty well, I'd imagine...If you can get a flat nail polish. But I don't do that, just a suggestion. May try it, though.

I paint a base color directly onto the brass, no priming or etching or anything like that. I use enamels - yes, you can chip the edges, so I'm just careful after I spray the base color; usually black or gray.

Then I use a #1 round brush to apply washes or paint gross detail like instrument bezels and such - again, using enamels (I only use enamels). I sometimes also use colored pencil.

But for highlighting detail I drybrush - what I like to use is some sort of silver; I take some Testors Metallizer and let it dry out in a cap and drybrush the residue like a pastel...works great for highlighting detail on anything subtle.

Once you get the hang of how and where the Metallizer flake sticks, you can actually sort of "paint" with it - leaving more on higher detail like switch knobs and details like that. I use a #1 round or flat brush for this as well.

Technique works on any part - brass or plastic.

Steve · Answer

Hi,Krylon and Testors we don't have in the UK.We seem to be short of suitable liquids for this.Having said that, I tried a different brand of enamel and left it overnight, and its pretty much ok, kitchen paper towel wont easily budge it now, and only a fingernail attacks it.maybe the precision paints left overnight would be the same. I presume as there is not much mention of primers for this e-brass that modellers generally find that paint takes to it.The vinegar doesnt seem to have altered the appearance of it at all. Tried brown malt vinegar. No mention on Eduards site of any particular brand. Too acid a vinegar and our stomachs wouldnt like it.Steve

painting photo etch brass like subtle detail eduard...how ?

Join the Discussion

Didn't find your answer?