Question (Automotive Paint)

Zomby Woof wrote:

It has been done successfully with actual automotive lacquer, but it must be done in _many_ thin coats so that the plastic doesn't start to be affected by the solvents in the paint. Old-time auto modelers swear by the technique; applying coat after coat of the lacquer in nearly mist-like thickness until a final thicker coat is applied to give it the finished gloss effect, and buffing the model between each of the earlier thin coats with a polishing compound after letting it thoroughly dry... it can take days to do, but ends up with a rock-hard finish that is actually bonded to the plastic, has a depth to it that a enamel coating doesn't have, and can be polished to a mirror-like finish (some actually put automotive wax on it as the final touch, I kid you not). I've read up on this, but have never done it - so if you want to try it, do some experimenting first. A _lot_ of experimenting. It's supposed to take ten to twenty thin coats to do it right. Because you'd be dealing with lacquer, not enamel, cleaning the airbrush could be very difficult. Some have used spray cans of the chosen lacquer color because of that problem. I still remember the day I was in a hobby shop and these two somewhat scruffy looking Mexican-American kids came in with this box that had their low rider car models in it to display in the front window. Looking at them, I was keen to see what was in the box. ...Just F***ing Kneel... These glittering gems came out of the box... I was sitting there downright awestruck. They were doing them by that technique, and boy, did it look great! I never got that sort of a finish on a car model with enamels...and to rub it in...they were both about half my age. :-D

Pat

"Zomby Woof" wrote in news:OhKGi.178739$rX4.159827@pd7urf2no:

You can use a spraycan from the shelve and "decant" it. This means you spray an amount of paint in a PAINT RESISTANT cup. I prefer a glass jar. Let it "rest and degas" for a few minutes than you can use it straight from the cup in your airbrush as it is already a very thin paint.

HTH

Considering that the desired color of a car body is going to to be monochromatic, doesn't it make more sense just to spray-paint it from a distance so that the paint falls on it, or passing the spray can over it it from closer range while sweeping it over it in a back-and-forth motion, make a lot more sense than even going to all the trouble of catching it, thinning it, and then airbrushing it onto the model? The car doesn't need to be camouflaged; use of an airbrush in this manner defeats its advantages in being able to do finely or transitionally defined edges between colors. The last thing you want in regards to the the final painting of the model car body is the slightest variance of the paint finish that covers it. This can be accomplished via an airbrush by cranking the pressure up as high as possible, thinning the paint as much as possible, and setting the nozzle for widest spray angle possible. It's sure going to be a lot easier to just spray paint it straight out of the can from around two feet away.

Pat

You'll have to prime your model first. Once that has dried you can apply your lacquer. Paint it just as they would paint a car...prime/ sand/prime/sand/paint...rub out and repaint as needed. After the paint has had a few days to cure...wax on/wax off.

Pat Flannery wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:

Sure, I've done hat too, hundreds of times (well not hundreds), but I found that using this paint through an airbrush gives you a thinner paint layer, which will not conceal too much detail and will not "round" the corners that much as using the paint straight from the rattle can.

That said, using the rattle can is way way easier!

Some folk use fingernail polish...

The problem with automotive paints today is that there are MANY different varieties. If you use the rattle cans, the cans are NOT clearly marked as to the actual type (acrylic versus cellulous, etc.).

If you buy a regular can (not spray can) at an auto parts/paint store, they should be able to tell you what the stuff is, but the rattle cans are a gamble. The folks in the store will not know what is in Duplicolor, and various other spray can brands.