Paint questions

[Crimea_River]

Trust me guys you cant brush big surfaces with Tamiya acrylics and expect a nice finish.

 

[mikewint]

Unless you're Terry. He can get a better finish with a brush than I do with an airbrush

 

[Crimea_River]

True but Terry uses enamels which makes a huge difference.

 

[mikewint]

True and he does hate acrylics but with his talent he'd probably get a satin finish with Tempera paints

 

[thom regit]

Acrylics do not "cure" like enamels. They dry from the outside first. If the paint is VERY thick it will skin over and the lower layer is sealed off, so drying time will be a bit long!
I don't believe that just brushing on a coat of acrylic paint should be called priming.

 

[Vic P]

I have some enamel paint (Model Master) that I brushed on and would like to redo with an airbrush. Have the suggested methods above been just for acrylics? What can I do (besides sanding) to remove the enamel?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Crimea_River]

Never tried it but it's been said that soaking the parts in automotive brake fluid will remove the paint without affecting the plastic.

 

[Wurger]

Also it can be used a drain cleaner. But the liquid is quite corrosive so glasses and gloves required. Put the painted parts into the jar with the liquid for a half of an our. The coat should almost peel off itself under the stream of water. Then wash the parts with warm water and soap to remove the remains of the drain cleaner. If the panel lines on the model are recessed use a tooth brush to sweep out the paint residue from there.

 

[Vic P]

Thank you Crimea_River and Wurger! My wife will surely look at me funny when I say I want to pick up some drain cleaner for my modelling. Like when I picked up some floor polish (Future) for my modelling hobby

 

[Crimea_River]

I'd be careful with the drain cleaner as there are many varieties. Read the label as some will say that they are not to be used on plastic pipes so I'd suggest you drop a length of sprue in there first to make sure you won't do something bad.

 

[Wurger]

To be honest I have never seen a such drain cleaner destroying plastic , at least here in Poland. But I agree with CR. That's a good idea.

 

[mikewint]

Easy Off oven cleaner, brake fluid, Simple Green, Casterol Super Clean, and Purple Power have all been used to remove enamel paint. I listed EASY OFF which is a brand name, however MOST oven cleaners and/or drain cleaners will work IF they use Sodium Hydroxide (Caustic Soda). Be careful as some brands do not. If you can find a hardware store that still sells plain granulated Caustic Soda you can use it rather than a brand name oven/drain cleaner. On Ebay you can buy pure Lab grade Sodium Hydroxide. Eye and Hand protection are a must and keep away from aluminium.

 

[Vic P]

Just bought some drain cleaner and it said that it was okay with plastic pipes so I figured it would be okay. But I will definitely try a piece of sprue first, thanks for the tip Crimea_River.

I will keep the other suggestions in my back pocket if the drain cleaner doesn't work for me.

Thank you for all the tips!

 

[mikewint]

Just bought some drain cleaner

Check the list of ingredients. There are various types/kinds of drain cleaners. You want to be sure that the type you have employs SODIUM HYDROXIDE also referred to as CAUSTIC SODA and also LYE. In its pure form it is a white crystalline solid which is hygroscopic. As a result some brands coat the crystals so it may be a color other than white. The brand DRAINO use to also contain small bits of aluminium metal which reacted with the Sodium Hydroxide to make a sizzling sound. It made users feel better 'cause they could now "hear" it working