Painting... ARGH


F

firetacoma

Member
I am not a painter. I fear it. I suck at it. But I have 2 pewter trucks I need to paint. They are primed with spray primer, that was easy. I picked up water based acrylics and started to brush on color today. It was a disaster. It seems like it goes on too watery, or doesn't cover what I'm applying it to. Is this because it's water based acrylics? Should I try enamels? HELP!

I am attempting to strip off the paint I've already applied. Some of the primer is coming off too. This is soooooo frustrating after spending so much time on the models.
 
Yeah, I think it will come to that. Talk about tedious work!

Any opinions of acrylics? I know some swear by them. I have painted model cars using enamels and never had as many problems as I have with acrylics. I think I'm done with them!
 
What brand were they? I personally HATE most Model Flex, they seemed like dyed water when I tried them. They're designed to be airbrushed w/o thinning IIRC.

I myself prefer Floquil enamel's but its more of a personal thing.
 
Try using some Pine-sol or 91% Isopropyl Alcohol and a medium stiffness toothbrush when stripping.
 
Yeah, definitely don't use ModelFlex to brush, it's not a terrible paint, but it's finicky and as Josh said is only for airbrushing.

Your problem is probably the paint and the brush, The best paint you can buy is Tamiya acrylics. They have an excellent formula and brush on smooth and even. Plus they are comparatively quite cheap and can be thinned for airbrushing. Also, they have clear colors that work great for taillights and turn signals.

Unfortunately Tamiya doesn't make any railroad specific colors, which won't really matter for your trucks, but, if you need to paint a railroad model, try PollyScale Acrylic Model Railroad colors. They're more expensive than Tamiya, but they work great for brushing and can also be thinned for airbrushing.

As for the brush, don't buy the crappy plastic brushes at your LHS, go to a good art supply store (Michaels will work) and get a few different types and sizes made from real hair, if you're at a decent shop one of the clerks will probably be an artist and can tell you what each brush is designed for.

Those brushes are expensive, but if you take care of them, they'll last for a long time.

Finally make sure the paint is mixed really well, if you're going to be airbrushing sometime in the future, it's better to stir rather than shake so that you don't stir up solid particles off the bottom of the jar, however if you won't be airbrushing you don't really need to worry about that. Whichever way you mix the paint though, do it for awhile, 1-2 minutes at least.

I'm not a big fan of painting either, it's probably my least favorite part of the hobby, but I've found that if I set aside a large block of time, and plan everything out ahead of time, it's really not so bad. Make sure you have some water on hand before you start, and plan out how you will apply the paint and it'll work out well.

Chris
 
jbaakko said:
Try using some Pine-sol or 91% Isopropyl Alcohol and a medium stiffness toothbrush when stripping.
Click to expand...

Easy Off oven cleaner may also work to strip them.

If it were me, first my choice would be I'd airbrush them. Second would be spray cans.

My very last choice would be brush painting.

And I definitely ONLY use laquer or enamel. I've had too many problems with water based paints. I may be using it wrong, but my results were not satifactory.

Rotor
 
I've read that only original scent, Pine-sol, not off brands, works. Never tested though.
 
jbaakko said:
I've read that only original scent, Pine-sol, not off brands, works. Never tested though.
Click to expand...

Thanks Josh...I'll have to get a couple bottles for the train room. They'll be sitting under the layout right beside the 91% Iso and my Easy-Off. ;)

Rotor
 
Sounds good. I've only had one model that the Pine-sol & Iso would not touch, that darned Kato F40PH.
 
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I've had the whole thing sitting in paint thinner overnight. We'll see what it looks like when I get home from work I guess.

If it's not stripped, I'll try the pine-sol trick.

I'd love to be able to spray these (either by can or airbrush) but they're just too small and detailed for that. Masking would be impossible.

I have decent brushes (non-synthetic), so I don't think that's the issue. And I forget when brand they are, but I got them at a game shop that specializes in pewter miniatures. Thought they would have the best paint for them.
 
The paint thinner bath should do the trick although I hope it also doesn't affect your glued joints. I'd certainly try using the Pine-Sol method first next time.

Acrylics and most metals don't get along unless the acrylic is sprayed. For the detail work you have to do, I'd only use laquer. For my money, Floquil still does the best job brush painting on metal.
 
Live and learn I guess.

So far I think the paint thinner has been ok on the glue... we'll see if I have a tub full of parts when I get home I suppose!
 
Go for it fire you can mask in N :)scale I do jsut take your tiem and build the next ones in steps paint cab,paint frame paint tires, then paint the small detail parts by hand using either a 18/0,000 or 00 paint brush and if need be cut out tape to cover the rims and air brush the wheels :D
 
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