How to paint with the best results possible?

[csiguy68]

i did try polly scale a few times, i thined it with regular water, distilled water and even alcohol and i never got good results at all. it jammed up my air guns, and i just didnt care for the finish it leaves. i have been using floquil and scalecoat II with great results. scalecoat II has a few advantages in that is comes in two ounce bottles and it leaves a shiny finish , so after your done painting you wont have to apply a coat of clear coat so your decals will stick. and ohh yeah wear a mask when your painting, it ll save your lungs too. at times i forget to wear one and regret it later. these are just a few things that worked for me.


and tust what the guys on here tell you, theyre the ones who helped me out when i first started and their advice and guidance is better than any book youll read about the subject.



todd

[Wayne R]

I have used Polly Scale and Modelflex paints for just about all my painting on brass or plastic. My brass Canadian National N-5-d 2-8-0 is painted with Polly Scale. Steam Power black directly on the brass without primer. It stuck real well. For both plastic or brass I thin the Polly Scale with either distiled water or the new Model Master acrylic thinner ( #50496 ). Most of my recent bottles of Polly Scale I purchased suggest the thinner or distiled water. The Modelflex paints are for the most part ready to spray and do not require thinning but I do add some Modelflex 16-600 extender sometimes to slow the drying time.

I found both Polly Scale and Modelflex to be good paints. They just take a little practice to get used to spraying them. Both give good coverage and a nice finish when properly sprayed. My favorite of the two is Modelflex but this is because I have been using it longer and have always had good results. It has a very fine pigment and gives good smooth coverage with a few thin coats. So far Polly Scale seems to be just as good.

True Line Trains here in Canada has come out with their own line of water based acrylics. They are made by one of the top paint manufactures for model paints. I have been told it is Testors based on the Polly Scale paint line ( not really 100% sure about that ) and are ready to spray right out of the bottle. So far they are only offering Canadian colors. I have ordered some as I want to try the warm black they offer. It is supposed to be a good steam locomotive color for indoor lighting.

One thing I have noticed is when over spraying Polly Scale with Testors dullcote or glosscote thinned with lacquer thinner it tends to soften the Polly Scale a bit but once the lacquer thinner flashes off the paint is fine. Modelflex does not seem as affected by the lacquer thinner. To remove Polly Scale from brass a dip in lacquer thinner takes it off quickly but DO NOT do the same with plastic as the lacquer thinner will melt the plastic. Modelflex on brass comes off with lacquer thinner as well but it takes a lot longer.

I have removed Modelflex from plastic using 99% Isopropyl alcohol and brake fluid. Be carefull with the brake fluid as it effects some plastics. Always test in a hidden spot first. I would imagine both should remove Polly Scale from plastic but I have not tried it yet.

Water based paints tend to clog the airbrush tip more than solvent based paints due to their faster drying times. This is where a double action airbrush helps as when you release the trigger the tip closes which helps with tip clogging. I keep a small cup and a small sponge close by with a little lacquer thinner in it and wipe the airbrush tip once and awhile when spraying.

Another trick for spraying masked edges is not to spray directly toward the masked edge as this can force paint under the tape edge. Keep you spray pattern so it is 90 degrees to the tape edge or away from the tape edge. Less chance of paint bleeding under the tape.

I have also found 25 to 30 PSI is best for spraying water based paints. When I spray Testors dullcote or glosscote thinned 50% with lacquer thinner I only use 15 PSI as I find any higher the lacquer is too dry when it hits the model.

All my spraying is done with either my Badger model 175 ( double action, medium or fine tip ) or model 200 airbrush ( single action with fine tip ). When I am finished I spray clean water through them and then they are carefully cleaned with some lacquer thinner to make sure they are completly clean.


Wayne Reid

[Tom]

Hey Josh, before you apply your masking tape, I would strongly advise re-cutting the edges of the tape. For instance, get yourself a small piece of plate glass, apply the tape to the glass and using a steel ruler and a sharp, fresh X-acto blade, recut the edges of your tape (rather than rely on the factory cut edge) and then apply the tape to your model to mask it. Also get yourself a wooden coffee stirer or popsicle stick to burnish the edges of the tape to the model real well to avoid bleed under.

[Trucklover]

i did try polly scale a few times, i thined it with regular water, distilled water and even alcohol and i never got good results at all. it jammed up my air guns, and i just didnt care for the finish it leaves. i have been using floquil and scalecoat II with great results. scalecoat II has a few advantages in that is comes in two ounce bottles and it leaves a shiny finish , so after your done painting you wont have to apply a coat of clear coat so your decals will stick. and ohh yeah wear a mask when your painting, it ll save your lungs too. at times i forget to wear one and regret it later. these are just a few things that worked for me.

Thanks Todd, ive never heard of Scalecoat II paints, ill have to look them up and see what kind of colors they have

[Trucklover]

Wayne, you said so much helpful and useful stuff, i really appreciate it!!

I have used Polly Scale and Modelflex paints for just about all my painting on brass or plastic. My brass Canadian National N-5-d 2-8-0 is painted with Polly Scale. Steam Power black directly on the brass without primer. It stuck real well. For both plastic or brass I thin the Polly Scale with either distiled water or the new Model Master acrylic thinner ( #50496 ). Most of my recent bottles of Polly Scale I purchased suggest the thinner or distiled water. The Modelflex paints are for the most part ready to spray and do not require thinning but I do add some Modelflex 16-600 extender sometimes to slow the drying time.

Like Scalecoat II that Todd mentioned, ive never heard of Modelflex, so i will have to look into it as well :mrgreen:

One thing I have noticed is when over spraying Polly Scale with Testors dullcote or glosscote thinned with lacquer thinner it tends to soften the Polly Scale a bit but once the lacquer thinner flashes off the paint is fine. Modelflex does not seem as affected by the lacquer thinner. To remove Polly Scale from brass a dip in lacquer thinner takes it off quickly but DO NOT do the same with plastic as the lacquer thinner will melt the plastic. Modelflex on brass comes off with lacquer thinner as well but it takes a lot longer.

I have removed Modelflex from plastic using 99% Isopropyl alcohol and brake fluid. Be carefull with the brake fluid as it effects some plastics. Always test in a hidden spot first. I would imagine both should remove Polly Scale from plastic but I have not tried it yet.

Ive heard of using the brake fluid before, ive never tried it but its good to hear thats another option for removing paint

Water based paints tend to clog the airbrush tip more than solvent based paints due to their faster drying times. This is where a double action airbrush helps as when you release the trigger the tip closes which helps with tip clogging. I keep a small cup and a small sponge close by with a little lacquer thinner in it and wipe the airbrush tip once and awhile when spraying.

My airbrush will be a dual action airbrush, so thats a plus

Another trick for spraying masked edges is not to spray directly toward the masked edge as this can force paint under the tape edge. Keep you spray pattern so it is 90 degrees to the tape edge or away from the tape edge. Less chance of paint bleeding under the tape.

Thats a great tip, i usually dont spray up under the tape, but i usually apply to much paint lol. Patients and thin coats im sure will help tremendously to keep from bleeding under the tape

I have also found 25 to 30 PSI is best for spraying water based paints. When I spray Testors dullcote or glosscote thinned 50% with lacquer thinner I only use 15 PSI as I find any higher the lacquer is too dry when it hits the model.

Thanks for the pressure tips, ill put that in my notes

[Trucklover]

Hey Josh, before you apply your masking tape, I would strongly advise re-cutting the edges of the tape. For instance, get yourself a small piece of plate glass, apply the tape to the glass and using a steel ruler and a sharp, fresh X-acto blade, recut the edges of your tape (rather than rely on the factory cut edge) and then apply the tape to your model to mask it. Also get yourself a wooden coffee stirer or popsicle stick to burnish the edges of the tape to the model real well to avoid bleed under.

Thanks Tom, i usually dont cut the edge of the tape before i apply it, but i will definitely be doing that for these paint jobs. But one thing, how do you know that your line is straight that you cut if the original line from the factory isnt?

[Tom]

The original factory cut line is usually pretty straight, but re-cutting your line is a good idea as it gives you a thinner, sharper cut on the tape to avoid bleed under. Use your steel ruler to get a straight edge.

[Trucklover]

The original factory cut line is usually pretty straight, but re-cutting your line is a good idea as it gives you a thinner, sharper cut on the tape to avoid bleed under. Use your steel ruler to get a straight edge.

Thanks Tom, i have a steel ruler so i will be doing that, i have noticed that sometimes the factory straight edges are a bit coarse and not always so fine of a cut, so i think cutting a new edge with a sharp blade will help and make it all the better to get good results

[Tom]

Believe me, it will, but I can't take credit for that tip, that was from DocWayne. He turned me on to that idea in one of his posts, and I've adopted it ever since, not that I get much time to do much modeling anymore. I hope to correct that here as soon as I get the new website done for the RR Museum in Portola.

[Trucklover]

Believe me, it will, but I can't take credit for that tip, that was from DocWayne. He turned me on to that idea in one of his posts, and I've adopted it ever since, not that I get much time to do much modeling anymore. I hope to correct that here as soon as I get the new website done for the RR Museum in Portola.

it doesn't surprise me this is a bit of advise from the Doc, he is full of GREAT information on everything when it comes to modeling just about

I hope you can get some more modeling in Tom, i know that i will be looking forward to some pics, and i know others will be too

[Tom]

Yeah, railroad museum is just taking up 95% of my off time right now. It's usually a slow month at work, and the museum knows it!

Speaking of museum, we are in teh planning stages of a large double deck HO railroad of the Western Pacific from Oakland to Portola, CA in an 85' UP Baggage car. I'm sure that'll keep me busy this new year. In the mean time, I have a few projects I need to get to. Eventually I will, but in the mean time, I'll continue to model precariously through all of you guys on here.

[fsm1000]

Thanks for the info guys. I love to build but I suck at painting things Thanks again

[Dave Farquhar]

I have removed Modelflex from plastic using 99% Isopropyl alcohol and brake fluid. Be carefull with the brake fluid as it effects some plastics. Always test in a hidden spot first. I would imagine both should remove Polly Scale from plastic but I have not tried it yet.

One safe way to remove paint from plastics is to soak the item in Purple Power, a high-strength cleaner you can find at auto parts stores. Depending on the paint, it can take anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days. I've never had a problem with it damaging any plastic.

It works on metal too, but of course with metal you don't have to be as careful so I generally use aviation-grade paint strippers on that. Then you're talking 15 minutes to bare metal, usually.

[upnick]

Hi Josh,

The best masking tape out there is from Tamiya its low tack and comes in various widths, a tip a pro R/C car body sprayer told me was mount the body and hold it upside down so any overspray falls away from the body its a lot easier to add paint on a second coat.
With waterbased paints i always flush out the airbrush with clean water and then a little white spirit keeps the brush nice and clean.

[Trucklover]

Yeah, railroad museum is just taking up 95% of my off time right now. It's usually a slow month at work, and the museum knows it!

Speaking of museum, we are in teh planning stages of a large double deck HO railroad of the Western Pacific from Oakland to Portola, CA in an 85' UP Baggage car. I'm sure that'll keep me busy this new year. In the mean time, I have a few projects I need to get to. Eventually I will, but in the mean time, I'll continue to model precariously through all of you guys on here.

WOW that layout sounds SWEET!! Especially since it will be in a baggage car, now thats a neat idea for a layout!!