Advise for Hand Painting?

[Amalynn]

You made me give this some thought. First thing I thought a surfactant would be a help. I thought about soap and there are some sites that mention using soap to reduce surface tension which would improve flow.. then I found this and it is worth a read. I am not commenting because I have not tried these items and I don't know if they would harm the durability of the paint.  golden
Charlie

Might be worth a try! I definitely need to let my coats dry longer. I have only been letting them dry for like an hour or two or possibly overnight at most.

Hi, I brush acrylics on just about everything, I do have an air brush but haven't used it in years. I also rarely paint cars, mainly because I like scenery and structures more than trains. I probably have close to 100 brushes, many of which I picked up at Walmart, all sold specifically for use with acrylics. I do N scale, so most of my smaller brushes get used, the smallest has about four strands, the biggest about 2". I also buy my acrylics from Walmart. Using it on structures and scenery does not usually require thinning unless the bottle has been open for a while and sometimes just dipping the tip of the brush in water is enough. I think the key to getting a smooth finish is using the right brush for what you're painting, wood vs. plastic or metal, detailed vs smooth. Too narrow and you can get brush strokes, too wide and you can't control what you're doing. Using primer, especially on plastic and metal is a good idea

There is a show on PBS, "Paint This with Jerry Yarnell". he works in acrylics and I watch it because he explains a lot about brushes and the consistency of the paint. I know, it's about painting pictures, but there are still a lot of good pointers to pick up there.

This may not be much info, but I hope it helps a bit.

I will check it out. A good breakdown on brushes would definitely be really helpful.