A few months back there was a short how to article in Finescale using craft acrylic paint. I have been using craft acrylic paint for many years now and have developed a formula myself. The biggest drawback is that acrylic paint not adhere to plastic very well. There is a work around to this. It is relatively inexpensive and easy. Lets begin. I have never had a problem with the paint chipping or rubbing off. I have many models a dozen years old or so painted this way. Using acrylic paint is not for everybody.
Here is my formula
Prep you model using rattle can grey primer. A moderate dusting is all that is needed for acrylic paint to adhere.
Mix these items using the following ratio. 4 parts craft paint. 1 part GAC 200. 4 drops of dish washing detergent. 4 drops of retarder. (very important. Helps keep the airbrush tip flowing, ) And finally enough 91% isopropyl alcohol .to bring the consistency to slightly thicker that ink. Do not worry about the alcohol causing a gummy mess it won’t as long as you use 91%. and if the airbrush seems to be getting clogged, run some 91% until it if clear and continue. If the paint is left for several days, just give it a good shake and your ready to go. Shake very well. Always run it through a filter. Be sure the primer coat it totally dry then spray away. Do not expect full coverage on the first, second or third coats. I have used up to 5 coats before complete coverage. There will be a negligible build up of paint which will in no way mar the surface detail. If you want the paint to dry more quickly use your wifes hair dryer. I always wait 24 hours to let the craft paint cure before you start your weathering. I generally use oil washes for the recessed areas with no paint lifting. Pastels for highlights. (I can’t afford fancy, expensive powered pigments). Experiment your self using this technique. If you want a graveyard dead flat finish then add to the mix 1 teaspoon of corn starch. Remember to apply a coat of acrylic clear before applying decals then finish it odd with a matt coverage. A 69 cent bottle of craft paint of 2 ounces is the same as almost 10 dollars or more of enamel paint. I can paint 3 or 4 models with just that 2 ounces of craft paint. I can afford to but more models rather than spending it on paint.
With all the posts and articles I’ve ready regarding craft acrylics it seems like such a PITA compared to just regular hobby acrylics. Plus, I dont’ have to mix colors to get what I want. Just thin and go. Heck, with Gunze, I don’t even need a retarder. Thats gotta out weigh the minimal cost savings I would think. But, to each his own. Be nice to see some pics of your work with these paints.
It’s great to find that I’m NOT the odd man out. I’ve been using craft acrylics for over a year now and am delighted with them. You do have to enjoy the challenge, frustration, or whatever of mixing your own colors but, for me, it’s a little break from some more tedious tasks - like sanding, sanding and sanding. My formula is similar to yours except for the 91% IPA - I’ll have to try it. I’ve been using a home brew mix of Fantastic window cleaner, ethanol, glycerin and water or simply airbrush medium or Future. Paint adhesion was the biggest problem for me to overcome but GAC200 seems to have solved that. I don’t find tip dry any worse than other branded acrylics. And, some of the available colors are close to what we want and the variety is great. I have found that Gloss or Brilliant labeled paint seem to adhere well without GAC200. Thanks for posting, there was a THREAD some months back with few responses and I thought there weren’t many others who used craft acrylics.
I am glad you started this thread,I had been going to order some Golden medium ever since Bick started talking about this a few months ago, but, I kept forgetting
so, I did it while I had this thread open
I am looking for the Medium to improve the adhesion of the Acrylic Primers I have here,using a standard lacquer or enamel primer is NOT an option for me,with the Lady’s health, it is no fumes at all for our house (hence no Gunze or Tamiya, either)
Been using craft acrylics for a few years now. Also use Humbrol, Testors, and others too. Haven’t had any real problems with any of them. Want to try some of the airbrush ready stuff too, but I have a lot of others to use up first.
Really pleased to see others also use craft acrylics - I was beginning to feel like a loner. The only ‘color’ I haven’t found in craft acrylics that I’m happy with is silver for NMF. Anyone have recommendations?
I started using craft acrylics, not because of cost, odor or health (good reasons to use them, though) but availability. Nearest LHS is an hours drive and the selection of paints is minimal; sure, I could always order online but that requires planning ahead. Michaels and AC Moore are 20 minutes away and a WalMart is 2 miles away. With a little experimenting, I’ve come to quite like craft acrylics. With red, green, yellow and black and white as ‘toners’ you can create a lot of colors. Here’s a pic of my yet to be finished (have to add guns to the wings and some detailing) FW190 - all paint is craft acrylics - I think it looks OK.
Bick, I suggest that you use one model color for your Natural Metal needs
Just pick out one of the lighter Metal colors in the PollyScale Railroad Acrylics line, and then get a set of “Gouache Colours”
the set I got is 24 small tubes from Hobby Lobby for $10.99, I paid less than that with the coupon
It was what the lady steered me to after I told her that I wanted a method of adjusting colors in Acrylic paints,she basically told me that this is concentrated pigment in tubes, just like artist’s tube acrylics, except much thicker,I think I said “I need this for Acrylics” enough times that she got bored with hearing it,just so I didn’t end up with an Oil Pigment or paint
The paste that comes out of there is very concentrated, a tiny amount is all it takes to change a color
So, you then would mix one of your 24 colors in your Railroad Aluminium or Steel, and change it to whatever shade you want
Again, just throwing ideas out there to try and help
