Flat Coat Problem

Guys, I have just sprayed Gunxe H20 thinned with de mineralised water, over a gloss coat of Pledge one go (Aussie equvilant of Future). I had also given it (1/72 A7V) a wash with acrylic paints thinned with water as well.
No I find it seems to have faded the paint and worst of all there is a whitish film appearing. What have I done wrong ? I am ready to give the hobby away, I love building kits but this painting is driving me up the flaming wall.

The only thing I can think of is that you applied it either too thick or too much too soon. I’ve had this happen to me before when I used acrylic especially if applied too thick or in spots where it pooled up. As with most paints, it is better to apply in several light coats than one or two heavy ones. Also, flat coats will tend to fade the paint a bit. Perhaps someone else has some more insight into this problem. Hope this helps.

Bill
Don’t give the hobby away, just give the Pledge away, at least for gloss and flat coats. There has recently been a lot of discussion about Pledge and whether it gives the same results as Future. It’s OK for canopies.
Buy yourself some Testors Dullcote, Humbrol DullCote or Polly Scale Flat Clear . Alternatively get your hands on some Future (the real stuff) and mix that with Tamiya Flat Clear.

Regards

Glen B saw you’re other posts on Future, give Hawkeye models a call, the guy there is importing some. www.hawkeyemodels.com

This is the flat clear that I use, and it works well. I have also used Testor’s DullCoat, but prefer the Future/Tamiya Flat Base mix, because the degree to which the finish is matte vs. satin or semi-gloss has been more consistent than with DullCoat.

As a matter of clarification for the unwary, Tamiya’s X-21 Flat Base is not truly a flat clear finish but simply a flattening additive to be added to an acrylic medium. In other words to use it as a flat finish, it must be be blended with a clear acrylic such as Future. When mixing Tamiya’s X-21 Flat Base with Future, it needs to be done at a ratio of about 1 part Flat Base to 4 parts Future. If the mix ratio has more Flat Base and less Future, you run the risk of getting the white haze effect.

As far as the original problem with the Gunze H20, is it a stand alone clear coat, such as Testor’s DullCoat or is it a flattening additive such as Tamiya’s X-21? I’ve never used, nor seen, the stuff myself, but the symptoms described about the white film sounds a lot like what happens when one mixes Tamiya X-21 with thinner and sprays it onto the model.

Andy

Andy,
Gunze Sangyo H20 is marked Flat Clear, and water based acrylic paint.
But I have to concede that this most likely the result of my not thinning it correctly, this is so depressing !

I use Gunze H20 all the time and love the stuff. Try thinning it with Tamiya X-20A Thinner, It works really well. I think most of your problems came from the Pledge, I’ve had it react with Gunze paints before. I don’t use pledge at all because the ammonia in it can react with acrylics. For a gloss coat, try something like Gunze or Tamiya clear. Try thinning H20 with Tamiya X-20A Thinner, It works really well.

Hope it all works out for you.