Hello everyone ! i’m confused … i painted in enamel some plastic, then used some humbrol clear matt varnish. i diluted it with a bit of thinner. it came out shiny …
But then realized it’s to be diluted with water … and whatever i do to make it matte, with or without water, it doesn’t erase this shine, and even on some external samples, it’s simply not matte at all !! i don’t understand, and i did several thinned layers, with water. useless.
I don’t know if only enamel varnish should be used with enamel paint, and if the whole thing is compromised.
it looks a bit uneven, some zones are shiny, some zones are satin, some are a tad matt …
i thought that even on some glossy varnish, a matt varnish could turn it matt.
i couldn’t find much infos and i’m a bit desperate as this enamel and decals results looked just fine to me.
i did some external tests before only to realize later that these tests didn’t turn great as what they looked like after 15 - 20 minutes …
You might try letting it set until everything has a chance to thoroughly dry. Make sure the paint has hardened, might even give it a light sanding with 1500 or 2400 Sandpaper, a good cleaning, then try a fresh dull coat.
Hope this helps,
Hello!
It’s not easy to use clear flat and sometimes Humbrol is especially challenging. First thing - if you take a can of Humbrol and let it sit for a while, it will separate - there will be deposit on the bottom and liquid on top. Thing is, before you mix it again, if you only take that liquid on the top for painting, it will tend to be glossy. The more of the deposit from the bottom you mix into the paint, the more flat it will be.
Then, if you have oil/enamel paint that is not REALLY dry, then the flat clear on top somehow tends to “sink” into that not fully hardened paint and the result will be glossy. Sometimes alternating enamel and acrylic coats helps here, but it can be dangerous and lead to paint cracking - please proceed wit caution here.
The meanest thing that can happen when using Humbrol flat clear is you paint your model with it and it just gets frosty white. I have the feelling that it happens when you mix too much of the “bottom deposit” in, but am not really sure that that is the cause of it… When it happens, sometimes the paint job can be saved by saturating the “frosty” coat with diluted clear varnish (glossy).
I’ll close by saying that getting the flat clear coat right can be very satisfying.
Good luck with it and have a nice day
Paweł
Ya, it sounds to me as well, that the solids didn’t get fully mixed into the clear. Clear flat is just gloss clear with matte solids added, and those settle. Best practice is stir and stir, and when you think it’s well mixed stir some more. Then shake. In the airbrush keep swirling it periodically so those solids don’t settle out. In a tin is a good place to use something like the Badger battery powered mixer and make short work of mixing it all together.
It’s not just a Humbrol thing though. Any brand clear flat can settle out.
Thank you Well, as long as i can’t have a matte result, on a test spoon, i won’t do it. this humbrol product, whatever i do, doesn’t do it.
i’m stripping all the previous work i did, on some delicate parts, and i’m quite mad about it.
thanks very much pawel . yes, well i don’t think i’ll ever use this humbrol “matte” which isn’t matte whatever i do, on my test spoons, and i’ll try to find an enamel matte varnish, not sure what. For now, i’m trying to strip all the paint and decal work i painstakely did … which was really completely dry since a few days.
thank you ! Well, it makes me more desperate ha ha. i’ll try to find a matte enamel varnish that does matte, and satin that does satin.
i understand that it must be stirred again and again, damn it’s challenging …
Glad to help!
I wouldn’t strip the whole paint job - if you didn’t put that clear on too thick, it should be perfectly saveable.
Personally I have three or four brands of flat clear, mostly in spray cans, and on one model I switch them around until something works. It’s not uncommon to get the right result on second or third try - as I said, provided the coats are thin (and they are supposed to be thin).
I recommend Gunze Top Coat here. Humbrol 49 spray is interesting - on top of Humbrol enamels it makes them crack badly, but if I spray Gunze Top Coat on the Humbrols and then hit it with Humbrol 49 spray, it gives nice flat coat and no cracks.
Thank you Pawel
i’m affraid it became unacceptable the way it is now, and i’d prefer to start over again.
Gunze top coat is an enamel matte varnish ? i think i should rather use an enamel coat/varnish, on top of the humbrol / revell enamell blend, which at least is something working fine.
in fact … i’d like a slight satin finish, and that’s why i used some matte varnish from humbrol to attempt to tame the shiny satin/matte blend that i did in the first place. but it did nothing …
i saw some videos where one would varnish in glossy finish a plane, then apply some weathering with oil, then matte finish again on top. i thought i’d achieve at least that, but nope … totaly wrong.
which enamel varnish / coat ( is there a difference ? ) should i try maybe ? and how to dilute it properly ?
from there, i should do some tests.
EDIT : THIS !! it seems to be what i need. Humbrole enamel cote, to dilute with thinner.
what i used is different, i used humbrol clear matt varnish. to dilute with water.
in this video the result obviously works, unlike for me. and it even kills the shine to get a matt finish if needed, unlike me.
as what i’m painting is monitor speakers buttons, over time … an enamel finish on top of enamel paint might be more resistant than something that is sensitive to water easily.
i thought that a varnish is a varnish, and it seems that the “cote” is different from a varnish. strange.
Mix and mix and mix some more, when you think it’s mixed well, mix it some more.
For gloss coats and paints I find if the paint looks just slighty wet it’ll give a better gloss, and for flat coats, make sure it looks dry while you paint(very light coats and dry in between coats). This usually works for both colored and clear coats.
Use airbrush as much as possible. It’s easier to get the fine coloring or glossy/flat appearance you want over brushing.
I’ve never used Humbrol so everything maybe slightly different, but should be simular for any type of paints
Hi Jason, thanks very much. Yes, i’ll test this enamel version, and stir it again and again.and see the results.
I’ll also try to see if it can efficiently also work on a glossy coat, to.make it matt. Then .. it’ll mean that it really works.
I’m in the process of finishing to remove the previous work i did, and it’s tedious and a shame …but i want a proper result.
I’ll post if it’s successful.
Now for the big cabs, i don’t know if i’ll varnish them, as it’d be impossible to start all over again …
I rather like a finish slightly satin, just with the matt revell 9 + a bit of black humbrol, and 33% thinned. It looks fine and it may be resistant to manipulations over the years ..
I use humbrol primer with 33 % thinner, not sure it’s the best but it works..
Hello everyone, and merry christmas !
Thanks again for your help. I finished a couple weeks ago the work i did on these studio monitors that i found in the street, it was a hard work … One year on it … Electronically, cosmetically … Lot of research … And it was the first time i used an airbrush.
In the end, i used revell 9 80% and humbrol black 20 % enamel paint. No varnish on the paint.
for the buttons, i used the same paint, then gloss enamel varnish, then decals, then matt enamel varnish.
i used a paint filter to paint the cabs, i think it was helpful. i had to sand a bit some rough surfaces sometimes and repaint it.
What a unique project to undertake. A considerable amount of work and a variety of different skills to achieve what you have. Looking at the finished products I would be very surprised to learn that they were not brand new, fresh out of the box. Well done.
Well, as long as i can’t have a matte result, on a test spoon, i won’t do it. this humbrol product, whatever i do, doesn’t do it.
as i prefer this darker color …