I recently got an airbrush, and have started using Createx Colors white airbrush paint for painting white, and US Art Supply and Vallejo air for other colors.
There have been no issues using my various matte clear coats on either of the latter two brands of paint, but with the white I’m seeing issues with it cracking.
At first I thought it was the new clear coat I was trying, since I got them both at the same time, which is just a basic Rustoleum matte coat. I tried Krylon next, with the same issue, then went back to my old Model Master matte coat and again had the same problem.
I don’t understand what’s causing this, no other paint I’ve ever used has done this.
Any ideas? Or maybe suggestions for an alternate brand? I like the bottle size and cost of Createx, but it’s unuseable if it does this.
The cost for a tiny bottle is why I don’t use Vallejo Air, and when I tried out the US Art Supply white it just didn’t cover at all.
Looks like your paint may have been too thick, (in order to get coverage, yea I know) and wasn’t 100% cured, some brands & colours, even acrylics need to gas out.
I suggest a bath in IsoPropyl Alcohol to wash off, & a used toothbrush to scrub, as sanding will destroy detail.
One of my favourite primers is Tamiya acrylic, thinned with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner (orange top) as this give it bite & covers very well.
Can you get lacquer primers? Tamiya, Hataka, MIG? Auto paint cans?
Alternatives are Badger StyNylRes white (a little thick) or my current favourite MIG-0046 Satin White.
PS my favourite Clear Coat is Windsor & Newton Galeria Mat Satin & Gloss. It’s the brand I have FEWEST problems with.
How long are you leaving the white to dry before clear coating? Assuming that your clear coats are spray cans, they would be quite hot.
I would try leaving the white to dry and cure at least overnight (min 12 hours) and then apply the clear coat using very light mist coats to build it up rather than attempting to cover with a single wet coat (if that’s what you’re doing).
The thing about Createx is it was originally designed for the T Shirt industry to be applied to fabric. As such it dries pliable. They have their own clear but any of the artist brands varnishes will work well with it too. I think you find it’s the different flex rates and expansion and shrinkage over large areas that is cracking your clear coat. So you have a choice, change out your white paint brand or keep what you have and use an artist grade clear, be that Createx, Liquitex, Goldens, WN Galerie etc…
That said, I use some Liquitex varnishes myself ( probably be a lot less now that my artist wife passed away) and it sprays straight from the bottle fine.
This white paint had been sitting since Saturday, so I figured 3 days was more than enough time for the paint to fully cure. But I really don’t know.
I think I’ll get the createx matte top coat and try that first before a new brand of white. I really like how this white covers, which is why it’s annoying that it’s doing this.