What are the rules for layering different paint types? I have asked at every hobby store I go to and always get a different answer. For instance, can I safely alternate layers of lacquer and enamel? How about enamel and acrylic?
Right now I paint everything in enamels and between the layers spray clear lacquer. Is that safe? What is the standard for protecting layers?
Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!
~ Thanks
~ Garth
Why would you need to protect between layers of paint with a clear lacquer finish? What are you painting?
Mike
The last piece I worked on was a Corsair and I used this technique. I put on a clear coat between airbrushing and detailing with brushes… Then sometimes between the detailing steps also. I guess I felt like it protected the under-layers more. I’ve also used clear acrylic for the same thing. What is the best thing to use? acrylic? Is there any bad reaction beteen lacquer and enamel?
~ Thanks for the help
~ Garth
The generally accepted order is laquer, enamel, acrylic. You can put acrylic over anything, and you can put enamel over laquer. If the underlying layers are fully cured, it is normally safe to put enamel over acrylic. Laquer is pretty aggressive, and I don’t know how it will react when sprayed over enamel or acrylic even if they are fully cured. If you haven’t had any problems, that’s good enough for me!
I normally use acrylics and don’t spray protective layers of clear until all my painting is done. Once my paint is finished I normally spray a coat of Future floor polish over everything. Future is also an acrylic and provides a good protective barrier, however I seldom get a high gloss finish from it. I know a gloss finish can be achieved, it just seldom works for me. That isn’t a real problem since most of what I paint needs a semi-gloss or flat finish anyway.
Thanks for the help. You gave me the best, most comprehensive answer I’ve been able to get since I started working on models a few years ago.
This past weekend I gave a lot of thought to switching to acrylics and only using enamels occasionally. I started using them (enamels) just because I thought the benefits were worth the headache. Now, I’m not so sure. Especially with all of the threads lately about spray booths, it seems like acrylic is the way to go. Not to mention the ease of clean-up, accessibility and such. It is going to be a pain to restock my paint inventory, but I’ll just do it gradually I guess.
Thanks again for your help!
~ Garth
I only use acrylics and the only laquers I use are MM metalizers. I sprayed laquer metalizer on and once it dried, sealed it up with future for tough protection and then I flatened it with MM acrylic flat. Thats the most I’ve ever done with paint layers…
You are more than welcome, glad to be of help.
I like acrylics for two reasons: 1) No significant fumes; 2) Easy to clean up with water and, once again, no fumes! Use of a spray booth or regulator even with acrylics is recommended because regardless of the paint type, you still shouldn’t be breathing them. I’m not nearly as conscientious when using acrylics as I am with enamel or laquer though, and I should be.
With the ultra-quick drying time of acrylics, they can be a pain to spray sometimes. But having a never-ending supply of “Thinner” (i.e. tap water) is a big advantage. You get used to working with them, and I wouldn’t go back to enamels now.
There is no reason to scrap all your existing paint, just try a bottle of acrylic on your next model and see how you like it. If you like the results and ease of use, just gradually phase the enamels out as you run out of an enamel color.
garthbender,
acrylics rule. I made the switch from enamels and you will not be disappointed. I have found them to be very easy to work with, no fumes and they are very forgiving.
Garth, sounds like you’ve got some pretty good answers here already. One thing though, your habit of spraying ‘clear coats’ in between different stages isn’t that uncommon. I believe that figure painters do this quite a bit. It allows for two things: first, it seals your work and protects it from the later stages; second, it allows you to ‘re-do’ whatever your working on without affecting your previous progress (ie. removing the latest ‘layer’ and fixing mistakes). Obviously, this assumes that your ‘clear coat’ is relatively impervious to whatever types of paint you are putting over top of it.
Murray
Tell me about it! I wish I started reading the forum earlier. I live in Chicago and it seems like modeling isn’t a very popular hobby here. It’s nice, now, to actually have people who talk to about one of my favorite subjects.
I think that’s why I started layering clear coat. After reading an article on figure painting in FSM a while back, I applied it to everything. My hands aren’t as steady as I wish and are prone to minor slips. It’s nice to be able to clean-up minor mistakes without having it affect previous coats. The practice has saved me a few times I guess, but now it’s just habit.
I think the switch to acrylic is going to be good for me. It’s hard living in a small apartment and working with something as toxic as enamels. I’m going to take MusicCity’s advice though and make it a gradual shift to see how it works for me.
On an up-note, now I have a great excuse to get all kinds of new stuff. I’m going to replace my current airbrush system with an Iwata HP-CS and SprintJet Compressor. Also, I’m moving into a slightly larger place in a month and will have room to build a spray booth. With acrylics it doesn’t seem like I have to worry about explosions AS much, so the parts should be cheaper I think.
All-in-all, I think I have a pretty good case to convince my girlfriend that these are actually things I NEED instead of just want [:D]
Thanks again to all of you for your advice. Seriously, I think you’ve made my life about 100x easier.
~ Garth
I have gone to all acrylics also, just got a whole range of Vallejo paints for figures, they work so well, and Tamiya and MM for my tanks, planes ect.