Hello modelling world;
I’ve painted a Tamiya F4F Wildcat and put Tamiya gloss down only in the spots receiving the decals. After applying the decals, some of the gloss peeks out around the decals. It forms a shiny ring around the decals. I’ve tried putting down Tamiya’s flat base over the decals, but it turns them white. Should I just experiment with the ratio of flat to thinner or is there a better way? My plan is to spray the Model Master flat lacquer over the model to seal the colors, weathering and the finished(?) finish. My concern comes warning on the back of the spray can telling me not to spray over a glossy surface which the clear flat causes.
Help,
Steve Gorder
Steve,
I would advise against spraying flat lacquer from a spray can over an acrylic as it can cause troubles. If you want lacquer over acrylic you have to spray light, mist coats over the acrylic to seal it and to protect it from the lacquer’s wetter coats when you spray them. It is hard to get such a soft spray from a can but I guess it could be done.
Mike
Should I only use the lacquer over enamel paints?
Steve
No…generally, oils and acrylics move at different rates (expansion and contraction due to air moisture). Normally it’s ok to put acrylic over oil - but with model paints it’s alittle different - maybe because plastic and resin substrate is more stable than say wood or sheet rock.
I always seal my models with dull lacquer (always over a future base), I happen to use testor dull coat, but as MikeV stated it’s best done in light coats and possible with a spray can so long as you are +12" away from the model (as a mist coat) before applying heavier wet coats.
Thats your best bet. All is not lost though on your wildcat. First wear a respirator and do it where the family wont be near the fumes.
Ok, put the can in some pretty warm water for a few minutes…not to long… BOOOM get it?
Now take the warm can of clear laqcuer and spray it about 1/2 far back as you were doing before in quicker strokes, youll get it.
Do all this AFTER letting what you have already done dry for AT LEAST 48 hours. Not a minute before.
Hi Steve,
Did you spray the Tamiya Flat Base all by itself or did you mix it with another substance like Tamiya Clear? If you sprayed the Flat Base directly even if thinned then this explains why the sprayed surface turned white, because this should be mixed with another water-based acrylic paint or liquid before applying. Combine it with either Tamiya Clear or Future before brushing or spraying it. You’ll only need a little bit of Flat Base to come up with a flat coat. Try 3:1 gloss-to-flat-base for starters. You can decrease the amount of flat to come up with a semi-gloss or satin coat. Hope this helps.
Regards,
Onyan
Thanks guys;
Put the flat on with a brush. I only used the clear gloss because I can’t get Future to level out. Iam using a complete, cheap 1/72 corsair for test piece and practice. It dries bumpy. I’ve read “The Complete Future,” and tried all the suggestions; frustrated. My projects are piling up after the paint stage because of it. I can get the decals to look good then the roadblock hits. I’ll try all of your suggestions. Planning to have all participants on the American and Japanese sides at Pearl and Midway. Also a couple AVG P40s. Would the flat lacquer work over Tamiya lacquer spray can?
Steve Gorder
Onyan;
How do decals sit on a satin or semi-gloss coat?
Steve
Steve,
Not sure what you mean but I assume you’re referring to putting decals on satin coats. Personally, I have not tried applying decals over semi-gloss coats as I’ve always thought decals would silver over anything less than a glossy surface. I always brush/airbrush clear gloss or Future on the model, apply the decals, and then lastly airbrush and seal everything with whatever coat is needed for the type of model (flat, satin, or gloss).
By the way, you mentioned you can’t get Future to level out. Do you mean you get runs after brushing it on the surface? If so, wick the excess with the corner of a piece of tissue paper or paper towel. Of course, keep the surface horizontal until the Future gets tacky-dry; shouldn’t take more than a few minutes (you may have to work in sections to level the Future out). Hope this helps and good luck.
Onyan
Steve, Tamiya Flat Base isn’t really paint. It is basically the carrier that is used to create flat paint, but it does have a slight white tint to it. I personally mix it with Future to get a flat finish. Both XF-21 and Future are acrylics so there is no problem in mixing them. About 3 to 4 parts Future to 1 part XF-21 will give a flat finish. Five or 6 parts Future to 1 part XF-21 will give a semi-gloss finish. The higher the ratio of XF-21 to Future the less clear it is (a very slight white haze to it). Take a look at the F-105 on my models page (the link is in my signature). It was sprayed with XF-21 + Future at about 4:1.
I’ve only tried hand brushing it on very small areas, so I don’t know how well that will work. I normally airbrush it at about 10 psi or so in light coats. I let it dry about 15 minutes between coats and then spray another light coat until I get the finish I like.
I forgot to mention that you might be able to get the XF-21 off your decals using some Windex on a Q-tip. I don’t know how it will affect the decals, so I’d recommend you stick on on some scrap, and try it there first.
Here’s what I do, and it seems to work fine. Once you’re done with your painting, spray a couple of light coats of Future. I don’t even thin it, I just spray it as it comes out of the bottle. Then apply the decals over the shinny surface. After they are dry, seal them in with another future coat, and then, apply model master Dull cote lacquer to get rid of the shine. I haven’t seen Modelmaster Dullcote react weird with the future undercoats.
Musiccity, Onyan and Ponch;
Thanks guys. I’ll have to try brushing the Future on, maybe that will work.
Steve