Hey guys! Can someone please tell me the correct mix ratio for tamiya flat base and tamiya clear. I tried to flat coat the interior of my P-51B and it turned it into a milky white color. Tanx.
I don’t use Tamiya Clear but I do use Future and Tamiya Flat Base for a flat coat. I normally mix it about 4 parts Future to 1 part Flat Base.
sgt_shultz, I used it on my last model and had the same results…aargh! This was with about a 50-50 mix, scott’s 4:1 will hopefully be better.
Leon
Four to one, Future to Flat Base is a good ratio. My first experiments with Future/Flat Base were at a three to one ratio, would generally work, but give the dreaded white frost in corners and crevices. At four to one, it gives a good flat finish with no frosting, even in the corners.
Thanx for the tips fellas!
Yes, thank you. I am very hopeful as it would be so nice to have a nice flat coat that is acrylic based.
There are flat coats that are already premixed but I suspect that they do require airbrushing. I’ve uset MM Acryl Clear Flat and it works quite well. PollyScale clear flat has been recommended by a lot of folks, but I haven’t tried it yet. I have some for the A-10 I’m working on but haven’t gotten to that point yet.
Let me tell you a true horror story.
The first time I used flat base I didn’t mix it with clear! I had bought it at my LHS and asked specificly if it dried clear. Thet said yes, so I just thinned it and sprayed it on!
result: one frosted aircraft!!![V][:(]
By removing with water and spraying clear on it, the end result didn’t look that bad. But it was the biggest modelling mistake I ever made!
Lesson learned … never trust a hobby shop.
A “Base” is not a paint. That’s an important point. Go to any art supply store and you’ll find several different kinds of bases, but they are NOT paints. In general, a base is mixed with pigment and solvent to create paint. Trying to use a base alone is just never going to work. Tamiya XF-21 is a base, as is stated on the label, and was never intended to be used as a clear flat. It’s a common misunderstanding, and a lesson that lots of people learn the hard way.
If you want a good acrylic clear coat, give Gunze flat clear a go. It sprays on very smooth for me, can be thinned with Tamiya thinner, and you can mix a bit o Tamiya clear with it to make it a satin finish. I really like the stuff.
The label indeed clearly say Base but beeing a non native english speaker I did not fully understand the implications of that at the time. I therefore asked the owner of the LHS for advice. He should have told me that he did not know it either!
Maybe I should add that since then, I have used Tamiya Base succesfully. I have mixed it with Tamiya Clear, but lately I have used it with Future. It works very good for me.
yeah totally agree with pingtang the only clear flat coat is Gunze cos the Tamiya one is a flat base only to mix with gloss paints to flatten them.