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Testors metal enamels and other enamel woes - tips?


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Hi everyone,

I've got a couple questions for you all today:

1) Testors metal enamel colors are really good stuff, and for my normal purposes (details, interior, etc) they work just fine.

However, I've been having trouble when covering larger areas with it. Usually I use Tamiya silver-leaf spray, but I wanted to save a buck and try it old-fashioned style (with a hairy-stick).

I'm having trouble getting a good result in one coat. If I try to re-coat later (which is what I usually do to get even brush-painted finishes) the original layer lifts off and gums up the new layer, and looks ugly. I was able to strip off the day-old layer completely using simple enamel thinner, which leads to the conclusion that metal paints don't use a bonding agent.

So, how do I lay down this stuff evenly in one pass?

2) The surface of my model has been polished to a gloss after filling, etc, and is lint, dirt, and oil free. When I paint, I keep the model in a closed drawer to prevent dust from settling on it. However, when painting with gloss, I can't help but notice little dust-like particles in the finish.

So, how can I avoid this? Can I wet-sand with fine grades to restore a smooth finish?

Thanks

EDIT - the color lifting seems to happen with the gloss enamel as well. Well, this sucks. It seems I wont be able to apply any secondary coats, and simply have to get it perfect the first time. Unfortunately, I'm not infallible. What can I do about this?

Edited by Romanator21
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I guess it was a stupid question... :cheers:

No, not really.

The thing to keep in mind is that there is a BIG difference with enamels (especially gloss and metallic ones) being dry to the touch and being fully cured. I tend to brush paint alot and I'd give it a full WEEK at minimum before I'd try to over coat any gloss or metallic enamel. I use Xtracolor / WEM / Humbrol but I can't imagine Testors being any different.

Dry does not equal cured!

Polish your fully cured gloss finish with a piece of 100% cotton denim or oxford cloth that has been soaked in Flitz polish to take out any rubbish - not 100% but better than nothing. IMPORTANT Let the wet, soaked cloth dry fully before use and save in a clean ziplock to reuse.

Happy modelling!

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It's not MM metalizers, I'm using a regular MM color in gloss, and Testor's silver.

FJHW7XBGCJ0ZQCJ.SMALL.jpg

Testors%20Paint%20Jar%20Image(1).jpg

But I've actually read that you can use MM metalizers with a regular brush and create very nice metal effects.

http://www.essmc.org.au/Natural_Metal_Finish.html

NMF%201%20SMALL.jpg

I'd like to try it sometime. It would save me a bundle if I could do it that way instead of having to rely on Tamiya sprays.

Edited by Romanator21
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EDIT - the color lifting seems to happen with the gloss enamel as well. Well, this sucks. It seems I wont be able to apply any secondary coats, and simply have to get it perfect the first time. Unfortunately, I'm not infallible. What can I do about this?

Use thin paint. Don't "scrub" the paint on. Get a small brush (No. 2 or smaller) and FILL it with paint. Then touch the brush to the surface and let it flow from the brush to model. Don't brush it out (okay maybe a teensy bit). Once you get the right mix of type of brush, thin-ness of paint and you practice you can put as many coats on as you need. I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing that the problem is your technique, but the type of paint sold today and the advice you read online doesn't help.

Often the paint that is sold is way too thick and you will read that you should get a wide brush and use it to "smear" the paint down onto the surface to "smooth" it. This is incorrect. You can't get control this way, can't do multiple coats of some types of paint and it will leave brush marks.

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