F-16 Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Last night, I bought and used a new bottle of MM Acryl Flat coat. After spraying it, and letting it dry, I noticed that the sheen was more of a semi-gloss than flat. I then tried to thin the paint but there was no change in the semi-gloss sheen. I applied three coats with no change. I also noticed than when applied, there was no "milkiness" to the wet-coat (as there should be). :(/> I don't want to throw out a new bottle of paint, so is there anything I can add to the paint (Talc or baby powder) to make the sheen more "flat"? Thanks for any advice. Scott CNJC-IPMS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Triarius Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 First, are you sure you mixed the paint thoroughly by stirring (shaking really won't work with flat coats.) Diatomaceous earth, available in garden supply stores. This is very fine silica, so remember to wear a dust mask and gloves when handling it. This is also the major component of true chalk. Powdered limestone. This is sold as "workability aid" for masonry mortar. Talc will work if you can get it in a pure form. The problem with baby powder is that most contain a fragrance, and every one I've seen contains corn starch. The latter will eventually attract mold, mildew, and even fungus. Fragrance, of course, will make your model smell pretty … probably not desirable unless you are doing a female figure. Right out for a tank … :lol:/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
volzj Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 You could try adding some Tamiya Flat base to help make it more matte. And it's not you; the MM acryl flat is much more of a semi-gloss. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
F-16 Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 Ok. The problem was I was stirring it with my battery powered paint stirrer. After this didn't work, I shook the bottle for 10 minutes, making sure the heavy stuff was off the bottom of the jar. This seemed to work as the spray finish was not a lot more flat. I guess my battery paint stirrer was not enough to stir the heavy paint on the bottom of the jar. Thanks for the help. Scott CNJC-IPMS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
balls47 Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Here are my two cents worth: Cent #1: From my "FWIW Department," MM Acryl is probably the worst acryl paint that I have worked with. Some folks give it rave reviews. Not here. Cent #2: I use a lot of MM Enamels. I usually put a BB or two in the jar if the paint hasn't been used in awhile. I stir the color off of the bottom. After that, I put a couple of BB's in the jar and shake it for several minutes for all it's worth. I then let it set for a day. Just prior to using it, I stir it up. No shaking at this point. MY POINT: Don't put BB's in acrylic paints. Some of them have water in the mix and the BB's will rust. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Triarius Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Here are my two cents worth: Don't put BB's in acrylic paints. Some of them have water in the mix and the BB's will rust. Even those that don't have water in them may have other components that will dissolve the copper plating, which can give the paint a greenish cast, at best. At worst, reaction of any paint component with any metal cation may ruin the paint. If you can, acquire a few small, stainless steel ball bearings for the purpose. For acrylics, ~1/4 inch glass beads work well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
S K Loh Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Does the MM Flat give a milky look after the stirring/shaking? Otherwise that could explain the semi-gloss of satin finish if your mixture appears more clear than milky. Do you brush-on or airbrush the flat? I have used Tamiya Flat Base as well as Mr Hobby Flat to mix with diluted Future as a flat coating before; and if the mix of flat base is less than I do get a satin kind of finish. I have also noticed that I do get a slight sheen if I paint brush it on as opposed to airbrushing it. You may want to try adding a little Tamiya or Mr Hobby(Gunze) Flat Base to your MM Flat and give it a try provided your MM Flat is aqueous type of paint and not solvent based. Hope you have better luck. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
balls47 Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 (edited) Even those that don't have water in them may have other components that will dissolve the copper plating, which can give the paint a greenish cast, at best. At worst, reaction of any paint component with any metal cation may ruin the paint. If you can, acquire a few small, stainless steel ball bearings for the purpose. For acrylics, ~1/4 inch glass beads work well. Thanks Triarius, I stand corrected in my orthopedic shoes, but I failed to mention that I don't leave that BB's in the paint. I learned that the hard way, because I did leave them in the paint bottle, and they reacted just the way that you said. Edited September 16, 2015 by balls47 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowe-t Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Is this MM Acryl flat Clear you are referring to? I use Testors MM Acryl paints and have always thought the Acryl flat clear is too flat, it has an almost chalky appearance when sprayed. I would usually add a couple of drops of semi gloss to cut down on the chalkiness. I found that Polly Scale acrylic clear coats were much better paint. They are similar to MM acryl but not the same. Testors MM acryl clear paints seem to have a yellow tint to them especially when a few coats are sprayed on. Testors MM acryl clears even look sort of milky brown in the bottle where as Polly Scale acrylic clears look milky white in the bottle. Polly Scale acrylic clears go on clear with no tint. Well Testors discontinued the Polly Scale line but now has the CreateFX line of paints. I now use Testors CreateFX acrylic clears and much prefer them over Testors MM Acryl clears. I suspect the CreateFX acrylic clears are re-branded Polly Scale. They go on the same, smell the same and look the same as the Polly Scale clears. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
f14tomcat Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Go to Micheals or AC Moore's flora department. They have small GLASS BBs in a mesh bag. Perfect for shaking paint, no rust. Wayne B) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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