very tough black paint

[lesthegringo]

Guys, any suggestions as to what brand of paints I can use that are compatible with styrene and resin parts, that are tough enough to be painted over and not come away at the corners when a cotton bud (q-tip) soaked in thinners is used to wipe away the overcoated paint? I'm thinking instrument panels, where i need to have the raised areas black, with the grey or base cockpit colour as the surround.

I have used tamiya gloss black (enamel) and acrylic grey over it, and even taking it gently using windex or equivalent, the edges of the black areas get removed.

Any ideas?

Les

[galileo1]

I did the same thing (painting black first and then the grey on IPs) and I found that priming with a solvent-based primer (Mr. Surfacer, Alclad, etc) and then shooting Model Master black over it - and letting this "CURE" for 24 to 48 hours - works fine

Also, I would NOT use Windex to remove the acrylic top layer. I would use an acrylic thinner like Tamiya's X20A or the ones from Vallejo to wipe the grey. Windex is just way too strong and will get into the enamel layer at some point. The acrylic thinners are a bit milder.

Rob

Edited November 30, 2015 by galileo1

[MoFo]

Short answer: it depends.

Longer answer: use something that dissolves with a different (incompatible) thinner. Enamels *should* work. Lacquers should work, too. Model Master, Humbrol, Alclad's black primer filler and Mr. Surfacer black all spring to mind. Mr. Color and decanted Tamiya sprays should work, too. (barring that, just about any black, with a suitable clear coat as a barrier should work).

Caveats:

Make sure the paint is fully cured - at least a day for lacquers, closer to a week for enamels. If they're not fully cured, they're more likely to be damaged by handling (especially enamels, and *especially* gloss enamels).

When you've sprayed your acrylic top coat, *LIGHTLY* wipe with thinner to remove excess. Heavier scrubbing will tend to remove your base colour, not because of the solvent but because of friction. Again, letting the paint fully cure will help.

You might want to swap out your Q-tip for a moistened brush, instead. Basically "dry brush", but with thinner rather than paint. It should be gentler than a q-tip.

It would also be worth experimenting with solvents. 99% isopropyl should be okay over Model Master or Humbrol, but may dissolve Mr. Surfacer. Windex (ammonia) really should be fine over most lacquers and enamels, but you might have a problem with a synthetic lacquer like Mr. Color. In theory, Windex shouldn't touch Tamiya's enamels... but you're having an issue so unless you're just rubbing too hard, there's a compatibility issue. Maybe try alcohol instead. You can also try diluting your thinner.

[JRobinsonUSAF]

Lowes and Home Depot sell appliance paint in gloss black and white. I used the white to paint a 1/1 motorcycle a few years back, and that was some very tough pant. They list it as an "epoxy" paint, even though it is in a rattle can.

HTH

[nachjager]

Guys, any suggestions as to what brand of paints I can use that are compatible with styrene and resin parts, that are tough enough to be painted over and not come away at the corners when a cotton bud (q-tip) soaked in thinners is used to wipe away the overcoated paint? I'm thinking instrument panels, where i need to have the raised areas black, with the grey or base cockpit colour as the surround.

I have used tamiya gloss black (enamel) and acrylic grey over it, and even taking it gently using windex or equivalent, the edges of the black areas get removed.

Any ideas?

Les

My answer: Use Mr. Colors (the lacquer-based line). Ir resist everything to can dish out. That's the paint I almost use exclusively and never had any lifting of paint when using enamel or oil based washes and drybruising.

Edited December 10, 2015 by nachjager