Paint Chipping - Hair Spray vrs Mig Chipping Fluid

[11bee]

Title says it all.   I'll be using this technique for the first time on my upcoming F4U build.   What are your thoughts?  I'd prefer to use hairspray because A)  I've got a readily available supply due to the wife and B ) it's free and I really like free.

 

That being said, I want this to come out well.   Any major advantage to using the Mig product vrs good ole regular hair spray?   How do you apply either one?  

 

For hairspray, just spray direct from the container or decant and airbrush (if airbrush, any need to thin it)?  I did a test shot of hairspray from an aerosol and it looks like it dried with a pebbly finish.   How do you get a smooth finish with this stuff?

 

Also, the Mig instructions specify to use acryril paint.   I typically work with enamels.   Will this be an issue (with Mig and hairspray)?

 

Sorry for the all the newbie questions, any advice is much appreciated. 

[Don]

I have never used the Mig product myself so I can't comment on it. I have used the hairspray technique before and was happy with the results.

 

I decant the hairspray using the normal decanting method and spray it un-thinned. Some modelers don't decant and spray right from the can but I just find I get better control over where the hairspray is going and how much I apply by decanting. Oddly enough I found the cheaper hairspray works better then the more expensive stuff my wife uses. Dollar Store stuff is magic...go figure.  Make sure you protect your previous paint work with a gloss coat before applying the hairspray. I find a good glossy finish is easier to work with but other modelers say any clear finish (semi-gloss or gloss) works the same (I think a flat clear wouldn't work very well IMHO). Each to their own. After the protective gloss coat has dried I spray two thin coats of hairspray over the model and let it dry an hour before applying the top coat/weathered coat. Clean your airbrush with warm water. 

 

I don't believe you can use enamel paint for the weathered coat/top coat using the hairspray technique. Acrylics are water soluble and when combined with the water soluble hairspray you can chip or remove as much or as little of the top coat as you desire more easily, thus revealing the colors under your top coat. Enamel paint won't react to the warm water and you can end up ruining the paint finishes by scratching. However...enamels work great for your under colors and gloss clear protective coat as they are more durable. Just not your top color(s). Make sense? I use Tamiya colors for the top coat and they chip beautifully.

 

I experimented on an old kit first and strongly suggest this. It's an easy and affective technique but like many things in our hobby it takes a bit of practice.

 

Hope this was useful. Good luck!

 

Regards,

Don

[11bee]

33 minutes ago, Don said:

I have never used the Mig product myself so I can't comment on it. I have used the hairspray technique before and was happy with the results.

 

I decant the hairspray using the normal decanting method and spray it un-thinned. Some modelers don't decant and spray right from the can but I just find I get better control over where the hairspray is going and how much I apply by decanting. Oddly enough I found the cheaper hairspray works better then the more expensive stuff my wife uses. Dollar Store stuff is magic...go figure.  Make sure you protect your previous paint work with a gloss coat before applying the hairspray. I find a good glossy finish is easier to work with but other modelers say any clear finish (semi-gloss or gloss) works the same (I think a flat clear wouldn't work very well IMHO). Each to their own. After the protective gloss coat has dried I spray two thin coats of hairspray over the model and let it dry an hour before applying the top coat/weathered coat. Clean your airbrush with warm water. 

 

I don't believe you can use enamel paint for the weathered coat/top coat using the hairspray technique. Acrylics are water soluble and when combined with the water soluble hairspray you can chip or remove as much or as little of the top coat as you desire more easily, thus revealing the colors under your top coat. Enamel paint won't react to the warm water and you can end up ruining the paint finishes by scratching. However...enamels work great for your under colors and gloss clear protective coat as they are more durable. Just not your top color(s). Make sense? I use Tamiya colors for the top coat and they chip beautifully.

 

I experimented on an old kit first and strongly suggest this. It's an easy and affective technique but like many things in our hobby it takes a bit of practice.

 

Hope this was useful. Good luck!

 

Regards,

Don

Great info Don, thank you very much.   

[picknpluck]

 

[Chris L]

 Not to criticize anyone else method but this is what I have been using. 

Good coat of future . let cure good or with the  help of hair dryer.

When dry, I spry Tamiya pant and let id dry a few minutes. I then go bach with some damp brushes  and a prismacolor silver pencil and work away.

For larger patches I us Tamiya tape and yank it off,....It all depends what effect you want.

 

Regards, Christian

 

[a4s4eva]

The few times I tried it I found the Hairspray better than the "chipping fluid". 

[nspreitler]

On 8/30/2018 at 1:04 PM, Don said:

I have never used the Mig product myself so I can't comment on it. I have used the hairspray technique before and was happy with the results.

 

I decant the hairspray using the normal decanting method and spray it un-thinned. Some modelers don't decant and spray right from the can but I just find I get better control over where the hairspray is going and how much I apply by decanting. Oddly enough I found the cheaper hairspray works better then the more expensive stuff my wife uses. Dollar Store stuff is magic...go figure.  Make sure you protect your previous paint work with a gloss coat before applying the hairspray. I find a good glossy finish is easier to work with but other modelers say any clear finish (semi-gloss or gloss) works the same (I think a flat clear wouldn't work very well IMHO). Each to their own. After the protective gloss coat has dried I spray two thin coats of hairspray over the model and let it dry an hour before applying the top coat/weathered coat. Clean your airbrush with warm water. 

 

I don't believe you can use enamel paint for the weathered coat/top coat using the hairspray technique. Acrylics are water soluble and when combined with the water soluble hairspray you can chip or remove as much or as little of the top coat as you desire more easily, thus revealing the colors under your top coat. Enamel paint won't react to the warm water and you can end up ruining the paint finishes by scratching. However...enamels work great for your under colors and gloss clear protective coat as they are more durable. Just not your top color(s). Make sense? I use Tamiya colors for the top coat and they chip beautifully.

 

I experimented on an old kit first and strongly suggest this. It's an easy and affective technique but like many things in our hobby it takes a bit of practice.

 

Hope this was useful. Good luck!

 

Regards,

Don

 

 

I've been experimenting with this, and you can use the technique with lacquer paint.  The longer it cures the tougher it is but that also results in some very nice small chips.   With a lacquer base coat, hairspray, and a lacquer top coat I also haven't see any reason for a clear coat.  

[Don]

6 hours ago, nspreitler said:

 

 

I've been experimenting with this, and you can use the technique with lacquer paint.  The longer it cures the tougher it is but that also results in some very nice small chips.   With a lacquer base coat, hairspray, and a lacquer top coat I also haven't see any reason for a clear coat.  

Proof that there are many variations on a technique and at the end of the day its whatever gets the job done. Personally, I like protecting my base layer(s) with a clear coat. It only takes a few minutes to protect it versus potentially damaging it during the chipping process by not using a clear coat and thus ruining the base coat(s).  But, to each their own.

 

Regards

[Janissary]

I used both regular HS (travel size Tresome medium hold in a pump bottle, not aerosol) and mig chipping fluid. 

 

Tresome was an order of magnitude better than mig. Mig fluid beaded up bad even on flat/dull surfaces and caused large flakes rather than fine chips. Tresome created much better chips with good variation. Just pump a few ml into the airbrush then spray. No thinning. 

 

 

Edited September 8, 2018 by Janissary