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A question about True acrylics


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I would like to ask you guys what the phrase True Acrylic means to you?

 

When you say, or hear somebody say something along the lines of "yes but its not a true acrylic" what does that mean?

Tamiya XF range isnt a true acrylic?
Vallejo model air isnt a true acrylic?
Railmatch acrylic range isnt a true acrylic?

 

What does it have to have or not have in it to be a "true acrylic" in your mind?

Edited by ElectroSoldier
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11 hours ago, ElectroSoldier said:

I would like to ask you guys what the phrase True Acrylic means to you?

 

To me "true acrylic" means "true water based acrylic" that's composed of acrylic pigment, acrylic binder, and mostly water as the solvent/carrier.  Some examples are MM Acryl, AKAN acrylic, LifeColor, Pactra acrylic, and Mission Models.

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I think the confusion starts from the misconception that acrylic means water based. This is therefor construed as “safer”. As touched on somewhat already, paint has 3 primary components:

 

Pigment: we tend not to talk much about these. They tend not to lead much to toxicity.  So as long as the color is right and the particles aren’t too big, we move on. The one caution is that some pigments use heavy metals for their vibrance. Cadmium in whites is a good example. They have no real toxicity if used by brush, but can be harmful if sprayed. This is fairly uncommon though. 
 

Binder. This is what holds it all together once dried. This is also where acrylics get their name. They use an “acryl” based binder that polymerizes. It is a name for a common chemical composition (if memory serves me right, something like C(=O)-C=CH2). So any paint that uses a binder with this chemical theme is a “true acrylic”. 

 

Solvent: this is what evaporates leaving the binder to polymerize and “dry”. Acryls are usually water soluble, so this can be water. However, water has high surface tension and low vapor pressure (slow to evaporate). This makes it less ideal for quick drying smooth finishes. So other water compatible (hydrophilic) solvents are often used. Using hydrophilic organic solvents gives rise to the concept of acrylic (binder) lacquer (solvent). Technically lacquer doesn’t directly mean solvent, but in these cases is used. These solvents have varying levels of toxicity, but in general are better than petroleum based. Water soluble tends to be cleared easier from the body, so even if they are toxic, they don’t have the same type of cumulative effect. 
 

 

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8 hours ago, ESzczesniak said:

I think the confusion starts from the misconception that acrylic means water based. This is therefor construed as “safer”. As touched on somewhat already, paint has 3 primary components:

 

Pigment: we tend not to talk much about these. They tend not to lead much to toxicity.  So as long as the color is right and the particles aren’t too big, we move on. The one caution is that some pigments use heavy metals for their vibrance. Cadmium in whites is a good example. They have no real toxicity if used by brush, but can be harmful if sprayed. This is fairly uncommon though. 
 

Binder. This is what holds it all together once dried. This is also where acrylics get their name. They use an “acryl” based binder that polymerizes. It is a name for a common chemical composition (if memory serves me right, something like C(=O)-C=CH2). So any paint that uses a binder with this chemical theme is a “true acrylic”. 

 

Solvent: this is what evaporates leaving the binder to polymerize and “dry”. Acryls are usually water soluble, so this can be water. However, water has high surface tension and low vapor pressure (slow to evaporate). This makes it less ideal for quick drying smooth finishes. So other water compatible (hydrophilic) solvents are often used. Using hydrophilic organic solvents gives rise to the concept of acrylic (binder) lacquer (solvent). Technically lacquer doesn’t directly mean solvent, but in these cases is used. These solvents have varying levels of toxicity, but in general are better than petroleum based. Water soluble tends to be cleared easier from the body, so even if they are toxic, they don’t have the same type of cumulative effect. 
 

 

Yeah...

I was really just looking for personal opinions and ideas as to why somebody might think something is a "true acrylic".

 

For instance I was looking back at some of the videos phil flory put out on youtube when he reviewed AK real color paints and MRP paints review it seems pretty clear to me he doesnt actually know what an acrylic is...

So I was looking to get opinions as to what they think they are. I already know exactly what they are, how they are made and what happens when they are used, all the chemistry behind them and etc etc etc.
 

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I'd re-read the section 'solvents' - that explains it pretty well in a modelling context.

 

In the hobby context, a 'true' acrylic is one that uses water as the solvent. Other acrylic paints use other solvents (lacquer for example) and are not therefore 'true' acrylics.

 

It's also an easy way of defining what thinners work best with the paint - you could use water to thin lacquer-based acrylics but they respond better to other, more compatible thinners (IPA-based thinners generally).

 

'True Acrylics' is not a scientifically accurate explanation - it's a shorthand way of explaining the difference between the types of acrylic hobby paint available.

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1 hour ago, John Tapsell said:

I'd re-read the section 'solvents' - that explains it pretty well in a modelling context.

 

In the hobby context, a 'true' acrylic is one that uses water as the solvent. Other acrylic paints use other solvents (lacquer for example) and are not therefore 'true' acrylics.

 

It's also an easy way of defining what thinners work best with the paint - you could use water to thin lacquer-based acrylics but they respond better to other, more compatible thinners (IPA-based thinners generally).

 

'True Acrylics' is not a scientifically accurate explanation - it's a shorthand way of explaining the difference between the types of acrylic hobby paint available.

Thats what Im not sure about John. I dont know what people mean.

An acrylic paint uses an acrylic binder or medium, its an acrylic emulsion. whether it uses acrylic pigments or natural its still an acrylic binder. The carrier or solvent as has been called here doesnt have to be water for the binder to be acrylic.

The acrylic emulsion has water in it...

 

I cant figure out if people mean a true acrylic is an acrylic pigment with an acrylic binder and a water based carrier, or if the pigment can be a natural one and still be a true acrylic. or if its just the carrier that has to be water based and the two other parts dont matter.

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