Search found 2514 matches

by Kylwell
Mon Nov 27, 2023 11:15 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Nail Polish...anyone ever use them for painting?
Replies: 12
Views: 37698

Re: Nail Polish...anyone ever use them for painting?

Look up the MSDS on them. You'll find them chock full of acetone.

There are "green" lacquer thinners and they genuinely work. They smell like soy is about the only drawback. We used to use them a lot for cleaning airbrushes when we didn't have a vent booth.
by Kylwell
Sun Nov 26, 2023 5:04 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Nail Polish...anyone ever use them for painting?
Replies: 12
Views: 37698

Re: Nail Polish...anyone ever use them for painting?

In thin coats lacquer thinned with lacquer thinner dries too fast to affect the plastic. If you soak it in lacquer thinner there will be problems. 100% flashes off too quickly for a lot of uses which is why there is lacquer thinner, now with even more unicorn farts. Nail polish cleaner/remover cover...
by Kylwell
Sun Nov 26, 2023 11:39 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Nail Polish...anyone ever use them for painting?
Replies: 12
Views: 37698

Re: Nail Polish...anyone ever use them for painting?

Used to be that nail polish were lacquers, well technically synthetic lacquers but lets be real nobody uses original lacquers anymore. That being said I'd suggest a lacquer thinner, typically 80% acetone and 20% unicorn farts, to try to thin them. I've tried a number of less smelly lacquer thinners ...
by Kylwell
Sat Nov 25, 2023 9:56 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Applying Walthers Solv-a-set with an airbrush?
Replies: 7
Views: 17551

Re: Applying Walthers Solv-a-set with an airbrush?

My only concern, provided you're using adequate ventilation, would be seal degradation. For that you'd need to get an SDS or MSDS on Solvaset and see if the seals for your airbrush are proof against it.
by Kylwell
Fri Nov 17, 2023 12:27 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Not a lot of experience working with acrylics
Replies: 11
Views: 38165

Re: Not a lot of experience working with acrylics

I would avoid adding soap. While it does reduce surface tension it also reduces bonding making the surface really, really, soft. A commercial surfacant will do also reduce the surface tension but won't affect bonding. To be honest I've never asked if something was airbrushable. I just see if it'll w...
by Kylwell
Wed Nov 15, 2023 8:52 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Not a lot of experience working with acrylics
Replies: 11
Views: 38165

Re: Not a lot of experience working with acrylics

Did you do that with a single action airbrush or were you shooting with a double action brush? How much PSI? Yeah, even the Daler Rowney bottles don't say you can airbrush those iridescent inks. Kinda misleading. Unless I'm going for an "opaque" color, I was going to goof around to see ho...
by Kylwell
Mon Nov 13, 2023 1:33 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Not a lot of experience working with acrylics
Replies: 11
Views: 38165

Re: Not a lot of experience working with acrylics

I used a .35 needle to spray them. That's a medium size. IIRC I added a bit of clear gloss acrylic to the mix to help them stick.
by Kylwell
Sat Nov 11, 2023 9:31 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Not a lot of experience working with acrylics
Replies: 11
Views: 38165

Re: Not a lot of experience working with acrylics

I've sprayed quite a bit of Daler-Rowney Pearlescent ink. They work much better with a good base coat of white and a seal coat afterwords. They're now particularly soft like old Createx were but better safe than sorry.
by Kylwell
Sat Apr 29, 2023 3:41 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Clear-coating bare aluminum … but with what?
Replies: 9
Views: 20603

Re: Clear-coating bare aluminum … but with what?

There's a product called Alumaclear that is made for bonding to raw aluminum. Baring that I'd suggest a 2K urethane clearcoat as they bond incredibly well and do not show wear or yellowing.
by Kylwell
Tue Feb 14, 2023 2:43 pm
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: How Do You Start?
Replies: 24
Views: 87813

Re: How Do You Start?

There's also Model Design & Blueprinting Handbook, Volume 1 by Charles Adams, https://www.amazon.com/Model-Design-Blu ... 0979175232
by Kylwell
Sun Jan 29, 2023 11:11 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Burnishing Chrome foil
Replies: 19
Views: 61824

Re: Burnishing Chrome foil

Be sure to check out Hasegawa's line of metallic films & colors.
by Kylwell
Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:11 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Anyone else have problems with Vallejo?
Replies: 11
Views: 32226

Re: Anyone else have problems with Vallejo?

I usually add a drop of flow improver as it helps my ham fisted painting. Shaking will not properly mix Vallejo as had been stated. I modified one of those immersion style paint mixers to fit through the neck of Vallejo bottles to get them mixed well. Basically I shaved it down to diameter then file...
by Kylwell
Sun Aug 07, 2022 1:40 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: What is the oldest paint you have that is still good?
Replies: 25
Views: 87523

Re: What is the oldest paint you have that is still good?

I used to have a bottle of Pactra (or was it Revell?) acrylic from the 80s that I kept just to be reminded of how bad a paint can be. The stuff refused to cure. Ever. Even after 10 years it was still tacky. Finally tossed it back in the aughts. I've got some Tamiya that's 20 or so years old as when ...
by Kylwell
Tue Jun 21, 2022 5:05 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Diffusion via sheet styrene
Replies: 12
Views: 33478

Re: Diffusion via sheet styrene

The farther away you can get the light source from the diffusing material the better it will work. That being said check out the various plastics manufacturers for free samples like this https://plaskolite.com/catalog/optix-ld ... ng-acrylic
by Kylwell
Wed May 04, 2022 11:28 am
Forum: Important Site News
Topic: Wonderfest 2022 thread
Replies: 13
Views: 22841

Re: Wonderfest 2022 thread

I'm a mod and don't have permission. So let me bug 1-0 about it.
by Kylwell
Wed Feb 09, 2022 10:58 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Dust! How to vanquish it?
Replies: 17
Views: 48272

Re: Dust! How to vanquish it?

Generally I'll mist on some bathroom cleaner then use warm water and gentle water from the spray or shower head to rinse it off. If the decals come off the water is too warm and/or you used too much soap.
by Kylwell
Fri Dec 10, 2021 12:14 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Alternative to soldering wires for lighting
Replies: 10
Views: 29421

Re: Alternative to soldering wires for lighting

Get a decent soldering iron. That fixed 99% of the soldering issues I used to have. Temperature control makes a world of difference.
by Kylwell
Sat Sep 18, 2021 4:52 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Dulling down gloss and semi-gloss hobby enamels with flattening powders,can it be done?
Replies: 7
Views: 21731

Re: Dulling down gloss and semi-gloss hobby enamels with flattening powders,can it be done?

I've done it. It takes a HUGE amount to get a true flat and if you over do it it'll get a frosted look. How much you ask? Roughly a bottle of Tamiya flat base to a bottle of Tamiya gloss paint. I say roughly because as always, results will vary. It's easier to just lay some Alclad matte over it all.
by Kylwell
Wed Sep 08, 2021 10:04 am
Forum: Important Site News
Topic: 25th Anniversary, right?
Replies: 42
Views: 192972

Re: 25th Anniversary, right?

Time for a Silver model contest?
by Kylwell
Sat Aug 14, 2021 10:10 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Sealing photo-etch
Replies: 11
Views: 26572

Re: Sealing photo-etch

Do you mean prime? Or are you applying decals to bare metal?
by Kylwell
Wed Mar 24, 2021 3:09 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Lighting full sized weapons
Replies: 7
Views: 32689

Re: Lighting full sized weapons

I'd go with some broad angle LEDs and some diffusing medium like Lumicolor Glacier or OPTIX Flexilume.
by Kylwell
Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:54 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Decal Paper
Replies: 10
Views: 47329

Re: Decal Paper

Patrick46 wrote: Fri Feb 12, 2021 6:23 pm Kylwell, do you use the regular clear or the blue base clear paper?
Depends on what I'm printing.
by Kylwell
Fri Feb 12, 2021 3:31 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Decal Paper
Replies: 10
Views: 47329

Re: Decal Paper

elend wrote: Fri Feb 12, 2021 3:27 pm Is there actual decal sheet paper for laser printers?
Yes, meant to handle the high temp fusing. Inkjet decal paper is made to be semi-porous to accept the ink.
by Kylwell
Fri Feb 12, 2021 3:30 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Decal Paper
Replies: 10
Views: 47329

Re: Decal Paper

This is my preferred supplier https://www.papilio.com/
by Kylwell
Tue Jan 26, 2021 1:09 pm
Forum: Construction
Topic: polishing Clear resin?
Replies: 4
Views: 22247

Re: polishing Clear resin?

You've got to be very careful not to heat the part up when hollowing it out. With opaque parts it isn't a problem but with clear parts you can make the piece go foggy if it heats up. So, with that in mind, use as sharp of a burr as you can find with a coarser cut, go as slow as you can, and don't us...
by Kylwell
Mon Nov 30, 2020 2:03 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Heat discoloration on real metal?
Replies: 10
Views: 32730

Re: Heat discoloration on real metal?

IIRC the engine bells are turned aluminum. Heat coloring them won't quite right and it'll need more heat than a candle will provide.

Pick up Tamiya's Weathering Master D Set, Item No:87088. Use the pastel like stuff to heat color the metal then seal with a matte finish.
by Kylwell
Sat Nov 14, 2020 4:18 pm
Forum: Construction
Topic: Stupid question, but....
Replies: 27
Views: 147051

Re: Stupid question, but....

Irritate everybody and refer to tiny random details as "gribbles"
by Kylwell
Thu Nov 05, 2020 12:21 am
Forum: Construction
Topic: Dr Mikes, Mercury, or Flexy?
Replies: 4
Views: 19053

Re: Dr Mikes, Mercury, or Flexy?

Mercury Adhesives is, quite frankly, amazing. Their triple seal tech keeps the crusties away and the plastic they use isn't gas permeable. It's what I use when I can remember to order it. And yes, I've emptied a bottle of Mercury. Shocked me when I realized the reason I wasn't getting glue out of it...
by Kylwell
Tue Oct 20, 2020 3:38 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Blue-ing Photoetch parts.
Replies: 7
Views: 30650

Re: Blue-ing Photoetch parts.

Heat blueing is tricky business. You might be better off trying to paint it.