Model Master coverage and drying time issues.

Gonzowerke · Post by **Gonzowerke** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 11:49 am

Okay, I tried the search feature, and as usual, nothing came up that was helpful.
I have been using mainly Testor's paints all these years, and just now bought
some Model Master green and blue for some Trek bashes I am doing.

Is it normal for these paints to be real thin, and require more coats than the regular Testor's? Also, the intermediate blue seems to dry on the brush before I can get it to the model. What's up with that? My house has a humidifier on the heat-pump, and I keep it at 70% for my cigar collection,
so it's not that the house air is too dry.

Any Thoughts?

Gonzo out.

Mr. Badwrench · Post by **Mr. Badwrench** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 10:41 pm

Are these gloss or flat paints? I don't know a lot about the gloss paints MM offers, but it could also be a mixing issue. I've had problems where the pigment seperated from the enamel base in older jars, and formed a sticky gob at the bottom. Even after shaking the bottle severely for a few minutes the paint I drew out was still thinner than usual. And it seems to happen more often with gloss paints, though maybe it's just my imagination. Anyway, I get around it by dropping a 1/4-20 nut in the jar and shaking it up that way. The nut forces the gob of pigment at the bottom to mix in.

Gonzowerke · Post by **Gonzowerke** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 10:52 pm

Damn, I never thought of the nut trick! Like a shaker ball in a spray can! I have plenty of nuts laying around from my days in R/C.

Thanks!

Gonzo out.

Post by **TER-OR** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 12:23 am

Gloss paints can sometimes seem kind of tacky for quite a while. And the coverage will be thinner - you might do well to use several light coats.

Are you hand-brushing these? I used to hand-brush the flat paints, but never had much luck hand-brushing the glosses over broad areas.

Digger1 · Post by **Digger1** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 12:35 am

Sometimes gloss takes very little time to dry.

70% is above the optimal humidity levels for painting. If, in another room it's more like 50 or 60%, that would be much better.

do you have a dedicated humidor or a hobby place where you can keep the humidity levels seperate?

Gonzowerke · Post by **Gonzowerke** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 11:59 am

I have humidors scattered around the house, they stay more stable at the 70% cigars like if I keep the house at say 65%. My spare bedroom is my space, and i can keep it drier in there. The intermediate blue that is drying too fast is flat. I'm trying to detail some impulse engines on a Connie, and it is lumping up on the surface because of the drying. I don't have the same problem with the other MM's I bought.

Babbaganoosh is better!Chickpeas suck!

Gonzo out.

DasPhule · Post by **DasPhule** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 12:41 pm

I put bb's in my bottles to break up that glob at the bottom.

I painted some this past weekend in a 2 hour block of worklessness (wife forced me to relax). The Testors I used ran the gamut from perfect coats to thick sticky mess to water-like colored substance. All paints were new, so I'll assume Testors' quality control clerk has gone missing. That or I grabbed a combo of new and old paints off the rack. The wierd thing is that the watery coats (gloss) turned out fine after looking like crap when sprayed. The other gloss colors ended up with chunks of paint in them, leaving what looked like dust under the surface of the coat. The flats were the same as always, nice and flat and a dream to spray.

I guess it's a matter of the draw. I still love their paints, they have the biggest color selection going. Their selection of blues suck, but otherwise I really like them.

Erin
<*>

Mark Yungblut · Post by **Mark Yungblut** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 3:33 pm

Go to a gun supply shop and buy a 10lb bag of buckshot. I've had mine for years and add a little in each jar of paint I get.

Digger1 · Post by **Digger1** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 3:38 pm

stainless steel BBs don't work well in Acrylic paints. They'll rust after a while.

Stingray · Post by **Stingray** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 3:48 pm

They work fine in enamels though. I use BBs in my paint too.

-S

DasPhule · Post by **DasPhule** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 6:13 pm

That's why you use brass bb's, but thanks for playing anyway.

Erin
<*>

Mark Yungblut · Post by **Mark Yungblut** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 9:29 pm

DasPhule wrote:That's why you use brass bb's, but thanks for playing anyway.

Erin
<*>

That's why I use the buckshot. Besides a little lead in the paint keeps people from licking the models

DasPhule · Post by **DasPhule** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 11:26 pm

But they taste so GOOOOOOD!!!!!

Have you licked a model today?

Erin
<*>

irishtrek · Post by **irishtrek** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 1:13 am

Got some MM acrylic paints that I bought 8-11 years ago and they've slowly dried up 1 by 1, a few I think are still good. Never heaed about the thing with the nut or BBs, so I think I'll give it a try using ball bearings for the hub of a bicycle. Thanks for the idea!!

Mark Yungblut · Post by **Mark Yungblut** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 7:29 pm

You can seriously extend the life of a jar of paint by thuroughly mixing it then store in lid down> the pigmant will settle and help to seal the jar. I have 10 year old jars of Floquil paint that are still good.

Stu Pidasso · Post by **Stu Pidasso** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 8:38 am

DasPhule wrote:But they taste so GOOOOOOD!!!!!

Have you licked a model today?

Erin
<*>

NOT going there!