discussion Paint's too thin / not sticking to the plastic.

[Guest]

Hey.


Ok so iv used revell and humbrol matt enamels before and they have always been fine with 1 coat.


But iv got other colors here but they don't seem to be as thick and they don't stick to the model at all!


No idea why but when i apply it with one stroke its fine, but then as soon as the brush touches the paint again it just moves it around.


Anyone else seen this sort of madness? and more importantly how do you fix it?


Atm i need to do 5 coats of revell matt enamel white just for it to cover the model without showing the plastic color, even then its only maybe 95% covered.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002XNDBR6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00


As you can see its made for plastic models but with 5/6 coats needed i'm half way thought the tin and there's still a fair bit to paint lol.


Would brushes have anything to do with it? i'm using these.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002KQYC74?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00 and http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004L3DEUK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00


[EDIT] With the quite ludicrous amounts of paint required to get a good coverage you end up losing a lot of the fine details.

 

[Guest]

Have you give the paint a good stir, to make sure there is no pigment at the bottom of the tin. I don't like using these small tins myself, I usually use Zero paints or Vallejo acrylics.

 

[Alan 45]

Do you wash the kit ? Sometimes there is some release agent present so the paint won't stick , if it persists you could use a primer

 

[eddiesolo]

As mentioned above, stir the paint like mad, add a primer coat and wash prior to painting-some folk do, and others don't-I do just to be sure. Also, the heat can also make thinner paints go off quicker and dry patchy.

 

[Guest]

Have you give the paint a good stir, to make sure there is no pigment at the bottom of the tin. I don't like using these small tins myself, I usually use Zero paints or Vallejo acrylics.

Shook it and got a matchstick in about it for a good 15minz, no improvement.

Do you wash the kit ? Sometimes there is some release agent present so the paint won't stick , if it persists you could use a primer

No i did not. Good job im using enamels and not acrylics, a good bath in soapy water should remove any agent shouldn't it?


Side thought, that would only stop the first coat going down, but it wouldn't effect the second+ coats?

 

[Guest]

As mentioned above, stir the paint like mad, add a primer coat and wash prior to painting-some folk do, and others don't-I do just to be sure. Also, the heat can also make thinner paints go off quicker and dry patchy.

This one goes on thin and patchy. Seems like the paint's too thin and the models too oily or something :\

 

[Alan 45]

Yeah mixing humbrol paint is a must , I use the revell and humbrol acrylics, there not as tough as enamel but I find they go on better and you can thin them with water

 

[eddiesolo]

Side thought, that would only stop the first coat going down, but it wouldn't effect the second+ coats?

No, the top bottom coat could still have some residue that will transfer to the top coat. Question: is the paint old? Could be that the pigment will not mix with the carrier properly, maybe get a new tin and try again.

 

[Guest]

White is a PITA to get down well. I always prime before painting white for that very reason. No fancypants primer either, just Poundlands finest which is excellent IMHO.


As Alan says, mixing is 90% of the battle. To save my aching hands I use a homemade battery mixer made from a nasal trimmer (courtesy of Poundland again!)


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[Alan 45]

Shook it and got a matchstick in about it for a good 15minz, no improvement.
No i did not. Good job im using enamels and not acrylics, a good bath in soapy water should remove any agent shouldn't it?


Side thought, that would only stop the first coat going down, but it wouldn't effect the second+ coats?

It will give a better second coat , if your brush painting it's best to thin your paint and put about three thin coats on , I use one of those syringes you get in calpol the kids medicine, I use between 5 and 10 ml depending on the thickness of the paint

 

[Guest]

Never liked Humbrol paints. There are much better modelling paints on the market these days. Get some decent paint and give it another go after you have made sure that the parts are clean. Good luck Jason

 

[eddiesolo]

Just to add to what Patrick says, I use poundland primer and auto primer and they are great for coverage.

 

[eddiesolo]

There are much better modelling paints on the market these days.

Agree, but sometimes you just need a tin of enamel-handy for Sci-fi builds, instruments, buttons etc.

 

[Guest]

Jason have you tried another paint or colour ?


Looks to me as though this is a faulty batch perhaps or it has been stored. Who knows.


Obviously there is something wrong and the above is the first port of call.


Have you tried this paint on another odd bit of plastic. If the same happens then you have proved it is defective paint.


Laurie

 

[Guest]

Never liked Humbrol paints. There are much better modelling paints on the market these days. Get some decent paint and give it another go after you have made sure that the parts are clean. Good luck Jason

Well the problematic paint in question is actually Revell Jason! And there's nothing wrong with Humbrol paints - enamels that is! Some of the newer batches are sometimes inconsistent, but unfortunately that's true of most manufacturers who've moved their production to China.

 

[Gern]

For white I always use one coat of Halfords white primer spray and one coat of their Appliance white. Coverage is always 100% and the detail isn't covered as there are only two thin layers. The only problem is the masking because you don't have much control over the amount of paint sprayed from a can.

 

[Guest]

I haven't looked at the links so forgive me if I'm way wrong, this reminds me of brush painting Tamiya. You have to let the 1st coat dry before even touching. It again with more paint, using the right brush and one pass at a time. The solvent is so potent that when a coat goes on the solvent evaporates real quick and the if you touch it with fresh paint again it comes back off. You have to wait for it to cure and hit it again in one nice pass with. The right brush again.


Like I say maybe I missed the real problem here but I'm just pointing something that reminded me of your description out.

 

[Guest]

Shook it and got a matchstick in about it for a good 15minz, no improvement.
No i did not. Good job im using enamels and not acrylics, a good bath in soapy water should remove any agent shouldn't it?


Side thought, that would only stop the first coat going down, but it wouldn't effect the second+ coats?

Could be you are thinning it too much. Take down the thinning ratio and try again

 

[Guest]

I haven't looked at the links so forgive me if I'm way wrong, this reminds me of brush painting Tamiya. You have to let the 1st coat dry before even touching. It again with more paint, using the right brush and one pass at a time. The solvent is so potent that when a coat goes on the solvent evaporates real quick and the if you touch it with fresh paint again it comes back off. You have to wait for it to cure and hit it again in one nice pass with. The right brush again.
Like I say maybe I missed the real problem here but I'm just pointing something that reminded me of your description out.

Tamiya is awful to brush paint-I never use it for brush painting. It is only useful for abing

 

[Guest]

No, the top bottom coat could still have some residue that will transfer to the top coat. Question: is the paint old? Could be that the pigment will not mix with the carrier properly, maybe get a new tin and try again.

It was bought about a week ago and doesnt look old, but i guess you cant really tell.

It will give a better second coat , if your brush painting it's best to thin your paint and put about three thin coats on , I use one of those syringes you get in calpol the kids medicine, I use between 5 and 10 ml depending on the thickness of the paint

If i thinned this paint i fear it would have less consistency than water As it is, its more like blood.

Never liked Humbrol paints. There are much better modelling paints on the market these days. Get some decent paint and give it another go after you have made sure that the parts are clean. Good luck Jason

Im using Revell Altho! i did have a humbrol matt that after 30minz of mixing!!!!! applied as gloss.

I haven't looked at the links so forgive me if I'm way wrong, this reminds me of brush painting Tamiya. You have to let the 1st coat dry before even touching. It again with more paint, using the right brush and one pass at a time. The solvent is so potent that when a coat goes on the solvent evaporates real quick and the if you touch it with fresh paint again it comes back off. You have to wait for it to cure and hit it again in one nice pass with. The right brush again.
Like I say maybe I missed the real problem here but I'm just pointing something that reminded me of your description out.

Tbh, i cant do one brush stroke that's good enough to let it dry, i need to go over it a second time, or at least go over it a bit :\.

Could be you are thinning it too much. Take down the thinning ratio and try again

Not thinned it at all, dunking my brush right into the tin lol.

White is a PITA to get down well. I always prime before painting white for that very reason. No fancypants primer either, just Poundlands finest which is excellent IMHO.
As Alan says, mixing is 90% of the battle. To save my aching hands I use a homemade battery mixer made from a nasal trimmer (courtesy of Poundland again!)

That's quite kool i could do with something like that, i used to shake the paint violently but there's something wrong with my right wrist atm, started weightlifting and i think all those broken wrists over the years have hindered that so i need to use my left hand or a thin bit of bamboo from the garden lol.


Conclusion: As its enamel it wont hurt to wash the sprues and painted parts as they are not water based paints, so i will do that!


I do have an airbrush which i might just use to get a nice white coverage if the cleaning doesn't help. I am really trying to get my brush skills up tho and airbrushing seems like cheating (Altho i will need it for camo's)


So wash the sheat out of it then stir the feck out of the white for an hour


Ill get back to you all once iv tried that.


[EDIT] Gave them a wash in warm soapy water with a toothbrush, some of the painted stuff lost a coat but somehow kept its opacity, which is great, ill leave them at the window to air-dry while i drown myself in coffee and smoke myself stupid. Ill update yous later once i get to painting. Ill also stir, shake, throw and generally molest the paint tin to make sure its not that. If it is ill see about getting a replacement. Im sure they wont want me to post a half finished 14ml tin back to them through the post so if nothing else i can use it for odd jobs.