Acrylic paint?

[mariojr]

Is there a trick to brushing Model Masters acrylic paint? How do you guys clean brushes after using acrylic paint?

[berr13]

I don't think there's any real trick to it, just shake and stir well.  I've found that MM acrylics sometimes take a second coat for complete coverage, but not often.  I clean my brushes with something called "Liberty Art acrylic brush cleaner", in a jar with a sponge at the bottom, then rinse with tap water gently and let 'em dry.

I like acrylics.  For me, they go on smoother, with hardly any brush marks, than enamels, and the paint dries a LOT faster.  Acrylic paint is about all I use these daysl

 

[Snake45]

I've only used them for smaller or detail work, the biggest thing I've painted with them is an engine block, which went well, but I primed it with a flat enamel first. 

I've cleaned brushes with water and rubbing alcohol but have found that lacquer thinner works even better. 

Note that I'm only talking about the Model Master acrylics here. Other brands have other preferences. 

[NOBLNG]

I use Tamiya acrylics for small items and clean my brushes with lacquer thinner also. I recently bought one of those little badger paint mixers because I was tired of all the lids getting glued onto the bottles from shaking them. It works great! I keep a little 2oz. bottle of thinner on the bench and after mixing the paint I clean the mixer in the thinner too.

[Brutalform]

I was using Tamiya acrylics, but switched to Vallejo. No more adding retarder, and ugly brush marks, and stuck on lids. 

Edited May 15, 2019 by Brutalform

[Tommy124]

5 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

I use Tamiya acrylics for small items and clean my brushes with lacquer thinner also. I recently bought one of those little badger paint mixers because I was tired of all the lids getting glued onto the bottles from shaking them. It works great! I keep a little 2oz. bottle of thinner on the bench and after mixing the paint I clean the mixer in the thinner too.

Same here! 

[SfanGoch]

Try methylene chloride if you really want to clean the brush thoroughly. It dissolves everything (enamels, acrylics, lacquers, urethanes) from the bristles. I also use it to clean my Olympos HP-101 and Aztek airbrushes. I just drop the Aztek nozzles in a small glass jar filled with methylene chloride for about ten minutes and the residue blows out.

[Tommy124]

1 hour ago, SfanGoch said:

Try methylene chloride if you really want to clean the brush thoroughly. It dissolves everything (enamels, acrylics, lacquers, urethanes) from the bristles. I also use it to clean my Olympos HP-101 and Aztek airbrushes. I just drop the Aztek nozzles in a small glass jar filled with methylene chloride for about ten minutes and the residue blows out.

Sounds like it's working similar to the stuff I am using for stripping paint and cleaning the airbrush. But it's another product obviously: https://www.kremer-pigmente.com/de/methoxypropanol-pm-70920.html

I am not using this however for cleaning brushes as it stinks too much. I have a dedicated room for airbrushing (where I'm working with a respirator only) and I do all paint stripping on the outside. But the detail painting is done in-house so this stuff is a no-go there.

[SfanGoch]

Using methylene chloride to strip paint from models is a big no-no. It's also known as acrylic solvent/cement. You'll end up with a melted blob suitable only for abstract art exhibitions.

[Dave G.]

If you do a lot of brush painting you might want to pick up a bottle of Vallejo Model Color paint ( not to be confused with Model Air which is their airbrush ready paint formula). See what you think of that compared to Model Master acryl.

And to add to the theme of using primer mentioned by other posters, you almost have to prime before putting on MM acrylic. It's not just about coverage but for adhesion. Most acrylic colors don't stick to plastic so well, you need that primer coat as a base to paint onto.

Edited May 15, 2019 by Dave G.

[espo]

I have two sets of brushes that I use depending on the brand of paint. This may be over kill but it's what I do. The MM brushes are rinsed first in water followed by a cleaning in MM Lacquer Thinner then allowed to dry. I do the same with the other set that I use for Tamiya paints with the same cleaning process but use Tamiya X-20A Thinner for the final cleaning. You had mentioned needing two coats of paint to get the finish you wanted. As others have stated the parts cover best when first primed. This will also help you see any casting lines or uneven surfaces from their removal from the parts tree.  

[mariojr]

Got it. I believe My mistake was using enamel thinner to clean brushes. I will be trying lacquer thinner an I’m sure that’ll work. Thanks guys

[Brutalform]

11 hours ago, Dave G. said:

If you do a lot of brush painting you might want to pick up a bottle of Vallejo Model Color paint ( not to be confused with Model Air which is their airbrush ready paint formula). See what you think of that compared to Model Master acryl.

And to add to the theme of using primer mentioned by other posters, you almost have to prime before putting on MM acrylic. It's not just about coverage but for adhesion. Most acrylic colors don't stick to plastic so well, you need that primer coat as a base to paint onto.

 Don’t be afraid to use the “air” versions, because I never need to add any water with the eye dropper to them. Pretty much just shake it real good, and brush it on. Consistently is perfect for brushing too. These paints are generally less expensive than the other acrylics, and has huge color availability.

Edited May 16, 2019 by Brutalform

[R. Thorne]

I just stick my brushes in water as soon as I am done painting, then take to the sink and rinse out and quickly dry them out with a paper towel.   This is model master acrylics.  Other brands and types of paint are completely different, of course.

[gijoe]

Model Masters are my favorite acrylics for brush painting, I really dislike Tamiya unless I shoot it through an airbrush.  I usually clean with good ol' warm water and dish soap.  If there is any paint left behind I quick dunk into lacquer thinner will take care of it.