Anybody Ever Used This Stuff For Airbrushing?

[StevenGuthmiller]

Just curious if anyone has used this paint for airbrushing.

 

I recently decanted some Rustoleum enamel for airbrushing, and it seemed to work pretty well, although as it comes from the spray can it's of course too thin to thin further with lacquer thinner, so of course it takes FOREVER to dry.

I've gotten to the point where I'm really getting tired of poorly performing spray cans, and-or paint that's just entirely too expensive.

I've begun asking myself such questions as why should I spend $3.00 or $4.00 on a 1/4 oz. of Testors, $8.00 or $10.00 on a can of Tamiya, Duplicolor or some other spray paint, many of which exhibit horrible delivery systems, when I just need some decent black paint for chassis or engine bay parts, that doesn't take a month of Sundays to dry.

 

I decided that $6.00 or $7.00 for 1/2 pint of paint that I can thin with lacquer thinner for exceedingly faster drying properties was definitely worth exploring.

I'm not cheap under any circumstances when it comes to paint, but it just seems to be such a waste, and an unnecessary struggle dealing with spray cans that work like feces, when there appears to be more economical and less trying options.

I'm going to mix up a few jars of this stuff and create some "enamquer", or "Lacquamel" and see how it works.

I can't imagine that it wouldn't work, but I'm just curious if anyone else uses these larger and much less expensive variations of paint with any success.

 

I'm also going to be curious to see if it will work okay for brush painting some small parts.

If so, I should be able to cut my paint budget considerably and save the cash for the important "good" paint for the body.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

[Bills72sj]

I have had the same dilemma with various sheens of black. Thinned bottle paint is expensive for the volume used. Rattle cans are hit and miss with quality, cost and solvent "hotness". In general they throw too much volume which requires adaptable application technique and clogs my spray booth filter faster. Rattle cans have been economical in the past, when on sale, but it would be nice if there was another way. I like what you are looking to try. If you succeed, I may very well follow you down the same path.

[NOBLNG]

I think I have a can of that at the back of a shelf in the garage.🤔

[Dave G.]

I've been intrigued by those little cans at the hardware store myself ! They seem to be inviting. That ( last I recall) truly is an oil based paint which indeed is or was at one time very slow drying on it's own, slower than alcyd resin enamels even, course it's been some 40 years since I used the stuff and they could well have changed the formulation to include added dryers and such and no doubt have.. I last used that on my 1-1 car hauling trailer I towed my Mustang to the track with. I thinned it with Dupont 3812 enamel reducer as I recall and shot it with a full sized spray gun. But some parts were brush painted. If 3812 worked, I see no reason why lacquer thinner wouldn't work.

On another note, I've had good luck decanting the Rustoleum Painters Touch and 2X formulations of spray cans. I do thin it an added 20% or so with hardware store lacquer thinner and it sprays and performs very well with airbrushing. Has nice flow out and you can lay down multi thin coats vs the one shot deal out of the spray can that to me is ultimately too thick to add any further coats. So the airbrush with a bit of LT for me adds a level of control. Course you gotta not mind decanting. And I have a dehydrator so drying with at least those products especially combined with the thinner is a non issue.

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

9 minutes ago, Dave G. said:

I've been intrigued by those little cans at the hardware store myself ! They seem to be inviting. That ( last I recall) truly is an oil based paint which indeed is or was at one time very slow drying on it's own, slower than alcyd resin enamels even, course it's been some 40 years since I used the stuff and they could well have changed the formulation to include added dryers and such and no doubt have.. I last used that on my 1-1 car hauling trailer I towed my Mustang to the track with. I thinned it with Dupont 3812 enamel reducer as I recall and shot it with a full sized spray gun. But some parts were brush painted. If 3812 worked, I see no reason why lacquer thinner wouldn't work.

On another note, I've had good luck decanting the Rustoleum Painters Touch and 2X formulations of spray cans. I do thin it an added 20% or so with hardware store lacquer thinner and it sprays and performs very well with airbrushing. Has nice flow out and you can lay down multi thin coats vs the one shot deal out of the spray can that to me is ultimately too thick to add any further coats. So the airbrush with a bit of LT for me adds a level of control. Course you gotta not mind decanting. And I have a dehydrator so drying with at least those products especially combined with the thinner is a non issue.

 

I was assuming that this stuff was pretty much the same paint as what's in these little cans, so I figured, why not cut out the middle man, avoid the decanting, and thin it with the medium that I desire to the consistency that I want.

Seemed like a fairly easy and inexpensive route to several different finishes of airbrushable, fast drying black.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

[Dave G.]

2 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I was assuming that this stuff was pretty much the same paint as what's in these little cans, so I figured, why not cut out the middle man, avoid the decanting, and thin it with the medium that I desire to the consistency that I want.

Seemed like a fairly easy and inexpensive route to several different finishes of airbrushable, fast drying black.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

You can check but I too think that stuff is the same as in the cans you showed earlier,just in spray form. The Painters Touch/2X is a different product . For one thing faster drying, though either may work for your needs. The can you show above is more industrial strength than the Painters Touch/2X. Hey all you can do is try it but as I mentioned PT 2X has worked well for me .

Edited February 28, 2023 by Dave G.

[kurth]

I have airbrushed the white from that product line. I thinned it with mineral spirits. Since it is so thick, some modelers use it because it covers well. White in most model paints can be challenging to airbrush. It worked ok, it has been a while since I used it so I do not remember how long it took to dry. 

I also used it on the exterior of my house to touch up a spot, and it has been really tough. 

 

[NOBLNG]

I had some spare time today so I did a test with some tremclad semi gloss that I have. I thinned it approximately 1:1 with lacquer thinner. It sprayed real nicely I think. Tremclad is made by Rustoleum and marketed in Canada. I believe it is likely the same stuff as Stevens first picture., although I couldn’t find a comparison that would verify it.

 

Edited March 3, 2023 by NOBLNG

[Oldriginal86]

What concerned me about the Rustoleum in the can was the “oil base” statement. Is the Testors and other hobby enamels oil based as well? This is an interesting subject in the fact that flat black or satin is the most used color in the modeling world. IMHO. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

10 minutes ago, Oldriginal86 said:

What concerned me about the Rustoleum in the can was the “oil base” statement. Is the Testors and other hobby enamels oil based as well? This is an interesting subject in the fact that flat black or satin is the most used color in the modeling world. IMHO. 

Yes, Testors enamels are oil based.

 

I did a preliminary test of the Rustoleum just a short time ago, and as someone had already stated, it's pretty thick in the can, (probably a little thicker than Testors) so it requires quite a bit of thinning, which in my estimation, is a good thing as it will be more economical.

The first thing that I noticed when I opened the can was that it smelled exactly like Testors enamel, which is also good, as it will be a familiar product to work with.

 

I sprayed some of the thinned satin paint, thinned with lacquer thinner, (although it appears that thinning a little more than 50-50 would be better) directly on to a bare piece of sprue, (no primer) 

It sprayed pretty well and laid down very smooth.

After about a half an hour of drying time, it's pretty dry to the touch, and appears to be drying much faster than the decanted paint did (although it's still a little tacky) and it has the exact satin sheen that I was hoping for.

 

I think with just a bit more thinning, this stuff should be just the ticket for an economical satin black paint.

Tests for the gloss and flat will be done at a later time.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

[CabDriver]

Excellent info - thanks for sharing Steve!

I wonder if the version in the spray can, being a little thicker than the average, might be useful as a base for Alclad?  

Something that self levels well and doesn’t show every tiny flaw and imperfection on a part would be a real asset for prepping parts for a nice smooth chrome finish

[StevenGuthmiller]

13 minutes ago, CabDriver said:

Excellent info - thanks for sharing Steve!

I wonder if the version in the spray can, being a little thicker than the average, might be useful as a base for Alclad?  

Something that self levels well and doesn’t show every tiny flaw and imperfection on a part would be a real asset for prepping parts for a nice smooth chrome finish

Sure, it will work.

But it takes a while to dry.

 

 

Steve

[kurth]

That is a lovely satin finish, just right for suspension components.

[Dave G.]

13 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Yes, Testors enamels are oil based.

 

I did a preliminary test of the Rustoleum just a short time ago, and as someone had already stated, it's pretty thick in the can, (probably a little thicker than Testors) so it requires quite a bit of thinning, which in my estimation, is a good thing as it will be more economical.

The first thing that I noticed when I opened the can was that it smelled exactly like Testors enamel, which is also good, as it will be a familiar product to work with.

 

I sprayed some of the thinned satin paint, thinned with lacquer thinner, (although it appears that thinning a little more than 50-50 would be better) directly on to a bare piece of sprue, (no primer) 

It sprayed pretty well and laid down very smooth.

After about a half an hour of drying time, it's pretty dry to the touch, and appears to be drying much faster than the decanted paint did (although it's still a little tacky) and it has the exact satin sheen that I was hoping for.

 

I think with just a bit more thinning, this stuff should be just the ticket for an economical satin black paint.

Tests for the gloss and flat will be done at a later time.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

It looks like you're headed to 1.25-1 thinner to paint. Gonna be good stuff !!

[NOBLNG]

Just FYI. Same two spoons with Mr. Hobby UV Cut clear gloss on the left spoon and Tamiya TS-79 semi gloss clear on the right one.

[StevenGuthmiller]

2 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

Just FYI. Same two spoons with Mr. Hobby UV Cut clear gloss on the left spoon and Tamiya TS-79 semi gloss clear on the right one.

Well, it is an enamel paint, so using a lacquer clear over it is most likely going to be a risky proposition.

 

 

 

Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

In case anyone is interested, here are a couple of parts airbrushed with the canned Rustoleum paint.

 

Heater box painted in satin:

 

 

 

 

Fan and Starter painted in gloss:

 

 

 

I've got some flat mixed up for airbrushing, but have yet to try it.

 

Oh, by the way.

For those of us that are still somewhat addicted to Testors enamels, The stuff in these cans appears to be basically identical to the stuff in the little jars, albeit a little thicker, (it does require a little thinning to be brush painted)

And it's a heck of a lot cheaper!!! 

 

Very good possibility that I'll be purchasing a few of the other colors available, like white, red and aluminum, so I'm not constantly running out.

 

 

Steve

 

Edited March 4, 2023 by StevenGuthmiller

[Bills72sj]

6 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Oh, by the way.

For those of us that are still somewhat addicted to Testors enamels, The stuff in these cans appears to be basically identical to the stuff in the little jars, albeit a little thicker, (it does require a little thinning to be brush painted)

And it's a heck of a lot cheaper!!! 

Very good possibility that I'll be purchasing a few of the other colors available, like white, red and aluminum, so I'm not constantly running out.

Steve

 

Thanks for sharing. I am still a fan of Testors. I have decanted cans to airbrush but do not have good sealing jars to store the leftovers. I have recently been thinning the little bottles 50/50 for air brush use. Not sure if it is economical but I get great results. I like the economy of scale the cans you are testing out. I can definitely see the advantages. Less cost and waste with much better control.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Did some painting today, some of which included spraying Testors clear lacquer over this black enamel paint.

It all went exactly as it would have with the little bottles of Testors enamel.

 

Seems as if my days of wasting $3.00 on a 1/4 oz. of paint is over.

At least for some colors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

[Bills72sj]

Thanks for jumping into the deep end and sharing this option. When I run out of rattle can black, I will pick up some.

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, Bills72sj said:

Thanks for jumping into the deep end and sharing this option. When I run out of rattle can black, I will pick up some.

That’s the only reason that I decided that it was worth a try.

I was becoming entirely disillusioned with the performance of virtually every rattle can of black paint that I had tried.

If the cans were not all but unusable, they were far too expensive.

 

 

Steve

[Engine 51]

I gave this a go as well, using the satin black. Great results airbrushing it.  I now have a new “go to” for frames, engine parts and some interior components. Thanks for bringing this to our attention!

[ctruss53]

I have had nothing but bad luck using any paints or primers that were not specifically designed for use with scale modeling. Krylon, Rust Oleum, Duplicolor, all of them are hard to get good results with.

I am strictly speaking about results from spray cans though.

Now when I buy Mr Hobby and Tamiya spray cans, great results are effortless. I have an airbrush and Mr Hobby and Tamiya spray cans are so good that I will still use them instead of my airbrush, if the color I need is available.

[Dave G.]

All my underpinnings, engines, drive lines, interiors and more and more even bodies have been acrylic for a while now. But after more than 60 years of enamels in modeling and 1/1 as well, I do like to play in the stuff now and then. Thus the decanting of Painters Touch and 2X. I might do a 1/16 body in enamel soon. My last lacquer I shot for a model was about 3 years ago. Other than some Mr Primer Surfacer, though even there I tend more towards Stynylrez by quite a bit. I will say that acrylics have been a learning process but I shoot the freely now that I understand them much more.

All that to say I won't be buying the Rustoleum cans Steve has presented here, that I know of at least. But I've enjoyed the thread.