Is There Room For Another 41 Plymouth or Two?

[SpeedShift]

On 5/11/2024 at 2:44 PM, customline said:

Since we're discussing paint right now (aren't we?), I can't seem to find much info on MCW enamel.  I see they have "hardener" but I cannot determine exactly what it's for. Is the enamel a catalyzed paint system? I'm confused 😕. I am so confused 😞

Edit: they have a really crappy website with many dead ends. Unbelievable 🤨

I'm trying to improve my painting skills - especially with regards to that high gloss thing.

So I'm trying the MCW enamel line, after using Tamiya and Testors bottle enamel airbrushed with lacquer thinner (ala Don Yost) for years.

I just used MCW enamel with their hardener, mixed and thinned to airbrush per the website.

Results were very good...dried and cured quickly. Which is a big help in avoiding dust while it cures and hardens.

After letting it fully cure for week and a bit of wet sanding on a spot or two, it lost the glossy sheen, although it was very smooth.

So - I went for the high gloss finish with a wet coat -  I tried their MCW clear coat with their hardener (w/o the hardener the gloss stays soft - according to their website) 

What a disaster.

It didn't just orange peel.................it orange lumped.

Never seen such a finish...looked like the surface of the moon in places. But it was glossy. 

So...my bad,   -  I guess I should have added thinner to the clear coat and hardener mix...and then mist coated it several times before laying a wet coat to get the glossy shine. 

Just didn't want to do light mist coats with the usual rough surface, especially after all that wet sanding.

Fortunately, I can wet sand down the gloss surface "lumpy surface" and not lose the cured base coat, - as long as I don't remove details on the high points.

While Tamiya is still the go to spray paint for ease in application and finish,  the MCW line is so much more extensive than Tamiya.

 

"Edit: they have a really crappy website with many dead ends. Unbelievable"

LOL...yeah...the FAQ link goes to a policy statement on returns, and that's it.. 

This link on their website will take you to a rather brief PDF  "MCW Finishes Enamel Instructions (pdf)" :

Downloads and Order Form (mcwfinishes.com)

 

I copy and pasted a much more informative guide to MCW paint on this website:

MCW Clears, Hardeners, Engine, & Base Colors – HobbyNut Models

Download their much more extensive use guide (PDF) for MCW enamels here:

 MCW Paint Usage Guide (pdf)

 

I've noticed the club members postings from recent contests  -  that a high gloss flawless paint job is a prerequisite to even be considered, second only to a quality clean build.

It's almost like car model contests have become painting contests.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 13 by SpeedShift

[LennyB]

This is why these days I have test subjects that I try everything up on before committing to the real project. Had planned on painting the Woody today but things didn't go well, paint didn't come out in the shade I wanted and  so that project  is back on hold. 😕

[customline]

5 hours ago, SpeedShift said:

I'm trying to improve my painting skills - especially with regards to that high gloss thing.

So I'm trying the MCW enamel line, after using Tamiya and Testors bottle enamel airbrushed with lacquer thinner (ala Don Yost) for years.

I just used MCW enamel with their hardener, mixed and thinned to airbrush per the website.

Results were very good...dried and cured quickly. Which is a big help in avoiding dust while it cures and hardens.

After letting it fully cure for week and a bit of wet sanding on a spot or two, it lost the glossy sheen.

So - I went for the high gloss finish - and I just tried their MCW clear coat with hardener (w/o the hardener the gloss stays soft according to the website) 

What a disaster.

It didn't just orange peel.................it orange lumped.

Never seen such a finish...looked like the surface of the moon in places.

So...my bad, -  I guess I should have added thinner to the clear coat and mist coated it several times before laying a wet coat to get the glossy shine. 

Just didn't want to do light mist coats with the usual rough surface,  after all that wet sanding.

Fortunately, I can wet sand down the gloss surface "lumpy surface" and not lose the cured base coat, - as long as I don't remove details on the high points.

While Tamiya is still the go to spray paint for ease in application and finish,  the MCW line is so much more extensive than Tamiya.

 

"Edit: they have a really crappy website with many dead ends. Unbelievable"

LOL...yeah...the FAQ link goes to a policy statement on returns, and that's it.. 

This link on their website will take you to a rather brief PDF  "MCW Finishes Enamel Instructions (pdf)" :

Downloads and Order Form (mcwfinishes.com)

 

I copy and pasted a much more informative guide to MCW paint on this website:

MCW Clears, Hardeners, Engine, & Base Colors – HobbyNut Models

Download their much more extensive use guide (PDF) for MCW enamels here:

 MCW Paint Usage Guide (pdf)

 

I've noticed the club members postings from recent contests  -  that a high gloss flawless paint job is a prerequisite to even be considered, second only to a quality clean build.

It's almost like car model contests have become painting contests.

 

That's a lot to unpack, Jim. I too am a disciple of "the Old Man" (I'm pretty sure I'm a lot older than Don) ; I bought the DVD, I learned his method and it gave me somewhat satisfactory results over the years. I use an old Wren and it works well enough. My paint jobs will never win anything. I don't care. I can't compete with the "pros".

Too much can go wrong and half the time it does. Temperature,  humidity,  dust, flying insects, too much rum, dropping it on the floor, etc...I just want paint to be done as simply as possible. Minimal orange peel and no serious blemishes. MIcro-polishing will take care of the rest. Testors enamel has yet to fail me. I like the "Extreme Lacquer" too but it needs to be decanted because it comes out like a fire hose. I seldom use clear top coat because it's a dice-roll for me. Bad things happen with clear. I am a bit jaded on all the "new" stuff and I have not yet tried water-base paint in my air brushes. Last year I bought a high-end Iwata and still have not even tried it out. 🙃 I paint in my dirty, cluttered garage. I don't enjoy it but it must be done..... But it does get me away from ....you know who 🫤

Incidently, I will be trying the MCW lacquer on a couple of projects that require factory colors.  I have seen their instructions. I don't trust them. Just a feeling 😌 

Edited May 13 by customline
Craps-shoot = dice-roll

[SpeedShift]

1 hour ago, customline said:

That's a lot to unpack, Jim. I too am a disciple of "the Old Man" (I'm pretty sure I'm a lot older than Don) ; I bought the DVD, I learned his method and it gave me somewhat satisfactory results over the years. I use an old Wren and it works well enough. My paint jobs will never win anything. I don't care. I can't compete with the "pros".

Too much can go wrong and half the time it does. Temperature,  humidity,  dust, flying insects, too much rum, dropping it on the floor, etc...I just want paint to be done as simply as possible. Minimal orange peel and no serious blemishes. MIcro-polishing will take care of the rest. Testors enamel has yet to fail me. I like the "Extreme Lacquer" too but it needs to be decanted because it comes out like a fire hose. I seldom use clear top coat because it's a dice-roll for me. Bad things happen with clear. I am a bit jaded on all the "new" stuff and I have not yet tried water-base paint in my air brushes. Last year I bought a high-end Iwata and still have not even tried it out. 🙃 I paint in my dirty, cluttered garage. I don't enjoy it but it must be done..... But it does get me away from ....you know who 🫤

Incidently, I will be trying the MCW lacquer on a couple of projects that require factory colors.  I have seen their instructions. I don't trust them. Just a feeling 😌 

"I too am a disciple of "the Old Man" (I'm pretty sure I'm a lot older than Don) ; I bought the DVD, I learned his method"

When I finally tried the Don Yost method  (Testors enamel bottle paint with lacquer thinner) I was amazed at the glossy sheen.

I didn't think it would even need a gloss coat.

It stays a bit tacky for a while - requiring protection from dust...otherwise having to do wet sanding and or polishing out that dust and blemishes will tarnish that beautiful glossy sheen.

This is where the faster drying MCW enamel with the hardener helps. Dries quicker, less risk of dust.

"I paint in my dirty, cluttered garage. I don't enjoy it but it must be done"

The wife has a super sense of smell so I don't see getting a spray booth set up in my man cave/office right next door to her office.

I airbrush (GREX Genesis.XGi) my paint on my back deck...it's well ventilated! Of course, I have to have the right temperature and humidity outside.

... being outdoors there is a seasonal window I have to deal with ...not too cold (winter), not too hot and humid (summer).

Spring is just right  - but unfortunately this spring has seen incredibly high pollen levels here.

Fall might be best.

Tell us how the MCW lacquer works for you. Maybe we should start a new MCW topic, Sorry to hijack your thread Lenny!

 

Edited May 13 by SpeedShift

[LennyB]

15 hours ago, SpeedShift said:

 Sorry to hijack your thread Lenny!

 

Usually Jim and I do that to others. Guess turn around is fair play.🙃

[SpeedShift]

18 hours ago, LennyB said:

This is why these days I have test subjects that I try everything up on before committing to the real project. Had planned on painting the Woody today but things didn't go well, paint didn't come out in the shade I wanted and  so that project  is back on hold. 😕

Amen.

Every ongoing project I have "on hold" is always due to- PAINT.

[customline]

10 minutes ago, SpeedShift said:

Amen.

Every ongoing project I have "on hold" is always due to- PAINT.

Ditto that.

Edit: enter "orange lump" into model building lexicon.

Edited May 13 by customline

[LennyB]

Finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. After fighting with a clear coat finally got a combination that worked. Had to give up on the Tamiya because, as you saw, it just ate up the Wicked Paint. Tried some Testors Clear. Out of the can it went on too heavy. Decanted and sprayed it with an airbrush and it was OK but I couldn't lay down a nice smooth coat no mater what I tried. Different pressures, different guns, It finally clogged my gun so I gave up and dug out some 2K automotive clear from the garage.

 

Will need a little polishing but I think it works. I also sprayed my 68 Fairlane and 63 1/2 Plymouth. I had some issues with them and the 2K with some fish-eyes. 🐟 Haven't had problems with fish-eyes since spraying enamel back in the 80's. Hopefully I can sand that out tomorrow and make headway on those two. 🫰🏾

[customline]

Looks great, Len. What causes fish-eye?

[LennyB]

24 minutes ago, customline said:

Looks great, Len. What causes fish-eye?

Usually fish-eyes are from dirt or oil on the surface which keeps the paint from adhering in that spot. But in the case of this Wicked paint I'm thinking it's something else. It's funny that both hoods from the Fairlane and Fury have got it the worst and the roof and the trunk lid have a bit of it. All the sides are good. So I'm thinking it's more an incompatibility with the paint and the clear. But it didn't do it on the 41. Same brand of paint so go figure. The paint has been dry for a few weeks on all of them so that shouldn't be the issue. Hopefully a bit of sanding and another coat will solve the problem. Don't want to have to start all over.

[customline]

35 minutes ago, LennyB said:

Usually fish-eyes are from dirt or oil on the surface which keeps the paint from adhering in that spot. But in the case of this Wicked paint I'm thinking it's something else. It's funny that both hoods from the Fairlane and Fury have got it the worst and the roof and the trunk lid have a bit of it. All the sides are good. So I'm thinking it's more an incompatibility with the paint and the clear. But it didn't do it on the 41. Same brand of paint so go figure. The paint has been dry for a few weeks on all of them so that shouldn't be the issue. Hopefully a bit of sanding and another coat will solve the problem. Don't want to have to start all over.

Len, do you wipe down with alcohol before painting? After handling a car body between coats I will wipe the suspect areas with an IPA dampened piece of cotton t-shirtjust in case.  A stray fingerprint may cause a problem if that finger was not freshly cleaned. 

[LennyB]

12 minutes ago, customline said:

Len, do you wipe down with alcohol before painting? After handling a car body between coats I will wipe the suspect areas with an IPA dampened piece of cotton t-shirtjust in case.  A stray fingerprint may cause a problem if that finger was not freshly cleaned. 

You can't wipe down this Wicked paint with alcohol, that's the problem.  If you wipe it down with most anything you can wipe it off. You can't sand it either. If you sand it you have to apply more paint before you can clearcoat.

[customline]

 

2 hours ago, LennyB said:

You can't wipe down this Wicked paint with alcohol, that's the problem.  If you wipe it down with most anything you can wipe it off. You can't sand it either. If you sand it you have to apply more paint before you can clearcoat.

Oh my...remind me to never buy any of that stuff.🥺

[espo]

Great looking paint finish and like the color. 

[LennyB]

6 minutes ago, espo said:

Great looking paint finish and like the color. 

Thanks, I thought it would be a bit more on the maroon side but I’ll take it anyway. 

11 hours ago, customline said:

 

Oh my...remind me to never buy any of that stuff.🥺

Ok, just remind me to do that when the time comes😊

[customline]

1 minute ago, LennyB said:

 

Ok, just remind me to do that when the time comes😊

I'll probably forget......never mind 😞

[LennyB]

9 minutes ago, customline said:

I'll probably forget......never mind 😞

Forget what🥴

[LennyB]

Of late I've been spending more time outside working on full size models rather then at the work bench. I did manage to get some progress made on the Woody. Even so, it was a bit of a struggle. I had planned to paint this with Wicked Phthalo Green which is a sort of dark blue/green. Just like the other Wicked colors I had problems with this being semi-transparent and it did not cover well. I looked for an opaque green in the Creaex color line to lay down first as I did with my other projects but came up empty. I didn't like the results so I gave the body a bath and started again. I ordered some Mr Color Dark Green and it arrived just in time for this weekend. I have not used this product before but I am very happy with the results.

 

It's not really the color I envisioned at the start of this project but I would like to move forward and I think it will do well enough. I laid down three coats yesterday.

 

And then today I finished it off with some 2K clear. I had also purchased some Mr Hobby Gloss Topcoat for this but went with the 2K instead. I'm really liking the 2K these days as I find it cooperates well. Aside from three tiny bits of debris in the paint , which will easily sand out, this came out beautiful. The whole thing will need to be wet sanded as it's a bit too glossy for the era.

 

 

I masked off the wood sections and the roof as I didn't want any extra paint buildup to contend with. Although a bit snuck thru.

 

Gonna let this sit for a week or so and then I will need to do some woodworking.

 

Thanks for stopping in.

 

 

Edited May 26 by LennyB
typo

[NOBLNG]

32 minutes ago, LennyB said:

Of late I've been spending more time outside working on full size models rather then at the work bench. I did manage to get some progress made on the Woody. Even so, it was a bit of a struggle. I had planned to paint this with Wicked Phthalo Green which is a sort of dark blue/green. Just like the other Wicked colors I had problems with this being semi-transparent and it did not cover well. I looked for an opaque green in the Creaex color line to lay down first as I did with my other projects but came up empty. I didn't like the results so I gave the body a bath and started again.

 

I think it looks good Len.👍 I haven’t had great luck with Createx, but I have a few bottles of it so I am giving it one more try. I aborted my first attempt with that same Phthalo green.🤨 If my paint job doesn’t turn out this time, I will give away whatever product I have left. 

[LennyB]

12 minutes ago, NOBLNG said:

I think it looks good Len.👍 I haven’t had great luck with Createx, but I have a few bottles of it so I am giving it one more try. I aborted my first attempt with that same Phthalo green.🤨 If my paint job doesn’t turn out this time, I will give away whatever product I have left. 

Thanks Greg. I made the mistake of buying a couple of flights of the stuff, now I feel like pouring it down the sink😖

[CabDriver]

Is that Phthalo green the W009 part number or the W084 part number on the bottle?

Ive had GREAT results with Wicked / Createx so I’m curious which one exactly you had there…

[customline]

5 hours ago, LennyB said:

Thanks Greg. I made the mistake of buying a couple of flights of the stuff, now I feel like pouring it down the sink😖

Rookie mistake, Len.  I did the same thing. They sit there in the drawer. I'll never use 'em. But I don't want that stuff in my septic tank. They'll go to the land-fill.

[LennyB]

7 hours ago, CabDriver said:

Is that Phthalo green the W009 part number or the W084 part number on the bottle?

Ive had GREAT results with Wicked / Createx so I’m curious which one exactly you had there…

It 0009. It’s semi-transparent and like working with an old Testors candy. You get light and dark areas. After 5 coats still not covering.  Same problem on my other builds initially. What I finally did was a base coat with a similar opaque color first then topped with the wicked.  But I couldn’t find a similar opaque for this one. The other projects came out good doing it this way so you can get good results with this stuff.  But it’s a lot of work.   Three coats of Mr Color and three clear and I’m done.  A whole lot easier. ☺️

[CabDriver]

1 hour ago, LennyB said:

It 0009. It’s semi-transparent and like working with an old Testors candy

That would explain it - that’s the transparent version of that color.  W084 is the opaque version…and covers like a dream, for reference…

[LennyB]

4 hours ago, CabDriver said:

That would explain it - that’s the transparent version of that color.  W084 is the opaque version…and covers like a dream, for reference…

Good to know.  But the packaging for the flight that contains the 0009 doesn’t say anywhere on it that it’s transparent.   Had it, that would have saved me a lot of aggravation 🤬