acrylic enamel assistance

[berr13]

I recently had an automotive paint company make me a spray can of acrylic enamel, matched to the color of a car I used to own, so I can make a model of that car. Can any of you tell me if there are differences between acrylic enamel and regular enamel (Testors spray enamel is what I use almost exclusively)--tips for spraying, drying time, etc? Any assistance at all will be greatly appreciated...thanks

Jim

[Agent G]

It will be a "hotter" paint and not friendly to plastic. A good automotive primer to protect the body is a necessity.

It should dry to the touch quite a bit quicker, but still take a few days to fully cure.

Come on folks chime in with more here.

G

[Karmodeler2]

Hey Jim

It is my understanding that the statements below that I found online sum it up the way I view it. I could be wrong considering the source:

To put it simply, acrylics are water or alcohol based and usually non toxic (with the exception of alcohol based acrylics obviously). Acrylics thin and clean with water or alcohol.

Enamels are an oil based paint and are quite toxic. They are the old school of model paints and are slowly being replaced with acrylics. This is mainly down to their toxicity and the fact that they thin and clean with enviromentally damaging white spirits.

A number of myths surround enamel paints (mainly spread by proponents of acrylic paints back in the day). They DON'T ruin brushes as many people say (people simply don't know how to clean them properly) and they take hours to dry not days. They're perfectly suitable for painting small details on models and will not ruin anything (not even plastic - after all for 40 odd years enamels were the only paints available to paint plastic model kits).

I have always thinned the normal enamels with lacquer thinner (the model master ones and the square bottles we got as a kid that had the white tops with the testors logo on top). I thin the Tamiya short fat bottles with their thinner, or alcohol or water. (The last one I could never get the paint to do "right") I thin the Tamiya spray paints with lacquer thinner.

As far as drying, the acrylics should dry faster and be ready for a similar clear within a few hours. I would use the Tamiya fat bottle clear. It's docile and won't affect anything. You can always spray the back of a spoon, wait a bit, clear it with different clears to see if there is an adverse reaction or not.

David

BYW, Tamiya acrylic paint used to be sold in little fat bottles, then the smaller, skinny ones came out, then they went back to the fat ones again. Where they are now, I'm not sure. It should say on the bottle "acrylic enamel". I would use alcohol or their thinner to thin them.

[roadhawg]

To put it simply, acrylics are water or alcohol based and usually non toxic (with the exception of alcohol based acrylics obviously). Acrylics thin and clean with water or alcohol.

This part isn't quite right. While hobby acrylics are indeed water based, automotive acrylic enamel is not. "Acrylic" means the paint contains a polymer emulsion that rises to the surface as it cures. There are water based acryics, enamel (oil) based acrylics, and even acrylic lacquers. What AgentG said is about right. You should use a proper respirator, because it IS toxic stuff. If you need to thin it, you should use acylic enamel reducer made for whatever brand of paint it is. You can clean up with lacquer thinner.

Edited August 31, 2010 by roadhawg

[charlie8575]

Scale Finishes, which makes acrylic enamels, has a pretty good how-to guide.

ScaleFinishes.com

Charlie Larkin

[Mike Kucaba]

If it's in an aerosol can,there is not much you can do with it now. Just make sure you warm the can as you would any aerosol.

[berr13]

Thanks for all the replies, guys! It is in a spray can, and I don't have an airbrush, so spray primer and clear is what I'll be limited to. Specifically, what sort of primer and clear (if needed) should I use? I have some Tamiya primer, as well as Testors enamel primer; will either one work? Same question for clear, with the same brand products, or should I use something else? This is new territory for me, so I really do appreciate the help!

[Jon Cole]

Use a good quality lacquer primer. Your paint should be OK over it. The rule of thumb is- enamel paint over lacquer primer... OK. But, lacquer paint over enamel primer... big trouble! Lacquer is more chemically 'hot' than enamel is.

[935k3]

Try to find some place in your area that sells Plastikote T-235 Gray Sandable Primer it's covers and sands very well and will protect from hotter paints used over it. If you are doing a brighter color coat like white,yellow red or orange etc. use Plastikote T-237 White Sandable Primer.

Edited September 1, 2010 by 935k3

[charlie8575]

Always use lacquer primer. I like Plasti-Kote, Michael's sells a lacquer primer under the Valspar label that is essentially the Plasti-Kote gray sandable primer. It's a little thinner and works just as well. I never cared for Dupli-Color.

Your Tamyia primer might work. Try it first on some scrap.

As a point of reference, a Badger 250 starter airbrush is about $25, and with an inner tube, you have a cheap supply of air.

Charlie Larkin

[Agent G]

Michaels sells it labled as Valspar "Sandable Primer". I do not think it's anything but T235 that has been relabled.

G