Author Topic: Please tell me ALL about acrylics.  (Read 1828 times)

Rockshasa

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Please tell me ALL about acrylics.
« on: August 13, 2021, 07:55:02 PM »
Starting a new thread here to continue from my enamel thread. I have taken several years off building monster models, only to return and find out that my beloved Model Master Enamels are no more. It's like you work with a medium you like and choose; you spend years refining your skills with it; and then it's taken away. Imagine if oil painters were told, "You're paints are no longer being made on this planet. You must master acrylics now. You have no choice. Sorry." LOL, that's truly what it feels like. Now, I know I am in the minority here, but I didn't intentionally start with enamels on purpose. I just NEVER gave acrylics a thought in the beginning when I was assembling my arsenal of paints. As I progressed into the hobby, and started reading more about it online, I realized almost everyone was using acrylics.

I feel it is going to be a hurdle getting use to acrylics. Why? They dry too fast, and I know it's going to be a bit of a curve dry-brushing with them. I'm use to paint that stays wet forever, LOL. Another thing that I don't know if I'll be able to do anymore is wash my models off under the kitchen faucet when they've gotten really dusty. You can do this over and over with enamel painted kits and it never hurts or affects the paint at all.

So I have some questions:

• What's the best acrylic spray primer? I always use gray primer or flat black. I'm use to using a can of spray. I'm not set up for air brushing. I use brushes for everything except primer-coating.

• What's the best brand of acrylic paints for paint brush use? I want to start out with good paints. I want a huge selection of colors to pick from.

• What is the best way to clean brushes with acrylics?

• What are the average "complete" dry times?

• What about really good acrylic clear gloss?

• What about an excellent clear, acrylic, dull coat spray for final sealing?

I'm sure I'll come up with more questions....

Tom_Hering

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Re: Please tell me ALL about acrylics.
« Reply #1 on: August 14, 2021, 07:15:44 AM »
There are mediums you can add to acrylic paint to slow down drying time. Just about every line of acrylics offers a slow-drying medium that's compatible with the line. (There's variation in acrylic paint formulas. Mostly in the kind of solvents used. So, not every line can be mixed with every other line.)

For dry brushing, try artist's oils. They're perfect for the technique.

You can safely use Testors Dull Cote (a lacquer based clear coat) over acrylics.

You can paint acrylics over lacquer or oil based primer coats.

Tamiya acrylics are the most difficult to hand brush. And some acrylic lines are designed for air brushing only. Check the labels.

To clean dried acrylic off of brushes, try a solid cake of artist's brush soap. I've restored rock hard brushes with artist's brush soap.

While acrylics dry fast, they usually require thirty days to fully cure (unlike oil based enamels, which only require 48 hours).

Just as there are oil based enamels, there are also water based (acrylic) enamels. "Enamel" refers to hardness (of the fully cured paint). Think of tooth enamel.
« Last Edit: August 14, 2021, 07:51:25 AM by Tom_Hering »

Rockshasa

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Re: Please tell me ALL about acrylics.
« Reply #2 on: August 14, 2021, 04:33:27 PM »
What acrylic paint brands do you know that don't mix?

How do the majority of folks drybrush their acrylic painted models? With the paint drying so quickly it would seem hard to get a smooth effect over a big surface. By "artist oils" are you you referring to the standard oil paints for portrait painters and such?

I have always found it difficult to paint acrylic over enamel paints or Dullcote sprayed items. It usually beads. I have added a small bit of dish soap in the past, but even still...

I am a stick brush painter, so I guess I will stay away from Tamiya. Which are the most popular brands for stick brush painting?

Wow! I didn't know acrylics took so long to fully cure. So if you put a coat down by brush, how long before you can safely put another brush coat on without hurting the first one? I know with enamels, I usually wait a couple days.

Enamels have a tendency to "smooth out" after you brush a coat on. Do acrylics do the same?

Tom_Hering

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Re: Please tell me ALL about acrylics.
« Reply #3 on: August 14, 2021, 07:45:59 PM »
Here's a site about brush painting you might find helpful. It includes paint reviews. http://www.dogma72.com/

"Artists' oils" = oil paint in tubes (for landscapes, portraits, etc.). Many figure modelers use nothing else.

Most artists' and craft acrylics can be painted over within an hour or so, even if they aren't fully cured. Acrylics designed for plastic models CAN contain strong solvents that MAY lift a dried, first coat. Test and experiment!

Some acrylics level ("smooth out") well, others don't. Test and experiment! Also check the paint reviews at the site I linked to.

Hepcat

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Re: Please tell me ALL about acrylics.
« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2021, 11:43:20 PM »
Starting a new thread here to continue from my enamel thread. I have taken several years off building monster models, only to return and find out that my beloved Model Master Enamels are no more.

Huh? I thought Model Master was a Testors name brand. But I see that Testors still offers all kinds of enamel paints:

Testors Enamel Paints

 ???

P.S.: I love your traditional monster-kid enamel paint jobs!

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Rockshasa

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Re: Please tell me ALL about acrylics.
« Reply #5 on: August 15, 2021, 02:40:45 AM »
Huh? I thought Model Master was a Testors name brand. But I see that Testors still offers all kinds of enamel paints:
P.S.: I love your traditional monster-kid enamel paint jobs!

Thanks Hepcat!
Model Master was a Testor's name brand. They killed the brand. They have discontinued all of their little, Model Master, "round" bottles of paint. Model Master catered to the "war buff" model builders. Tons of army war colors from all over and different wars. Oddly enough, because there were so many colors available, I was able to find quite the awesome palette for building my monster models. In fact, I used them on ALL of the monster models I've built over the last 23 years. Testor's still sells the little square enamel bottles, but I always thought they were crap quality and never used them. Ah well, I always say, "Nothing lasts forever" (I guess that's why so many of us are "collectors", LOL).

Hepcat

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Re: Please tell me ALL about acrylics.
« Reply #6 on: August 15, 2021, 11:35:43 AM »
Testor's still sells the little square enamel bottles, but I always thought they were crap quality and never used them.

But every self-respecting monster kid used the little square Testors (or Pactra) bottles for his model kits back in the day. So if you're hardcore and determined to be the real deal, you'll go with the little squares!

 ;)

P.S.: Incidentally, could you post more pictures of any of the Hawk Weird-Ohs/Silly Surfers/Frantics or Revell "Big Daddy" Roth Finks you've built?

 ???
« Last Edit: August 15, 2021, 11:39:35 AM by Hepcat »
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Rockshasa

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Re: Please tell me ALL about acrylics.
« Reply #7 on: August 15, 2021, 01:35:01 PM »
But every self-respecting monster kid used the little square Testors (or Pactra) bottles for his model kits back in the day. So if you're hardcore and determined to be the real deal, you'll go with the little squares! P.S.: Incidentally, could you post more pictures of any of the Hawk Weird-Ohs/Silly Surfers/Frantics or Revell "Big Daddy" Roth Finks you've built?

Well, when I was a self-respecting monster kid in 1971, mind you, painting my Monster Scenes and other Aurora kits, I actually was using the little square bottles...and didn't care how it looked or the quality of paint...but as an adult, I had to make them look as close to true sculptures. as possible, and less as plastic models, as I could. I had to pay homage to them. Do them up right!

I actually own all of the Frantic Models (I think...there are 4, right?). The only one I've built is the Frantic Banana. I have a multitude of photos of him though. Let me know where you want them posted. I recently dug out all my monster model photos.

Hepcat

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Re: Please tell me ALL about acrylics.
« Reply #8 on: August 15, 2021, 06:38:37 PM »
I actually own all of the Frantic Models (I think...there are 4, right?). The only one I've built is the Frantic Banana. I have a multitude of photos of him though. Let me know where you want them posted.


Here in the Weird-Ohs Items thread:

http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=12257.360

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