Rattle Can Painting a Jet?
05-19-2015, 02:21 AM
#2
I cannot point you to a thread but I can share my experiences with rattle cans, most of them good!
My usual method, following filling & sanding, is to use an automotive, solvent based primer/filler either the usual
grey colour or white when painting opaque colours like yellow or orange. I use a touch up gun for these for an
entire model but if I'm doing small parts I'll use the rattle can, it's all the same paint, just the application is different.
For colour I've used both enamel & auto acrylic from rattle cans. It's important to remember that you cannot put the
acrylic over the enamel as the solvents will attack an enamel finish. Enamel over acrylic works o.k. I do markings
& lettering by hand with brush on enamels (Humbrol) or water slide decals printed on a lazer printer.
Once everything is finished a coat of polyurethane clear (it's based on similar solvents to enamel) protects & secures
all markings & decals & creates a constant gloss level over the model be it high gloss, satin or matt finish.
Jet fuel is relatively safe if you wipe up spills immediately unlike gasoline or glow fuels. Painting a jet is just like any
other model. I'm sure you can get a better finish from epoxy or automotive finishes & a good thick clear coat & lots
of polishing, it depends how much time you want to spend & how fussy you are.
John.
My usual method, following filling & sanding, is to use an automotive, solvent based primer/filler either the usual
grey colour or white when painting opaque colours like yellow or orange. I use a touch up gun for these for an
entire model but if I'm doing small parts I'll use the rattle can, it's all the same paint, just the application is different.
For colour I've used both enamel & auto acrylic from rattle cans. It's important to remember that you cannot put the
acrylic over the enamel as the solvents will attack an enamel finish. Enamel over acrylic works o.k. I do markings
& lettering by hand with brush on enamels (Humbrol) or water slide decals printed on a lazer printer.
Once everything is finished a coat of polyurethane clear (it's based on similar solvents to enamel) protects & secures
all markings & decals & creates a constant gloss level over the model be it high gloss, satin or matt finish.
Jet fuel is relatively safe if you wipe up spills immediately unlike gasoline or glow fuels. Painting a jet is just like any
other model. I'm sure you can get a better finish from epoxy or automotive finishes & a good thick clear coat & lots
of polishing, it depends how much time you want to spend & how fussy you are.
John.
Last edited by Boomerang1; 05-19-2015 at 02:24 AM.
05-19-2015, 06:02 AM
#3
My Feedback: (11)
You'll get much better results using canned enamel with a cheap airbrush IMO. its touch to get fine details with a spray can and it costs 4X more to use a can. You're paying a lot for the propellant.
However primer is a real PITA with a small airbrush to I would use a can primer.
However primer is a real PITA with a small airbrush to I would use a can primer.
05-19-2015, 09:51 AM
#5
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LGM had a thread in which he described how he got a good finish.
I have had some success producing a realistic weathered appearance using silver rattle can followed by soft graphite pencil and smudging then brushing on fuel proofer aligning the brush strokes nose to tail.
I have had some success producing a realistic weathered appearance using silver rattle can followed by soft graphite pencil and smudging then brushing on fuel proofer aligning the brush strokes nose to tail.
05-19-2015, 10:48 AM
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STOP this and get an iwata baby spray gun like the LPH-80 or LPH-101 good tips would be anything .8 - 1.2
with this you can use a small 2 horse power air compressor like the Makita 5200 or dewalt, these will work on 120 volts
with this done you can use regular paints, also spray can are 1 stage meaning they have clear mixed in already, these paints are a PIA, this makes fixing errors very hard.
I would recommend getting these to start;
House of kolor 2 stage paints: Base coat and clear coat, see here:
http://www.tcpglobal.com/Automotive-...ouse-of-Kolor/
you can get 4 oz bottles to start with and learn. Good thing with 2 stage paints is that you can make corrections in the base coat, use thinner to remove over spray e.t.c only when everything is done do you go to clear coat.
Use USC01 clear coat system they sell a quart pack for around $100 which includes everything such as thinner, activator and the clear coat.
with this you can use a small 2 horse power air compressor like the Makita 5200 or dewalt, these will work on 120 volts
with this done you can use regular paints, also spray can are 1 stage meaning they have clear mixed in already, these paints are a PIA, this makes fixing errors very hard.
I would recommend getting these to start;
House of kolor 2 stage paints: Base coat and clear coat, see here:
http://www.tcpglobal.com/Automotive-...ouse-of-Kolor/
you can get 4 oz bottles to start with and learn. Good thing with 2 stage paints is that you can make corrections in the base coat, use thinner to remove over spray e.t.c only when everything is done do you go to clear coat.
Use USC01 clear coat system they sell a quart pack for around $100 which includes everything such as thinner, activator and the clear coat.
05-19-2015, 12:10 PM
#10
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hella nuts... I suppose its not too bad when you just have 1 color, all I know is that when you get into multiple color and start layer single stage spray can is hellish... Hard to fix overspray because it is 9/10 lacquer based which has to be sanded off and that ruins scale rivits e.t.c
but hey, if you can get it right the first time, lacquer works.
If it has to be spray then I would say get some basecoat spray paint:
http://www.automotivetouchup.com/spr...t_matched.aspx will be easy to fix errors before going to clear.
but hey, if you can get it right the first time, lacquer works.
If it has to be spray then I would say get some basecoat spray paint:
http://www.automotivetouchup.com/spr...t_matched.aspx will be easy to fix errors before going to clear.
05-19-2015, 04:28 PM
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05-19-2015, 08:54 PM
#19
One more think when you going to use glossy paint don't use clear cote just wait and polish the paint just like you will do clear cote use 1000 wet sanding and buffer with 3M polishing compound glaze usually the clear cote damadge the paint under down to primer and shrunk the paint .
05-19-2015, 11:10 PM
#20
My Feedback: (33)
Go to your local automotive paint supplier. You can get the upol primer in oversize cans, they can not only mix any color for you, they can put that color in a rattle can (so to speak). You can get a clear coat in a can that is compatible with upol primer and the custom paint (if you want a custom color). I think its fun to use the cans, not so messy! good luck and have fun!!
Last edited by teebox11; 05-19-2015 at 11:12 PM.
05-20-2015, 12:18 AM
#21
One tip I found on a forum somewhere is to let the rattle
cans sit for a while in hot water prior to spraying.
The warm paint is a little thinner & goes on easier with a better finish.
Yes, I do use a cheap airbrush as well (an old Badger siphon type)
but with the hassle of dragging out my compressor, mixing some paint
& the clean up at the end I just grab the can for small jobs.
John.
cans sit for a while in hot water prior to spraying.
The warm paint is a little thinner & goes on easier with a better finish.
Yes, I do use a cheap airbrush as well (an old Badger siphon type)
but with the hassle of dragging out my compressor, mixing some paint
& the clean up at the end I just grab the can for small jobs.
John.
05-20-2015, 04:05 AM
#22
My Feedback: (24)
I love to spray and do reasonable with cans, however prefer my airbrushed and paint guns.
An economy tip: Harbor Freight, of all places makes a GREAT little airbrush compressor, 93657. I was using it for something else and discovered it didn't pulsate like the other small ones. Don't know how long it'll last, but it's working great for now. I say this with the background that I have a full shop 6 hp 35 gallon compressor, drier-the whole setup for shooting automotive paints.
I, personally have nothing but iwata air brushes, because they are really the best. Iwata makes a cheaper line and they have a spray gun style of air brush that I recall was pretty inexpensive-like maybe under $150(?) and has a good sized pattern; tighter than rattle can and can go down to a fairly good sized line. I have not found air brushes any good for priming; that could be left up to the rattle can. But, for about under $200, you could really start painting right. You'd really enjoy it also. Nothing like working with good tools. That compressor won't run even a touch up air gun, but it'll run an airbrush properly. I noticed, somewhere there's a new line of inexpensive, but high quality looking airbrushes coming out of Asia. Don't know anything about them, but I know the iwata uses parts compatible with automotive solvents (viton or buna-n, I think) and I can readily get parts.
Don't forget to match your primer to your paints, chemically.
An economy tip: Harbor Freight, of all places makes a GREAT little airbrush compressor, 93657. I was using it for something else and discovered it didn't pulsate like the other small ones. Don't know how long it'll last, but it's working great for now. I say this with the background that I have a full shop 6 hp 35 gallon compressor, drier-the whole setup for shooting automotive paints.
I, personally have nothing but iwata air brushes, because they are really the best. Iwata makes a cheaper line and they have a spray gun style of air brush that I recall was pretty inexpensive-like maybe under $150(?) and has a good sized pattern; tighter than rattle can and can go down to a fairly good sized line. I have not found air brushes any good for priming; that could be left up to the rattle can. But, for about under $200, you could really start painting right. You'd really enjoy it also. Nothing like working with good tools. That compressor won't run even a touch up air gun, but it'll run an airbrush properly. I noticed, somewhere there's a new line of inexpensive, but high quality looking airbrushes coming out of Asia. Don't know anything about them, but I know the iwata uses parts compatible with automotive solvents (viton or buna-n, I think) and I can readily get parts.
Don't forget to match your primer to your paints, chemically.
I have no clue what I'm doing lol.
05-20-2015, 10:33 AM
#24
My Feedback: (167)
I have used spray cans to paint small portions of jets in the past but my most recent Skymaster 1/5 f86 was painted completely with spray cans. As you can see it is a multi color paint job and I thought it was much easier than using my expensive Anest-Iwata gun. You can also see that creating a fading effect is possible with a spray can. I would however recommend that you do use an automotive polyurethane with hardener for clear coating. As already mentioned, spray can paints are not fuel proof and neither are spray can clear coats. The F86 was clear coated with two part automotive flat clear polyurethane.
Flat finished paint jobs like this camo are easier than gloss paint jobs when using spray cans and much, much cheaper. If however you want a gloss paint job it is best to use automotive paints in my opinion. You will probably never come close to the results of automotive gloss clear with spray can clear. And, spray can clear will usually fade & yellow over time.
Flat finished paint jobs like this camo are easier than gloss paint jobs when using spray cans and much, much cheaper. If however you want a gloss paint job it is best to use automotive paints in my opinion. You will probably never come close to the results of automotive gloss clear with spray can clear. And, spray can clear will usually fade & yellow over time.
Last edited by Gary Jefferson; 05-21-2015 at 11:05 AM.
