Well, here we go with another paint technique

For the last 15 years I’ve heard of many different ways for painting a plastic model body, that is why I think there are as many techniques as model makers. I have received lots of messages asking me to explain mine, which works ok for me but It could not be useful for other people.

Ten years ago we didn’t dream with internet, even more in my country, the materials offer was less than nowadays and there weren’t ( materials ) out of  the countries they were manufactured. For example I tell you, I couldn’t get 2200 sandpaper not even 10000.

Obtaining a finishing without dirt, orange peel and with deep shine, was a dream, an utopia.

For that time I used Testor canned paint, the finishing showed orange peel and hadn’t shine most of the times. 

I had read about canned paint techniques, but they worked only for small bodies.

There wasn’t other chance that sanding the paint softly, until achieving a matt surface without faults and then give the finishing with a polish compound.

Today this paint method  is used with best results by most of car modelers. 

I admit that with big scales ( 1/12, 1/8 ) It didn’t work well for me. 

To get a deep shine you must varnish , then sand and polish it (with the risk of  arriving the paint).

If it is not an even surface, it’s impossible to get a finish smooth.. Besides many F1 have their bodies distributed  in different parts, which make the process more difficult.

Ten years ago I began painting with Tamiya’s enamel, and I was astonished by its properties

Warming the paint

After painting a metal part, I warm it in an oven, this temperature increase makes the paint become soft and pressed; disappearing in this way the orange peel, even which is not evident, so an incredible shine is achieved.

This is the reason why most of the modelers warm with a hair dryer the parts recently painted.

The orange peel, the enemy

Remember that orange peel is the accumulation of small paint particles, which don’t get to form an even surface.

There are many factors that influence in the orange peel formation: the paint dilution, the room temperature, the airbrush used, but in general the key factor is the dried time.

As the paint dries faster the possibility of orange peel apparition increases, if we delay the dry time with a paint retarded, it’s possible that a flow appears and ruins all the work

Turning again to the hair dryer use, this practice negative point is that all dirt in the air, pastes.

Then as we can’t warm the plastic parts we have to find a way which allows us a cold ironing of the paint layer.

I insist with the excellent properties of Tamiya’s enamel, it dries quickly but goes on working during days, achieving in this way the ironing effect.

This is not enough to get a flawless finishing and a deep shine.  

So, after many proofs, I developed the following method

1) You must paint, if possible, in a place free of dust and fluff. Usually a well ventilated place is the best.

 I spray water over all the area where I work, and in the painting box  too, besides I try not to dress wool clothes.

Plastic parts must be washed with soapy water, and must be left dry without getting touch with clothes and other fabrics. This usually reaches to avoid static charging and should be always done  independently from the painting technique used.

2) Mix Tamiya’s paint, from a new bottle, with lacquer auto reducer (lacquer thinner) at 50 % for a 25 °C room temperature approximately. (at least two hours before painting).

If room temperature is greater or least than 25°C, we must increase or decrease paint dilution.

3) I use a Badger 200 airbrush with big head ( for big scales), it must be very clean, with a new or very well washed bottle.

If room temperature is lees than 20°C we paint with 20 lbs pressure, if it is greater than 25°C  we can decrease to 15 lbs.

The goal is to paint once and for all the body part, covering it well with several thin layers and a thick last one, without flows or orange peel,  practicing with the variables is possible to achieve the above mentioned.

The secret is in the last layer, it must be heavy and if we choose well the pressure and dilution the paint will not run.

I clarify that all this work must be done at the same time and during no more than 5 minutes.

4) After making the above we allow the body part rest in a place free of dirt for 10 or 15 minutes, meanwhile, we paint other body parts or prepare the Tamiya varnish, which must be very diluted with lacquer thinner, as rule we can say that it should be diluted more than the painting, for the same moment.

5) After 15 minutes we apply the varnish in several thick layers. 

I use a double action Badger 150 airbrush to achieve more control, without interrupting the paint flow.

Every time  we paint with airbrush, it is necessary to begin outside the part area and also finish out, to avoid the abrupt changes of paint flow.

Conclusion

The object of all this is to allow that the lacquers thinner loosen the paint layers so they are ironed while they dry off. As the lacquer thinner dries very fast, it allows us giving many paint layers one after another without running.  

As final result, if everything was fine, we achieve an intense shine surface with deep tonality because of the varnish layer.

If during the painting any dirt would have pasted, it is possible to sand with fine 1500 sandpaper and to give a very thin and diluted varnish layer, but reduced with Tamiya thinner X20, because once the enamel dries, is not advisable to paint with lacquers thinner.

If we have to stick decals and we want to varnish them, we do it again with varnish diluted with Tamiya X20.

If we have to paint in two colours, first we apply the clearest, which allows drying off for several days. Then we mask, apply the second colour, and 20 minutes later we take out the masked one. Finally we give a very thin varnish layer to seal the painting that is already dried and after a while we apply the thick varnish layer.

For last detail, once the paint dries and the decals place, we apply Tamiya wax or another to enhance the shine.