A follow up question:
Do airbrushes only operate with acryclics? Seems to me that they'd work on
alkyd (oil) based paints also (like the Humbrols) if they were thinned a bit
with (surprisingly) Paint Thinner. You'd have to clean them up with thinner,
but unless there is some part of the mechanism subject to damage from oil
based paints or thinners, then they should work too... shouldn't they?
<Ignorant as I am, I have no idea.....>
Unrelated question:
I have found brake fluid reasonably good for stripping most paint off of
pewter figures (a big thanks to the list for the suggestion) and not too toxic
to work with. However, I'm wondering if it will work on resin, if it will
damage the resin, and if it doesn't work or will damage resin, what works well
for stripping a resin model of paint?
Thanks again. It's nice to have such a wide variety of advice.;)
> A follow up question:
Yes you can use oil based paints in a good airbrush. We all were speaking
about acrylics, because that is what the original poster talked about. I also
tend to use acrylics because airbrush clean up is messy as it is without
worrying about thinner that is toxic.
> Do airbrushes only operate with acryclics? Seems to me that they'd
An airbrush should work fine with these mediums. Though I seem to recall that
these can be rough on the internal rubber o-rings, causing them to
break-down
far sooner than normal.
> I have found brake fluid reasonably good for stripping
This subject has been talked to death in the past. Let's see if we can nip it
in the bud before it gets out of hand. Just about anything corrosive will
strip paint from a model, especially if it hasn't been sealed. Steps to take:
1 - fill a container with your solvent (mason jars are good, and provide
a evaporation free environment).
2 - submerge model in solvent, let soak at least 24 hours, a few days is
good.
3 - remove model and scrub with old toothbrush, it's a good idea to
rubber gloves so your hands don't get eaten up by the solvent.
4 - repeat above if paint still adheres to model.
5 - rinse model with warm soapy water to remove any solvent which might
remain, your model is now ready to prime.
Note - All original color may not be removed (depending on solvent and
length of
saturation) but should be sufficient to be re-primed.
Solvents:
Paint Thinner - Works pretty good, evaporates quickly so make sure your
container is air tight. Not safe for plastics.
Brake Fluid - Works well, safe on plastic models should be ok for resin
too. I've found it difficult to clean from the model (leaves oily film).
Pine Sol (pine oil?) - Best I've found, non-toxic and eco-friendly.
Safe for plastics and resins. Caution, contact with skin will cause extreme
drying a hour or so latter, wear gloves
409 - I've heard of people using this, but haven't tried it myself.
Ought to work fine, should be safe for plastics and resin.
There I think that's got it, but maybe not.
> 409 - I've heard of people using this, but haven't tried it
"Plastics" is a pretty broad field. I sold industrial plastics until 4 weeks
ago, and IIRC we had 810 categories.
Anything clear (acrylic, polycarbonate) is quite sensitive. Styrene is fairly
sensitive. Polyethylene is pretty much resistant to anything (and doesn't take
paint well to begin with). "Resin" is probably polyester or polyether
urethane, possibly with fiberglass filler to stiffen it a
bit--unfortunately urethane applications usually didn't involve
aggressive chemicals so I don't remember exactly what they could
stand. Also, "resin" could be anything--if it's plastic, it's
made from resin.
So best bet before you dip your model is test the solvent first. Perhaps with
a bit of the sprue or unused bit.
"Laserlight" <laserlight@quixnet.net> on 04/05/2000 04:43:03 PM
On Wednesday, April 05, 2000 11:27 PM, Thomas.Barclay
> [SMTP:Thomas.Barclay@sofkin.ca] wrote:
I disagree with Scott, Good (expensive) air brushes hate enamels as they clog
too easily as they have very fine needles, you need a brush designed to use
them like the Humbrol.
I always use air brush liquid sprey 'reamer' to clean the air brush, it gets
rid of *anything* (enamel, acrylic, ink) get it where you buy frisket film.
Its one spray of reamer or about 20 mls of normal thinner, no contest.
Air brushes are designed to take normal solvent abuse, except things like
methylene chloride.
__