Tamiya x-11 chrome silver

[shonin]

I'm working on a peugeot wrc 203 2002 and its my first car model

According to my local hobby store, tamiya TS-17 gloss aluminium (suggested colour by tamiya manual) is the spray version of x-11 chrome silver. They didnt have Ts-17 so i settled on x-11.

After 3-4 coats of tamiya grey primer and a week to settle, I airbrushed on 4-5 coats of x-11. The first 3 coats being mist coats, while the last 2 were heavier coats. The result of it is the following picture.



The paint feels smooth but the texture is very grainy and looks rather flat. I've thin it out using methylated spirits 1-1 and airbrushed at 15-20 to psi. Is this how its supposed to look or should i strip this and find a TS-17?

Thanks
Shonin

[Finlir]

Can't really tell by the pictures but the paint looks ok. You need to clearcoat it to get a glossy finnish. Use Tamiyas acrylic gloss clear, can't remember the number right now, x-something. Just remember to thin it well or you will get orange peel.

The x-11 is actually a bit brighter than TS-17 so its not a perfect match.


Kris

[Tibi Keke]

The Tamiya clear is called X - 22 and is sold in the same size bottle like X 11.
I think that is not the solution of your problem. But anyway, the clear is relatively cheap, so try'it and if is not OK for you, you could stripp the paint very easy and paint with something else.

[Martbee]

X-22 Clear will get rid of the flat apearance. But it will remain more grainy looking (metal flakes are bigger) than the TS... Once the X-22 on, it will be a little darker too.
Here a ref pics of mine to show you the difference between the 2 colors... the grainy one (right) is the X-11:


By the way... the Speedster's got no clear... when I shoot it, I looked at it and loved it as it was so I finished it like that ! No rubbing, no buffing and no polishing. It's a little flat but like I said, that give her that special effect.

To use the X-22 is very easy... I don't even thin it ! Just put it in the airbrush and have enough pressure to have a nice mist and it'll be enough. 2 or 3 coats will be enough. The trick is... "let it dry" because it not a very hard paint. So be extra carefull and weeks before manipulation. "You must resist, you must use the force Luke ! Patience !"
Easily polished, it can be top class finished (once it's cured or you'll have fingerprints on it). I find it VERY "Temperature related"... meaning that the result will vary on what day you'll shoot, temp, humidity, pressure, everything will matter. So give it a try. Maybe you are in the right area.

Ps: X's are a lot less harmful that TS in my opinion. To be verified though.

[shonin]

Thanks for the heads up Martbee, looks like Ts-17 and x-11 aint a very good match after all.

I was going to try clear coating it, but Tibi Keke said, I dont think its the solution to my problem. Oh wells might as well give it a try.

Thanks
Shonin

PS: Martbee, What did you thin your x-11 with?

[MPWR]

The very best thing to thin Tamiya acrylics with is Tamiya's acrylic thinner (X20, I think). This is also the best thing to thin their acrylic clearcoat with. Tamiya acrylics behave much better when thinned with the proper agent (like all paints). It may also help a bit with both the graininess and lack of gloss (but only a bit).

X11 does have a somewhat large sized metal flake. If you airbrush it in thin, light coats at low air pressure, it can help the flakes to lay down flat a bit better. It will still look like a grainy metallic finish, but this can help.

[Martbee]

The thinner is X20A (A for acrylics) and sold in a "good size" bottle or the same size than the mini-acrylics. I prefer the good size, which is about what... 8 times the minis I think maybe ?! Well, if your're going to use tamiya X paint, you can get the big one. If this is your only car with Xs paint, the "mini" sized bottle will be plenty !

BUT... as I said before, I (personnaly) don't even bother to thin it ! A good flowing airbrush and a good pressure will do the job. It's almost "milk like" when in the bottle so...

Oh, and when I say grainy... I don't mean that there's no shine... just that the metal flakes are bigger, more grain like.

Because that babe do shine :

[xpeed]

I don't think the X-11 is the same as Gloss Aluminum because I've tried patching up some mishaps after I sprayed TS-17. As stated before, it's a bit lighter than the TS-17.

[phase5]

When using metho as a thinner it actually dries the paint to quickly.So using the x20a thinner the paint will level out better and give a nicer finish too

[david.bull@livings]

Try TS-30 Silver Leaf - I think personally the flakes are way out of scale in Chrome Silver

[Some_Kid]

Originally Posted by david.bull@livings

Try TS-30 Silver Leaf - I think personally the flakes are way out of scale in Chrome Silver

Im gonna have to disagree with you there. In my opinion silver leaf leaves more of a plate finish than a silver. TS-17 airbrushed will probably look pretty nice its very tricky to work with out of the can. If your going to go with a x paint, maybe try tamiya aluminum acrylic i forgot what x that is.

[Martbee]

Originally Posted by Some_Kid

Im gonna have to disagree with you there. In my opinion silver leaf leaves more of a plate finish than a silver. TS-17 airbrushed will probably look pretty nice its very tricky to work with out of the can. If your going to go with a x paint, maybe try tamiya aluminum acrylic i forgot what x that is.

Aluminium acrylic ? You mean Flat Aluminium XF16 ?
Well, you won't have much difference with the X11 my good friend... except you'll need twice the clear to conter the flat !! Both are quite the same paint except for the reflection. I never notice any real big difference between those two... be it flakes or color ! Or so subtle you'll struggle to find out !
Ok... maybe the XF is a little lighter... maybe !

The only way to have very fine grain in the X line is to take only the top layer of the paint... the big flakes goes on the bottom because of their weight.

Ps... you want pale (lighter) color ? Put some white in it, it'll do the trick.