help with automotive paints

plz help

3 things
What thinners do you use with automotive paints (are tamiya thinners fine?)
Can you use tamiya surface primer if painting with automotive paints?
And I was wondering if metalic and pearl coloured automotive paints are fine to use in airbrushes (heard you couldnt use metalic colours because the particals were to big).

Thanx

I use lacquer thiners, Tamiya thiners is for acrylic paints and won't work. Lacquer thinners is cheaper and can you buy a 1 litre at a time - you use quite a lot to clean your airbrush afterwards.

Have sprayed many different colours of metalics and had no problem just thin the paint correctly.
I use 2K so I add hardener to the mix too which also helps to thin the paint.
Never used a perlescent.

It is best to use a automotive undercoat as it helps to protect the plastic from "melting" - the one I use is grey - drys very quickly and is very smooth once lightly sanded.

Once you start using automotive paints you won't want to go back to acrylic.

All I use are auto lacquers. If you're airbrushing instead of using can sprays, you can thin most paints with lacquer thinner, OK brands available at your local hardware superstore, or, the better brands are available for a little more money at auto paint stores. You shouldn't any trouble shooting automotive metallics through your airbrush when thinned adequately.

Always use a good primer/sealer under the lacquer and apply the color coats on in thin layers. Heavy coats will soak through the primer and attack the plastic below (learned through experience).

If you have a local auto paint dealer that sells House of Kolor paints, ask to see their catalog. The colors you can create using different base-coat/color-coat combinations are incredible. Some dealer will sell you HoK paint in aerosol cans. In the US, you can order modeler size jars, and spray cans, of HoK paint through Black Gold in Texas (good people to deal with).

Another suggestion, always clear-coat metallic (I clear over all my paint jobs as I have a heavy hand when polishing paint) so you don't disturb the metallic particles in the paint when you polish.

plz help

3 things
What thinners do you use with automotive paints (are tamiya thinners fine?)
Can you use tamiya surface primer if painting with automotive paints?
And I was wondering if metalic and pearl coloured automotive paints are fine to use in airbrushes (heard you couldnt use metalic colours because the particals were to big).

Thanx

Laquer thinner is used for thinning automotive paints. Use an automotive primer like Duplicolor when prepping for auto paints. I use Dyno-something (can't remember the name) gray automotive primer. I've never experienced problems spraying auto paint metallics or pearls through my airbrush. I only use House of Kolor auto paints, so other brands I can't say with absolute certainty this isn't an issue.

hmm.... what you guys have said is interesting..... but how could automotive (lacquer) paint melt the plastic if its the same paint as tamiya colour (tamiya colour is lacquer)

hmm.... what you guys have said is interesting..... but how could automotive (lacquer) paint melt the plastic if its the same paint as tamiya colour (tamiya colour is lacquer)

Tamiya lacquers are synthetic lacquers specially designed for painting plastic. Automotive paints are, for lack of a better term, real lacquers, obviously designed for real cars, metal. There is a chemical difference between the two. I'm sure someone can provide a more technical explanation.

Apoligies for the TJ
But I have a can of automotive paint that says it is "Cellulose" is this different to normal automotive paint?
Can it be used in the same way?
I have checked the FAQ's but it is not mentioned

Anyone?

Cellulose lacquer? Didn't know anyone was still making that....or was it nitrocellulose? Should be just fine either way. Properly prepped, nearly any paint will work over plastic.

Tamiya lacquers have a milder solvent in them, thus they don't attack plastic the same.

On another note, not all automotive paints are lacquer....there are urethanes, polyurethanes and enamels as well. And that doesn't even include epoxy or waterborne finishes - yes, they are using water based paint on cars. Lacquer hasn't been used by US car manufacturers for quite some time.

Follow the paint manufacturers guidelines and you should have no problems at all.

For the touch up paints from the parts store or dealer, el-cheapo lacquer thinner usually works okay. My personal favorite thinner is Pactra RC75 from their Racing Colors line.

HTH,

Tim D.

Thanks for the help, I wanted to know because it is a large aersol of white paint, and I have bought a few kits that are white and did not want to buy paint if I already have some.
I will try one and have the brake fluid at the ready :smile: