Enamel Paints?

Are enamel paints ok to use on a car model? Also, would they be compatible with my Iwata CR airbrush? I searched and found nothing.



Thanks!

Virtually any paint will be compatible with an airbrush. It's just a matter of discovering the right combination of paint, thinner, air pressure, and nozzle size.

When you say "enamel" are you referring to oil based paints such as from the standard Testors paint or ModelMaster line? While almost any kind of paint can be shot through and airbrush the model plastic itself may need some type of protection, such as a primer and/or sealer. Oil based and water based paints should be fine for plastic, but protection will be required if you are using "hot" solvent based paints such as lacquers.

Virtually any paint will be compatible with an airbrush. It's just a matter of discovering the right combination of paint, thinner, air pressure, and nozzle size.

When you say "enamel" are you referring to oil based paints such as from the standard Testors paint or ModelMaster line? While almost any kind of paint can be shot through and airbrush the model plastic itself may need some type of protection, such as a primer and/or sealer. Oil based and water based paints should be fine for plastic, but protection will be required if you are using "hot" solvent based paints such as lacquers.


I would be using your run of the mill Testors Enamel that you can get at your local craft store. It is really all that I can get my hands on right now.

I wouldn't recommend it unless you are also using testors enamel clear over your color paint as well. To me the enamel stuff is just too soft and will get dinged too easily. Thats not to say you can't lay a good paint job on it though. If you have a dehydrator then i'd say go for it. Its harder to correct flaws in paint like dust with enamel imo but if you have a paint booth than you should get a pretty good shine. But go for lacquers if you can.

Enamels are probably the easiest paints for a beginner to shoot; when they're thinned out properly they flow very nice.

The problems with enamels are their very long curing time; they can take forever to dry, and Testors enamels dry rather soft. They do buff out beautifully, but too much handling will make them feel sticky to the touch.

Two things about enamels to make life much easier; one is that you can thin them with most lacquer thinners. This will be much cheaper in the long run than Testors enamel thinner, and this also allows the paint to dry a little faster with little or no affect on the finish. Second, if you can get a food dehydrator (one that goes no higher than 110 deg. F. ) it will help cure the paint much, much faster. It will allow you to wetsand and buff out enamels after overnight, not weeks. It also works well for other paints, warming paint cans, drying primer and putty, etc.

Lacquers dry much faster and dry harder. Learn with enamels and move up to lacquers is a good way to start out. Acrylic flats are excellent for detailing. All paints, if thinned properly, are fine w/the airbrush. Keep it clean and it will work for years with little or no trouble.

Everyone here makes excellent points about the enamels.

I would like to add that while the enamel gloss does take a long time to dry I have had great success with the enamel flats. These dry quickly and look very good.

Thin them about 1 part paint to 1 part thinner and spray at around 20 to 30 psi. However, this only a starting point and you should adjust your ratio and pressure until you come up with a solution that works for you -- and write it all down lest you forget.

For my cars I use lacquers for the body, enamel gloss for the engines (if required), and flats for everything else. When I want a leathery sheen I usually spray a light coat of testors gloss over a flat base color.

Using the airbrush opens your building to an almost unlimited possibility of colors and techniques. Experiment with the enamels and you will eventually decide for yourself if you should switch to another paint system. Good luck.

I can think of no good reason to begin with enamels and then "graduate" to lacquers, when lacquers are easier to use and do a great job.

Most local hobby shops carry spray-can synthetic lacquers like Tamiya TS-Series and Model Master Lacquer System. They are more "user friendly" from the get-go and they will polish up beautifully - that's why they were developed! With these paints, there's no need for a dehydrator or special measures to prevent dust problems. The syn lacquers don't attract dust; they dry before it can settle and they cure in a matter of hours rather than weeks. They are easily as durable as enamels, and much tougher than acrylics.

Enamels are best for very small chassis and interior parts that require a bright, glossy finish. They are perfect for shift knobs, for example.

But for bodies, nothing short of automotive urethane beats synthetic lacquer.

Ddms

Enamel is probably harder to "learn on" than lacquers. There are just too many problems inherent with them to make them attractive to me.

I like the Tamiya sprays, I also use a lot of Duplicolor and HOK paints. Just make sure that you use an automotive grade primer with the Duplicolor and HOK lines. I use Duplicolor almost exclusively. I like the Tamiya primer, it lays down very nicely.

Bob