Zero paints question - paint order

[ferrari2k]

Hi there,
I have received two paint bottles from Hiroboy, providing me with the color "Calypsorot", Code 252 of BMW (This one is for a BMW 850i from Revell).
Now, how do I apply these bottles? They are labeled with "PT1" and "PT2", but do I kind of mix them or spray after a certain time? Obviously, PT means part, so paint 1 should go down before paint 2, right? How much layers do I have to put down? Can I respray the second colour as much as I like or just some mist coats to make sure I con't obstruct the first layers? I don't know if that needs to be the case, I just remember someone having a Lamborghini paint and the first coat was the car's color, the second one a bit of a gloss coat with metallic sparkling embedded. That's why I am worried to do anything wrong .
As these are my first Zero paints to work with, any help is appreciated, no matter how dumb my questions seem

[Fangi0]

If it's anything like the 2 part Lamborghini colour I've used, you'll want to lay Part 1 down in thin coats until you get solid / even coverage.

Then when that has dried (this stuff flashes off pretty quickly so by the time you've cleaned your airbrush you'll probbly be ready) you want to do the same with Part 2...

It's all about consistent coverage. Don't try and lay too much paint down at once, go for a number of thin coats and build the colour up until it's consistent..

Also, there's no need to flood on a 'wet' coat to get it to level off - This is done with the clear coat...

Finally, this stuff is pretty hot - too much 'wet' paint in one place can lead to plastic crazing - Just take it slow and you should get excellent results.

[stevenoble]

What have you actually got in each bottle, the part 1 and part 2..?? Is one a paint, one a clear etc..?? BMW 252 Calypso Red is a metallic, so would usually be a red metallic base as part one for the colour and a clear coat over the top for part 2. Zero don't normally provide the clear as it's usually bought separately. If you could show a picture of the bottles it would help..?? The only ones that come as a two part system are either candy or pearl finishes..

[ferrari2k]

Hi, thanks for the answers so far.
No, it is not a kind of basecoat and then clear over that, I bought the clear separate.
The first bottle is kinda dark red, the second one a lighter red that looks metallic.
So I suppose I go with the first as a basecoat (after primer of course) and then the second one after that.

[stevenoble]

Ok, so from your description it sounds like a solid colour basecoat and maybe a coloured but translucent mid layer which contains the metallic flake elements, basically I would deem it a pearl type finish.
My advice would be to lay down a nice primer coat and allow a good 24hrs drying time followed by a flat off with 1200-1500 grit paper used wet. Apply enough of the Pt1 to achieve a good cover and nice colour depth, but no need to apply thick wet coats. Just build it up in nice even coats. All you are looking for is a good, solid coat of colour. Allow 20mins to 1 hour drying time, remember these are auto acrylics so they flash off incredibly quickly. Then you can apply Pt2. Now if this is actually coloured, in that it has some pigment to it and is not just metallic particles suspended in clear, then remember the more coats you spray the darker the overall colour will become. I would do 3-4 light coats, again building it up slowly and smoothly. Again no need to apply heavy wet coats. I would then personally leave it overnight before you apply a clear coat over the whole thing. If you go too soon with the clear you can run the risk of having the metallic flakes 'lift' from the surface and 'pool' up making the finish look patchy. That's because the clear softens them causing them to lift. Anyway hope this helps and let us know how you get on..

[ferrari2k]

That sounds very encouraging, hopefully I can get it to work as easy as you make it sound
Thanks a lot for your help, I think I will spray the primer soon.
Just two questions remain: There was a special airbrush cleaner, which Hiroboy had not available at my time of order. Do I have to use that to clean my airbrush? With Revell colors I can also use thinner, can I do the same with Zero paints as well?
And: at which pressure should I spray? I think I have quite a high pressure, because I recently sprayed some Revell airbrush color and instead of it looking shiny it was really dull, like not an even coat of paint but many many tiny droplets around. Perhaps too much pressure (about 2.5 bar)?
Any tips help, I wanna make this one perfect

[stevenoble]

Originally Posted by ferrari2k

That sounds very encouraging, hopefully I can get it to work as easy as you make it sound
Thanks a lot for your help, I think I will spray the primer soon.
Just two questions remain: There was a special airbrush cleaner, which Hiroboy had not available at my time of order. Do I have to use that to clean my airbrush? With Revell colors I can also use thinner, can I do the same with Zero paints as well?
And: at which pressure should I spray? I think I have quite a high pressure, because I recently sprayed some Revell airbrush color and instead of it looking shiny it was really dull, like not an even coat of paint but many many tiny droplets around. Perhaps too much pressure (about 2.5 bar)?
Any tips help, I wanna make this one perfect

You can use the same thinner that you use to thin the Zero paints with as a cleaner for the airbrush, but it can get expensive so I use that only for thinning the paints. Just get a regular cheap cellulose/lacquer thinner or gun wash as it's sometimes known at autopaint suppliers. It's basically the cheapest thinner they do and it's great for flushing out the airbrush after using Zero paints. The droplets you mention with the Revell paint sounds like the paint was either too thin, the pressure was too high, or you held the airbrush too close/sprayed too much paint in one pass. Try about 1.5bar (20psi) and go up from there maybe to 2.0bar (30psi) It depends on your airbrush too as some need more or less pressure for the best results, so experiment a little till you find the right pressure for your airbrush. I think you'll find the Zero paints will spray leagues ahead of the Revell stuff, you shouldn't have any problems with it.

[John18d]

Excellent posts by both Fangi0 and Steve Noble regarding application of Zero paints - John