whats the best wayto paint without an airbrush?

[mentel]

i dont got an airbrush nor can i afford one...............all i can do is spray can it............which paint/brand is most effective?...........i did my silver ITR with testors chrome paint, BUT when i put clearcoat on it thinned thesilver and then made it an ugly mess..............help would be appreciated

[daggerlee]

Uhm, automotive lacquers would be the most efficient, as they 1.) are cheap 2.) dry quickly 3.) have a wide range of colors. However, they only cover gloss colors and flat black. Make sure to invest in a double cartridge respirator for your own protection.

Generally to prevent what happened to your model fro mhappening again you should remember this: LEA, Lacquers Enamels Acrylics, which means Acrylics can only be painted over Enamels and Laquers, Enamels only over LAcquers, and Lacquers can't be painted onto anything else.

[primera man]

I posted this somewhere before so its just a copy i keeped in case anyone asked again
Go for the Tamiya cans as i find there air/paint mix is perfect for me.

Make sure you sand the car well...removing molding lines etc. Finish off with 1200 grit paper.
Before painting, heat the can up in hot water for 10 minutes so it flows better from the can.
2 Coats of white primer. First coat very light, the second so that it covers the model. Dont be to fussy if it still looks a bit "see-though"
Leave for a week to harden the primmer.

3-4 Coats of finish coat about 5-10 minutes apart....thats it...nice a simple.(keep the can warm)
The first coat is a very light mist coat...the paint should only just be landing on the car.
Do the same for the second coat
The third coat you can spray a bit more heavy.
The last coat is the one you want to get perfect.
I always spray the front and rear bumpers first...then both sides along the whole length of the car body working from bottom to top.
Then the last bit i do is the bonnet/boot and roof last

Dont bother sanding between coats as i dont really see the point...all you are doing is making more dust and removing half the paint you have just stick on.
After you have finished the last coat...leave for 10-12 days.......rub with some compound then finish with a wax.
After one day....leave the car in the sun or a warm place to harded the paint untill you polish it up.

[Vric]

When I pay 8$ / Tamiya Spray can (canada) I deceided to buy an Airbrush (50$Can) and I made a system of compressor that cost me about 20$

Buy Sure Tamiya paint is the best if you didn't want an airbrush.. TestorSpray are great too... I have no luck wuit automotive paint

Also got problem with Silver and Clear... Dont put Clear on metalic Paint..

[rcmaxx]

I agree, dont bother with the testor or the automotive spray cans. Go with the tamiya, they are expensive, but when you see that paint job you will think its more than worth the money.

[hirofkd]

I had a good result with a combination of Dupli-Color automotive primer (white or gray), D-C automotive spray paint and Testor Gloss Coat lacquer clear.

DC color will melt bare plastic, so priming is mandatory. D-S spray particle is very fine, so you can achieve a good finish. It dries fast, reducing the overall working time, too.

Testor Gloss Coat is tricky, but if you apply it gently for the first few coats, you can achieve a realistic sheen.

[TheSyndicate]

Wal mart brand all purpose spray paint works well for me, and 98 cents a can.

[Sob]

I've had sweet results (if I can say so...:bandit: ) with the Dupli-cote (or whatever it's called) primer and Testors spray outta the can. But then I did do a lot, 4 primer coats, 3 paint with wet sanding 2000 grit inbetween each one. So beautiful, I don't even need a gloss coat.