Walmart Red Primer

[SkipGear]

I release all the propellent from the can, open the bottom of the can and drain out the paint into a jar, then use my $5 Harbour Frieght "knock-off" of the bargain Badger air-brush.

Maybe I missed something, but wouldn't it be easier just to buy the paint in a jar?

I'll have to back up Walkercolt on that one. For my RC car painting, I have been doing the same thing for years. A can of Pactra RC laquer is now $5.50, the bottles are $4. If I "pop" a can, I can get the equivilant of 3 3/4 bottles of paint out of it. Plus the paint is already airbrush ready and doesn't need any thinning. I have also found the pigment is a little stronger than what comes in the bottles.

The only drawback to the opperation is that you need to age the paint a couple hours with a loose lid to let the trapped propellent escape from the paint. If you don't, everytime you shake the bottle the paint foams up and often swells, escaping the lid or vent hole on the airbrush.

[DKS]

For my RC car painting, I have been doing the same thing for years. A can of Pactra RC laquer is now $5.50, the bottles are $4. If I "pop" a can, I can get the equivilant of 3 3/4 bottles of paint out of it. Plus the paint is already airbrush ready and doesn't need any thinning.

Yes, but as you say, the paint from the can is already thinned. What's the equivalent amount of paint you'd get if you thinned the paint in a bottle? It sounds pretty much like a wash to me.

[SkipGear]

David,
 It's nowhere near close. Most colors I might thin maybe 25%, some upwards of 50%, so 2 bottles of paint, might make the equivilent of 3 by the time I am done if I really stretch it. Many colors, especially transparent and candy colors (I know..not train colors) are shot straight out of the bottle without thinning. For some reason, the pigment in the aerosol cans is stronger also. It takes less paint from the aerosol cans for coverage even though the paint is thinner.

This is the kind of stuff I learned how to airbrush on.



Everything on the body is paint, there are no decals. Oval guys are weird like that, they say stickers are aerodynamic drag.

OK, back to trains.

[AlkemScaleModels]

David,
 It's nowhere near close. Most colors I might thin maybe 25%, some upwards of 50%, so 2 bottles of paint, might make the equivilent of 3 by the time I am done if I really stretch it. Many colors, especially transparent and candy colors (I know..not train colors) are shot straight out of the bottle without thinning. For some reason, the pigment in the aerosol cans is stronger also. It takes less paint from the aerosol cans for coverage even though the paint is thinner.

This is the kind of stuff I learned how to airbrush on.



Everything on the body is paint, there are no decals. Oval guys are weird like that, they say stickers are aerodynamic drag.

OK, back to trains.

 Thanks for posting.  I always enjoy seeing techniques that other modeling hobbyist use. That is a great paint job. Was it a clear shell painted on the inside?

[SkipGear]

Thanks for posting.  I always enjoy seeing techniques that other modeling hobbyist use. That is a great paint job. Was it a clear shell painted on the inside?

Yes, the bodies are clear lexan. The paint is on the inside so they take abuse on the race track. The lexan becomes your gloss coat. It takes a different way of thinking painting these because you tape everything in the opposite order you are going to paint it. You then paint a color, starting with the darkest when possible, peal a layer, paint another color, peal the next layer of tape, etc. till you paint final lightest color.

I have to, at least to me, think backwards when painting loco's and rolling stock now.

[Walkercolt]

I just don't like dealing with "rattle cans". The pressure drops as you use them, the spray pattern varies with pressure, each can I have to "learn how to use". 90% is caused from going from Freon propellant to butane propellant. I rapidly got tired of it and started "robbing" spray cans that wouldn't spray for various and sundry reasons. I REALLY wish "household" products like deoderant, furniture polish, dusting sprays, cleaning products came so I could "airbrush" them and save money, packaging and waste. Hey, they've airbrushed make-up on models/actresses for over 50 years, now they're selling "clones" of the new Badger "Cresendo" with a compressor to women on the late-night info-mercials...