brushape Posted September 20, 2015 Report Share Posted September 20, 2015 I am a beginner at everything but I have a question that I could not find the answer to even by searching. Do you need to heat set the Aztek paints? I have quite a few of them but I don't know the answer. Thanks in advance. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted September 20, 2015 Report Share Posted September 20, 2015 (edited) I would contact Testors, and ask them. I have never used Aztek paint myself, so I can only talk about the paints I use, which are Createx, Folk Art, Wildlife, and Apple Barrel. They are all water-based paints. The ones labeled T shirt paints, if used to paint fabric, need to be ironed after they dry, to heat them enough to get the to change molecularly and become waterproof. I think it's called cross linking. I use a hair dryer to dry each coat of my paint before I apply the next. In general, the water-based airbrush paints I use for painting my lures need to reach a higher setting than I can use without ruining my baits to do any molecular changing to become truly waterproof, so all I am really using my hair dryer for is to dry each coat more quickly and completely before adding another. That's important, because any moisture left in the previous coat will create problems for me when I try to heat dry the next coat, and can cause the paint to bubble when the lure is exposed to heat, like from the sun on the deck of a boat, or in a storage compartment. That will compromise the top coat, and then water can get under it and ruin the paint scheme and, potentially, the bait. I also use the Wicked Paints by Createx, but they have a solvent in them, and don't require heat setting to convert to waterproof, from what I understand. Edited September 20, 2015 by mark poulson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brushape Posted September 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2015 I took your advice and contacted Testors. I'll see what they have to say and post their answer here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipper2 Posted September 21, 2015 Report Share Posted September 21, 2015 brushape, How do you like that paint? I use it on my baits and it seems to work pretty well. The thing that I dislike is I have to be below 80 degrees or it will dry in the airbrush. Have you had this problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brushape Posted September 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2015 I have only used these paints so I don't really have anything to compare them to. They have the paints at Fleet Farm (not sure what would be comparable in Florida maybe like a large Tractor Supply Co,) so I get them there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joetheplumber Posted September 22, 2015 Report Share Posted September 22, 2015 Made the switch from Createx paints over to the Testors Aztek paints a while back and couldn't be happier. As far as your question about heat setting the paint, I do not heat set this paint unless I laydown a heavy pearl coat or base coat and I'm in a hurry, heat setting the paint is not a problem if you choose to do so. I haven't had any issues with these paints yet and it seems to play nice with using Etex for a clear coat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted September 23, 2015 Report Share Posted September 23, 2015 Joe, Does the paint cause more tip dry with your air brush than Createx? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brushape Posted September 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2015 Here is what Testors had to say. I guess you do not need to heat set these paints and its not recommended. Thank you for contacting Rust-Oleum Product Support. The Aztek Airbrushable Paints do not need to be heat set and are not recommended for that. The flash point is too low because they are acrylic hobby paints. If you are painting on cloth, we recommend turning inside out and washing in cold water only. If you have any additional questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted September 23, 2015 Report Share Posted September 23, 2015 I don't think they're talking about using a hair dryer to speed drying between coats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joetheplumber Posted September 25, 2015 Report Share Posted September 25, 2015 Joe, Does the paint cause more tip dry with your air brush than Createx? I only have tip dry issues when I'm spraying a heavy black for really dark details. Last night I thinned down some black with their gloss clear and it seemed to help that issue a lot. The pearls are really what sold me on using these paints, I can spray a pretty tight line with them and I could never do that when I was using createx paints. The bond with these paints to my primer coat is also much better in my opinion. I cut a lot of stencils from masking tape and I haven't had the paint lift a single time since I made the switch to Testors Aztek. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joetheplumber Posted September 25, 2015 Report Share Posted September 25, 2015 You can put heat on this paint to speed things up but it is not necessary, just spraying air as you go will do the trick. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...