airbrushing enamel paint

[RayburnGuy]

Hey guys,

 

I'm trying to match a paint scheme using enamel paint to get the colors right. Tried using the search function, but didn't come up with anything. (probably using the wrong words or phrases) Do any of you spray enamel paints and if so could you give me some pointers?

Some questions I have are can it be dried/cured with a heat gun like water based paints? Does it require it's own thinner or can something like acetone or mineral spirits be used to thin it? Does it need to be left hanging for a given period of time to allow it to off gas solvents before top coating? Will Dick Nite moisture cure work for a top coat or will it react with the enamel paint? The Testors paint I found only comes in 1/4 oz. bottles. Does anyone sell it in something like a 2 oz. size? What is a suitable solvent to clean the airbrush with after painting?

 

thanks,

Ben

[stretcher66]

a good place to maybe find info on that type of paint would be some RC car forums. most of those guys i believe use enamal paints for their  RC car bodies.

[woodieb8]

hi thin enamels with just paint thinner. dry times can vary.some enamels fast dry 1 hour others up to 24 hours..as for dn clear check on a painted test piece. you CANNOT use lacquer base over enamel..but you can use enamel over cured lacquer base.

[RayburnGuy]

Thanks Stretcher and Woodie. I appreciate the information.

Spraying enamel is a first for me, but to try and match a bait I figured it would be easier to use the same paint as the original painter used.

Woodie, do you know if water based paints can be sprayed over enamel?

thanks again guys,

Ben

[mark poulson]

1 hour ago, RayburnGuy said:

Thanks Stretcher and Woodie. I appreciate the information.

Spraying enamel is a first for me, but to try and match a bait I figured it would be easier to use the same paint as the original painter used.

Woodie, do you know if water based paints can be sprayed over enamel?

thanks again guys,

Ben

 

As long as there is no solvent, other than water, they can be sprayed over enamel.  Wicked paints have solvent, so do a test first if you want to use them.

I know nothing about DN.   

[RayburnGuy]

Thanks Mark.

[woodieb8]

no problem water base over enamels. remember srying times. they can differ,especially in different climates. were in dead of winter here,cold and damp.

[mark poulson]

34 minutes ago, woodieb8 said:

no problem water base over enamels. remember srying times. they can differ,especially in different climates. were in dead of winter here,cold and damp.

 Does two weeks now of lows in the high 20's and low 30's, and highs around 50, count as winter?  My youngest kid went to school in Ontario, Canada, for a year, and she says, "If it's not an negative number (Celsius) it's not cold".  Of course, she is using a parabolic heater now.  Just don't tell anyone.  Hahaha

[RayburnGuy]

Thanks Woodie. It's been warm and humid down here for several days now, but that can change fairly quickly. The warm part anyway.

Got a few colors of the enamel paints in and tried spraying a couple baits with them. One thing I've noticed about the enamel is that you can thin it way beyond what water based paints are capable of and it goes on incredibly smooth. Only thing that bothers me is the length of time it takes to dry/cure. Have read where it can take a day or more to fully off gas. That's got me thinking about giving lacquers a try. Found some plans for a DIY portable spray booth to deal with the nasty stuff in lacquers and enamels. May end up doing a complete overhaul to my painting regimen.

Thanks again for all the information everyone.

Ben

 

[woodieb8]

mark were in Ontario.windsor across from Detroit mi. were celcius but I am still fareinheit,old school. ben if you use lacquers have ventilation..in our paint room that's 10by 10 we use a furnce blower with the squirrel cage system. it opens a man door 24 feet away.from suction.

[RayburnGuy]

Woodie I've got a squirrel cage blower although not sure about the CFM it moves. Pretty sure it will move more than enough air, but have sourced a couple others in case it's not adequate.

Planning on building something that will fit on top of my workbench that can be set aside when not in use. Also plan on using something along the lines of a dryer vent that will allow the nasty stuff to be vented outside through a filter.

So many plans. So little time.

Ben

[mark poulson]

If you're venting it to the outside, you probably don't need a filter that would slow down the air flow.

[RayburnGuy]

2 hours ago, mark poulson said:

If you're venting it to the outside, you probably don't need a filter that would slow down the air flow.

 

If I go that route Mark I'll either be venting it through an open window or through a dryer vent cut into the wall. Either way I wouldn't want the side of the house looking like a Mardi Gras parade float from the paint being exhausted.

[metal]

9 hours ago, RayburnGuy said:

Thanks Woodie. It's been warm and humid down here for several days now, but that can change fairly quickly. The warm part anyway.

Got a few colors of the enamel paints in and tried spraying a couple baits with them. One thing I've noticed about the enamel is that you can thin it way beyond what water based paints are capable of and it goes on incredibly smooth. Only thing that bothers me is the length of time it takes to dry/cure. Have read where it can take a day or more to fully off gas. That's got me thinking about giving lacquers a try. Found some plans for a DIY portable spray booth to deal with the nasty stuff in lacquers and enamels. May end up doing a complete overhaul to my painting regimen.

Thanks again for all the information everyone.

Ben

 

 

First, allow me to say thanks to all who contribute.  I have been painting for a while but have only been painting lures for a year which is also how long I've been following this forum.  Suffice it to say you all have been a tremendous influence.

Ben, why the switch to enamels or lacquers?  I know a lot of people use the Createx lines of paint such as Wicked and AutoAir which are good enough for automotive application but much safer and easier to use.  Initially, you mentioned it might be easier to match colors with the original paint but is a total change in paint systems easier than mixing the water based paints to get the right color?  I have not had to match someone else's paint job yet but I imagine that day will come....

Thanks,

Mike

[mark poulson]

1 hour ago, RayburnGuy said:

 

If I go that route Mark I'll either be venting it through an open window or through a dryer vent cut into the wall. Either way I wouldn't want the side of the house looking like a Mardi Gras parade float from the paint being exhausted.

Man, I would just hang an old towel below the exhaust, and call it a day!

[BobP]

Ben, I think Dick Nite paints are lacquer based and his MCU is compatible with that.  I'd be leery of using MCU on enamel until I tried a test piece.

[RayburnGuy]

2 hours ago, metal said:

 

First, allow me to say thanks to all who contribute.  I have been painting for a while but have only been painting lures for a year which is also how long I've been following this forum.  Suffice it to say you all have been a tremendous influence.

Ben, why the switch to enamels or lacquers?  I know a lot of people use the Createx lines of paint such as Wicked and AutoAir which are good enough for automotive application but much safer and easier to use.  Initially, you mentioned it might be easier to match colors with the original paint but is a total change in paint systems easier than mixing the water based paints to get the right color?  I have not had to match someone else's paint job yet but I imagine that day will come....

Thanks,

Mike

 

Mike, I was just really impressed with the way the enamel sprayed. It went on much smoother than the Createx, Auto Air and Wicked paints I normally use. The enamel seemed to atomize much better as well. You could thin the enamel way thinner than you could the water based paints. If you try to thin water based paints too much they loose their adhesion properties. I don't know for sure, but I would guess that you could thin the enamel to around 50/50 and it would still work. It could possibly be thinned even more than that. If so you could cut the price of paint close to half.

I mix a lot of my colors using water based paints, but even when the color was close the water based just didn't look the same. The enamel was much brighter and the colors seemed more vivid. The thing that sort of turns me off about the enamel is how long it takes to dry/cure. Some things I've read claim that some enamels can take 24 to 48 hours. I'm just not that patient so that's why I was checking into lacquers.

This isn't a done deal yet. I'm still reading up on things and taking a lot of things into consideration. Things like cost of the paint, availability, health hazards, etc. will all weigh into my final decision.

Ben

[metal]

Ben,

that makes sense.  I understand the water based colors fall short when compared to automotive urethane paints as well.  I have seen many threads on this forum where urethane clearcoats are discussed but haven't noticed anyone talking about the color/basecoats like House of Kolor.   Probably some cost issues there as well as ventilation and safety but might be another paint system to consider...

I  certainly am looking forward to reading the ongoing saga...

 

thanks for taking the time to answer my question 

Mike

[RayburnGuy]

My pleasure Mike.

What I'm considering isn't for everyone and it may not be for me in the long run. Learning new, and different, ways of doing things has always been something I've enjoyed. IMO if you quit learning, no matter how old you are, your short changing yourself. The more you use your "tools" the less likely they are to rust.

Just my . 

 

Ben

 

P.S. Here's an update on using DN with enamel paint. The first bait that was painted using enamels was top coated by spraying DN moisture cure. Everything went well. No bubbling, cracking, wrinkling or anything. Cured to a smooth hard finish. Things went south on the second bait even after the paint had cured for several days. This time the only difference was in how the DN was applied. It was brushed on this time and just seconds after coating the bait it wrinkled the paint, but it seemed like only the last layer or so of the paint was affected. It didn't go all the way to the bone so to speak. I have no idea why the sprayed bait was OK, but the brushed bait was not. My solution? Don't use DN over enamel.

Edited December 31, 2016 by RayburnGuy
for content

[Musky Glenn]

Rayburn Guy, The brushed lure had more DN and took longer to tack off. This gave it time to eat at the top coat of paint. The sprayed lure DN was thinner and tacked off before the paint had time to react. I would guess that you really don't need a top coat over enamel paint unless you are just wanting more shine.  Have you tried latex enamel? Good luck

[RayburnGuy]

You could have something there Glenn. I may have to try spraying another enameled bait with DN just to see what happens.

I have not tried latex enamel. This was my first time spraying enamel so I know pretty much nothing about it. Does the latex enamel look the same as the petroleum based paint?

Thanks Glenn.

 

Ben

[Musky Glenn]

I use latex enamel when I paint eyes on lures. It looks the same but I doubt it will thin out like oil base enamel.

[RayburnGuy]

Thanks Glenn. Not sure which way I'm going to go yet, but I will check into the latex enamel.

Ben

[woodieb8]

latex enamels will need a excellent clearcoat. its not known to bite into basecoats.....Metal.... hok colors are awesome. pricing of the paints restrict many builders.

[metal]

Price was the main reason I bought AutoAir when I first started airbrushing.  Now I have too much of it around to justify spending money on anything different!