primer and paint

[VMAXX]

Right now i'm painting with water base paint thinking of going to laquer someday but what is a good primer to use with the water based paint also are laq's. harder to learn to use(everything seem's rough right now) thanks

[VMAXX]

Sorry it's late I mean->LACQUER

[captjimbob]

I'm using Createx base coat and sealer. It has some adhesive properties and when it is heat-set, seems to work well on cranks and metal surfaces, and its sandable.

The thing about lacquer is knowing the right consistency to spray thru the airbrush (like milk). Once you get that down, the rest is the difference in cleanup (water's easier) and you should wear a respirator rated for those fumes (unless you like headaches).

I am using Createx right now because I'm spraying inside the house. I like lacquer better because the colors are bright without the clear, so you can tell if you've sprayed enough. With Createx, I have to wait until the clear coat to see if the colors are as deep as I wanted.

Good fishing!!!

[VMAXX]

Jim I saw where Createx has a new line of paint called Auto-Air have you tried any of this yet ? I was thinking of trying it since it is water based.

thanks, Stacey

[dtrs5kprs]

Depends on what you are trying to prime. For plastic baits I like the "Pro-Flo" white from Createx. It is a "whiter than white" thick & heavy color. Usually about 2 coats of this is ok, compared to 3 or so of opaque white or the auto air base coat white. May seem excessive, but a good white undercoat is the key to getting true & bright colors from your next shots.

If you are painting ood baits, remember you need to seal the wood first, then go on to a true primer. Am still experimenting with sealers to find one I like. Have had pretty good results with a couple of coats of Kilz, followed by a coat of my usual Flex Coat finish.

[Skeeter]

I use water based paints also. I use regular water based white latex house paint as an undercoat. I use a coat of polyurathane as a sealer. I use Devcon for my clear coat, so I do not worry about water getting to the paint. I use the polyurathane to just fill some of the pores of the wood so that my undercoat does not soak into the wood. Most of us have painted something and it looked covered. Then when you come back after it has dried you can see the wood grain through it. This is because the paint soaked into the wood. Some folks use sanding sealer for sealing their wood. However, it does not work with latex paint. The paint will peel off and/or blister.

Lacquer is not hard to shoot. It is actually easier than createx. Usually 1 part thinner to 3 parts paint is a good way to mix. I use acetone as a thinner. You can control Lacquer much better than any water based paint that I have used. It dries very quickly and you can get alot of painting done in a short period of time. It covers well and it takes very little paint to do the job. The colors are really pretty also. I would just use white lacquer paint for the under coat and possibly sanding sealer to seal the wood. You can put the sanding sealer on with a brush and then sand the wood some. It will give you a very slick surface on balsa.

You WILL need a respirator to shoot lacquer. If you don't you are a fool. If lacquer paint gets in your lungs it will not dissolve and pass out of the body. It is there to stay. And it can dammage you. I am going to invest in a respirator with a mask that has eye protection also. Folks may laugh, but when you are spraying thinner through your airbrush to clean it, it comes out in an extremely fine mist. It floats around everywhere. Your eyes need protection from this stuff also. I don't do alot of painting like Hughsey does. But I think alot of us would be suprised just how much of this stuff we expose ourselves to over a period of years.

I still like the water based paints for the simple fact that if I make a mistake, I can wipe it off with a damp cloth and re-shoot.

I know you didn't ask for all of this, but safety is one thing that we don't really discuss alot about. Sorry for the speech. Hope some of this helps.

Skeeter

[VMAXX]

Thank's guy's everything was very helpful, Also thank you Skeeter the safety part is something I probably would have overlooked, I think I'll stick with water base for now. Now if I can just get my new airbrush off backorder.....

[captjimbob]

VMAXX,

To answer your question, I spray Auto Air the most, as it gives me the least amount of problems. I've sprayed gallons of lacquer and hobby enamels (used to customize 1/64 diecast cars). I liked lacquer but the cleanup and smell were a problem.

When thinning AA, use their reducer instead of water, it works a whole lot better. They recommend that you only thin with water less than 10%.

I have to agree that a good white base is important, but my eyes can't really see the difference between the base coat and the other white.

Try painting over silver and gold base coats too. They will change the characteristics of the pearls if thinned a little. Also try a black or dark coat and spray a light chameleon coat over.

I'm still experimenting. Different combos do different things. However, Auto Air is still one of the top for water based painting IMHO.