Flat paint

It is difficult to make a flat paint gloss due to the flattening agents used in the paint. And I am 1000% in agreement, the the entire process of spraying flat, clear coating, decaling and respraying flat is pointless. Either make the paint gloss, or someone needs to develop a decal film that will stick to flat paint...

Slightly off topic but i find when brushing its best to  use isopropyl alcohol to thin tamiya flat paint. This gives a good flat finish and makes brushing smoother as you can thin it as much as you want. thining it with thinners, even tamiyas own,never seems to work well, always gives a semi gloss finish and tends to "clog up" and lift the paint.

Could not possibly agree more! Why in the world do we have to spray flat paint, spray gloss on it, decal it, and then finally spray flat on it again. Why dont manufacturers make those colors avaliable in gloss?

Don Stauffer

I was thinking, since we need a gloss finish to put decals over, there should be a gloss version of all of those flat colors. It would simplify decalling- no need to clearcoat just before decal application.  We have to dullcoat in either case.

I have thought of this many times and wondered why the paint companies haven't produced them.  It will certainly kill one extra step and make things a bit simpler.

Don, while it would nice if there were a dual-line of both gloss and flat paints, I'd much prefer if Testor's/MM would make an enamel clear gloss and clear flat additive like they do for their acrylic line of paints.   That would make my painting life so much easier...

Corn starch tend's to draw cockroaches so it's great if you have a monster theamed diorama.

I was thinking, since we need a gloss finish to put decals over, there should be a gloss version of all of those flat colors. It would simplify decalling- no need to clearcoat just before decal application.  We have to dullcoat in either case.

There are dozens of different types of acrylic paints on the market.

Two problems I see using Corn Starch in the acrylic paints formulated for scale modeling. As fine as corn starch is, its particle size could be much like spraying Mr Surfacer. It will leave a rough surface texture.

Corn Starch is a thickening agent, therefore you'll have to add more thinner as well as a retarder especially when applying it with an airbrush. The paint will want to crystalize faster, thus the potential for clogging increases. It also has abrasive qualities, hence the reason it is used as a polishing medium, so this can cause etching to the internals of your airbrush.

I'll stick with using dead flat clear coats, its easier with less work and risk.

What Don said. As recently as the 80's, the cognoscoti of the hobby recommended adding talc to paint for a dead flat finish. However, with a little practice, you can use commercial flat paint just as well. Maybe better, since there's no guess work about how much is the right amount.

I read somewhere about using flour for snow in a diorama. It was fine for a couple of years till it began to turn yellow and decompose.  I wonder if adding corn starch to the paint will eventually cause a breakdown in the finish. I don't have any problems obtaining a flat finish with any of the commercial available brands.

When I first began modeling there were no flat modeling paints.  The method in those days was to add talcum powder to the dope.  Talcum is pretty inert, so should not have any long term consequences.  Never tried to airbrush talcum-laced dope though.

Sounds like it might be worth trying on a donor piece and letting it sit on the shelf for a while to see what happens. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Jim

Airbrushing I have never had any issues with Flat paints not being Flat- Acrylic or Enamel. Sounds like an unnecessary step and potential for problems down the road like Dre mentions.

Any idea what the long-term effects are from adding that to the paint?   I'd hate to try that and 1 year down the road have it get funky and start doing weird things...