getting a matte finish on gloss paint

RyanKat

I have a HO scale warehouse building to paint blue. I finally found the right color blue but it is in a gloss finish. I am using Mr. Color lacquer paint for airbrush. I also picked up Mr. Color flat base. I don't have any experience with using flat bases. The flat base is as thick as hairgel so its hard to know how much I'm really measuring out as in a ratio.  A while ago I emailed Tamiya and asked them about their instructions on how to use their flat base and he told me to start with a 1:10 ratio with their paints so I figured I'd try the same with Mr. Color and see. Any suggestions?

A second question: Is it okay to spray dull coat over the finished lacquer? If it is okay, would I have to spray tons of it on there to get a flat finish out of a gloss base paint underneath? I did a test once and I remember I had coated the test piece pretty good with about 3 heavy coats (I know thin coats are the proper way) and still, in the end it  wasn't very flat.  I also have some Tamiya flat clear lacquer in a spray can and have found that it doesn't leave as good of a flat finish. 

 

1:10 is probably a good start.  Mix up a batch and spray it out on a test surface.  Adjust as necessary. 

Testors Dull Coat (brand name) is a lacquer. Spraying lacquer over lacquer is generally not an issue

Hey Ryan,

I've never used Mr. Color stuff, but I flat coat pretty much all of my finishes. (I mainly build military aircraft.) As far as getting a flat finish from a gloss, yes, it's possible. I've built a few Navy aircraft that were originally painted in gloss colors, but I didn't have to bomb on the flat to get a dull finish.

I've used Testors Dull Cote lacquer over acrylics, enamels and lacquers with pretty good success. I use a 1:1 ratio, thinning with big box store lacquer thinner. I mist it on with my airbrush at fairly low pressure (<15 psi) and fairly close to my subject. Higher pressure and distance causes the TDC to dry on the way to the subject and get "chalky" as it settles. 

Like EdGrune said, try a few different ratios over some test scraps. I'm sure you'll see that you don't need heavy coats to get the results you're looking for. If you have any questions about my technique, fire away. I'll help however I can.

Good luck!

-O

You have several choices.  First, yes,you can use a flat clear like Dullcoat.  I find one coat generally sufficient.  Second, applying the gloss color very dry, with a couple of very thin coats should give at least a semi-matt.  Third, sanding gloss paint with about 2000 grit will take gloss away without sanding marks.

I spray Alclad Matte,it sprays straight from the bottle snd us dead flat, sprayed it over all types of paint without issues.

Just spray a flat clear coat over it.  I use MRP Super Clear Matt whenever I need a flat finish, as most of MRPs paints are semi-gloss to allow for quicker decal application without having to have an intermediate step of putting on a gloss clearcoat prior to decals.  Like Alclad Matte clear, which is also excellent, it also airbrushes straight out of the bottle and dries dead flat over any sheen of paint.

Super shiny

One light spray with Testers Dull coat.

Dull coat will knock the shine off anything without giving a large layer of paint. Just a misting is all it takes over any and all base paints no matter what type they are.