Enamel or acrylic?

My personal choice, especially for handbrushing is enamels. I know that goes against the grain of many here, but for one time coverage, color ranges, and not needing to add retarders, etc, I still prefer my enamels. Top choice, Humbrols. I can get a can of thinner from the local hardware store that will last for years to handle clean up. Acrylics have their advantages, but I think they are not that significant versus enamels.

As far as liquid masking solutions go, they are ok, they do give a tighter edge but also the straightness depends on the steadiness of your hand when applying. They can also be a tad more difficult to remove. Tamiya masking tape is the best stuff I have found yet, but using both together can capitalize on each type's strengths.

I can't help you on acrylics because I've never used them, but for newbie links you might try these:

rec.models.scale FAQ 

Testors scale workshop

And, do some key word searches on this and other modeling forums.

Good luck and enjoy the hobby.

Don 

"…but I'm looking for a solution for an enthusiastic amateur,…"

We are all "enthusiastic amateurs."

"What is best" depends on who you ask. The best person to ask is yourself—after you've tried a few things. I use acrylics almost exclusively. Others, as already stated, use enamels almost exclusively. Note the "almost" in those sentences.

You really do have to decide yourself what works best for you. Not that getting recommendations is a bad idea—but Your Mileage May (WILL!) Vary.

Acrylics are easier and cheaper to clean up (Windex! Simple Green!) They dry faster but cure more slowly. Surfaces to be painted with acrylics have to be much cleaner than those painted with enamels because enamel solvents will dissolve small amounts of skin oils, release agents, plasticizers, and other surface contaminants. (Polly Scale has the best adhesion of any acrylic hobby paint I have tried.) Enamels have a universal solvent: mineral spirits. Acrylics usually use either distilled water or isopropyl alcohol as solvents. These solvents are slightly less hazardous than the solvent systems for enamels. YOU SHOULD NOT REGARD ACRYLICS AS NONTOXIC. They are, at best, less toxic than enamels.

Acrylics are more forgiving of mistakes, therefore easier to learn with. Botch the paint job? Dump the model into a bath of Windex, wait an hour, rinse, dry, start over.

Airbrushes are not magic. Using one is 50% science, 50% art, and 100% practice. Just do the math.…

I can think of at least twenty things I have tried for masking, and others of similar or greater experience could probably name more. The only liquid mask I like is the one made by Walthers. For solid masks, also try Frisket film, Parafilm, Sticky Notes, Shurtape Razor Edge Gold Premium Painters Tape, Nexcare Waterproof First Aid Tape, plastic electrical tape, Silly Putty, …and the list goes on. And yes, there are some situations in which one of the above is better than the others. Find what works for you. 

And remember that whatevery you use, and whatever technique you try, you absolutely MUST hold your mouth right……………

Ross,

I enjoy reading your posts even when I already know the answer to the question someone asked.  You are funny and friendly, and offer safe, sane advice.  While most people in the modeling hobby have been helpful, you Sir, are a shining star!

Chris Fowler

Yimkin wrote:

Dear all, Thanks so much for the replies, especially the links! I've been surfing for ages and not found those! As for health and safety, I'm a contaminated land consultant on radioactively contaminated land, so no worries (but I'm not going to go the full airfed suit and respirator route!) Many thanks, and happy I've found such a useful resource!

What the Captain really means is...he already glows in the dark.

The one thing I learned about Ross...never get in a bidding war with him at a kit auction...he is relentless if he wants what's being auctioned!

HawkeyeHobbies wrote:

The one thing I learned about Ross...never get in a bidding war with him at a kit auction...he is relentless if he wants what's being auctioned!

And I want so little…

GREAT QUESTION!

Excellent answers. Thanks guys.

Uh... Who's "Ross"?

I'd like to add, acrylic paint SHRINKS when it dries, much more so than enamels. By 'settling or shrinking' to a high degree, surface detail is preserved a little bit better. It's a consideration when I do delicately detailed surfaces.

trexx wrote:

Uh... Who's "Ross"?

Triarius = Ross  

trexx wrote:

Uh... Who's "Ross"?

That's CLASSIFIED, and you are not cleared for it. We could tell you, but then we'd have to take all your styrene………… 

Triarius wrote:

trexx wrote: Uh... Who's "Ross"? That's CLASSIFIED, and you are not cleared for it. We could tell you, but then we'd have to take all your styrene…………

Aw, man!

I find acrylics don't stink up the house as much as enamels, even when you are airbrushing in a well ventilated space, as I do.

The smell has a tendency to annoy the household authorities.

Just another factor to consider.

Karl

I would recommend going with acrylics. The only enamel I really ever use anymore is Testors Silver (for dry brushing). Occasionally I will use enamels when I need a nice gloss finish -- acrylics  tend to dry to fast for this.

All the advantages of acrylics really dwarf enamels in my opinion. I remember when I got into this hobby when I was a kid. I was constantly frustrated hand paiting cockpits with enamels because each color I brushed on would dissolve the coat under it -- this is not a problem with acrylics such as Polly Scale.

Also, when I build a kit, I feel the "need for speed". Enamels take way to long to dry for my modeling style. Example, an airbrushed coat of polly scale can be dry in a few minutes. A coat of enamel will take a few hours and most people wait 24 hours to move on after laying down a coat of enamel.

I am sort of a paint 'junkie' and have several brands on my shelf, such as Gunze, Tamiya, Polly Scale & Vallejo. However, If I could only have one brand of acrylic, I would choose Polly Scale hands down. They hand brush and level very well, dry fast, and are tough as nails when dry. Polly scale can frustrate the airbrusher at first; however, with a bit of practice and research one can get very nice results with the airbrush.  Polly  Scale also has a huge selection of colors for military and railroad. They also have colors such as "grimy black", "mud", "concrete" just to name a few. Other brands don't make a paint unless it can be matched to a federal standard number (and that is not to say they do match the FS color!). 

I would also recommend Vallejo Acrylics. They have several lines such as Model Color, Game Color and Air for airbrushing. Model Color and Game Color hand brush beautifully and are great for figure paiting and dry brushing. They dry a bit slower than say a Polly Scale, but if they dried faster they would not be good for what they are good at. They are also very opaque, which is very important. 

Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention that Tamiya & Gunze Acrylics (pretty much the same paint if you remove the brand name) can provide some incredible results if you like doing find detailed airbrush work. I thin them down to almost nothing with 91% alcohol. This way you can  get a very fine line and work close to the model surface without worry of spider webs.

Well Hope I have given you some good info to make your choice.

As far as figure painting goes, enamels have the advantage that you can blend the different shades after the paint has dried, but before it has set.  When doing a figure I'll paint different shades then come back just a few hours later and blend them with thinner.  With acrylics you would have to add retarder to the paint to be able to blend.

~Dave

The ultimate answer to the age old question "Enamels or Acrylics" is...

Yes!

Like tools, you need to use the correct one for the task at hand. I don't paint figures, so I can "get away" with using only acrylics. Which is good, because as mentioned by Karl above, the peace that the relatively low odor and easy clean up of acrylics brings is well worth the time to learn how to use them properly.

Bgrigg,

I've hardly used acrylics at all but I'm sure you've used both.  What's your take on the factors of durability and coverage when using acrylics?

I like the idea of low-toxicity and fumes and easy cleanup, but until I get these issues resolved I won't use acrylics except for washes.  I have an open mind but yes, I'll admit that another reason why I keep using enamels is because of the annoyance of learning a new system.

~Dave

For modeling durability isn't really an issue, or is it? My kits, once built and painted, just sit on a shelf. I wouldn't use acrylics for an RC kit, but otherwise once properly cured (as opposed to merely dry) acrylics can be every bit as durable. Coverage is pretty much equal, though whites and light colors may have slightly better coverage with enamels.

I find the "trouble" with acrylics to be mostly mental, and the benefits of the easy clean up, lowered toxicity (acrylics are NOT non-toxic!) and lower odor push me to acrylics.

Of course, if you have a vast inventory of enamels, by all means continue to use them! Either paint is perfectly adequate for the task at hand. That's why my answer is YES!

In the future I might start with an inexpensive model and try acrylics.  But I guarantee I'll be on this forum 24/7 seeking advice on thinning ratios!

I've got a small workspace so less fumes would be welcome.

If I make the switch I'll probably stick with enamels for figure painting though.

Thanks for the info!

TY,

~Dave

Have you noticed... ?  I've noticed that my airplane models that are finished in enamels will "melt" when you hold them too long. The leading and trailing edge get soft and chewy if it's bare skin to model. ...ruins the paint and tees me off quite a bit.

Acrylics do NOT do that...

trexx wrote:

Have you noticed... ?  I've noticed that my airplane models that are finished in enamels will "melt" when you hold them too long. The leading and trailing edge get soft and chewy if it's bare skin to model. ...ruins the paint and tees me off quite a bit. Acrylics do NOT do that...

As much as I like acrylics…

If your enamels are doing this, they aren't fully cured…

or your skin oils are related to ALIEN saliva…

What brand are you using? What do you use as a reducing solvent? 

trexx wrote:

Acrylics do NOT do that...

Actually, Tamiya gloss Acrylics (in particular) can and will do this, and can take up to several weeks to fully harden. But not so much of a problem with their flat colours though.

Triarius wrote:

trexx wrote: Have you noticed... ?  I've noticed that my airplane models that are finished in enamels will "melt" when you hold them too long. The leading and trailing edge get soft and chewy if it's bare skin to model. ...ruins the paint and tees me off quite a bit. Acrylics do NOT do that... As much as I like acrylics… If your enamels are doing this, they aren't fully cured… or your skin oils are related to ALIEN saliva… What brand are you using? What do you use as a reducing solvent?

HAAA! Sure, yeah... I'm plenty caustic! He, he, he...

Seriously though, I've got models that have been painted in Testors Model Master brand over 10 years ago that melt from touching too long.

...maybe a case for Future Floor Wax ...the stuff I don't use but should?

trexx wrote:

Triarius wrote:  trexx wrote: Have you noticed... ?  I've noticed that my airplane models that are finished in enamels will "melt" when you hold them too long. The leading and trailing edge get soft and chewy if it's bare skin to model. ...ruins the paint and tees me off quite a bit. Acrylics do NOT do that... As much as I like acrylics… If your enamels are doing this, they aren't fully cured… or your skin oils are related to ALIEN saliva… What brand are you using? What do you use as a reducing solvent?  HAAA! Sure, yeah... I'm plenty caustic! He, he, he... Seriously though, I've got models that have been painted in Testors Model Master brand over 10 years ago that melt from touching too long. ...maybe a case for Future Floor Wax ...the stuff I don't use but should?

Putting another coating over one that isn't cured, or is uncured, won't help. However, there are two possible explanations based on the age of the models. One is badly formulated paint. I'm not going to comment on the quality of the mentioned brand—but quality control has a reason, and sometimes things get passed that shouldn't, or just slip through the cracks.

The other is migration of plasticizers into the paint from the plastic. One of the drawbacks of enamels is that their solvents an mobilize the plasticizers in plastic, causing them to migrate into the paint over time, softening it. Acrylics have less tendency to do this, but with some plastics and some acrylics, it is at least possible.