Enamel and Acrylics

I use paint thinner from Home Depot. Works fine and a lot cheaper than the hobby store's pricing.

The original MM enamel line should not need thinners for handbrushing. The MMII line tends to be a bit thinner in consistency and also should not need any thinning. A can of simple paint thinner from that hardware store should fill your needs just fine. And it is far more economical than the stuff sold by any paint companies. I only use and recommend the Testors thinner for airbrushing because it has has some additives that really improve enamels for airbrushing. Gives them more "bite" so to speak. If you want a really superior brand of enamels for handbrushing and have access to their paints, try Humbrols. When stirred thoroughly, they give a finish that I don't think can be beat by any other enamel. Dead flat flats, excellent one coat coverage, and seldom do you get brush streaks.

So I should pick up some enamel thinner.

Do MM enamels typically need thinning for brush painting though? Back when I used the little Testor's bottles I never thinned them but I didn't know any better.

Cadet Chuck

The simple rule is: don't mix enamel, lacquers, and acrylics.  (While in liquid state.}

Use enamel thinner to thin enamels, laquer thinner to thin lacquers, and for acrylics, use the thinner made by the manufacturer of the acrylic you are using.  For instance, use Tamiya acrylic thinner for Tamiya acrylics.  Other brands of acrylics use different formulations of thinners which may or may not work if you cross mix them.

The cheap craft acrylics you can buy at places like Wal-Mart can be thinned with plain old water, but I would not recommend their use, except for plaster figures, wood plaques, and stuff like that.

 

Very correct and prudent. Sometimes you may mix something that works with one acrylic brand but will ruin another one. However, I have obtained excellent results using the cheaper craft acrylics thru my AB. I use Future to thin it, 50-60% along with several drops of Windsor & Newton Flow Improver and maybe a couple of drops of distilled water. It sprays silky smooth and is great when spraying large models that require lots of paint. Its an ideal base for decaling or washes.

The simple rule is: don't mix enamel, lacquers, and acrylics.  (While in liquid state.}

Use enamel thinner to thin enamels, laquer thinner to thin lacquers, and for acrylics, use the thinner made by the manufacturer of the acrylic you are using.  For instance, use Tamiya acrylic thinner for Tamiya acrylics.  Other brands of acrylics use different formulations of thinners which may or may not work if you cross mix them.

The cheap craft acrylics you can buy at places like Wal-Mart can be thinned with plain old water, but I would not recommend their use, except for plaster figures, wood plaques, and stuff like that.

Phil_H

I find that enamels dry-brush far better than acrylics. IMO, acrylics have a tendency to dry too quickly for good dry-brushing.

 I actually use the acrylic as a basecoat and use enameels or oils for shading, blending and washes.

Griffin

I was thinking more for doing the base coat. I plan on using my acrylics for washes and dry-brushing still.

I find that enamels dry-brush far better than acrylics. IMO, acrylics have a tendency to dry too quickly for good dry-brushing.

oops, sorry, I misread your question. I would advise a regular paint thinner over lacquer thinner for thinning enamels. If you will be airbrushing, Testors markets a can of MM Airbrush thinner for enamels that works great.

I was thinking more for doing the base coat. I plan on using my acrylics for washes and dry-brushing still.

Thinning MM Acrylics with lacquer thinner for use over in a wash over Enamels would not be advisable. Lacquer thinner is pretty "hot" and unless you have barrier in between such as Future it will likely attack the enamel paint beneath.

Should I thin enamels, like the Model Masters' ones I purchased, with some lacquer thinner before brush painting?

Actually once acrylic (even just a clearcoat of acrylic as a "shield") is well cured you can go over it with diluted enamels for a wash. The "dis-similar" statement already made is a sort of rule of thumb. BUT, enamel under lacquer is not dis-similar enough. Though enamel over lacquer can work but really either lacquer/enamel or artists oils with turpenoid or the like work well over acrylic cured.

I think acrylic over enamel is ok.

But I think that enamel over acrylic is bad.  

Awesome. I think I'm going to pick up 3-4 bottles of MM enamels to try out for a while and see how I like them.

Yes, you can use acrylics over enamels for washes.  Always use a dissimilar paint for washes over the base paint, so the wash doesn't dissolve the base, and mess things up.