A Couple of Questions

1: Generally, you will find that most masking fluids, when dry, have much lower tack than masking tapes. This becomes a problem when trying to make sharp demarcations like canopy frames. I find that the common masking fluids won't hold strongly enough for you to trim along frames without the mask pulling up from the areas you want to remain masked. Note also that certain masking fluids, eg. Humbrol Maskol and Gunze's Mr Masking Sol Neo, can be unfriendly to acrylic paints due to the solvents involved. They can and will eat through acrylic paints (and Future) if applied too heavily.

2: If your acrylic paint has started to turn to a gel-like state, it is likely to be beyond recovery. You could try, but if you add thinner and stir, if there are still lumps and/or strings after 5 minutes of stirring, toss the paint.

Phil_H

This becomes a problem when trying to make sharp demarcations like canopy frames. I find that the common masking fluids won't hold strongly enough for you to trim along frames without the mask pulling up from the areas you want to remain masked.

I've never had much success with masking fluid, like Phil_H says it's not easy to trim a clean edge onto & if you don't cut a clean edge it generally doesn't come away nicely. I've tried & tried with the stuff & much as it seemed like the answer to my prayers, in reality it wasn't - although it is good for filling in larger areas..

I use Tamiya acrylics both with & without primer & I've never had an issue with Tamiya tape lifting paint. I don't know what brand of tape you tried, but it's possible that the adhesive was too strong to start with - this can be helped by sticking it to the palm of your hand to "de-tack" it slightly.

It's also possible that surface contamination prevented the paint getting a proper hold to the surface below.

pilotjohn

 

I also picked up some MM acryls.  One bottle (burnt sienna), and the other is RLM 79 (Desert sand).  One bottle was purchased at a hobby store locally and the other was mail ordered.  Both bottles seem to have very little liquid in them.  The other MM acryls that I have give an audible liquid noise when you jostle them, but these are quiet.  I opened the bottles and found the paint to be like jello.

Q:  Can I just experiment with some acryl thinner to get the colors "back" to the right consistency?  I will be airbrushing them only.  Seems somewhat fishy that they are both brown based.  Both bottles seemed to have a good seal and required a decent torque to open.

Thanks!

John

I'd try to take/send them back. you got old stock.

Trying to reconstitute them is, as said above, Problematic. once the acril starts to gel its all over but the shouting-usually.

Good luck