Mixing brands for thinner and paints/liners

JohnnyK

This is the result of spraying Testors' paint over a Tamiya paint. I am not sure if the paints were  incompatible, or I didn't let the Tamiya base paint cure long enough.

 

 

That almost looks like some unintentional weathering. I’m going with the minieral spirits, seems like everyone at the Lhs and around are having a hard time getting tamiya thinner.

This is the result of spraying Testors' paint over a Tamiya paint. I am not sure if the paints were  incompatible, or I didn't let the Tamiya base paint cure long enough.

stikpusher

It’s part science and part art. 

Paints need time to dry and cure for their maximum durability. If you start handling a freshly painted item before the paint has cured, paint can be worn off. If washes are applied that take some removal for clean up, if the base coat has not cured, it is vulnerable to both interaction and removal by wear. 

Paints may be surface dry to touch, but still need time to cure. Enamels take longer to cure but are more hardy and durable once cured. Most acrylics work better over a primer coat due to adhesion and durability issues. An overnite period is usually sufficient time for curing.

 

 

 

 

Im slowly learning all this, i guess model building comes in phases And understanding. I’m going to go get some tamiya thinner, might check with hobby lobby first but i think i know of one other spot that has it. Hopefully i can start some panel detailing tonight but more Ben likely it’ll begin on Thursday.

It’s part science and part art. 

Paints need time to dry and cure for their maximum durability. If you start handling a freshly painted item before the paint has cured, paint can be worn off. If washes are applied that take some removal for clean up, if the base coat has not cured, it is vulnerable to both interaction and removal by wear. 

Paints may be surface dry to touch, but still need time to cure. Enamels take longer to cure but are more hardy and durable once cured. Most acrylics work better over a primer coat due to adhesion and durability issues. An overnite period is usually sufficient time for curing.

stikpusher

 

 

Tankluver

 

 

stikpusher

There is no reason that you cannot use a panel liner product on figures. Essentially these products are a pre made wash. As long as you’re using dissimilar layers- enamels over acrylics or vice versa, there should be no problem in interaction. The rest is up to you for experimentation.

 

 

 

 

Right now my kits are painted with Vallejo paints, is this going to be an issue with the panel liner and the thinner i use ?

 

 

 

 

Vallejo paints are acrylic. Once they are dried and cured, as opposed to dry to touch, they should be immune to interacting adversely with enamel or oil panel liners, filters, washes, etc.

 

Thanks, i didn’t realize there was a science to all this. They’ve been dried for two weeks now.

Tankluver

 

 

stikpusher

There is no reason that you cannot use a panel liner product on figures. Essentially these products are a pre made wash. As long as you’re using dissimilar layers- enamels over acrylics or vice versa, there should be no problem in interaction. The rest is up to you for experimentation.

 

 

 

 

Right now my kits are painted with Vallejo paints, is this going to be an issue with the panel liner and the thinner i use ?

 

Vallejo paints are acrylic. Once they are dried and cured, as opposed to dry to touch, they should be immune to interacting adversely with enamel or oil panel liners, filters, washes, etc.

stikpusher

There is no reason that you cannot use a panel liner product on figures. Essentially these products are a pre made wash. As long as you’re using dissimilar layers- enamels over acrylics or vice versa, there should be no problem in interaction. The rest is up to you for experimentation.

 

Right now my kits are painted with Vallejo paints, is this going to be an issue with the panel liner and the thinner i use ?

Handy hint for testing paints:  I buy a box of disposable styrene plastic spoons from the supermarket- dirt cheap for a box of many.  Then I spray the paint / thinner / whatever on the back of the spoon bowl.  They are pure white so you get a true look at what the paint looks like.

There is no reason that you cannot use a panel liner product on figures. Essentially these products are a pre made wash. As long as you’re using dissimilar layers- enamels over acrylics or vice versa, there should be no problem in interaction. The rest is up to you for experimentation.

Thank you all for the great advice, the only reason i wanted to mix brands was because it doesn’t seem like tamiya paints and thinner are sold besr my in Washington state. I usually order all my paints and thinners. Im going to try the panel liner on an old pz. 1 that i messed up long ago and then go from there. 

Woudl ypu recommend panel liners on figures as well or would that be a different filter?

As a general rule, any enamel paint line will clean up with any enamel thinner.  The same does not hold true for acrylic paint brands. One acrylics paint thinner may work okay with a different brand but will not work with any others, so multiple thinners for multiple brands is a necessary evil of acrylic paints. There is no universal acrylic thinner, and proprietary brand thinners and cleaners can get quite expensive.

When doing any experimenting like that, I recommend a test/practice piece.  Try painting a piece of scrap styrene and then try things out on that.  Do not experiment on a good model.  If it works on the test piece, fine. If not, you have not ruined anything.

Well you don't thin tamiya panel liner, it's like water as it is. For clean up of excess I have used mineral spirits when I used it on top of a pledge coat and that worked for me without issues.

Excellent advice, Plasticjunkie!  That is 100% correct, and the best way to avoid catastrophies.

And yes, you must use enamel thinner with Tamiya panel liner.  But it is so thin out of the bottle, you shouldn't need to thin it.  You would, however, use enamel thinner for clean-up.

Do yourself a favor and avoid "unwanted surprises" and buy the dedicated thinner for each brand. It may be a little expensive at first but they do last a long time and they have additives particular to each brand that help in performance. Sometimes you can mix brands and sometimes you can't so i gave up on the testing game. Just my .2. 

Testors will probably be fine, but test it on a "scrap" model or some other plastic surface to be sure before you use it on a project you value.

Happy Holidays! 

Phil_H

I haven't used them, but I believe Tamiya Panel Line Accent is enamel based, so no on both counts. You will need Tamiya enamel thinner or mineral spirits. 

 

what about testors enamel thinner 

I haven't used them, but I believe Tamiya Panel Line Accent is enamel based, so no on both counts. You will need Tamiya enamel thinner or mineral spirits.