Satin cote

Turpentine and turp substitute will turn Humbrol enamels into oil paints that will take weeks to dry. It is however a good alternative to Humbrol thinners for cleaning brushes - it's cheaper, comes in big bottles, and is readily available.

Some varnishes can be cellulose based - you could try your luck with Humbrol Cellulose thinners or acetone - but use some scrap plastic for testing as the stuff can eat some plastics.

The entire "cote" range give good results. I always use acrylic for the reason that the thinner is on tap, but the humbrol varnishes are very clear and very tolerant of ham fisted airbrushing.

Good info guys. I'm rapidly becoming a 'fan' of the Humbrol paint line, but I haven't used any of their clears yet. I'll be sure to 'test' the waters before jumping in.

M.

Thanks snibble for the tip and the offering, I let you know if the experiment works, Karl, at least we got an expensive substitute for the Post-it glue.

I have used Humbrol Satin Cote thinned with Turpintine and it's still JUST tacky after about four months!!
I hope that white-Spirit will do the trick.

The Humbrol thinner will NOT do the job, you will see the thinner and varnish layer out. If your household paint thinner won't do the job, e-mail me and I will send you some white spirit.

Thank's everybody for your help, locally I only can get two types of solvents; thinner and turpentine (at least is what the dictionary says), both types have differents derivatives and qualities, I'll test other kind of combinations to find out the correct one.

My satin cote bottle has the label in spanish and it doesn't mention any solvent, recently I got humbrol thinner to try it, I hope it works; the model master thinner didn't work because after several weeks the model still feels sticky.

I'll appreciate advices about how to test the solvents before using the airbrush.

Regards.

To get the correct thinner for modelmaster you could send an email to the testors guys, so you don't have to go through lenghty and costly trial and error. Go to this url: http://www.testors.com/
On the lower left corner there is a link named 'contact testors'.
I've asked them stuff like that in the past, they are pretty good at answering within a day.

I think (but could be wrong) it's also called "mineral spirits"
Ray

If I am not mistaken, "white spirit" in just plain old paint thinner. It's a further refinement of turpentine. Nobody calls it "white spirit" because it's more commonly called -paint thinner-

I just tried my first clear coat and was not entirely happy with the result. I found it difficult to see where I was airbrushing, and therefore doesn't look too even (so far) , I'll have to wait and see how it dries ). Also - I've just realised the guy in the shop sold me gloss finish when I asked for flat!
Used Revell clear thinned with white spirit. Very cheap in the UK - around £1 for a litre or so.
I got a wierd phenemenon whilst I was airbrushing - there was a fine gossamer produced - like a fine spider's web, I only caught sight of it out of the corner of my eye - floating through the air and caught around the guns on the wing of the 1/72 P47 I'm building. Anyone any ideas how this happened? Any tips for applying clear coats evenly? (After I choke the guy in the shop! ).
Thanks.

Cruiz,
I've had trouble finding "white spirit" - I've been told it's a refined form of turpentine. I looked everywhere for it but finally found it in a specialty paint store where they sell household paints.
Humbrol Gosscote, Satincote and Dullcote labels all say thin with White spirit, but I didn't read the fine print, and also found the Glosscote was slightly tacky after a week of drying using normal enamel thinner.
X-tracolor paints (quite good to use-and they produce some hard to find colors) also require white spirits as a thinner.
I don't think Tamiya X-20 would work - it's formulated for water based acrylics, and Model Master is designed for their enamels. People often say you should use the thinners the paint manufacturer recommends, but others have had great results using MEK, acetone, acrylic reducers and other stuff. I guess the rule is to experiment, and reject the stuff that doesn't work.
Good luck
Lee Tree

You could always try sourcing humbrol thinner. I'm assuming you are using humbrol enamel? If so, You can't use Tamya x-20 because that is an Acrylic thinner, largely Alcohol based. Enamel (oil based) paints need a thinner such as turpentine (which I have found works well with Humbrol enamels).

Thank's again, I'll try to find it here and I agree with you about the names of the products, "chemistry" is the more difficult part of the hobbie for me.

White spirit is sold here in the UK as a brush cleaner for household use, usually as "Turpentine substitute". It is a colourless liquid with a kerosene type smell and is oily to the touch. Hope this helps, It's difficult when something you hear about is either not available in your country or familiar and everyday but under a different name! Future/Kleer is a good example.

Thank you mkish and snibble, I already use Model Master thinner and the satin cote doesn´t cure yet (after 1 1/2 weeks), snibble, what is white spirit or where can I find it?.

Check the small print on the jar. The clear, matt and satin cote varnishes must be thinned with white spirit, nothing else will touch it.

Cruiz,
I use lacquer thinner to thin humbrol paints. However, I've never used their clear or satin coats, so I'm not absolutely positive it will work.

M.