Rattlecan vs airbrush

i've seen some finishes on this forum applied with rattle cans that would put my best airbrushing effort to shame. it seems like alot of paint is wasted as you cant control the volume expelled by a can. i dont use rattle cans though so i don't know much about them.

I painted with rattle cans for many years, and they give a great finish. The only drawback to them (other than cost) is that the volume of paint and the pressure is much higher than I would ever use with an airbrush. Because of those two factors they tend to bleed under masking tape worse than an airbrush, and it is easy to get a run with them. If you are quick and try to mist the paint on they will work great.

I pretty much use rattle cans for priming only, spraying from a good distance, which increases the ammount of wasted paint, but reduces the risk of burying all the details under a ton of pain...other than that, I can't recommend them

Thanks for all the input. Looks like I'll be picking up another bottle of MM Flat Black this evening to airbrush with.

As with anything, the skill of operator and not the equipment that is the biggest factor. I, too, have seen fantastic work done with spray cans - some street artists I've seen in Paris used rattle cans to produce truly magnifcent work!

That said, I can't stand to use them myself anymore. Tips will eventually clog, pressure varies, and you really don't get all that much paint out of them as much of it ends up as wasted fog.

The great thing about airbrushes is that if you can thin it enough, you can shoot it. For basic colors like flat black or white, I'd recommend getting a bit adventurous and try buying some bigger quantities of products that are not traditionally used in modelling. There's lots of products out there that can fit the bill in whatever solvent technology you might desire. I prefer water-based/water-borne acrylics, but even if organic solvents are your thing, there's lots of options for either technology available down at your local paint store (think professional painters, not necessarily model shops.) If you want to get fancy, you can go with auto-body paints. Most paint shops will sell a 1/2pint sample for a couple of bucks and you can test it and see if it is compatible with your other paints.

I've used spray cans for three of my planes and acheived great results with them. I just purchased an airbrush and have yet to receive it, so I can't compare the two mediums.

Like ponch mentioned earlier, I use spray cans for priming as well. Nothing beats a 10 oz can of Decrolon paint (found at all the AAFES stores in my area) for 99 cents. As far as saltydog's concerns about wasting paint, for 99 cents, the amount one does waste is meaningless. But, he is definately on the mark in the respect that airflow control is nonexistant on a spraycan.

As a suggestion, you might want to try using the generic cans of paint or Krylon instead of the Model Master lineup. The generic kind will run you about a dollar to dollar-fifty for 10 ounce cans of paint or about three dollars for the brand name, Krylon. On the other hand, at my LHS, Testors regular spray cans cost about $2.75 and Model Master cans are about $4 for only 3 ounces of paint. Flat black is flat black so it doesn't matter who you buy it from, it's going to be dark. Additionally, Krylon sells three forms of flat black, (semi, regular and ultra) so you have more choice. The only time I buy Testors spray cans is when I need an exact shade of a color that can't be bought in a larger and cheaper can. At the very least though, I really do suggest you (as well as everyone else) try the ghetto, generic cans of paint they sell at AAFES, Walmart, Home Depot, or anywhere else paint is sold.

Yes, priming is the rattle can's job in my life. The dual action air brush is much more forgiving. I do at times spray the paint from the can into a jar to put in the airbrush, saves me the time of thinning it.

ok time to go to the paint shop to buy a gallon of flat black :D

QUOTE: Originally posted by Hawk I've used spray cans for three of my planes and acheived great results with them. I just purchased an airbrush and have yet to receive it, so I can't compare the two mediums. Like ponch mentioned earlier, I use spray cans for priming as well. Nothing beats a 10 oz can of Decrolon paint (found at all the AAFES stores in my area) for 99 cents. As far as saltydog's concerns about wasting paint, for 99 cents, the amount one does waste is meaningless. But, he is definately on the mark in the respect that airflow control is nonexistant on a spraycan. As a suggestion, you might want to try using the generic cans of paint or Krylon instead of the Model Master lineup. The generic kind will run you about a dollar to dollar-fifty for 10 ounce cans of paint or about three dollars for the brand name, Krylon. On the other hand, at my LHS, Testors regular spray cans cost about $2.75 and Model Master cans are about $4 for only 3 ounces of paint. Flat black is flat black so it doesn't matter who you buy it from, it's going to be dark. Additionally, Krylon sells three forms of flat black, (semi, regular and ultra) so you have more choice. The only time I buy Testors spray cans is when I need an exact shade of a color that can't be bought in a larger and cheaper can. At the very least though, I really do suggest you (as well as everyone else) try the ghetto, generic cans of paint they sell at AAFES, Walmart, Home Depot, or anywhere else paint is sold.

So just regular old Krylon spray paint will stick to the plastic just fine? Hmmm...this sounds like a great primer idea if it works....

good primer, i like it more than tamiya n its cheaper

Yeah, I've had no problem with Krylon spray paint on plastic models.

The reason I mentioned the Decrolon is that it's made by Sherwin-Williams.. the same company that makes Krylon. My guess is that the paint formulas for the generic vs. brand name can't be that far off. But, I've never seen Decrolon anywhere off-base.

Definately give Krylon or any other spray paint a shot. It'll save you some dollars in the long run if you like 'em.

Personally I hate Krylon primer. The only time I use it is on metal parts where primers for styrene won't adhere. My experience with it is that it's thick as molasses and any fine surface detail is gone with the wind. It also takes about 24 hours or longer to dry. I don't decant it and use my airbrush, it's sprayed straight from the can, and that is probably most of my problem. Personally I'll spend a little more and get Tamiya Fine Surface Primer. Straight from the can it works perfectly.

Another trick that I've seen a modeler do (posted online) is to buy a rattlecan of whatever color he wants, then bleed off the propellant (hold the can upside-down and spray until it don't go no more), then cut the top or bottom off the can and bottle it. It's pre-thinned, and (sometimes, in the case of color as apposed to primer) pre-mixed.

Seemed like a good idea if you want the cheap stuff but don't want to use a spraycan.

If anyone's interested, I can try to locate the link again... it's been a while since I saw it.

-Nate

i've always had good luck with rattle cans after I learned a couple of tricks. First, I heat the can by sticking the can in a sink and then filling the sink with straight hot water. After the sink is full, I let the can set 10 to 15 minutes. That tends to thin the paint (unfortunatly it also raises the propellant pressure) - then make 3 to four quick passes with the can held 8 to 12 inches away from the subject. Takes practice but I rarely fill the fine details anymore.

As far as the water temp goes, I've never checked it, but if it's too hot (like boiling) you could blow the top or bottom out of the can - I rounded the bottom of one can not long after I raised the temp of the water at the heater. (goes with a "pop" that definately gets your attention)