Enamel paint tip?

ive been hearing everyone say they use a primer with the acrylics, so when i was in the local store yesterday i asked the guy if he had a primer, he said no, and that i wont need a primer (word i have for him might not be suitable:)) if im using acrylics, dam....
thanks for the reply...regards Gordon J

I use Tamiya acrylics as well, and I usually use a primer, especialy under the main color coats. This will greatly improve adhesion of acrylic paint and it will stay put on the model if you have to do any masking. I use Floquil gray primer, and allow it to dry over night before appying acrylic.

thanks for your quick reply jeff, been waiting to try this all day lol ;)
Im not hand brushing with the acrylics anyway, ill just be airbrushing the body ...dam ive just thought, im sure i read a post about applying enamel over acrylic, u dont do it?? im i right? ill need to check. Just for detail, ill hand paint things after airbrush like engine vents, handles, canopies etc with enamels ekkk if i can...thanks jeff

Phew, after 1hour of searching i found the post lol

"Posted by ABARNE Posted: 06 Jul 2005, 14:10:48

You can spray enamels over cured acrylic and vice-versa, but enamel over acrylic probably wouldn't help the overall durability. The problems with acrylic being more durable than enamel are due to the fact that it does not make as strong of a bond with the plastic as does enamel, hence it is more easily scraped off. If you painted first with acrylic and then with enamel, the weak link of the plastic-acrylic bond would still be there, so I doubt that you would see any significant improvement in durability.

On the other hand, if you prime first with an enamel primer that bonds well to the plastic, while simultaneously provides a microscopic "tooth" for the acrylic to grip, then you can definitely expect better durability."

i guess painting enamel details (not airspraying) over acrylics is fine?

same concept with thinning here too. Use Tamiya thinner because it has a retarder in it. Be very careful when brush painting because they easily pull up when successive coats are applied over them.
Jeff

k, i dont want to start a new thread, so ill continue here...

Now ive painted the rotors, and am now on the Apache body. The instructions tell me nato-olive (revell no 46) and/or light olive (no45). But i think this is too dark and the plastic is this color...Anyways, i got tamiya acrylics, nato green XF-67 and JA green XF-13. Do i have to use an undercoat before spraying the acrylics on? and is the mixture of thinner the same as enamels?? ive not used acrylics before....regards gordon J

Ahh i see. I thought it was far too thick to paint correctly with a brush. Didnt know if u could add thinner to the paint when hand brushing....Thanks for the tip there...regards gordon J

Your description of the problem makes it sound like the paint is too thick. Even brush painting requires paint of a proper consistency. When I'm brush painting, I'll always have a little plastic lid with some thinner in it son that I can periodically dipp my paint brush into it and thin out the paint.