Mr. Surfacer 1200 + 30% lacquer thinner = spider webs?

Jon,

I have had this problem with Mr.Surfacer and laquer thinner myself.  Usually the spider webs appear when the Mr. Surfacer isn't thinned properly.  I don't recall you stating what kind of airbrush you have but I have a Evolution gravity feed.  I mix my paint and thinner in the airbrush cup and have to make sure that it is mixed well.  Also, I found that switching to Mr. Color thinner as a thinner for Mr. Surfacer works better than laquer thinner.  I have had far fewer problems when using Mr. Color thinners.

Hope this helps you,

Chuck B.

Jon,

Glad to be of some help.  So far, I have only used the 1000 as a primer and really like it.  Saw no reason to use the 1200. As far as thinning goes, I found that a drop or two could make all the difference in the world.

Chuck B.

If you're an armor builder and want to recreate rough texture you can pour liquid cement all over the model and then stipple the surface with a very short paintbrush (you can cut the hairs of an old paintbrush; the point is to make it short and hard). This technique leads to excellent results and you don't have to go online searching for Mr. Surfacer.

Quagmyre - sorry to hear that there is another casualty of the Mr. Surfacer spider web phenomenon.  It's actually happened to me since the original post as well, and I think that I just have to make sure that there is more than enough thinner (I'm using Mr. color thinner and a drop or two of Mr. retarder as well) and also that the airbrush is very clean as well, needle and all (I think that if there is any residue on the needle than it can cause the surfacer/thinner to gum up on the needle and perhaps become web-like).  I also think fiddling with the air pressure is also a factor, but I haven't figured out exactly where it should be.  Fortunately, the webs wipe off very easily, but you do have to hit those areas with a bit of sandpaper and then more primer.  Please let me know if you figure out the secret!

Jon

The finish is very fine. No need to sand afterwards.

Jon - I ditched the Mr. Surfacer 1200 after trying to thin it with more regular lacquer thinner than 50%. So I went down to the LHS and purchased a can of the aerosol Mr. Surfacer 1000, thinking it would be a quick fix since I wanted to get the fist coat of paint on this weekend. The 1000 in a can gets all over the place, but like the 500 covers scratches and evens things out. I had to use it outside thought because of the fumes and mess.

I'd like to get the mixture on the 1200 right in the future... I really think 1200 is the best option for a primer. 

I gave up (at least for a little while) on the Mr. Surfacer, and instead took a bottle of the Tamiya primer (I used the white, but grey is fine too) and decanted it to spray with the airbrush.  It worked perfectly.  I have just had too many problems with the Mr. Surfacer, but many people use it and don't have any problems at all!  Just my luck, I guess.  I've tried just spraying out of the can before (at least with Tamiya primer, but not with Mr. Surfacer) but they always put out way too much product for me and lay it on too thick.  Once decanted, however, it sprayed on awesome through the brush.  So I'll probably stick with that for the near future. 

And yes, no need to sand after applying the Mr. surfacer 1000 and 1200.  Lays down a nice, even, flat coat (when it isn't turning into spider webs!).  Anyone out there have a solution?

Jon

I have the same problem before when I mixed Mr. Surfacer and the thinner directly in the paint cup. The problem is Mr. surfacer is much heavier than the thinner and it just sink to the bottom of the cup. The bottom Mr. Surfacer becomes too thick and gives me the spiderweb.

 After I pre-mix it in a seperate bottle before pouring them into the paint cup, everything works like a charm.

I have used mr surfacer 500 100 and now 1200 in a spray can, and you can polish out the 1200 glass smooth for NMF paint or as I am doing, figure work.   I used to polish the 1000 out as well prior to paint, but now I just spray the 1000 reduced with LT and then go over it with 1200 if I want a super fine finish.

 I had the same problem as you all, but I also had the same probelm with Alclad I in the big bottle years ago. I racked it up then to two things: Heat (near 100* low humidity) and the brand of LT I was using. I changed brands and it SEEMED to help, but it may have just been a cooler day as well. I think the retarder is giong to be the way to go and im going to grab myself some. Thanks for the insight!!

David