A very simple question about white paint

in my experience, white has always been the toughest color to paint(esp. Gloss White). What I normally do is this:

1) I normally start by washing the model in water with just a little soap, then rinse it off.

2) After it dries, I'll spray Future through the airbrush. Future can lay down a lot of different ways, depending on what you want it to do. Since I want to create a somewhat "rough" surface, I'll spray it using high pressure, and I'll stay back 6-10 inches, so that the model is kinda "misted". If you spray a primer, you won't need Future for this step (both will give you a rough surface)

3) Then, I'll spray on a light coat of white paint, and let it dry for 5-10 minutes (Enamels normally dry rather quickly). I'll repeat this process 3-4 times, adding a little more each time. Don't try and get it all in one pass (not with White at least).

Most importantly with white, is to use a primer of some sort, and use a number of light coats.

Other modelers might have different techniques (better, perhaps...?), but this is just what works for me. I hope it helps.

Primer is one way.  If you have used various colored or types of material I would suggest priming.  Otherwise, I've found that very thin coats can get an even tone.  Of course, I am speaking about flat white colors not gloss.  The first coat is sprayed a little farther away than the recommended distance.  It should be thin enough to still see the color of the plastic underneath.  Then move closer, and thin again.  Then another thin coat and you should be seeing what you like.  I've never had to use gloss white so I don't know if it is different.

Never tried it, but somewhere here on the forms somebody suggested using silver as the base coat. Theory being silver covers real well- but i guess it can be covered well, also.

Like I said, never tried it, but if it works- report back!

If it don't- I swear it's not my fault...... LOL

Thanks guys I think I m just gonna leave the Avenger as is i.e. not great but I ll put it on a low shelf and nobody will see the patchy white

Next time I prime properly , my mate actually uses silver so I might try that along with the future idea (never thought of using future as a primer) or I may start to have a preference for light gray undersides on all schemes

jwb wrote:

Never tried it, but somewhere here on the forms somebody suggested using silver as the base coat. Theory being silver covers real well- but i guess it can be covered well, also. Like I said, never tried it, but if it works- report back! If it don't- I swear it's not my fault...... LOL

That was me—you get a gold star! Didn't know there was going to be a quiz, did you?

Coating with silver is an old restoration trick to paint over hideous paint that cannot be removed for whatever reason.  What it does for a white overcoat is increase the reflection behind the white paint, which improves the internal reflection generated by the white pigment (optics—not just for physicists and microscopists, anymore…) Undercoating with gloss silver can reduce your finish coats by a factor of up to five, in my experience.

For red and yellow: undercoat with silver, then white, and finally red or yellow.

Zomok wrote:

Thanks guys I think I m just gonna leave the Avenger as is i.e. not great but I ll put it on a low shelf and nobody will see the patchy white

A perfect strategy.  I've used it many times, just like the mud clump on the poorly fitted light guard.

Triarius wrote:

jwb wrote: Never tried it, but somewhere here on the forms somebody suggested using silver as the base coat. Theory being silver covers real well- but i guess it can be covered well, also. Like I said, never tried it, but if it works- report back! If it don't- I swear it's not my fault...... LOL That was me—you get a gold star! Didn't know there was going to be a quiz, did you? Coating with silver is an old restoration trick to paint over hideous paint that cannot be removed for whatever reason.  What it does for a white overcoat is increase the reflection behind the white paint, which improves the internal reflection generated by the white pigment (optics—not just for physicists and microscopists, anymore…) Undercoating with gloss silver can reduce your finish coats by a factor of up to five, in my experience. For red and yellow: undercoat with silver, then white, and finally red or yellow.

Ha! Knew I'd seen that.....

Would gold work for yellow?

Hunh! Never tried that, but it should—might give you a richer, deeper yellow, though. Silver will reflect most of the visible light spectrum. Gold reflects more toward the yellow region.

Hunh! Never tried that, but it should—might give you a richer, deeper yellow, though. Silver will reflect most of the visible light spectrum. Gold reflects more toward the yellow region.

Gold will definitely give a shift toward the yellow end of the spectrum.  Back many, many years ago when I was building model cars I painted most of them with either "Candy" or "Candy Metallic" paints.  Those paints are generally clear and the primer used has a dramatic affect on the final color tint.  Silver is much brighter and vivid while gold gives a much softer shade.

Yep I know that I m slow but  how-o-how do you go about getting nice even coverage when spraying white (rattle can or airbrush tried both) , I m guessing the secret maybe in the undercoat primer if so what do you use?

Whenever possible, spray dark colors over light.  Sometimes when I paint prop tips white or yellow I spray most of the prop white or yellow and then mask that to spray the black for the rest of it.  It wastes some paint but there is no way to get white or yellow to cover black without about a dozen coats.

Depending on the color of the plastic kit determines how I went about painting gloss/flat white.

White plastic kit - The usual wash, followed by wiping down with Iso. Lightly wet sand and start spraying a few mist coats. The following wet color coats are sprayed a bit lighter/thinner than most other colors.

Colored plastic kits - The usual wash, followed by wiping down with Iso. Lightly wet sand and start spraying "light" grey primer. Followed by the usual few mist coats of the white and then the same as above for the wet color coats.

I haven't tried the tip that Ross suggested using silver. I have used silver and gold as a base coat for the transparent paints.

Thanks Ross... I'll have to give that silver coat a try next time. 

Since I've been trying new techniques, does that mean I am no longer an old dog?

Hey guys,

One thing I didn't see mentioned in this thread was sanding between coats.  I'm in the practice of lightly sanding between coats when I airbrush my models.  This usually results in a very smooth, even, final finish..with flats and especially gloss paints.  I've tried this with a recent model, a US Navy T-45 Goshawk.  The main color was gloss white, so I misted the first coat and let it dry, and lightly sanded with a 600 grit wet/dry paper.  I repeated this for the next light coat.  The final coat was applied a little heavier and allowed to dry.  Man!, was the model ever glossy and the white was very deep and opaque.  This method only took a few hours, thanks to Tamiya acrylics and my home made drying oven.  I've also tried this with T/MM enamels and the results were the same..execellent!  The only difference was the gloss enamels require longer drying times.  All-in-all, I'd have to say my gloss/ flat white paint of choice is Tamiya acrylics, X-2 & XF-2.  They're fast drying, very durable (thinned with denatured alcohol) and/or painted over a light enamel primer coat, and it covers very well.  Good luck!

My Italeri 1/72nd scale T-45A Goshawk painted and finished using the method above

        

 

I've never tried this but I read in FSM readers tips a few months ago that adding a very small percentage of black in with the white is a good method.  I can't remeber the percetage but, like most of these things, it is probably trial and error. 

The tips given above with silver paint, etc sound interesting.

All have to be worth a try. 

 Anyone tried mixing in some black?

I have tried mixing blue with white..never heard of black. I've been running printing presses for the last 35 years and we add a small touch of  blue to white, and it really brightens it up.

Mooro wrote:

I've never tried this but I read in FSM readers tips a few months ago that adding a very small percentage of black in with the white is a good method.  I can't remeber the percetage but, like most of these things, it is probably trial and error.  The tips given above with silver paint, etc sound interesting. All have to be worth a try.   Anyone tried mixing in some black?

I believe the mixture rate was 10%, but just to be safe, I would add a little less. I have had good luck spraying white through my airbrush a little thicker than normal, but if its to thick, it tends to get a texture to it, which has to be sanded, or if your like me and lazy, just say its some sort of protective coating