First time airbrushing enamel paints

Not sure about the mix you created with the Black and Steel colors.  I have used MM Enamels since forever and I have had no problems with mixing paints from the MM and Testors line; they are completely intermixable in my experiences.  From your description of the reaction you got, with the Black floating to the top, it sounds like you may have accidentally mixed the acrylic with the enamel.  That will not work.  Make sure you only mix enamels with enamels or acrylic with acrylic from the same line.  Otherwise, you may end up with the incompatability reaction you described.  Regarding the fumes, you should really try to set up your painting area so that the fumes can escape your work area with a airbrush spray booth.  If can't, try to spray outside, or open the garage door to insure adquate ventalation and freash air flow to your work area.  I have a paint booth and I still wear a repirator, even with acrylics!  For paint prep and paint storage, I use empty 35mm film caniters to mix and store mixed batches of thinned paint.  When I'm done using the paint, I simply discard them in the trash.  If I want to store the mixed paint for a few days until I can come back to work on the model, I wrap the film canister with plastic food wrap.  I have found that this keeps the mixed paint freash for several days before it becomes unusable.

I know from recent experience on a B-36 model that the classic testors paint performed differently for me, and badly. I used testors silver in the square bottle to get some panel variation, and the paint did not cure and remained soft. I will never do this again on an expensive model with 10 months build time in. 

Paint can really add up doolar wise on a big project......... I gues the rule I have learned is to never ever skimp for trying to save $3 bucks, then have a disaster to repair .

I will never use the small bottles again 

Hi Wilbur Wright,

 What kind of paint do you use now to create metallic finishes? Is there a good brand of acrylics that will produce a realistic finish, or do you pretty much have to go with an enamel?

 Thanks,

Jeff

Hi Jeff, I painted my share of 1:1 cars, spray canned model cars and have recently been AB'ing my models. I only model with enamels, but in the past used a variety of media on 1:1 so I'll throw out my 2 cents worth for you. ;)

 

1) Respirator = always a good thing no matter what the media.
lacquer thinner = hope that was for cleanup only and not mixing with the enamel paint.
smell lingering = spray with adequate ventilation, must have VENTILATION! :)

 

2) If in fact you did mix MM gloss black enamel with Testors silver enamel, then the only thing I can think of is... The silver does have a tendancy to settle out of suspension rather quickly, seperating from it's carrier. When brush painting with it from the bottle it needs to be stirred often. Possibly the carrier from the silver was not compatable with the black and excellerated the effect?

 

3) I'll dig through my stash and figure out if any other cars are going to get sprayed the same color. That way I can mix a batch of paint, spray everything and store the little bit that remains in a smaller paint bottle for touchups. I always clean my AB paint bottle after every spray session. 

 

4) I'm not familar with Acryls so I can't help you on this one.

 

5) Don't substitute back flushing for tearing down your AB and giving it a thorough cleaning. It's fine for when changing colors or between spraying sessions that will be within the same day (like stopping for dinner), but don't count on it for getting all the paint out. Oh yeah, don't do it over your work area! LOL.