Tamiya Spray cans --- are they laquer- or enamel-based?

On the decanting subject. There is an article in the FSM 2007 How to Paint and Weather scale models pgs, 28-33. In that article the author describes a method he uses to decant Tamiya spray cans. He modified a spray tip and shoots the paint thru a tube into a bottle that is covered with tape. The tube fits in a small hole poked thru the tape. I tried it and it works pretty good!, check out the article.  (I do understand some people might not want to decant for safety reasons though.)

Bill has pretty much covered it. Because you have a highly volatile mixture flowing through an open tube (plastic straw) with readily available oxygen, there is an increased danger of ignition. The turbulent flow through plastic has the potential to create a static charge. Grounding the tube is a good idea, but no guarantee.

Of course, any other nearby source of ignition is even more dangerous. That includes all electrical switches. 

The propellant in aerosol paint cans is usually propane, and odorless. You won't smell it or know it's there until you: A. keel over from anoxia; or B. it goes FOOOM!

qmiester wrote:

usmc1371 wrote:   My respirator fits fine (as a former Marine, I know how to check and wear my gas mask, GAS, GAS, GAS ).  Ya get a no go on this station - ya forgot the arm signals and to beat on the metal   lol

Oh I did it.  I just couldn't type and flap my arms at the same time.

usmc1371 wrote:

My respirator fits fine (as a former Marine, I know how to check and wear my gas mask, GAS, GAS, GAS ).

 Ya get a no go on this station - ya forgot the arm signals and to beat on the metal

 

lol 

I was referring to decanting Tamiya spray paints into bottles for airbrushing.  I decant Tamiya's Primer for airbrushing.  I always do it outside and only decant a little at a time.  I use the old saying, "if you can smell it, you need more ventilation".  When I decant, I can't smell the paint or fumes so I guess I'm ok.

In regards to Model Master Acryl, my spraybooth is a Paasche spray booth that has about a 6 foot hose on it to vent outside.  My respirator fits fine (as a former Marine, I know how to check and wear my gas mask, GAS, GAS, GAS ).  I may need to replace the cartridges.  I'll give that a try.

Thanks,

Jesse

Tamiya rattle cans are a synthetic lacquer. I use them on occasion, but haven't decanted any, and would only do so using a respirator when no-one else is around. They smell atrocious and I can only presume have some pretty nasty chemicals.

As for your question Jesse, I can answer that!

Spraying thinned paint isn't decanting, per se, its painting! Decanting is pouring or moving a liquid from one container to another. The dangers of decanting a pressurized container I would think would be apparent. It isn’t the paints that are the problem; it’s the propellants, most of which are flammable and explosive. Mucking about with explosive flammables under pressure as a hobby is not recommended.

People do, of course, and each of us is responsible for our own actions. I don’t personally decant paint, but then I only spray acrylics through my airbrushes, and therefore have no need to decant paint.

As for the headaches, you are obviously reacting to the chemicals in the paint and/or thinners. You may even be allergic to the paints, and the smallest trace amounts can be play havoc with your body. I would question if the respirator is fitting correctly and has working filters. Is the spray booth a home built, or store bought? Improperly set up booths can force the paint fumes back into the house, rather than out the vent.

Hey Triarius,

Why would you not recommend decanting aersols?  Not to be glib here, but aren't you "decanting" when you're spraying anyway?

Since you're an expert in this area, do you know why Model Master Acryl paints give me a headache when I brush or airbrush them?  I use a respirator and a spray booth vented outside but still get headaches.

Thanks,

Jesse

Not your bad—I see where you're coming from, now.

Judging from you post count, you must be fairly new to these parts, so there's no way for you to know I'm a retired materials scientist and former paint chemist. My reply was basically: Tell me what it says on the label, and maybe I can figure it out from that. Otherwise, I have to hunt down the MSDS, which is a lot more work now that I've retired and no longer have access to the sources of information I could get through my place of employment.

And if I've used something, I usually have a pretty good general idea what's in it, how it behaves, and what's compatible and what's not. Just an old habit from the paint lab days: I'm not opening the container until I know what's in it. Any other behavior could have unpleasant consequences.

I also never decant aerosols. I know it's probably been done thousands of times outside of the lab with no adverse effects. I also know what adverse effects are possible. I'll never endorse it. 

Triarius wrote:

Why would I not answer with such a question?

Well sir, answering a question with a 'never used it but I can tell you what', seems kinda odd to me. Nothing to get your hair up on. Just found it funny my friend, my bad

Thanks to both of you!

The spray can is out in the garage and locked up for the night! :)

 Basically, I need to do a panel fade on an M-88 tank retriever. I base-coated it with the Tamiya rattle can and I want to thin lighten up portions of olive drab...  I'm trying to figure out what sort of white paint (laquer, enamel, etc.) I should purchase to mix with the decanted shade of O.D.

I  have subsequently sprayed it with Model Master acryllic flat. I am also going to be coating the model in Future, prior to decals, and then another overall acryllic flat coat. I hope that this will seal it well enough to be able to do an oil wash and not wreck the enamel/laquer base coat.  Any thoughts?

I really wish Tamiya would make the same shades as their spray can line (this is the first time I've used a rattle can to spray a model since I was a teenager) in their line of acryllics!!  

Thanks again for the help, amigos!

 

 Regards and Aloha,

 

Johnny B.  

Why would I not answer with such a question?

Triarius wrote:

As I don't use them, I don't know. If you can tell me the ingredients, I may be able to tell you. It is possible that they are what is called an "enamel lacquer"—what this means is that they use a soluble resin as well as a polymer as film forming components. This is fairly common in high gloss finishes.

LOL,  They are Lacquer base.  sorry for the laugh, just don't know why someone would answer , never mind    lacquer base and are quite good, and an be decanted for A/B use. HTH

As I don't use them, I don't know. If you can tell me the ingredients, I may be able to tell you.

It is possible that they are what is called an "enamel lacquer"—what this means is that they use a soluble resin as well as a polymer as film forming components. This is fairly common in high gloss finishes.