Technical difficulties.  See next post.

Steve!

     On Which? I like that you have all the books well set and shelved in the Library, Observation Parlor. "Now, Dear Sir, on which Shelf and which side will I find the Great Verne Novel?"" You know the one about that strange inventor and His Strange  underwater craft?" "Pure Balderdash I say:! "No one can make an Iron Boat go Underwater and come to the Surface too! " "Purely Preposterous, I Say"

       See! Darn it,You are doing such a great job you've put me in the Mood!

Thanks, Gam.  Thanks for the brush painting tip too..

DUSTER

Bakster, I would never doubt your commitment to creating, in this case, the book covers.  

I would agree, a thinner decal film would no doubt have been more effective. But regardless, the work you have accomplished is outstanding and no quibbling from this peanut gallery will change that.

Again, well done and  I’m looking forward to the next installment.

 

 

Thanks , Duster. You are too kind sir.

Bakster, I would never doubt your commitment to creating, in this case, the book covers.  

I would agree, a thinner decal film would no doubt have been more effective. But regardless, the work you have accomplished is outstanding and no quibbling from this peanut gallery will change that.

Again, well done and  I’m looking forward to the next installment.

Looks great to me Bakster!!! 

When hand brushing Vallejo paint I squirt a little on a piece of plastic like a fast food container and then add a little thinner. The thinner is about 50/50 water and Future with a few drops of retarder added. I mix the two using a toothpick. As the paint dries out I add a little more thinner. 

DUSTER

 

 

Bakster

The bookcase assemblies are not done but the worst is over with. With all the meticulous masking I did on the books, that is about 1.5 weeks of work. 

Steve

 

 

 

 

Very good work on the books. They look like a first class library now. 

Oh, Bye the bye, the 3d book on the second left hand shelf is out of order with the 4th book but most folks likely will not notice, I also suppose you're waiting to add the gold leaf titles ‘til later

 

Hey that is funny about the gold leaf! Now because of your joke, I have to give the extended version of my post.

What I left out is the journey I took on this. My initial attempt was to mask. I began that process but I quickly realized it was going to be much more work than I wanted. That set me on the path of hand painting. I experimented with everything I could think of, including artist oils. They all flopped for me. So, I set out to start masking again. Once again, I decided that this is ridiculously time consuming, and I questioned if it was worth the effort. I stopped to consider my options.

Then it hit me. How would it be if I made decals? On one hand I liked the idea, on the other hand it would be a lot of work as well. From making the graphics, to printing, to sealing, to fitting, to installing. I hated the idea of all that but then I hit on the idea of making the books in blocks of color, rather than each book being different. That would simplify it.

I headed to Hobbylobby to buy some decal film. I made the graphics, printed, sealed, cut, and applied one. It looked like garbage! The problem? The decal film they sell is thick and it does not conform. The end result was like I slapped plastic onto the books and it wiped out the binding detail. It made it look like it was one big book. I scrapped the idea.

Going with a decal might have worked if I had ordered better decal film. I used some on my Icarus build that might have worked better. I can't remember the brand, I'd have to look that up. And if it did... then I could have added more detai to the binding. At this scale, the writing would not be legible. None the less, it could make for a nice illusion of being there. Maybe another model, maybe another time.

So, it was back to masking. I had to stop my complaining and just do it. Too much work or not. And that is the uncut version.

Bakster

The bookcase assemblies are not done but the worst is over with. With all the meticulous masking I did on the books, that is about 1.5 weeks of work. 

Steve

 

Very good work on the books. They look like a first class library now. 

Oh, Bye the bye, the 3d book on the second left hand shelf is out of order with the 4th book but most folks likely will not notice, I also suppose you're waiting to add the gold leaf titles ‘til later

PhoenixG

The book cases turned out fantastic.  Your masking job was superb!

 

PhoenixG

 

 

Bakster

Phoenix, I am always interested in learning. Unfortunately, the PM function is still not working for me. I tell you what. I will start a thread in the painting section. Look for it there and you can share your process. Thanks in advance?

 

 

Bakster,

I haven't used PM in months and just discovered it doesn't work for me either.  Found your other thread and just finished a War & Peace post in it.  If I'm lucky there's something useful in it. 

 

Cool! I will check it out asap!

The book cases turned out fantastic.  Your masking job was superb!

Bakster

Phoenix, I am always interested in learning. Unfortunately, the PM function is still not working for me. I tell you what. I will start a thread in the painting section. Look for it there and you can share your process. Thanks in advance?

Bakster,

I haven't used PM in months and just discovered it doesn't work for me either.  Found your other thread and just finished a War & Peace post in it.  If I'm lucky there's something useful in it. 

I forgot to note: The books are painted with Tamiya LP series lacquer. Stinky stuff but it sprays well, dries fast, and seems to have good adhesion. I was masking over it shortly after painting. I top coated using Testors Dullcote.

The bookcase assemblies are not done but the worst is over with. With all the meticulous masking I did on the books, that is about 1.5 weeks of work. Hence why I would have loved to hand brush it. In the case of the latter, it would have been done in one to two nights work.

Anyhow-- it's been a while since I posted an update. So, here is image

Next up I need to paint the white portions an iron. That should be easy compared to what I just did. That is, barring any Gremlins rearing their ugly faces.

Steve

PhoenixG

 

 

Bakster

The problem I see is getting smooth layers. How do you get thin layers without the paint clumping and or balling up. Paint retarder maybe? Flow improver? Problem with that, with Vallejo, adding that stuff extends an already long cure time to almost rediculous. And you'd want to wait for the paint to cure before adding each layer, I would think. Or the subsequent layer could start pulling up.

 

 

It is possible to get smooth layers, but I don't like using flow improver or airbrush thinner when brushing MC as it softens/dissolves the underlying layer of paint on me.

For me it's method plus paint prep.  It took a couple of models with lumpy paint for me to figure it out.  Don't want to bloat this with a post on personal painting methods.  If there's interest just let me know and can send a PM.

 

 

Phoenix, I am always interested in learning. Unfortunately, the PM function is still not working for me. I tell you what. I will start a thread in the painting section. Look for it there and you can share your process.

Thanks in advance?

steve5

hey steve , finally found you . I can't help with the hand painting , I mostly airbrush , but everything you've done looks great .

 

Hey Steve, thanks for looking in and posting. No worries about the hand painting.

Bakster

The problem I see is getting smooth layers. How do you get thin layers without the paint clumping and or balling up. Paint retarder maybe? Flow improver? Problem with that, with Vallejo, adding that stuff extends an already long cure time to almost rediculous. And you'd want to wait for the paint to cure before adding each layer, I would think. Or the subsequent layer could start pulling up.

It is possible to get smooth layers, but I don't like using flow improver or airbrush thinner when brushing MC as it softens/dissolves the underlying layer of paint on me.

For me it's method plus paint prep.  It took a couple of models with lumpy paint for me to figure it out.  Don't want to bloat this with a post on personal painting methods.  If there's interest just let me know and can send a PM.

hey steve , finally found you . I can't help with the hand painting , I mostly airbrush , but everything you've done looks great .

Btw. I recall GMorrison posting a few times on this subject and he states you have to apply thin layers and build the coverage. Seeing how these paints react for me, that make sence to me. Kind of sounds like a pain, but so is masking. The problem I see is getting smooth layers. How do you get thin layers without the paint clumping and or balling up. Paint retarder maybe?  Flow improver? Problem with that, with Vallejo, adding that stuff extends an already long cure time to almost rediculous. And you'd want to wait for the paint to cure before adding each layer, I would think. Or the subsequent layer could start pulling up. Maybe Bill will chime in.

"I know you just said you are done with acrylics, but have you tried brush painting with Vallejo Model Color (not Model Air)? What I do is put some distilled water (distilled because of my anal-retentive nature) in the pallet cup next to the drops of paint I'm using, dip the brush in the water, maybe flip it off a little, then dip some Model Color on. Once you do it some, it sort of all falls into place."

Hi Greg, I tried your method last night and I am sorry to report I couldnt get the results you do. The paint either went on too watery, or if I cut back on the water brush soak, too thick. In the case of watery, terrible coverage. In the case of too thick, I get streaky coverage until the paint starts setting and then it really goes south after that. It's like you have to lay it fast then stop messing with it. Problem is... I have to mess with it because it's too thick and coverage is not even.

I don't know. I just can't get it to work. I wish I could.

Thanks, Cliff! 

"I do most of my handbrushing of figures etc with Vallejo Model Color. I rarely use anything but acrylics- frankly I've gotten to hate enamel and other sorts of paints."

Interesting! I am going the opposite way. Maybe in time I will flip back. If I do it might be the fuming that makes it so. But for now, I am loving the simplicity of lacquer. 

Update: when I say simplicity, I mean with airbrushing.

Desk looks great to me! 

I do most of my handbrushing of figures etc with Vallejo Model Color. I rarely use anything but acrylics- frankly I've gotten to hate enamel and other sorts of paints. 

PhoenixG

The results look to justify the effort.  Everything looks sharp and clean on the writing desk.  Has me believing there is text on those pages. :)

 

Hey thanks, PhoenixG.

"Has me believing there is text on those pages."

If you read the text you'll find Nemo's notes about sea creatures and harvesting food from the ocean floor. 

The results look to justify the effort.  Everything looks sharp and clean on the writing desk.  Has me believing there is text on those pages. :)

One is down. This is slow work. I will be glad once I am past the bookcases. 

The book bindings are sprayed with Tamiya LP series red and brown. The open book is sprayed with MRP white. Both are top coated with Testors Dullcote, and both had a wash applied.

Greg

Yammering always welcomed.

 

 

Bakster

My kingdom for a brushable paint that does not streak and look glopped on

 

 

I know you just said you are done with acrylics, but have you tried brush painting with Vallejo Model Color (not Model Air)? What I do is put some distilled water (distilled because of my anal-retentive nature) in the pallet cup next to the drops of paint I'm using, dip the brush in the water, maybe flip it off a little, then dip some Model Color on. Once you do it some, it sort of all falls into place.

No idea about the spurting Tamiya.

 

 

Hey there, Greg. No, I have not tried that particular methodology. I will try it. At this point, I have nothing to lose. I would love to find something I can brush well with. 

Regarding the Tamiya. I did notice when I was mixing the two colors that they were not blending well. The paint was streaky. I didn't think their acrylic had a shelf life but maybe it does. The paint is probably 5 years old. It looked ok though. It was not clumpy or anything along those lines. 

I went to HobbyTown today and purchased the colors I need in Tamiyas LP lacquer offering. I have heard good reports about this paint. The one time that I tried it, it went well. Famous last words! It always works well until IT DOESNT! Lol.

Again... if I could get all the colors I need in MRP brand I would be set. The paint works well straight from the bottle. It is the cleanest spraying paint I have ever used, and the results are awesome.

Yammering always welcomed.

Bakster

My kingdom for a brushable paint that does not streak and look glopped on

I know you just said you are done with acrylics, but have you tried brush painting with Vallejo Model Color (not Model Air)? What I do is put some distilled water (distilled because of my anal-retentive nature) in the pallet cup next to the drops of paint I'm using, dip the brush in the water, maybe flip it off a little, then dip some Model Color on. Once you do it some, it sort of all falls into place.

No idea about the spurting Tamiya.

Greg

Couch looks very good, Steve. And so does the wood piece you are working on now.

And good to know MRP clear works ok over the top of Valley-Ho. You saved me some testing, thank you.

 

Hey Greg-- thanks for the kudos, and it is great to hear from you.

Yes-- there were no issue with the MRP clear!

You have a way of making me want to yammer:

I am having quite the adventure trying to paint the books. My kingdom for a brushable paint that does not streak and look glopped on. In short-- one that looks airbrushed. I have had some success with craft paint but it has to be applied in a heavy coat. Not so good when you are working with small sections that are blocked off. 

Anyway-- last night-- I relented-- and I meticulously masked a section of books, mixed a custom color of Tamiya-- spray a test piece--and what happens?  It was spitting droplets of paint something fierce. I could not believe it. I have never seen this with Tamiya. This is old paint that I am using. Could that be the issue? Was it not thinned enough? Maybe.

Here is the bottom line. Stick a fork in me, I am DONE with acrylic paint. I am tired of the fight. I am going lacquer/maybe enamel only.

And that is my story for today.

Couch looks very good, Steve. And so does the wood piece you are working on now.

And good to know MRP clear works ok over the top of Valley-Ho. You saved me some testing, thank you.

"With sea monsters I hope you don't go with a giant sea turtle. 

It would hurt my feelings.."

Lol!

(Imagine the out of sync lips)  Gamera is coming! Gamera is coming!