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Calling all Brush painters...(and theres some buffalo pics)

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  • Member since
    August 2007
Calling all Brush painters...(and theres some buffalo pics)
Posted by ben1227 on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 10:31 AM
I don't have an airbrush, but it'll be here as soon as its off backorder. What can you do to get the best finishes from your brush? I always have brushstrokes, and after putting on about 3 coats of enamels or acryls, things start to get thick and brush strokes really show...Also, I'm finding foreign bits of dust and crusty dried paint in my finish, and i don't drag my brush againt the bottle's edge. Check out the Jan. '07 Issue of FSM, "Brush painting a War Weary Corsair" and you'll see that you can get an awesome finish from a brush...I don't expect a finish THAT good but heres some pics of my Tamiya 1/48 Brewster done all by brush.
.:On the Bench:. Tamiya 1/72 M6A1-K
  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 1:19 PM
Two big factors... the paint your using and the brush your using are the main components of a good brush finish. My best results have come from Humbrol enamels and good red sable brushes, especially for larger ares such as aircraft or vehicle exterior surfaces. The old Polly S acrylics were great for hand brushing also. Unfortunately when they changed to the new Polly Scale formula, they went to a much thinner paint that requires at least 2 coats when hand brushing. Some Model Masters enamels hand brush well, but most tend to be semi opaque, especially the MMII and lighter shades of the older original colors. Cleaning the brush periodically during painting is a technique I use as well to reduce brush marks and clumping. Also make sure your paint is thouroughly mixed... shaken and stirred! Your Buffalo appears to be coming along well enough. Is the brown color a pre shade in the recesses? It's hard to make out on these pics. Post more as you progress please!

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    August 2007
Posted by ben1227 on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 5:11 PM
Yea I'll wipe down my brush after each coat from now on...heres finished pics
.:On the Bench:. Tamiya 1/72 M6A1-K
  • Member since
    August 2007
Posted by ben1227 on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 5:23 PM
remember...this IS done by brush so it isn't no showpiece.
.:On the Bench:. Tamiya 1/72 M6A1-K
  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: White Mountains, NH
Posted by jhande on Saturday, August 18, 2007 1:57 PM
Carlos, I'd like to add also...

Keep the brush "wet", make sure there is plenty of paint to make the stroke. Working the paint as it is starting to setup and dry will leave brush strokes as it doesn't allow the paint time to level out.

Also use as wide of a brush as possible for the area you are working on.

-- Jim --
"Put the pedal down & shake the ground!"

  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Southampton England
Posted by Viper Has The Lead on Monday, August 20, 2007 3:03 PM
 jhande wrote:
Carlos, I'd like to add also...


Also use as wide of a brush as possible for the area you are working on.

Good quality flat brushes are ideal for things like wings, and reafirming the other advice, mix that paint well, I have a lil battery Badger paint mixer, works a treat. With something like the wings, paint one and leave it to dry 'thoroughly' if you think it needs another coat it shouldn't be a problem to paint again without disturbing the previous coat, leaving the paint to dry well is most important when using brushes. As for foreign objects like dust and such, I use a box or something and paint the part then put the box on top right away, leave till next day and things are usually fine.  Looking at the pics, you might have had the paint a little thin. It's coming along nicely though, do keep posting as you work it up. I'm heading into painting up a 1/32 Hawker Hunter, I can can spray the undersides as they were high speed silver, but the camo, well, I think I may have to buy a bigger brush Propeller [8-]
All the best,
Mick C.
"All modern aircraft have four dimensions: span, length, height and politics. TSR.2 simply got the first three right." Sir Sydney Camm
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Central USA
Posted by qmiester on Wednesday, August 22, 2007 6:21 AM

You might want to experiment with your thinners - if you don't thin the paint, you're going to get streaks (paint won't flow together behind the brush), plus you get a thick layer of paint that quite often fills and eleminates fine detail.

Too thin and you again get streaks because less pigment is deposited.  So what you need is to find the exact amount of thinner required to allow the paint to flow together behind the  brush stroke.  We're not talking a large amount (ie percentages) but two or three drops of thinner at a time untill you find the proper amount of thinner.

The above works very well for darker colors, but lighter colors (whites, greys, yellows etc) usually continue to leave streaks - for me the best way is to apply 2 to 3 coats layered very thinly.  I usually apply the first coat painting in one direction, let it dry completly, then apply the second coat 90 degrees from the first and if a 3rd coat is required, let the 2nd coat dry completly and then paint in the same direction as the first. (example - first coat span wise, second coat, chord-wise and if required, 3rd coat spanwise).

One note on thinners.  I use enamels almost exclusively (for both brush and airbrush).  One thing I have noted is that a laquer thinner will work much better for thinning to eliminate brush strokes than the mfg's thinner or a generic thinner (ie minerial spirits, enamel reducer/thinner).  So when I'm brush painting, I use laquer thinner exclusively.

Hope this helps a little. 

Quincy
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