Questions for ya'll painters....

[mustang_girl]

Ya'll told me to ask if I wanted to know so here goes ....

1. How much of an area does a 2oz bottle cover?

2. Do you have to thin the paint?

3. What is retarder?

Not sure what kinda air brush the dude next door got but he said I could use it if I wanted too, so figured what the heck I'm gonna give it a try.

I'm sure I'll come up with some more ?'s .... LOL just givin ya'll fair warning

 

[hamz9561]

What brand of paint are you talking about? Usually if you get the airbrush paint it doesn't need thinning. Usually when I buy the paint, I have way more than I need for a lid. A retarder just allows the paint to dry slower. I'm not the greatest painter, but there are some excellent painters on the forum. Here is a one of my better lids for a Maxx type truck.

 

[mustang_girl]

Thanks Hamz... I've looked at anything from Pactra to parma to spaz stix.

Nice colors on that lid.

 

[Candyman]

2 oz. covers a lot. Even if you're doing a single-color scheme, a bottle that size will do more than one lid. You can thin it if you want. With some paints that will help the atomization and coverage. If you use Faskolor, I would recommend thinning it with a bit of water as they are typically a bit thick in the bottle. Racing finishes (Pactra) and Spaz Stix are pretty thin and usually can be shot as-is. General consensus here is to stick with either Pactra, Createx or Spaz Stix for ease of use. Water-based (Pacra Acryl or Createx) make cleaning just that much easier, too.
If this is your first attempt, take some time to practice. If you get a 2 liter clear soda bottle and cut it in half lengthwise, that gives you a bit of a practice canvas and will help you get some brush time before you try a full-on lid.

 

[itsalifeworthliving]

off the topic..

YA'LL!! thats funny.. I'm from pa. and we say "YINS"... ie: "yins com'in over for supper?"

 

[NCNitro]

You know what the plural of Ya'll is?

All Ya'll

Candy man pretty much covered it. My favorite paint is Pactr Acryl, which really does not need to be thinned. Parma paint will definitely need to be thinned. Spaz stix I have never thinned, it's ready to go right out of the bottle but it.s not water based so clean up is a bigger pia, and it really stinks, but the paint is awesome. The other two are water clean up and relatively odorless. I would not use a retarder, I want my layers to dry faster not slower.

Another good way to practice is by picking up a cheap piece of lexan from home depot, I find it easier to try new techniques on that since it's nice and flat and the coke bottles want to curl back up.

 

[Rolex]

You're also better off cutting out the wheel wells and trimming the excess before you paint. Use the cutout parts for practice masking and spraying.
Just remember to wash thoroughly with dishwashing soap, rinse completely, and do another wipe with denatured alcohol or rubbing alcohol before spraying. Avoid finger prints on any prepared surfaces.

 

[hamz9561]

And again as Candyman said use the 2-liter bottles to practice on. I went through about 5 before I even attempted to paint my first lid.

 

[Lessen]

Ahhh.. phooey on practice. I did that once and it didn't help me a bit. I still screwed up the body, HAHA!

but seriously. Start simple and work your way up. My first r/c paint job consisted of racing stripes over a 2 color faded background. I've only truly screwed up 1... no make that 2.. paint jobs. As long as you don't try to get in over your head you should be ok. Nobody knows your abilities better than you do. For instance, I DO NOT have a steady hand at all so I have to take that into consideration when I paint. I absolutely have to be able to rest my elbow on something when I'm spraying details. You find out more about what comes natural and what does not with time. Always try something different, that's my motto. :thumbup:

 

[Candyman]

Oh, and you might want to take some time while you're practicing to get the hang of using liquid mask. Most of us use Dively's Liquid Mask. It's a latex liquid that you paint inside the body before you paint and then you can cut the design and peel each section as you paint it. It's good stuff to learn to use.

 

[CharliesTheMan]

lmao I'm lovin it mustang girl. I'm from Louisiana and I have to work really hard to say "you guys" in my threads because in conversation I would normally use yall"

 

[Lessen]

yeah, any type of liquid or spray on mask really opens the door to design possibilities. I would keep it relatively simple for now though.

 

[CharliesTheMan]

Even the best make mistakes sometimes. Trust me lol

 

[BOUTCH]

When to my LHS, and they didn't have any liquid mask!! SUX

 

[mustang_girl]

Thanks ya'll for the info. It's alot of help. LOL I went collecting soda bottles from the neighbours today. I'm gonna order some liquid mask online as my local LHS doesn't carry it either. I figure drawing on PS and programs of that sort can't be much different from airbrushing. I hope so anyway.

Thanks again

 

[Rolex]

Even the best make mistakes sometimes. Trust me lol

That's totally true. Even I actually made a mistake once.
I thought I was wrong, but I was mistaken.