Model Railroading > ModelFlex paint (help!)

All -

I'm looking for advice on Badger ModelFlex paint.

I was using the B&M maroon. The label on the bottle didn't make any mention of thinning the paint before airbrushing; however, I thinned it a bit with water (its acrylic paint).

Problem is, the finished product came out really runny. Is ModelFlex paint made specifically for airbrushing? How much are you supposed to thin it? I didn't use that much water, but now I'm thinking when I paint the loco again I might just use the paint without thinning it.

Any ideas?

1) Only use distilled water to thin the paint, some have luck with 70% alcohol as well.

2) Try a higher psi on your compressor, acrylics require higher pressure for airbrushing (25-30 psi) than solvent paints (15-20 psi).

3) Prime bare plastic with a light coat of solvent based primer first (an aerosol can will work fine for this).

4) Make sure the model is CLEAN. Any trace of residue or oils will affect the acrylic's ability to bond to the surface.

I change to a "heavy" tip on the airbrush before spraying Modelflex and then follow up the application with a hair blow dryer set on low to prevent runs.

ModelFlex is designed for airbrushing right out of the bottle without thinning. Once in a while you may run across a bottle that won't spray without thinning. In that case, only add a couple drops of water at a time to the bottle, stirring it in and then try spraying. Only add a couple drops at a time until it sprays normally.

Being an acrylic, the biggest difference between solvent based paints is that you must apply it in light coats to prevent runs. The way I do it for HO models is to start in one spot and work my way around the entire model, then start over again on the next coat. By the time you complete your first complete coat, the paint is dried enough that you can start the second coat without worrying about runs. Continue that until you get adequate coverage.


Chris Toth

chris said it all. but becareful with alcohol. sometimes it makes modelflex clumpy. depending on it's age, and how long it sat on the shelf from where you got it. most dealers do not check the paint stock. i have seen bottles of scalecoat with the "old western" style yellow label on them at a few shops.

matt arentzen
northeastrailworks.com

Chris is right, light coats are the best way to go, no matter the color.

As said before use the Large tip, medium pressure and take your time. I've not heard of the hair dryer idea before, that might make sense for my n scale stuff, especially with the reds and lighter yellow colors that don't cover well.

The one tip I have is make sure the bottle is WELL shaken. I put my bottles on the electric paint shaker for at least 5 minutes before use. I've found that helps a lot with spray quality.

Lastly, I don't thin the paint, I add a drop or two of the extender and that seems to take care of any clumping I have had.

All in all I love the brand, takes some work and some learning but the ability to paint without restriction because of ventilation is worth it to me.

Joe

I find that shaking the bottle makes the paint
splatter a tad. I normally stir the paint rather
than shake it and get better results. I know it
isn't preferred by 007, but it works for me. I do not
thin it at all, and third or fourth the suggestion
that you make numerous thin passes over the model
to get better results. The paint dries in minutes
in warm weather, so after 5 or so minutes you can
spray another coat.

Argyle,

I do have some issues with splatter, but I always thought this was caused by lack of shaking. I will try stiring tonight on my yellow project. Thanks for the idea.

Joe

I have been told to NEVER shake waterbase as it puts too many bubbles in it. I always stir it instead. As others have said watch out with achohol. I though I saw once you could use it and it turned an entire bottle of paint to cottage cheese. If I do need to thin it's distilled water only. A gallon is a buck and will last forever. Also shoot at about 25 lbs. A blow dryer works great between coats if you have severe time constraints. You can normally mask and shoot second and third coats within a couple hrs without any fear of peeling on these waterbase paints. With a blow dryer you can go right to masking off for following coats. One other trick that works well since it's pretty tough to insure you have burnished the edges of the tape down 100% is to spray a light coat or two of your first color along your masking lines before you shoot the second color. It tends to seal the edges better and you'll usually get a much sharper line and it pretty much eliminates any bleed under.

BNSFCSX

can you paint brass with modelflex?

Yes, you can use Modelflex on brass models without any problems.


Chris Toth

Many years ago I attempted to paint a brass loco with Modelflex and after masking and spraying the next color I started to remove to mask and the Modelflex paint pealed right off the brass............Joe