Hairspray Technique

A

Awins

Guest
Please can anyone tell me the purpose of the hairspray. I have found that if you use just water or for a quicker response acrylic thinner mixed with a small amount of water, then acrylic paint can be removed using a tooth brush or various other tools quite easily without damage to the previous layer or paint or primed surface.
 

Ian M

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
SMF Supporter
Joined
Dec 14, 2008
Messages
19,583
Points
113
Location
Falster, Denmark
First Name
Ian
I cant be 100% sure but I think that it has its roots in the good old days of enamel paints. It acts as a 'loose layer' that breaks down when made wet. Mat enamels allow water to pass through to the hair spray and the bond gets weakened- 
 

Robert1968

SMF Supporter
Joined
Mar 2, 2015
Messages
3,410
Points
113
First Name
Robert
I have tried the weathering with the hairspray tech and failed ( unfortunately ) but maybe it's my skills not the act that prob failed.


from videos I have seen if you put on say and undercoat of say silver or Alluminium then scary the model with ( cheap hairspray) let fully dry then paint the model the top coat, once this has dried as Ian says if you brush the top coat with water the undercoat will show no it works best with acrylics. I tried it on a recent build but think I did the bottom coat a Vallejo paint and then hairspray then top coated with tamiya and think it didn't work as the curing time I believe has to be longer.?
 
J

John Rixon

Guest
I've had mixed success with hairspray, and reckon it's worth the old plastic bottle practice method, cos when it works, it looks the dog's ! One thing I'll say is that, in my experience, it's best not to leave any of the stages too long. That is to say, do it all in one sitting, as I feel it gets harder as it cures more. I used it on my recently completed Nashorn, and am chuffed with it ! You can also try AK's chipping fluid, which also works fine, if a little harder to remove the paint. 
 
J

John Rixon

Guest
Also note that Mig make washable white acrylic for winter camo schemes, I used this along with ordinary model air, it offered a more worn away surface to add to the chipped one.
 
Top