High gloss?

[AVB99]

Hello

A quick question please. If I want to attain a really high gloss finish, should I polish the plastic surface of the kit with a polishing stick before priming?

Then should I poslish the primer with a polishing stick? Then should I apply the acrylic gloss paint and polish that too?

Thanks

Aidan

 

[Ian M]

I dont think you want to polish the plastic, the primer will not stick to well to a polished surface. it needs to be smooth, but not shiny.

Likewise he primer should be smoothed with a fine paper, but again not polished.

The final colour coats can be flatened down between coats. The final coat finished of with a polishing compound. Then a clear high gloss varnish.

Well thats what I would do, but the last thing i did was totally covered in raised rivet details so it was a no go to sand and polish....

Ian M

 

[AVB99]

Thanks Ian

I'm going to have another go with Vallejo Glossy Black. I have a bottle. I also have a bottle of Vallejo airbrush thinners. Can some on who is familar with these paints, please reommend a ratio of thinner to paint.

Thanks

Aidan

 

[Ian M]

Ratios for mixing paint is one of the few things that is hard to help with as there are so many variables. Nozzle size, air pressure etc. There are a few guide lines which may help.

One is that you want to aim at a mix that is like regular mike. Opaque but thin enough that it leaves a transparent film on the glass. A good way of getting to that can be like this: Find a clear plastic container. Throw away plastic shot glasses are ideal. Pour some paint in the beaker and then about the same amount of thinners. (50/50) stir well and see how it runs down the side. If you can just see your fingers though the film of paint you are about there. If you cant see your finger, add more thinners. This should give a sprayable mix.

Now for the air brush. put a few drops in the paint holder and see how it sprays.

If it splatters or looks grainy, you EITHER need more air pressure OR thin the paint more.

If the paint blows around on the surface and make spiders or centipede looking bugs, EITHER turn the air DOWN or thicken the paint.

I would suggest adjusting the air to get the spray correct and then try to always thin the paint the same.

Hope that helps.

While on the subject. Vallejo make a gloss medium. This will make any paint in their range into a gloss paint. So no need to buy both types of paint. The more you add the better the gloss but only to a point. I only use gloss paints very limited. If I need a shiny result I sort that out with the varnish. Its a cheat as a good matt finish is easier to obtain than a good gloss one. Well I think so. LOL

Ian M

 

[AVB99]

Many thanks Ian for a most comprehensive reply. I shall do all you suggest.

On a separate note, I notice that Flory mixes his paint and thinners in what he calls the 'colour cup' (the paint cup on a gravity fed airbrush)!

He puts thinner in first, then the paint, then mixes them with a paintbrush. Does anyone else do this please or. like me, do you mix it away from the paint cup?

Regards

Aidan

 

[yak face]

Hi aidan , Ian has got all the bases covered , all i can add is to repeat some of those points . Like anyone who sprays cars will testify , the surface preparation is the one thing that makes the biggest difference to the final finish. The plastic should be primed , then the primer can be wet sanded with the finest grade you can muster (but definitely not polished!, that would only cause problems with paint adhesion). Its then a case of applying the gloss finish as carefully as you can and make sure theres no chance of any dust etc. getting in it while its wet. Im not a fan of polishing paints on a model as i think it can cause more problems such as going through the colour or fine scratching plus the problem of getting into hard to reach areas and the polishing medium needing cleaning out of the nooks and crannies! If you do get some dust/flaws in the final finish , i prefer to gently flat them out , again with the finest grade of paper you can find (if necessary try getting 2 pieces of 1200 grit wet and dry and rub them together to lessen the abrasiveness ) sometimes a little soap or washing up liquid helps to keep the paper off the surface a bit ,again lessening the cutting effect on the paint. Then when the flaws are smooth , another quite well thinned coat of the finish paint misted on to restore the shine , and repeated if necessary. As for the mixing in the cup, thats exactly what i do , putting the thinners in first then the paint , but always give a little test squirt first so you dont spray any neat thinners that may have got into the nozzle onto the model. cheers tony

 

[AVB99]

Thanks 'Yak Face' for another very comprehensive reply. Much to try and much to learn.

I'm so grateful to all you guys who give freely of their knowldge and experience.

Aidan

 

[AVB99]

Hello again

Does anyone have any experience of Vallejo gloss please? Shoudl I thin it with Vallejo thinners and to what proportions please? And how many coats would be applied?

Is it polished afterwads or is that a daft question?

Thanks as always

Aidan

 

[Stevekir]

The final colour coats can be flatened down between coats. The final coat finished of with a polishing compound. Then a clear high gloss varnish.Well thats what I would do, but the last thing i did was totally covered in raised rivet details so it was a no go to sand and polish....

Ian M

What is the name of the polishing compound you use please? Is it easily available?

 

[Dave W]

Hello againDoes anyone have any experience of Vallejo gloss please? Shoudl I thin it with Vallejo thinners and to what proportions please? And how many coats would be applied?

Is it polished afterwads or is that a daft question?

Thanks as always

Aidan

I thin it with water.About 50/50 and spray it through a .5 nozzle.Works well for me.Best thing is to experiment on an old model untill your happy with it.

 

[Bunkerbarge]

It may be worth trying "T" Cut, car body rubbing compount from Halfords. I would experiment off the model first though as it might be a bit aggressive for model enamel.

 

[Stevekir]

I thin it with water.About 50/50 and spray it through a .5 nozzle.Works well for me.Best thing is to experiment on an old model untill your happy with it.

I have mastered airbrushing paint, but I am finding Vallejo gloss varnish difficult. I am presently using 20 PSI and thinning only 10% with Vallejo Airbrush Thinner. The varnish takes about 3 or even 4 coats to produce a gloss and I am using a lot of it. I spray to shiny wetness each coat and hold the nozzle (0.4 mm) about 4 inches away. I will try thinning 50/50 as you do and see what happens. (Pledge Klear builds up a coat very quickly at 10 PSI, holding the nozzle further away).

What PSI do you use at 50/50 thinning?

 

[Dave W]

What PSI do you use at 50/50 thinning?

Around 15psi.im no expert though,it's just works for me.I don't measure accurately either.I use an Iwata revolution cr airbrush which has a .5 nozzle.I find unthinned Vallejo varnishes will not spray through it.I used to swear by their thinner.Then I ran out out one evening.I remembered that Tony (yak face) told me ages ago he uses distilled water.Didnt have any to hand so used tap water.If you read the instructions on the side of the bottle it actually says 'Thin with water'.I spray two thin coats.Gives me a finish good enough for decaling.If you look at my Spitfire mk9 I posted yesterday you shouldn't be able to see any of the carrier film around the decals.Also with water I find the airbrush doesn't get clogged up.Easy to clean by spraying just water through it between coats.Water thinning has also solved another problem I had.When spraying the final matt varnish on one of my models it dried with white ish patches.Like that god awful Humbrol enamel matt clear always used to do.Have used the Same bottle of Vallejo matt clear on my last two models,but diluted with water.And no problems.As for the floor polish,I found that very tricky to spray.I Always managed to put to much on.Then i tried brushing it which worked much better for me.Only us it on canopies now.

This is what I do.But there are a lot of much better modellers on here that can give you advice.

 

[Stevekir]

I thin it with water.About 50/50 and spray it through a .5 nozzle.Works well for me.Best thing is to experiment on an old model untill your happy with it.

I have done some tests with that and it works! Many thanks.

I started practicing on some gash parts that I bought for a song from my model shop but that supply has run out. Plastic milk bottles came next but they are not as smooth as plastic models so I am now attacking two freezer icecream cartons. I will soon be ready to start painting my first model.

 

[Dave W]

Glad I could help Steve.Good luck with your first model.