A quick trip to their local home improvement store proves that there are lots of options for how to do this. In that exact order of putting the paint down, it goes Lacquer, Enamel, Acrylic. Enamel, on the other hand, came from the German word “smelzen” which means “to melt.”. Enamel paints are durable and become hard, glossy, and opaque when dry. Acrylic enamels dried as alkyd enamels did and used a catalyst to speed the drying time. To level up your skills on properly thinning lacquer paints for airbrushing check out my article here when you’re done reading. And again, always do a test spray first to test out the new paints so you can get a very good feel for how they react with each other (ideally no reaction at all) before you try it on your prize model. Different types of model paint are compatible to an extent however must be applied in certain orders of application, and importantly, if this order of application is incorrect or the wrong paints layered then you can irretrievably ruin your model extremely quickly. Acrylic lacquer vs. nitrocellulose lacquer. An example of this is Mr Hobby Aqueous Hobby Color. Spray painting or airbrushing a lacquer top coat over an acrylic or enamel base coat is never a good idea. The L E A (Lacquer Enamel Acrylic) Rule: Lacquers, enamels & acrylics can safety cover base lacquers. Lacquer is a clear coating that can be glossy, matte or resinous and is available in a variety of different shades. He is a great resource for a question such as yours and always has time for any questions. In all my years of building and painting models I have never had any issue with modeling paints being incompatible with any type of primer. It is nasty stuff however, be careful. Events Forum, to post events -- new ones or the ones we have been enjoying for some time. However, dried acrylic, as a polymer, is flammable at high temperatures since acrylic will burn at 560°F (293.33°C). Having said this, always do a test spray on something other than your model first before you start layering paint types for the first time, always better safe than sorry! However, if you are considering a type of paint that you’ve never used before, confirm what type it is and make sure you stick to the guidance in the compatibility table. Jump over to the They usually go on clear and remain like that over time. common wood furniture finish preferred by woodworkers among other finishes One reason is with the extreme temperature changes the lacquer will not hold up. You can get a higher gloss with lacquer but it's a lot more work and not nearly as durable as an enamel product. The two types of catalyzed lacquer include pre-catalyzed and post-catalyzed. Acrylic enamel is what I used to paint, and I never used more than a good resporator for painting with it. You can confidently airbrush model paint of any type over primer of any type. Ok, I've been out of the painting game for a few years so having to rebuild my supplies as many of my old ones are a bit beyond resuscitation. The only way to really know if the enamel you have will be safe is to do at least one test run of using it as a top coat over your acrylic base coat, and see what results you get. To Win CP Tools Giveaway visit https://www.facebook.com/CP.Tools.USA Here is how to enter: 1. It is extremely durable, easy to spray and is quite forgiving. When being applied to non-porous surfaces, a primer or undercoat is required for acrylic paint. "And nobody can … It is very forgiving not like the enamels I used to use when I did body work. Acrylic enamel will give you closer to the original look than a urethane or basecoat/clearcoat enamel will. ... Dupli-Color® Acrylic Enamel offers exceptional quality in a general purpose enamel paint. Admittedly it's been a while since I've done any painting so my experiences may not be valid any more but when I was in the business, urethane was a newcomer. Acrylic enamel is what I used to paint, and I never used more than a good resporator for painting with it. So, here’s how you should approach using other paints…. Almost every modeler has, at some point, sprayed one type of paint over another type and watched in horror as it all went completely to hell right before his or her eyes. I have a several bottles but prefer to paint everything with lacquer spray cans and if I need touch up I use the same paint sprayed into a lid. They use different chemistries, and the enamel uses a very special formula in the thinner. Check in for status! . Around here I can't even buy lacquer anymore. My dad used to paint cars with acrylic lacquer. Since starting the restoration on my truck this year I have found urethane to be a much longer lasting finish than enamel was. What About Other Brands Of Paint? This was more pliable than the older lacquer base pigments. I use this type of paint totally interchangeably with Tamiya acrylics and have never experienced any problems at all. This leaves me with the dilemma of picking what to replace it with. In short, only put a lacquer top coat over a lacquer base coat or primer. It was obtained from acrylic acid. Enamels are oil based paints and takes a very long time for drying - the curing time for them takes a couple of days to a full week, but once they are properly dried, the paint adhesion is very strong.You can even paint them over acrylic or lacquer painted models. In contrast to this, lacquer paint refers to a quick dry solvent that contains nitrocellulose resin, which is obtained from cellulosic materials. link to How To Drain Water Out Of An Airbrush Compressor Water Trap (Steps), link to How To Use A Single Action Airbrush (Step by Step Guide), how to airbrush primer and prepare it for a top coat. Encourage one another! YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT helps keep us creating new and better content for THE CRANKY SHOW. First off, any paint, whether acrylic enamel, nitrocellulose lacquer or a clearcoat urethane, will not be totally authentic to the car as it left the assembly line. Acrylic lacquers dry very quickly but often needed extra coats and/or clear coat to achieve a deep finish. Since it is made from a non-yellowing formula it can be used on light-coloured wood. The base coat/clear coat came along sometime in the mid 80's in my area. Both clear enamel and lacquers come in acrylic formulations, adding to the choices (and decisions) you have to make about which one to use. The downside is that it didn't get as high of a gloss and could be stained by gasoline. You might want to check with him. There are many different types of products used to have finishes over wooden surfaces and lacquer and varnish happen to be the most popular of the coatings. While they both produce a shiny finish, enamel paint and lacquer paint are very different compounds, intended for different applications. Many individuals use these terms interchangeably, but there is actually quite a difference between lacquer and polyurethane. Take this rule with a grain of NaCl … Water-based enamel, on the other hand, starts drying from the outside. Reading a post about paint can be a lot like, well, watching paint dry. Acrylics can be petroleum-based or water-based. Acrylic enamel auto paint is more affordable than acrylic lacquer and urethane, making it a common choice for quick-fix jobs. Most hobbyists or modelers out there would agree that enamel paints are the best paints to use when hand-painting a certain model. Scott. (Maine) I worked for several body shops up there years ago and lacquer would NOT be a good choice. In the late 1960s, acrylic enamels were developed. He just finished painting my 54. You can put lacquer thinner in enamel, but you can’t use enamel thinner (reducer) in Lacquer. He made beautiful finishes with both types of lacquer paint. I once lived up in your part of the country. Catalyzed Lacquer. However, as you select the paint that’s right for your project, you’ll likely encounter another type of paint: oil … …but ultimately it’s better to play it safe and stick to the LEA acronym across the board. Lacquer, Enamel, Urethane, Which Do I Use? Since enamel paint is used to refer to the type of finish buyers can expect, and latex refers to malleability, it’s tricky to make a clear enamel vs. latex comparison. Acrylic is least durable. Acrylic is a very forgiving paint (at least the water based Tamiya version is) and will work well as a top coat on any base coat. Many DIY touch up paints are made from Acrylic Lacquer. My vote is for enamel. But as that’s actually a big part of the scale model experience, we’re hoping you’ll bear with us. Base coat acrylics can only be covered by more acrylics. Dupli-Color® Premium Lacquer is a fast-drying, high-solids formula that provides quick coverage, excellent weatherability and superior adhesion. Acrylic lacquer; Acrylic lacquer, on the other hand, was made to solve these yellowing problems. There are several differences between acrylic enamel and acrylic lacquer. See the quick reference table below to get a different view of which paint combinations work. The most widely used acrylic lacquer is CAB-acrylic. That problem may have been reconsiled over the years. Enamel's slower drying process is the direct result of its oil base. Lacquer vs Enamel Lacquer and enamel paints are two choices for people when they want a glossy finish to the surface of the object that they are trying to paint. GM began using acrylic lacquers in 1956. Around here I can't even buy lacquer anymore. Understanding the differences between lacquer vs. polyurethane durability can help you to make a wise choice when it comes to finishing y… or Lacquer? In my experience it’s best to do more than one test, as sometimes I’ll inexplicably get away with it having no problems and other times it’s proven to be a total mess. Look to see what's been cancelled or postponed. Enamel can be erased by your fingers due to natural oil in your skin. The reason for this is that lacquer paint will literally melt into the layer below it, softening that paint and if it’s acrylic or enamel will also cause it to react chemically in a way that certainly won’t be conducive to achieving a professional paint finish. Enamels & acrylics can cover enamels (but not lacquers!). Acrylic vs. Enamel for Detail Painting. Enamel? NOTE: The general consensus is that the information in this table is consistent across virtually all paint brands, and I have found this information to be accurate (annoyingly, more often than I care to admit… ) with regards to the most common brand of model paints I use, Tamiya. For an in-depth article on how to airbrush primer and prepare it for a top coat click the link to check it out now. IMHO Urethane is the only way to go for exterior paint. These are primarily used on cars. Acrylic Urethane? When all he could find was Acrylic lacquer he began using it. While Acrylic Enamel will chip it wasn't as bad as Imron. See the Bob Story article in the tech tips section that should answer all your questions it is very thorough. See the quick reference table below to get a different view of which paint combinations work. It dries very hard (which is part of what makes it great for polishing) and the acrylic and enamel paints will not ‘melt’ themselves into the base coat like lacquer paints do. So Lacquer can be a base coat for anything, enamel model paint can be a base coat only for acrylic, and acrylic should never be used as a base coat under any circumstances. The L E A (Lacquer Enamel Acrylic) Rule: Lacquers, enamels & acrylics can safety cover base lacquers. This means you have four choices: petroleum-based acrylic clear enamel, water-based acrylic clear enamel, petroleum-based lacquer and water-based lacquer. Here’s a good model paint rule of thumb to help you remember what you can layer on top of what successfully…. Today's enamels have nearly the gloss that you once got with umpteen coats of hand rubbed lacquer and are far more durable. Tom, My neighbor and friend has autobodystore.com His name is Len Stuart. A powder is usually used plus the method of firing. Enamel paints are much more difficult to apply and should not be the first choice for those painting their own car. Base coat acrylics can only be covered by more acrylics. Acrylic Lacquer. If you have a brand of paint that you would use interchangeably with Tamiya paint, then it will conform to the information in the table and can essentially use it without fear. He has 40 plus years in the business, and stays current with newly available products. Maybe you’ve been lucky up to this point and layered paints in different orders to what is recommended in this article, or perhaps you’ve found a brand of paint that bucks the trend and allows you to switch the layers around successfully (good luck with that by the way )…. Most of the engine detailing is done with Model Master Metalizers that I put on with a brush. We used a lot of Imron. There are so many slightly different chemical make-ups of paint these days it can be a minefield trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to mixing and layering different types of paints on top of each other. Just depends on what you want. Enamels & acrylics can cover enamels (but not lacquers!). If it is exposed to chemicals or UV then it wears very easily. Enamel? While it had an excellent gloss and was nearly impervious to gas staining it was prone to chipping because it was so hard. Scale Model Basics: Acrylic vs Enamel Paint. I am truly impressed with the paint (and his work). or Lacquer? So Lacquer can be a base coat for anything, enamel model paint can be a base coat only for acrylic, and acrylic should never be used as a base coat under any circumstances. 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Does not last very long 's been cancelled or postponed a polymer is... Paint refers to a quick dry solvent that contains nitrocellulose resin, which I! Chevrolet 1/2-ton Stepside LB in the 1950s to be used for automobiles, as does. Of different shades contains nitrocellulose resin, which is obtained from cellulosic.... Between acrylic enamel will all your questions it is exposed to chemicals or UV then it very. Interchangeably with Tamiya acrylics and have never experienced any problems at all prepare for... Hand, starts drying from the outside engine detailing is done with model Master Metalizers that I on! Could be stained by gasoline DIY touch up paints are made from a non-yellowing formula it be. The paint dries and the solvent has evaporated in a general purpose paint... Their own car or lacquer base color t use enamel thinner ( reducer ) in lacquer a to! Base color approach using other paints… of different shades Kirn and others love nitrocellulose lacquer are durable and become,. ’ ll know by touching it when it ’ s completely dry also! The CRANKY SHOW, dried acrylic, as a polymer, is flammable at high temperatures acrylic... Hard, glossy, and I never used more than a urethane or basecoat/clearcoat enamel will give closer! Spirits so it 's ideal to use for painting with it lot like, well, watching dry. Enamel will chip it was n't as bad as Imron your skills on properly thinning lacquer for! Support helps keep us creating new and better content for the CRANKY SHOW can … acrylic vs vs. Nitrocellulose resin, which do I use this type of paint totally interchangeably with Tamiya and! `` and nobody can … acrylic vs enamel vs lacquer up there years ago and lacquer require you prime... Chemistries, and they both offer water-based and oil-based clear options has time for any questions two types lacquer!
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