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Tester Paints

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I looked but couldn't find the thread where we were talking about tester enamel paints.

My question is has anybody tried to use these on wooden blanks and has any of you learn something different about the enamel that would help me? I'm going to thin it to get a effect that I'm looking for.

Ben I finally got around in picking some up and will let you know how it works with KBS. I just finish 400 jigs it took a little time. I want to mix a base color of chartreuse like what we were communicating about Ben, after a primer of white then one in black to fine what I'm looking for or whatever color I need.  I'm planning on painting water base Wicked over this to complete the scheme. This is just the beginning if everything goes well. Any thing I shouldn't do?

Thanks,

Dale

 

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You can't really know until you try it, but mixing enamel paint with a topcoat like MCU may result in bubbling and poor adhesion due to the different types of solvents in them.  I wouldn't slap MCU on a bunch of enameled baits until I tested it for compatibility.

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I've only painted a few Rat-L-Traps with enamel so my experience is limited. On one bait I sprayed straight DN ( no thinning with acetone) for the top coat and it worked fine. On another bait I brushed the DN on (again no thinning) and it wrinkled the paint. On the next bait I sprayed the DN again and it worked fine. The only thing I can think of is that spraying the DN allowed it to go on in lighter coats and the solvents were off gassing before they had time to wrinkle the paint. 

I can't give you a definitive answer for this, but like Bob said I would try it on a lure or two before I tried coating the whole lot with DN

Ben

p.s. Remember that the enamel paints are not going to dry like water based paints will. Enamel takes longer to rid itself of the solvents so be sure to take that into consideration.

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It's been about 25+ years since I used Tester paints, using them with my son on models. First thing that I noticed was Flammable. LOL no heat setting I guess. I'm going to give them a try like Bob stated. I got some old blanks that messed up on and they didn't swim right.  I'm thinking that if I do have a problem with the top coat I may put a barrier coat of something between the paint and KBS. I'm not sure at all that it would work either.

It may be a while before I give it a try due to me working. Ben do you find these colors more vivid? This is something that I'm looking for out of this experiment. I just bought a bright yellow, a lighter green and a blue. I didn't want to buy something I will not use. :?

As far as spraying vs brushing, that's interesting. Your probably right about the spraying Ben. Another reason could be that the pulling or bushing of the brush. The paint is losing its adhesion from the clear being placed over the paint. Did you thin the enamel for spraying Ben? I remember this paint being semi thick and being a oil base I guess acetone could be a thinner. Acetone could help with curing a little. Time limits is not a concern for me with curing. However it is getting close for the spring kick off of a new season. :yeah:

Thanks again for your input,

Dale

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Dale the enamels did seem much more vivid to me and yes I did reduce them with the reducer recommended by Testors. The thing that first got  my attention was how easily it sprayed. It seemed much easier to control where the paint went and you could reduce it to a consistency similar to water with no adhesion problems. Another thing that really impressed me was how easy it was to build up color. You could spray a light coat or two and the paint would be transparent or you could add a couple more light coats for a more opaque look. 

I'm not sure acetone would be an appropriate reducer, but that is what I used to clean the airbrush. If it were me I'd stick with the Testors reducer. At first anyway. There could be a cheaper reducer that came in larger quantities, and would work just fine, but I haven't done enough research to figure all that out. 

Give it a whirl. You'll never know how you like it until you try.

Ben

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Very nice idea Nathan. The acrylic should create a nice barrier.

Ben I'm going back and get the reducer for Testor then. This way I can start off right. Then I'll see what will work or not.

Since I spelt the topic wrong it won't be hard to find it again to let y'all know how it went.

Thanks,

Dale

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I've used the stuff for about 12 years, but only for certain colors. I primarily use urethanes.

Ive had no issues with it reacting with epoxy clears or the urethane.

It does provide access to a few interesting colors, with the only downside being that when purchased in such small quantities, it winds up costing about 80 trillion dollars a gallon. 

If you're used to the water based paints, the enamels and urethanes will be a brave new world for you as a far a speed, coverage, easier fades, and the lack of the need to heat set.

They can be easily controlled as far as thinning with medium reducer. Clean up is with lacquer thinner, which is a deal breaker for guys used to the water based stuff. You must have a solid paint booth system with adequate ventilation and/or a mask, so usually this idea falls on deaf ears.

Ive also use both water base and urethanes on rare occasions, but only with a coat of epoxy in between them. A coat of Intercoat clear also works if properly applied. 

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Thanks for the info FF. That's what I'm going to with Testor, use it only for certain colors. I may take a look at urethane in time. Right now tho I only paint mainly for myself and I'm catching fish so I'm good. Still tho I'm keep hearing voices telling me to go to the dark side with a mask on.

Thanks again,

Dale

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