Hi all,

So I AM making some progress on my Romanian Hurricane, but have now hit a road block. I cannot seem to get the mixture right for Humbrol paints. I used the same paint/thinner ratio I I used with the Testors enamel and below are the results. I also used the same psi of about 12-14. Note the clumps and bumps and general roughness. This was applied using light coats, which made matters worse. In areas I sprayed thick the paint was kinda smooth. Note the smooth areas, though they were still damp. The closer I got to the plastic, the better the results but the paint was thick enough to cover some details. I will probably strip this down and try again. The Testors stuff went on great, and perfectly smooth. Also, the texture is much more apparent in person than in the pics.

So what is the trick?

Thanks,

Derek

I've never used Humbrol paints, but generally speaking, it almost looks like the paint is drying before it hits the surface. I'm assuming the Humbrols are enamels? I've had similar results but with acrylics. The solution to my problem was a little less air pressure, and less alchohol in the mixture.

Judging from the grainy texture of the paint job, I'd also say it's because the paint has dried on it's way to the model's surface.
But then, generally speaking, enamels shouldn't be that quicky, I've read that this more of a problem with acrylics. But how knows. At least the fact that you got a better finish when spraying closer to the model would make me bet on the distance issue. What were the spraying distances, if you still can remember?

There doesn't seem to be any problems with you pressure settings, at least I'd try to stay about there, perhaps raising it a bit if you're painting larger surfaces.

If you're getting details filled when moving closer, it could be an indication of too thick a paint mixture, too heavy paint flow, or both. Btw, what airbrush are you working with?

Thanks guys,

I'm sure too that the paint is drying before it hits, but I can't figure why. I thinned the pain until it was like milk, it actually seemed to be too thin to me. Also, I sprayed in my garage, and it was relatively cool in there, about 45*F (8*C), so the evaporation of any thinner should be slow. I'm using a dual action Aztec. Like I said, the Testors enamel went on great using the same set up and conditions.

I will spray it again this morning. I stripped the pain off last night, I figure I'll just start over and practice a bit.


-Derek

Hi Derek!

That looks awful!

I have never seen Humbrol paints behave like that before!

I use only enamels and mostly Humbrol, and I have never had any problems with the paint drying before It hits the surface!

What type of thinner do you use?

I used to thin with mineral spirit, but after I switched to airbrush I only use standard paint thinner.

This thinner works best with the Humbrols, and you can thin the paint about 30-40/70-60 paint/thinner.
The thinner dries quite fast so the airbrushing distance usually is 5-15cm.
Mineral spirits dries slower, so the distances can be longer.

Works well enough for me, and I use an Badger 150 double-action copy.



Cheers!

Stefan E

Could humidity or condensation cause an effect like this?

I would say this is definitely caused by the paint drying before it hits the model.

different paints have different formulas. a thinner that works great with one may do strange things with another.

Also, thinners tend to speed up drying because they are more volatile than paint. Oil paint itself can takes months to dry if applied thickly on a canvas, but if you mix some thinner with it that same glob will dray in a couple of days.

you might try a different thinner. or you might try finding a drying retarder.

Hi Derek. Indeed the results shown and your explanation indicate that the distance between nozzle and spraying surface has a lot to do with it. The orange peel syndrome is pretty common and as mentioned previously, is pretty common when spraying acrylics.
I have used Humbrols for years and find this rather strange.
In some ways it appears that the paint is not thin enough, but something else you should check out, is to see if your paint/thinner mix is seperating in the cup. Humbrols, mixed with the wrong and/or poor quality of thinner, tends to do this ... and can happen quite quickly. As the mix seperates, the pigment settles to the bottom and thinner rises to the top, making your mix even drier. Keep an eye out for this as well!
I use Humbrols own thinner to avoid this as much as possible, but have seen this happen when using different qualities of white spirit and turps!

Hi all,

Thanks for your replies and advise. I repainted the wing after stripping it and got much better results. I actually mixed the paint to be much thicker (like cream versus milk) and sprayed about 1 inch (3 cm) from the wing. I did lose some detail as it took a lot of paint to keep the plastic from showing through, very strange. I used white mineral spirits for thinner and sprayed at about 12 psi. I had the same problem with a La-7 I did recently which left an obvious texture, while the Testors left a perfect matt finish. The Humbrol paint had visible pigments that were obvious when cleaning my airbrush, like little grains of sand in the bottom of the cleaning jar. In the tin the paint is like white glue, very thick and silky, which seems strange compared to the Testors enamel that I have used. I know some of you swear by Humbrol, but so far the Testors paint is much more reliable with my skill level. Again, thank you all!

-Derek

Definately a thinner problem then. A few years ago there was much talk about alternatives to Humbrols own thinner, as it was expensive. I tried a few different types for washes and in the airbrush, and this was pretty much the result for both. The pigment clumping at the bottom of the cup or around little details. Humbrols are good .... but sensitive to the thinner you use. Please try one small bottle of their own thinner and try again. This will let you know exactly how the proper thinners should react with the paint and provide a reference.

Take a closer look at the paint tin if it's made in China.
Recently there was a thread on one Finnish forum where people were sharing their experience with the new Humrol enamels which are now manufactured in China. Apparently, the quality has dropped, causing all kinds of funky issues. People were cursing about now having to closely inspect the paints they're buying in order to pay for only the "good old stuff", and planning to go on hoarding sprees in order to get as many of the original super enamels still around before they're gone.

A handy tip: When I used to mess around with enamels some years ago, putting a small nut (metal, stainless, just to be sure) or a round pebble in each tin made it much easier to get the paint mixed properly, as the pigment in some paints liked to separate from the carrier and gather at the bottom. (damn, that flat varnish in the glass bottle was a royal pain in the rear, if you let it stay for too long, even the pebble didn't help, the stuff on the bottom went really gooye, firm and sticky)

Thanks again guys,

As I said in a previous post about the same problem, I'm really new at playing with enamels. What got me going on the enamel kick was W.E. Colour Coats (though I have not ordered any yet). I really like how they have their paints labeled to specific RLM, U.S., VVS, etc colors. So I'm all motivated to get used to enamels. I'm sure 90% of my problem is figuring out a technique for them. I'm still not sold totally on them, but have been impressed how they move through the airbrush and the finish they leave when I get it right.





The Humbrol paint I'm using was made in England, so it must be the thinner then. I'm sure Humbrol is not the paint equivelent of Lucas Electric ( As a former 1972 Land Rover Series III owner I can say that!). I still have a lot of paint to put down on this plane so I will try and get some of their thinner. I only have a few tins so I'm not really into this money wise. I will keep you all posted as I progress.

-Derek

Man that looks awful. If it were me I would strip that stuff off and go back to ModelMaster enamels.

Hai,

I hav had this problem as well with Humbrol paints.

Each times with old paint in jars that had already been opened many times. My guess is that your paint has simply gone bad.