Hi im trying to find the right thinner for humbrol enamels. They are all matt finishes. I just picked up some local turpentine and some daler rowney low odour thinner. They both dry at the same pace however one dried if i rub them their matt core goes. Any tips on what i should be doing? Would be really helpful.

Thanks

Any thinner suitable for enamel paint should work with Humbrol. Does all the paint rub off, or does it just lose some of its matt finish?

Hey thanks for the quick reply. the paint doesnt get wiped off only the matt finish.

That's pretty common for Humbrol, especially if you touch it with your bare skin. It picks up skin oils and that can change the reflectance. You can actually make it work for you if you want a semi-gloss or worn looking finish. Try using cotton gloves and handling the painted surfaces as little as possible if you want a dead flat finish.

ok thanks alot. What paints would you suggest? I dont have an airbrush i just use a brush.One more thing alot of these model videos show people putting a coat of klear after finishing the model. What is its use?

Can you get Tamiya or Gunze acrylics? They're water based and have different formulations from enamels, so they react less severely to skin oils.

There are a couple of reasons to apply kleer. One is to seal the paint so it can't get damaged by any weathering techniques you may use, and the other is to get a smooth glossy surface on which to apply the decals so they don't silver. If you want a flat finish after weathering and decalling, you then spray on a coat of clear flat finish. It can also be brushed on, but it doesn't quite look the same.

ok thanks. I have tamiya too but they dry really fast.Also how do you paint white over large surfaces i always have problems getting a good homogeneous coat

Brush painting white is always difficult. Try using two coats and brushing in two different directions. I gave up on brushing white years ago and now I use spray cans for that.

LOL thought i just sucked. ok one last question are there any alternatives to that klear solution? there is n art store near my house that sells this winsor and newton varnishes for matt and gloss but thats for art enthusiasts. Do you think i should go ahead and purchase those?

Oh, you're not alone with the whites. Before I started with airbrushes, I hated painting pure whites and avoided them. A light primer helps a lot even when airbrushing whites as well.

I can't comment on the so called art varnishes. Basically, I reckon they should be similar, but I have a feeling they might also have different characteristic than those commonly used with scale models. Viscosity, for example.

From what I've heard, Tamiya acrylics are notoriusly tricky to brush paint well, though not impossible. Superb when airbrushing, I've been told.

Just about every modeling paint range tends to have matt and gloss varnish in them too.

About the Klear floor polish, I bet there's a good chance there's a local alternative. They come with different names in different countries, even if they're by the same company.
Look for an acrylic gloss floor polish.

thanks so much im doing an airfix helldiver now hopefully will put up the pics soon.