acrylic and enamel cross over

Silverstalker

Active Hunter

• Jan 30, 2016

• #1

Fellas just a quick bit of advice... my impending delevery of armour plates means I need to know about acrylic paints....reason is I will be doing the silver, yellow damege etc will humbrol but want to use the Tamiya XF 65 green for the main green....

I am adept at using humbrol enamel paint no problem with the air brush but I need to know a few things

1. Can you use tamiya acrylic over the top of humbrol enamel?

2. Is that acrylic water proof?

3. from the 3 mins practice I just had on a demo plate I made I think the acrylic can run a little thicker through the air brush than enamel does... ??

I have just sprayed the mock up plate with just silver damage (very simple)...laid down the acrylic (bit runny) and the put a clear coat over the top to seal it all in..I have walked away and hope to come back to a nice pieace...and not a bubbly mess...

Used enamel for decades never used acrylic before but I like that color ha

Many thanks

 

Silverstalker

Active Hunter

• Jan 30, 2016

• #2

Seems to be ok...There is no enamel on this just silver paint for a car but as a test platform it has taken a clear coat without any issues....

 

B

Bcarp100

Jr Hunter

• Jan 30, 2016

• #3

You should be okay so long as you let the enamel dry/cure all the way before putting acrylic over it. The acrylic will most likely not be "water proof" but I would imagine it would withstand a small amount of moisture. That being said I would still do a clear coat over it to "seal" everything so to speak.

 

intwenothor

Well-Known Hunter

• Jan 30, 2016

• #4

That is not correct. Once acrylic paint is dry it is waterproof and will not run even if completely wet. You will not have issues in painting acrylic over enamel or vice versa but as with any paint it is important that each coat and layer is properly dry before moving onto the next.

 

Silverstalker

Active Hunter

• Jan 30, 2016

• #5

Cheers fellas, that's all I need to hear.. like I said I am perfectly fine using enamel with all applications....just never used acrylic before so needed a few facts

 

intwenothor

Well-Known Hunter

• Jan 30, 2016

• #6

There are advantages and disadvantages to it. The biggest advantage for me is the clean up afterwards.

 

superjedi

Sr Hunter

• Jan 30, 2016

• #7

Yup, much easier clean up with acrylics.
As mentioned previously, make sure each layer is really dry before adding the next.

Acrylics can be thinned for airbrushing pretty easily. I've used Tamiya acrylic thinner with several
brands of acrylics: Polly Scale, Tamiya, and Testors Model Master Acryl. You'll have to adjust the
amount of thinner used depending on what brand of paint you're using.

 

B

Bcarp100

Jr Hunter

• Jan 30, 2016

• #8

intwenothor said:

That is not correct. Once acrylic paint is dry it is waterproof and will not run even if completely wet. You will not have issues in painting acrylic over enamel or vice versa but as with any paint it is important that each coat and layer is properly dry before moving onto the next.

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Thank you for correcting me, I thought that might be the case but I did not know 100% so I didn't want to give bad information! I prefer shooting acrylic through my airbrush because it is so much easier to thin and clean up.

 

Silverstalker

Active Hunter

• Jan 31, 2016

• #9

You are not wrong about the clean up, bit of hot water and its gone..... I like that

 

Darth Voorhees

Well-Known Hunter

Preferred Vendor

• Jan 31, 2016

• #10

As Andy said, the acrylic is waterproof. These acrylics are not like acrylics you do paintings with, which in watter can come off or get rubbery...these are an acrylic enamel, so thats why it is in fact water proof when dry.

BUT you CAN'T put enamel over acrylic. The solvents in the enamels eat the acrylics and make them not fully cure and basically makes a mess.. I learned that the hard way. Acrylic over enamel is fine though.

 

B

Badgerdash

Jr Hunter

• Jan 31, 2016

• #11

Tamiya spray paint is lacquer-based, so it can dissolve acrylic or enamel paints underneath. Caution is advised. (I would coat the lower layers with varnish first if you really need to spray a lacquer paint overcoat.)

The advantage to lacquers is their durability.

 

Silverstalker

Active Hunter

• Feb 1, 2016

• #12

Badgerdash said:

Tamiya spray paint is lacquer-based, so it can dissolve acrylic or enamel paints underneath. Caution is advised. (I would coat the lower layers with varnish first if you really need to spray a lacquer paint overcoat.)

The advantage to lacquers is their durability.

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oh good idea,

that's bad news you can't put enamel right onto acrylic!, you see II was going to uses the acrylic top coat green, then use enamel over the top of that to to spray on the chest insignia..damn..

I know I know....right I will lay down the green (acrylic) put a clear coat over that, then spray on the insignia, (enamel) then add another clear coat over that... that should separate the two paints. I hope.

 

toofastrobot

Active Hunter

• Feb 1, 2016

• #13

I painted a model kit with tamiya acrylics, then (my son) painted over that with humbrol enamels, then painted over that with humbrol acrylics and none of them reacted negatively with each other. Just gave them a bit to make sure they fully cured. But like always, everyone's personal experience varies. To stay safe I'd stick with one type rather than mixing. However, I've put enamel and acrylics (separately) over lacquer with no problem.

 

intwenothor

Well-Known Hunter

• Feb 1, 2016

• #14

Darth Voorhees said:

As Andy said, the acrylic is waterproof. These acrylics are not like acrylics you do paintings with, which in watter can come off or get rubbery...these are an acrylic enamel, so thats why it is in fact water proof when dry.

BUT you CAN'T put enamel over acrylic. The solvents in the enamels eat the acrylics and make them not fully cure and basically makes a mess.. I learned that the hard way. Acrylic over enamel is fine though.

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I never had this problem but as I take an age to do anything there's often weeks or even months of cure time happening so that may well be why I haven't experienced this. Had no issues regardless of what went over the top of what.