Advice on how to get thinned matt paint with airbrush.

[Jamiel]

I have painted some Dapol Presflo's with a couple of coats of Railmatch Bauxite (matt), but they have turned out gloss. Any advice on how to proceed would be appreciated.

 

I first thinned down a Phoenix Precision Bauxite Matt with their thinners (thinner which I have used a lot in the past with no such effect). This was a bit lighter than the Bachmann bauxite (I have a couple of Bachmann Presflo's in the rake as well), so I added some Humbrol Matt back (No33), and when the first coat was still a little tacky, sprayed a coat of that. Obvioulsy I haven't started on the black frames, or any other details yet.

My question is this. Should I add the transfers while it is still gloss and then weather down, and also try some method of getting a matt finish at that point, or should I add something to get a matt finish then the transfers before weathering? I am planning to weather generously with light grey for concrete spills, plus the other usual weathering around the frames etc.

Have others encountered this problem before? Was it my impatience with the second coat? How can I get thinned matt paint?

 

Any suggestions on achieving a matt finish would be welcomed.

Some example pics. The Bachmann Presflo is at the front in the top picture for comparison.





Here is an exampe fo the level of weathering I will look to achieve in the end (on Flickr - the image can not be linked directly)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/3751091069/in/album-72157604635404420/

Jamie

PS. Sorry if this is in the wrong forum/area, I wasn't sure if 'Weathering, Painting & Transfers' was the right place, or modelling questions. Moderators, please move this if you feel it would be better elsewhere.

[steveb860]

Waterslide Decals need to be applied on a glossy finish, otherwise the carrier film traps air underneath and will shop up on the finished model. Decal setting and softening solutions like micro set & sol are also very useful for achieving good results. I never apply decals without them. Then once satisfied, you can spray the wagons with Satin or Matt varnish to take away the gloss and protect the decals. (My preferred varnish is Railmatch Satin enamel, satin is more realistic than matt. 

[Jamiel]

Thanks for that Steve.

 

I am using Microsol and and Microset for the decals.

I have a Railmatch matt varnish, but with a brush that has come out a bit shiny, perhaps it needs to be airbrushed.

I will have a go with on of the wagons and see how it goes.

It would be good to find a way of getting a matt finish for vans that don't have many decals as well.

Jamie

[Jamiel]

Well a quick update. The problem has been solved, it is the Railmatch Wagon Bauxite Matt, that isn't matt, it is gloss.

Here is a photo showing from left to right, one of the previously sprayed wagons, one with Humbrol 70 Matt (brick red), Humbrol 98 Matt (chocolate), and one with a mix of the previous two, all thinned with the same thinners I used before.


I will let these dry and see how they look, and also experiment with how the transfers using the Microset and Microsol work on the gloss wagon and one of the matt wagons, and then decide how to proceed from there. I will post the results, here and in my Ellerby thread.

Any suggestions as to which Humbrol matt paint matches BR bauxite would be gratefully accepted.

Oh and just to show that I am not a complete idiot, here is a photo of the 'matt' paint. Maybe just a bad/wrong batch, I bought it several years ago, so the Phoenix Precision Bauxite matt may well be fine now.


Thanks to Steve for his help.

Jamie

[Big D]

I hope I'm not trying to teach you to suck eggs here, but the matting agent tends to sink to the bottom of the tin after a while. Did you thoroughly mix the paint and varnish before use?

I'd also be interested to know what thinners you are using.

[Jamiel]

Hi Big D.

I do stir the paint well before use, and give the thinners a shake, but still best to check. The thinners I have used are the Phoenix Precision PQ8, and they have worked fine with matt paints from both Phoenix Precision and Humbrol.



I am quite sure that I just have a rouge gloss Bauxite tin.

I have also just posted this update on my Ellerby thread:

 

Masochism!!!

 

It i has dawned on me that Presflo's are the most soul destroying things to add transfers to. Not only are they covered with text, but to do them in the style of the first couple shown below means adding 13 individually cut letters into tiny boxes (formed by the ribs of the wagon), on each side.

On the plus side, with help from Microset and Microsol the Cambridge Custom Transfers have taken pretty well to the sides of the Bachmann (left) and Dapol (right). The Dapol is one painted with Humrol 70 Matt (brick), which I think I will use for the rest of the painting. If these dry on OK, I won't worry about applying transfers to the still gloss one, as the matt looks much better.

 

I am tempted to go for the version of the wagons that just have CEMENT on the side rather that plus PRESFLO as well, mostly to retain my sanity. Like this photo I found on the web by Adrian Nicholls.



Still I am happy with how they are progressing, and it will be fun to start weathering them.

Jamie

 

[Siberian Snooper]

It is always worth storing paint tins upside down, but make sure the lid has a good seal first.