Lee,

Thanks for the tip on the Tamiya paints. I had searched high and low for a true florescent red but most were either too orange or too pink. The TS-36 is perfect. I shot it over both Rustoleum flat white and Duplicolor white primer and it came out great. The key to any florescent is a uniform undercoat. ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that is not undercoat color will show. Treat it like a transparent color. I'll post a picture of both in the next day or two.

Drys fast. Works best with a light coat followed 10 minutes later with a slightly heavier final coat. And it is most assuredly glossy.

Also shows fingerprints. Don't ask me how I know.



Edit: There was no saving the fingerprints. Bio-Arcas will need to be sanded and reprimed.

__________________
NAR 79743
NARTrek Silver
I miss being SAM 062

Awaiting First Launch: Too numerous to count
Finishing: Zooch Saturn V; Alway/Nau BioArcas; Estes Expedition; TLP Standard
Repair/Rescue: Cherokee-D (2); Centuri Nike-Smoke; MX-774
On the Bench: 2650;
Dream Stage: 1/39.37 R-7

I think I’ll try it also.

__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

Mark,

FINGERPRINTS - Did you mean "leaving impressions in the paint" ? or "smudges" ?

Is it possible that it was not yet fully-cured ?

https://cs.finescale.com/fsm/tools_...18/t/56324.aspx

Dave F.

LOL,

I wish it were something like impressions or smudges or touching it too soon.

No, this was a full-on "Oh Crap! The rocket is falling!" seconds after painting that left thumb and palm prints in the wet paint that showed down to the primer. Because the color is built up in layers, unless you have an airbrush and are VERY good at it (I am not), there's no saving it.

I was using spray paint. I also did something stupid. Karma demanded a re-spray. I already started with the payload section

A couple of things about Tamiya paint:

1) Allow a full week to cure before masking; they are very delicate;
2) your primer coat must be uniform and flawless (not just mostly flawless);
3) white primer only;
4) best thinner is 91% isopropyl alcohol if you are airbrushing;
5) spray cans do have a very powerful smell;
6) plastic must be primed;
7) dont even think about brush painting for all but the very tiniest areas;
8) High heat (100F+) really speeds the cure;
9) the more coats, the darker the color, especially TS-96 Flor. Orange and TS-36 Flor. Red;
10) Because of the layering effect in the florescents, everything has to receive the same number of layers.

Spray cans cover well. I highly recommend them.

__________________
NAR 79743
NARTrek Silver
I miss being SAM 062

Awaiting First Launch: Too numerous to count
Finishing: Zooch Saturn V; Alway/Nau BioArcas; Estes Expedition; TLP Standard
Repair/Rescue: Cherokee-D (2); Centuri Nike-Smoke; MX-774
On the Bench: 2650;
Dream Stage: 1/39.37 R-7

MarkB,
Sorry I missed a few questions about the Tamiya paints. But glad they worked out.

I have used the bottled acrylics in my airbrush. There are 3 series ?X, XF (flats), and AS, which has a lot of military colors. I am not sure if Tamiya offers bottled fluorescents, but where I use fluorescents, I don?t need the detail an airbrush offers. I thin the acrylics with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner, so they dry really fast.

__________________
Lee Reep
NAR 55948

Projects: Semroc Saturn 1B
In the Paint Shop: Ken Foss Designs Mini Satellite Interceptor
Launch-Ready: Farside-X, Maxi Honest John, Super Scamp