TonyD

I have a Paasche VL airbrush and D500 compressor that I bought probably 30 years ago and haven't used in maybe 15 years. Decided to break it out this week. I took it apart, cleaned it and set it up to spray water. Looks like its working fine, and now to try some paint. But first I have some questions that date back to my last sessions using the tool. I did a search for 'airbrush techniques and basics' but didn't return any relevant results. I've read that 20 psi is a good starting point for spraying pressure. I have my regulator set to 20 psi at 'idle', but I notice that the pressure drops to approx 10 psi when flowing. Is this OK? Typically my paint jobs are not very big so I've only used the open spray cup (1/4 oz.). In the past I would use a pipette to put a couple drops of solvent in the bottom of the cup, followed by paint from the bottle, and then finish with a few more drops of thinned paint from the pipette. (After taking paint from the bottle and delivering it to the spray cup, I put the 'dirty' pipette in a small bottle of thinner, draw some up and put that mixture in the cup.) Then I use a toothpick to mix the paint in the cup. I figure the initial drops of solvent should be the first thing to go through the spray tip if I don't mix it completely for some reason. I would love to hear your comments on this! Of course I have thought of pre-mixing the paint, but this seems like it would waste more paint than I actually sprayed (transferring from mixing bottle to spray cup). I bought an airbrush holder; U-shaped wire thingy, but it seems no matter how I place it in the holder, between the hose fitting on the bottom of the brush and the spray cup, it won't sit like I would like it to, i.e. ready to pick up and use. I need to keep the spray cup off the brush and insert it after taking it out of the holder. Did I just buy the wrong type? The holder that came with the airbrush is sheet metal and actually works great, but it needs to be mounted flat to the work table whereas the wire one mounts to the side and holds the brush above the table. Finally, clean-up. I will usually pour any remaining paint from the spray cup back into the bottle. I have a jar with thinner ready that is large enough to immerse the spray cup and I put it in there to soak. I also have the 1 oz glass spray bottle ready with thinner and insert that into the airbrush and spray into a rag until clear. Paasche's instructions say I only need to remove the needle and clean it, so that takes care of the brush. But that leaves the following items to clean: spray cup, jar that it was soaking in, small thinner jar that got contaminated when I put the paint pipette into it, the pipette, and the 1 oz spray jar I used to clean the brush because inevitably when I remove it some color backflows into the bottle. Plus of course the mixing bottle if I used one. And this needs to be done for each color change. No wonder I haven't used it in 15 years! Am I making a bigger deal out of this than needs to be? Looking forward to your feedback.

VonL - Regarding my last post, I decided not to mess with success and did coat each decal on the sheet rather than spraying a clear coat. As I said in my OP I have a lot of old kits to build so I'm going to be experimenting with these decal coatings. Unfortunately I 'lost' a decal for my F-18 (resulting in my initiating this thread) and I would like to avoid that situation in the future, so I'll probably coat all my decal sheets going forward. Your solution gives me another alternative.

Thanks for all the tips. Nick - you reminded me that I had a bottle of Microscale Liquid Decal Film! Tell you the truth, I wasn't sure how to use this product! I coated a couple decals last night and applied them this morning and no issues! I might try Richard's suggestion next since I'm sure I'll have issues with the rest of the sheet, so rather than 'paint' each decal I can coat the entire sheet. Thanks again guys!

Thanks! I'll give that a try!

I'm working on a Hasegawa 1/72 F-18 "World Hornet" that I started probably 20 years ago. The decal sheet looks to be in new condition, but several of the decals that I've tried to apply fall apart when I go to apply them. I had this happen to a Tamiya 1/35 Sherman, but those decals looked 'checked' on the sheet. We have well water, so thinking that might be the issue (although other than the Sherman decals I haven't had any problems), I tried distilled water with the same result. What I'm doing is soaking the decal in a small tray of water, after a few seconds I'll pick it up by the corner of the paper and test an edge of the decal with a toothpick, then place it back in the water. When approx. half of the transfer will lift off the paper, I move it over to the model and try and slide it off using the toothpick. At this point anywhere I touch it, a piece comes off. I tried soaking for an extended period and then slide it off with my fingertip (broader surface) but it comes apart as I try and move it. Is this just what happens with age? If so I'm screwed because I have a couple hundred kits I want to build now that I'm retired!

Hi David. Thanks for your reply; to answer your question, no, I didn't prime the body. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. Maybe I should be more consistent if I expect to get consistent results!

I'm working on the AMT 1/25 scale 1953 Corvette model; circa 1996. Its a "snapfast" kit; I've always wanted a model of the '53 Vette and this must have been the only one available when I bought it. Anyway, the body is 1-piece, closed hood trunk and doors, molded in white plastic. I read somewhere that unpainted plastic looks like unpainted plastic, so I paint my car bodies. I shot it with a new can of Krylon gloss white paint and after it dried, the finish was flat! I figured the can must have been mis-labeled, never happened to me but stuff happens... So I finish painting the "chrome" trim etc. and shoot it with a (used) can of Glosscote - and it dried flat too! I live in north Phoenix and both paint jobs were done in about 80 degree weather, bone dry. Has this happened to anyone else? Any ideas? At first I was thinking maybe the plastic had something to do with the white drying flat but that shouldn't have anything to do with the cover coat. The instructions don't say anything about paint except a note on the box top about "no painting required". After the glosscote episode, I tried the Krylon on a piece of scrap and it dried glossy...

I've always liked their Dullcote and Glosscote finishes for military and car models resp. Will these still be produced?

Not sure if this goes in the Tips & Techniques forum or not, but here goes. Some time ago I was reading a thread about the Model Master line of colors slowly going away and someone mentioned that Krylon made a flat olive drab that you could buy at Home Depot. I was able to find this and it matched both my MM bottle Olive Drab and my Tamiya spray so that was a good tip! So that got me thinking what else might be out there and I bought a couple more as listed below: Krylon Matte Glacier Gray, approx. FS 36628, similar to Camouflage Gray (FS 36622). Rustoleum Light Gray Primer, approx. FS 36300, similar to Dark Ghost Gray (FS 36320). Krylon Matte Vintage Blue, approx. FS 35550, similar to Model Master Duck Egg Blue (FS 35622); Model Master 2 Blue (FS 35414), Flanker Pale Blue (actually a semi gloss) and French Light Blue Gray. I approximated the FS equivalents against my FS595B from 1989 so your interpretation may differ. Also, my 'similar to' suggestion is what I would use as I build only for myself, not competition, so these are 'close enough' for me! I'm sure there are others out there; does anyone else have a similar list?

Thanks for all the comments. I love it how a simple question can generate such diverse responses! I got tips on buying and making cases to suggestions on thinning my collection!

Thanks for your feedback, Mark. I'm over 60 and recently retired so find myself building more, which is a good thing, but then this 'problem' came up! I build purely for myself, but I might start looking for opportunities to donate. I don't want to toss them out but realistically, that will probably happen to them when I'm gone!

Just wondering what people are doing with regard to displaying your completed models. Do you have a large case such that you can keep adding to it? Do you have limited space and only put out your most recent models? This is my situation and I've been having to put older models into storage (carefully packed in a box and stored in the attic). Perhaps you donate them to a local library, institution or friend/relative that likes the particular subject? Just curious!

Thanks, Robin! I had no idea these existed, this will make my life easier!

I'm working on some 1/32 armor and motorcycle figures and have questions on the rank insignia. What colors were the chevron rank patches? I've seen yellow on dark blue as well as silver. Was there a 'standard'? Were the rank patches worn on both sleeves or just one? If one, left or right? Thanks, as always.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I did a search on Amazon for Rapidograph and was surprised at the cost of some of them! I didn't notice any that were 'fillable', but will take another look. I did see some sets of pens with different size tips but in a single color (black), and the cost was rather high! I like the tip about red edges on gear doors! Sounds like I should start with a sample and experiment.

I just finished reading Chris Bucholtz' article about his 1/72 Fokker D-VII diorama and he mentioned using a rapidograph pen for the figure details. I had not considered that before! While I do some 1/72 figures - mostly pilots for aircraft models; the majority of my figure work is in 1/32 scale for armor models. This epiphany suggests using pens for eyes and facial detailing, uniform piping, buttons, ribbons, medals etc. Sounds like I will be able to get sharper details with the pens as opposed to paint brushes, sharpened toothpicks etc. So, just looking for other input. What size pens are used? What about felt tip markers? Can one purchase a color assortment in one size pen or marker or do they need to be sourced individually? Thank you

Thanks for the information, Ed! That's a great photo, exactly how I would like my model to look. I think I'll go with the standing rigging/no sails on this one and 'graduate' to furled sails on my next one. I understand your explanation of how they operate now. I'd love to see one in person but I live in Phoenix! I'll have to start thinking about taking a vacation someplace...!

I'm building the Revell USS Constitution and am thinking of finishing it with full rigging but without the (vacuformed) sails provided in the kit. I like the look and I've seen some models displayed like this but am wondering if real ships would have 'bare spars'. Just looking for opinions; would it be more 'correct' to try and simulate furled sails? How would one go about that?

Thanks guys!

I'm working on an Airfix 1/72 B-26 and would like to temporarily attach the engine nacelles to the wings while I paint the top and bottom surfaces. The engines do not fit very tightly and will fall off if I abruptly move the model. After painting, I want to remove the nacelles, install the engines and propellers into them and then finally set them in place. The parting line is a natural panel line and will not need to be filled after painting. So I'm looking for a suggestion on how to do this. Perhaps a dab of white glue? Some rubber cement (Micro Mask)?

Got; it thanks! I'm trying to finish an Italeri 1/35 Elephant that I started 20 years ago (no kidding). As a kid I recall 'walking' the tread on by hooking it on the sprocket and rotating it while guiding the track around the rest of the wheels. When I tried that, the outer half of the idler sprocket popped off on one side and the drive sprocket pulled out on the other. So I ended up doing as you suggested - I installed the track with the 'broken' parts off, then put them back on. Question: is there a 'Hints and Tips' forum? Also, is there a way to do a keyword search in the forum?

Recently retired and able to spend time building models and have a question on installing treads onto model tanks. The one-piece vinyl type; pinned joint. I have had issues breaking running gear trying to install the treads after pinning; is there a trick to this or should I wrap the tread onto the running gear and then join the ends?

Thank you very much!

I have kit no. 3584, 1/35 US Military Police Set (WWII motorcycle), that I bought years ago and the instruction sheet is in Japanese. I am looking for a copy in English. Photocopy acceptable. Thank you.