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Polly S Vent


Ron Bell

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I just sprayed some Polly S on the underside of a trainer aircraft. What a pain. But, I've calmed down now, so I can write this without too much vitriol. Here goes.

 

I don't like spraying Polly S paint. There, I said it. Now here's why.

 

1. It dries on the tip of the airbrush and spits off little flakes that spoil a finish.

2. It dries on the tip of the airbrush and stops the flow of the spray.

3. It has no tooth, so when it dries on a model, if you've masked over it, it pulls up in chunks.

4. If you're spraying over another type of paint, it would rather stick to your masking than the undercoat and, if the masking is removed when its dry it pulls up in flakes and if the masking is removed when its 'damp', it strings out like rubber and makes a mess.

5. Its a pain to clean up. Water clean up, my a**. That only gets most of the liquid paint out, but anything that is even remotely dry has to be scrubbed. I've used water, alcohol, lacquer thinner and even liquid cement to clean encrusted airbrush parts, and don't say I should clean my airbrush more. My airbrush is scrupulously cleaned after every use. Its this furshluginer paint! And then if you missed any, it comes out later in rubbery chunks!

 

I've tried it with high air pressure and low. Thinned it with several types of alcohol, water, their thinner, even used acrylic brush cleaning fluid. It's either the consistency of maple syrup or water. No in-between. And none of them stop any of the above cited problems.

 

If you have solutions to any of these problems, share them for the others, but for me, I'm going to live the rest of my life without spraying Polly S paint.

 

Venting over.

 

P.S: I don't have these problems with other acrylics, just this #$%@^*! stuff.

P.P.S: I only used it this time as it was the closest to a British Trainer Yellow I could find locally.

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I hate all acrylics. Tamiya a Vallejo Air are the "least bad", but no acrylic I've found sprays like an enamel. Polly S is the worst. I don't even use it any more for brushpainting details. Gave or threw all of mine away long ago. I feel your pain.

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That's pretty funny. (not laughing at you, but I can relate)

 

YEARS back when I first got an airbrush, the first think I tried to use in it was Polly-S. Needless to say I didn't use my airbrush much for a few years after that until I figured out it wasn't me, but the paint.

From what I remember in talking to the folks (when they were located in NY): Polly-S is made to be brushed, not sprayed. Yes it can be done, but with all of the other paints on the market - it just isn't worth the hastle.

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Ron, give yourself over to the dark side of enamels and lacquers......I can't believe you're still trying to use acrylics. I heard this same rant back in the 80's! You'd think you'd have learned to inhale with the rest of us and join us with our dopey fume-induced lopsided grinning and drooling.......come on, Mary will still love ya!

 

Just remember, my nose hairs may end up tinted with the color I'm airbrushing, but my paint never peels up when masking! :smiley20:

 

GIL :smiley16:

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I had that problem of the paint drying as it hit the model trying to paint an LAV-25 in NATO colors. After that, I throughout those paints and went back to enamels. Model in picture to the left is in MM enamels.

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I like enamels and lacquers fine, but for all the figures and misc. things, all acrylics. Polly S is by far the worst. Gunze is perfect- best paint made with no equals. Tamiya is Ok but not as fine a piment dispersion. Vallejo and Lifetone are also good. No masking issues ever with these and dry almost instantly and much more non-toxic.

 

One I won't use personally is ModelMaster- pure crap- thick gooey junk but it didn't use to be. I also like Xtracolor but the smell is a real problem even with a sparybooth.

 

Dave

 

 

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Are you speaking of Polly S or Polly Scale? Polly S was the first incarnation of acylic paint originally manufactured by Floquil (near my current home town) in Amsterdam, N.Y. I did not think it had been available for years. It did have many of the undesireable features you describe. It was, however, supplanted years ago by a much improved new formula- Polly Scale. (All these products, by the way,- Testor's, Floquil, Polly Scale- are subsidiaries of one company: RPM). I have used Polly Scale with great success- including masking. If you are still using Polly S, that bottle is at least 15-20 years old! Nick Filippone

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Further to Nick's comments, Polly S was better brushed. I used it for years, but each spray session was a crapshoot--would the paint thin with Isopropyl or would it clump up?

 

Now, if it is indeed PollyScale, two things to try:

 

1. Use distilled water as a thinner. It works quite well, I was surprised at the results I got. I used Distilled Water exclusively until I stumbled onto the next sugestion....

 

2. The method I use now is to thin as follows: 65-70% paint, 25% Isopropyl Alcohol (the 70% stuff is fine) and about 5% Future--adjust as needed for your setup and environment. The mix sprays like a dream through either of my Badgers (200 or 150), lays down nicely, and dries to a semi-gloss sheen. In a lot of the cases, I don't have to gloss the paint for decals. I spray at about 12-15 psi. Oh, did I mention that I roll the jar of paint between my hands for a few minutes to warm it up? I use this mix for all the acrylics I use--Tamiya, Gunze, Acryl, and PollyScale. I don't have local access to the Vallejo, Xtracrylic or Lifecolor paints, so I can't comment on them....I don't like ordering paint via mail order, or I would give them a whirl....

 

The thinning ratio works for all types of paint--substitute the appropriate thinner and clear gloss. If you're using enamels or Floquil Lacquers, try Metallizer Sealer in place of the Future and try Dio Sol or lacquer thinner in place of the enamel thinner (the Metallizer Sealer may thin the paint enough to spray, haven't treid it so I can't say for sure). As Gaston Bernal told us, "The key is the Glaze" when speaking of the Floquil Military/AeroMaster Warbird Colors. The gloss helps eliminate the sputtering, it cuts overspray, and it makes the paint lay down smoothly.

 

Ralph

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I stand (or sit) corrected. It's Polly Scale. Whatever. it still stinks.

 

My favorite paints were the Floquil Military Colors, which are now long gone. Very fine pigment, sprayed beautifully. Like all good things, they were gone too soon.

 

Second best is Humbrol. Same deal as the Floquils, but those d**n tinlets are such a pain. I know most people will say decant them into bottles, but that's more work and bottles to buy. I've got Humbrol paints that must be 15 years old that after a thorough stir still work beautifully.

 

Polly-S, Polly Scale or Pollywanacracker. I don't care. It all stinks.

 

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I stand (or sit) corrected. It's Polly Scale. Whatever. it still stinks.

 

My favorite paints were the Floquil Military Colors, which are now long gone. Very fine pigment, sprayed beautifully. Like all good things, they were gone too soon.

 

Second best is Humbrol. Same deal as the Floquils, but those d**n tinlets are such a pain. I know most people will say decant them into bottles, but that's more work and bottles to buy. I've got Humbrol paints that must be 15 years old that after a thorough stir still work beautifully.

 

Polly-S, Polly Scale or Pollywanacracker. I don't care. It all stinks.

Hear, Hear on Humbrol. Great stuff.

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Guest Bun E. Carlos

I use TAMIYA and POLLY without any thinning.................works just fine.........been using a Paasche H for over 20 years, same one. I also have a Badger 100....150 and a Free IWATA, all double actions. I just NEVER had the probs you guyz speak of. IMO, POLLY Flat Clear was the ultimate.....but due to unavailability, I've been using Matte Clear from Valejo without a problem. Dunno what to tell ya Ron.

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