There should be one of those yellow “Dummies” series books for model painting!
Here are some things I keep re-learning:
wear disposable gloves when handling any model at any time when prepping for painting.
don’t be a hero and try to paint, by either airbrush or spray can, when it’s below 50 degrees in the garage!
don’t try to mix and dilute cold jars of paint or spray cold cans of paint when it’s below 50 degrees in the garage!
wash bare plastic models in warm dish-soapy water and then rinse (in clean cold water) completely before painting.
use your airbrush as a drying tool to get any remaining water out of very small crevices in a model before painting.
let any paint job- even a simple primer coat- sit for at least 24 hours before handling or proceeding to the next painting phase.
always be prepared- with a small airbrush bottle of glass cleaner or distilled water (if spraying acrylic) or airbrush cleaner (if spraying oil-based paint)- to immediately clean your airbrush. Delay = more difficulty.
Never wear “nice” clothes when painting - even if you’re just using a brush. Paint always seems to find a way to stain your clothes in the most unexpected ways!
Take the time to mask properly. Remove the mask as soon as the paint job is done. (This makes sure there are no bleeds and that the paint isn’t ripped up when you take off the mask.
Cheap spray can paints work great if you don’t have to do touchup or detail work afterwords. (Wood siding) Otherwise they can be a disaster to touch up in small areas.
Apply multiple thin coats
When you dip your brush in a jar, brush paint excess off to the sides, then do a test stroke on a paper towel or piece of scrap to make sure it doesn’t come off too heavy.
ALWAYS mix your jars vigerously for a couple minutes AFTER you take the crud off the top! Or you may find crud in your paint. Using an old paintbrush handle to stir up the binders (muck) in the bottom is always good too.
Clean your brush in water and wipe it down every 15 minutes. Old paint can encrust itself in the fibers over time making it harder to paint.
Never drink coffee before painting.
When you are done a model, or have to set it aside, put the jar of paint in the box! Trying to touchup or finish up a model when you aren’t 100% sure which paint you used can be an exercise in frustration.
Simple green is an effective organic NON Toxic way to clean your brushes. But do not leave your brush in it for too long. It will eventually attack plastic handles!
“My wife has given up trying to reform me Ken. She just rolls her eyes everytime I come up with a new stain on my clothes. lol”
I seem to splash whenever we go to a soup’n’ salad buffet, no matter how carefully I “slurp” the soup![:P]
Seriously, these are great additional tips.
take time when masking: don’t be in a hurry to paint (it’s a hobby, not a Ford plant!).
Inexpensive thinner in a pint or quart bottle from WalMart is just as good for cleaning hand brushes as that small expensive bottle carrying the airbrush’s “brand name”. Save your money for more paint!
when painting multiple colors, extend that drying time out to 48 hrs if possible- a complex job requires careful prep and careful execution- a hurry up job will satisfy no one, least of all yourself!
plan ahead: I take an image of a car or engine off Josh Moldover’s Railroad Paint Shop site, then colorize it with MS Paint the way I want it to look on paper (display monitor) first. It helps me plan and guide my masking and painting sequence! This also works for decaling- to locate the positions ahead of time!
Dip a dry brush in water and blot before using a water based paint, or terps/solvent if using oil based paint to minimize build up of paint on the bristles. Brushes can be cleaned by gently using a brass bristle bursh to remove any paint that might build up. Rinse several times before drying.
When I did varnish work on pleasure boats I rinsed my brushes nine times before hanging up to dry. After fifty years they are still viable. Buy quality brushes to use. When I started working in the boat yard one of the old hands said to buy the best brushes I could. My father taught my that my work was my signature, and I would be judged acordingly. I paid 32.50 each for my brushes back in the early 60s.