Just had a thought (maybe not good) on if you could use the paint samples available from lowes/home depot for painting structures (plastic and wood). I know the paint is latex, and only available in flat as opposed to satin/gloss finish. But you can have it tinted to match many different colors, and at around $4 for enough to do a 4ft x4ft square or more, seems pretty cheap to me. It should be able to be thinned enough for your spray gun. Any thoughts on this? Or am I completely out in left field.
You’re in left field. The problem is that those big box latex paints’ pigments are not finely ground. The paint will go on thick and hide the details in the building. Even if you thin out the paint for spray you will more than likely need to spray additional coats, and end up covering the fine details on a building. Think about when you paint a room using those latex paints and how they seem to hide and cover up small cracks in the plaster or fill any tiny gap between the wall and a piece of trim. The same will happen when you try and paint your model with them - they’ll hide and cover up the details. Simply - they’re too thick.
I’ve been using latex paints on the layout for years. Yes they can be thinned enough for use in an EXTERNAL mix airbrush. The paint must be filtered after it’s thinned to remove any lumps. The paint must be applied to a surface that is level (horizontal) and in a thin coat. A second coat can be applied after the first has dried. After you finish immediately disassemble the airbrush and clean it. I use an old Testor’s Aztec external mix single action model that tears down into 4 pieces. The frame, bottle, vented cap with nozzle and feed tube. The critical pieces to clean there are the feed and the nozzle. Does my airbrush work well with thinned latex paints? Yes. I’ve used it many times. I usually use water as a thinner. If I want a faster drying time I use alcohol.
Thank you both for the replies. I have some of the samples from when we painted, so I might just try it on some old plastic pieces I have. Can understand the paint being too thick. Was just a thought.
That interior latex might be good to simulate stucco on MODELWORK. But as a landscaping paint its great. I get the designer paint from HD with the sand in it to paint over any plywood I’m not gonna be able to scenic anytime soon and as for a scenery base you can’t beat it. BILL
That’s really not such a great deal. You can buy craft paint at Walmart for less than two bucks for a pint bottle that’ll cover a 6x6 area or larger. The small bottles are 49 cents and 89 cents depending on the brand. These paints are model ready (smaller pigments) and can be thinned to run through an airbrush.
I’ve used these paints for scenery work, but as others have pointed out, not good for model, either buildings or rolling stock, because they’re too thick.
Thanks all for the replies. It was just a thought, but didn’t consider the pigment size. Guess I will continue using latex for painting the ground. Have a Merry Christmas everyone.
It’s easier and more cost effective time wise to sign up for AC Moore coupons and Micheal’s crafts coupons on line and buy there acrylic craft paints or even the airbrush paints they have available.