Scalecoat paint

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

what can u use too thin scalecoat paints. will laqcour thinner work?

2

Scalecoat thinner is best…

Sheldon

3

I use Scalecoat I thinner with Scalecoat I and Scalecoat II thinner with Scalecoat II.

http://minutemanscalemodels.com/10487-scalecoat-i-thinner-8-oz/

http://minutemanscalemodels.com/20487-scalecoat-ii-thinner-8-oz/

I trust the formulation that they use and don’t try to cut corners by experimenting with slightly less expensive solvents from a big-box store. For all the time and cost involved in a model paint job, why risk making substitutions?

Anything labeled “Paint thinner” or “Lacquer Thinner” may have one, or more of these solvents in it:

4

I use Testors airbrush thinner for enamel and get excellent results.

5

Laquer thinner or Airbrush Thinner from PPG will work just fine with Scalecoat I paints (it’s essentially the same thing as Scalecoar I thinner, except your npt paying the higher price)

6

How about Scalecoat 2?

7

I’ve found there is little difference between Scalecoat I and II PAINT - the difference is mainly the Scalecoat I and II thinner. I’ve used laquer thinners with both paints with no problem. The plastic compatible Scalecoat thinner drastically increases the drying time.

I’ve even used Scalecoat I thinner with their Scalecoat II paint. Works just as well and dries MUCH faster.

Mark.

8

You can use mineral spirits with scalecoat II paints. MS won’t attack the plastic.

9

Thanks for the info.

10

… and it will takes days to dry !

Mark.

11

Again, Testors airbrush thinner with Scalecoat 2! The results I get are nothing short of excellent on plastic and metal, and I can lightly handle the model in under an hour. I still wait a day between colors and applying decals and the clear coat, but the finish is as good as factory paint.

12

I don’t have access to them at the moment, but the MSDS info for the Scalecoat I and Scalecoat II thinners show them to be made up of basically the same ingredients, but in differing proportions. I’ve always used lacquer thinner with Scalecoat I, but with recent changes to the composition of lacquer thinner, it’s difficult to know if it will work as well as it did previously. I will be trying it with some future projects and will (if I remember) report on it here.

Wayne

13

They did not change all lacquer thinner…period. Only the states and country’s that have said that it is Hazardous to one’s health…started in CA…and got everyone in an overly cautious and myth starting frame of mind. You still can’t beat a solvent based paint job, especially enamel for durability and long lasting. Also all Acrylic’s, contrary to what many modeler’s believe, are not all water based…been doing this for a lonnng time…not only models.

Three day’s ago, I bought a quart of Acrylic Enamel light Grey primer and five gals. of lacquer thinner, not available in CA or Canada, 34.00 to mix the solvent based Automotive…like I said…by no means have they eliminated it.

My go to store for quite a number of yrs. Auto Paint sply’er, the owner and I had a disscussion of Acrylic paints and I explained to Him what I heard…the first words that came out of His mouth were,''I bet You heard that on a Model Railroad site". Started just like people saying Floquil paint will craze plastic…not true…it was one of the ingrediants in the thinner, that caused it to do that…not the paint.

Take Care! [:D]

Frank

Two pic’s of My project…solvent based paint.

14

Yeah, brush painting plastic with the original Floquil usually caused crazing, but I’ve airbrushed Floquil thinned with old-fashioned lacquer thinner with never any problems.
Lacquer thinner in Canada, at least the stuff found in places like Canadian Tire or Home Depot, has been changed, as I discovered when I bought a gallon to use as solvent cement for styrene. The joint made is very weak, and, in some cases, totally non-existent. Again, I don’t have the data at hand, but I seem to recall reading that the acetone component of the original has been replaced with mineral spirits - which explains the poor bonding.
I did go to a Sherwin-Williams distributor, and they couldn’t say for sure that their lacquer thinner was original or revised, but since they’re also a supplier of automotive paints, including lacquers, I suspect that it’s the real stuff. It was about $34.00/gallon, but since the bastardised stuff from Canadian Tire works okay with Floquil paint, I opted for a gallon of MEK to use as styrene cement. It works well as such, but dries too fast for my tastes. Next time, I’ll try a gallon of the S-W lacquer thinner, as it’s about four bucks cheaper than the $38.00 MEK.

I support using “greener” types of products, but only when their performance is comparable to the older stuff being replaced.

Wayne

15

Ummm, wait a minute now. I’ve read about this lacquer thinner changing from what it originally was in several different threads on the forum. However, my interest is in its use as a paint thinner, not as a plastic bonder. We aren’t saying that it won’t work well as a thinner because it doesn’t bond plastic as well, are we???

16

No, I haven’t had any problems using the modified lacquer thinner as a thinner, only when using it, as I did in the past for many years, as a bonding agent for styrene.

Wayne