Xtracolor enemel paints

[lancer]

Credit where it's due Les, it was Narses2 that provided the link for the WEM paint not me.

[NARSES2]

Possibly stupid question but when people talk of "cellulose thinners", what are they ? Are they specialised thinners or can they be obtained in a DIY shop ? If so any UK brand names ?

Sorry if it's daft, but I've got some Mr Colour I want to use as the coverage is fantastic, but although I cleaned my brush ok with white spirit I'm assuming it's not the correct thinners ?

Chris

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Chris
Not too good on chemistry, I'm sure some of the other guys here are far better clued-up than I, however, as I understand it Cellulose thinners - I think Acetone is the same basic compound, certainly smells the same - is more usually used as the 'liquid suspension' component in automotive lacquers especially metallics, candy-apple, pearlescent, etc. Alclad lacquer uses exactly the same principle.

I use Humbrol Cellulose thinners when I'm spraying enamels as it evaporates so quickly that (depending upon the ambient temperature), I can handle, NOT MASK, a project in 30-45 mins. Still leave it overnight to dry if I'm going to mask it, but if I was doing, for example, an Italian or German WWII three-tone mottle pattern, then I could probably get-it-finished in one afternoon sitting. So far, I've never needed to thin the enamel by more than 30% with cellulose.

As I say I'm not too good with chemistry, hope this helps a wee bit.

Ian

That reminds me...... I ran-out when I was finishing the Do335 this week...... (Adopts Stewie Griffin voice), "Hmmmm, I believe a visit to my local hobby shop is in order....."

[NARSES2]

Thanks Ian - I'll pick some up next time I'm in the LHS

[JayBee]

I have had a problem recently with Xtarcolour enamels taking a long time to dry.
I had two models, current RAF (WHIF) that I sprayed using Xtracolour Barley Grey. A week later they were still not completely dry, which was very annoying as it meant that they could not be finished in time for the Scottish NATS at Perth.
At the show I spoke to a number of people about this and a common response that I got was "Oh yes, and it wasn't greys was it?"
Hm!
One other story that I heard at Perth on this subject concerned TSRJoe's friend Hanney. She had apparently been using Joe's workshop to spray here Finnish Go-229 and could not find the thinners for the Xtracolour paints. What she did find was a bottle of Polish spirit (80 per cent alcohol)(Joe do you need to tell us something?) and decided to use that. By all acounts it worked VERY well. Quick drying, and no problems with fumes.

Again, Hm!

JimB

[Thorvic]

Regarding WEM piants contact John Snyder at WEM, who does the colour matching, whilst the guy who cretaed the Xtracolur range actually produces the WEM paint now.

John Snyder should be able to let you know the best way to source their paint in the US as he's a US citizen, although he may recomend delivery from WEM direct as best option for the full range of paints.

Cheers

Geoff

[MarkH262]

Try Great Models Websote for WEM paint. It looks like they have them in stock. I've used Xtracolor paints has well and a couple took a long time to dry. I was told that it may have been an older formula as the newer ones dry faster. I do like the glossy look and I still use Future over them before decalling but just not as much as I use to. I then  use Testors Dullcote over it.

Mark H.

[matrixone]

Thanks everybody for the information!

Matrixone

[PR19_Kit]

Jim,

Xtracolor have been notorious for not drying ever since they came out, sad to say.

Lots and LOTS of mixing prior to use does seem to help a bit but if you have a 'wet' tin, there's not a lot you can do I'm afraid. I have tried putting a coat of Kleer over the top of it after 24 hrs before now, and that's helped but it's not guaranteed.

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

When I was young and still retained some hair - yes THAT long ago - I painted a Hasegawa F4U with Xtracolours' Glossy Sea Blue. This was around the time that I first met Dork, so that's somthing like twenty-five years back...... I'm still waiting for it to go-off so I can get the decals on.

True story !

Ian

[PR19_Kit]

For some reason Gloss Sea Blue always takes for ever to dry, no matter who makes it. But Xtracolor Gloss Sea Blue would take the cake I'm sure, it's probably in gaseous form in the tin......... 

[PR19_Kit]

It must be me I guess..........

I just don't get on with Xtracolour, any shade, any finish, it and me just don't mix. I've been painting the wheels on my 777-900 today, and used Xtra's 'Tyre Black' for the tyres. It's a nice colour, just a hint of grey mixed with black, but a) it's almost transparent so I needed 3 coats to cover a white plastic wheel, b) it's semi-gloss for goodness sake! I don't know ANY aircraft tyres that are anything but totally matt, and it can't be so you can put decals on, I mean who puts decals on tyres? And c) it still takes for EVER to dry!

After waiting all day, from about 10 am to midnight, they were still wet, so I mixed up some of my old style tyre paint, Humbrol Matt Black and Panzer Grey mixed 50:50, and they were dry in 20 mins.......

[Howard of Effingham]

i find that these paints dry much quicker if you can place them in the airing cupboard or such.

[TsrJoe]

i gave up with using Xtracolour Enamels not long after they appeared (a recent foray into using same by a colleague confirmed my trepedation) i found them taking waay longer than equivalent paint ranges to dry almost like using 'old fashioned' type gloss paints?, their 'only' advantage being some of the shades being unavaliable elsewhere.

re the 'old fashioned' paints comment, i have used paints from a local paint supplier mixed to specific BS.381/4800 and RAL. shades for specific modelling purposes which have had brilliant opacity, coverage and gloss, pretty cheap too altho maybe a litre of 'sky' or 'pr. blue' might be a bit much for some 

[Hobbes]

Can I use Humbrol Matt/glosscote on Xtracolor? I've had some problems using Mattcote over Revell enamels, so want to make sure I don't end up with a model that never dries...