Tamiya Smoke and Green Questions

[Captain Canada]

Hi guys,
    As part of today's 'to do' list, I need to hit my LHS and buy another Tamiya clear green. I like the green on the older choppers, most seemed to have that instead of the more modern 'smoke'. My plan is to dig out as many chopper glass sections as I can and do the clear green on them.

   But here is my question. I brush paint them. I find 1 coat at a time works fine, leaving no streaks. Just be sure it's good and dry before attempting the second coat. 2 coats usually look good ( for me anyway ). Now, how do you clean the brush ? I've been using the cheap Testors flat brushes to get a good even coat, and then tossing them. I've tried water and two different spirits but can't clean the brushes so they just go in the bin.

Cheers !

[scooter]

Have you tried just straight lacquer thinner?  That's usually what I use to clean everything- from hairy sticks and the guts of my airbrush to my glass work surface

[NARSES2]

I use Xtracrylic's cleaner on any brushes I've used for Tamiya acrylics and that works fine. Not used Tamiya clear paints however

[Captain Canada]

When I pick up my pot I'll ask Dave at my LHS, but he probably only airbrushes the stuff on, so I may be back to square one. I guess I should maybe read the label an see what it says, or what the stuff is made from !

[NARSES2]

Capt the Smoke is in an Acrylics jar, just checked mine. So acrylic thinners should clean it I would have thought

[Dizzyfugu]

I use the Tamiya Smoke and find it hard to get rid of the brush with the normal terpentine brush cleaner I use.
For those rare occasions I rely on nail polish remover - works with Tamiya paints, but dries out any brush and tends to ruin it. Have no special acyrlic paint cleaner at home since I rarely use this type of paint, of clean the brushes with water.

[Howard of Effingham]

when using any of the Tamiya acrylics clear or ordinary [but not the metallic as I don 't use them] I only ever use Tamiya thinners having had to bin several
pots in the past thru using the wrong stuff.

[darthspud]

I use the smoke and opaque orange for canopies, I've only ever cleaned brushes with Tamiya thinners. Seems to work ok for me.

[Captain Canada]

Thanks for the input guys. Dave said alcohol, so I'll try that first and see if works !

[Captain Canada]

I tried the daughters nail polish remover first, and it seems to have worked ! It's first ingredient is acetone or somat. I now have a bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol so I'll try that next.

[zenrat]

I clean brushes that i've been using with acrylics in water.
Works fine for me.

[Steel Penguin]

Ive only used water to clean Tamiya paint off brushes and never head problems,  I will ask ( a possibly stupid) question, you have got Tamiya Acrylics, and not one of the other tamiya paint blends ( poly carb or  enamel )?   Due to my lack of problems, it is a question that rises to the surface.   
Normally all I need to do is give the brush a good swoosh round in an old glass full of clean water.

[NARSES2]

I wonder if the formulation for Tamiya Acrylics differs between countries/continents ? EU rules are strict and there was a problem with the original formulation of Tamiya which has since changed.

Could that be why some have trouble and others don't ?

[Steel Penguin]

Narses   I don't know, ive been using Tamiya since the late 80s, and never had problems washing brushes with water, the flat yellow, and gun metal seem fairly the same as then, ( its the two paints I have most experience with) .
I used to thin them with straight tap water as well, they used to thin for ages and then kind of curdle, don't know why, they just did...  I now tend to use tap water and Tamiya thinners as ive been able to find a reliable source....
now if only they'd go back to the bigger pots.

[scooter]

now if only they'd go back to the bigger pots.

AGREED!  Although I can get more of the smaller ones in the drawers where I store them