Humbrol Enamels

[PR19_Kit]

I just found out from my LMS that they can no longer get Humbrol enamels into the country --- I was told what is on the shelf is all that you can get.

That may only last until the Brexit business has rumbled to a conclusion though.

[kitnut617]

Lets hope so Kit ---

[Rick Lowe]

I've had similar experiences, both with the decades-old tins being perfectly viable and a newly-bought one drying in the tin.


I also have a tin of Gunmetal or Iron that's doing something funny: it's an older tin that I've put a few drops from a newer bottle of Humbrol Thinners into.
Now it's become almost a gel, though after shaking and stirring it will still resuscitate enough to brush on pretty well.


As far as matt white goes, nowadays if I can't use a spraycan primer I will use Games Workshop white.
(It's about the only one of theirs I will use, as they're prices are not what I'm willing to pay, and after it's finished I will probably find something else.)

[NARSES2]

I also have a tin of Gunmetal or Iron that's doing something funny: it's an older tin that I've put a few drops from a newer bottle of Humbrol Thinners into.


As far as matt white goes, nowadays if I can't use a spraycan primer I will use Games Workshop white.
(It's about the only one of theirs I will use, as they're prices are not what I'm willing to pay, and after it's finished I will probably find something else.)

I to have had some odd things happen when using an old Humbrol tin and more recent thinners.

As for white I've been using Vallejo Model Colour. It's very thin (airbrush ready ?) and I'm a brush painter, so takes a few coats, but it's o.k.

Hoping when the show circut is back on to get some of the new Humbrol dropper bottle white and give that a try.

[Rick Lowe]

I to have had some odd things happen when using an old Humbrol tin and more recent thinners.

As for white I've been using Vallejo Model Colour. It's very thin (airbrush ready ?) and I'm a brush painter, so takes a few coats, but it's o.k.

It's probably because they tweaked the thinners recipe when they made the paints 'greener'. Or the 'greener' paints don't react to the original thinners recipe the same way.

Good to know about the Vallejo, I will give it a try when the GW pot is empty.
OTOH, I've just gotten a swathe of Gunze acrylic from someone at the club, and the white in that range seems alright- again, thin, but should work ok.

More experimentation needed, which means more modelling required... what a shame...

[jcf]

The thing to bear in mind with oil-based enamels is that the plant sourced oils used
are drying oils which means they "dry", actually convert, to a polymerized film in the
presence of air and once cured there's no going back.

If the solvent thinners are evaporating from the tin, then air is getting in the tin which
will eventually lead to the whole mass of the remaining paint curing, you're not yet at
the point of no return so adding thinner will still give you something gel-like that is
usable for a while longer but it will finally become a semi-solid mass.

With old enamels in this thickened condition it's better to use lighter fluid/VM&P* Naptha
for thinning rather than white spirit/paint thinner/mineral spirits whether generic or
proprietary.

Another important thing with enamel paints is to avoid thinning the whole pot in its
original container, this will actually speed the rate at which the paint thickens in the
tin/jar etc. Best practice is to decant, thin and then keep any remainder in a separate
container rather than returning it to the original container.

*VM&P = Varnish Maker & Painters

[Rick Lowe]

Hey, thanks for the tips JCF - some points to ponder and remember (or try to...)
Some things I have to be told more than once...  the 'not thinning the whole pot' is one of them...
Though not using a xylene-based brush cleaner to thin paint is one I learned and retained pretty quickly... d'oh!!

Ah well, at least Humbrol is still available here, when the thinned pots eventually solidify, so that's something.

[Doug K]

I just found out from my LMS that they can no longer get Humbrol enamels into the country --- I was told what is on the shelf is all that you can get.

That may only last until the Brexit business has rumbled to a conclusion though.

I believe that Hornby aren't shipping anything outside the UK until after January, they don't know what Brexit means in terms of tariffs so they have basically stopped dead until after.

[NARSES2]

I just found out from my LMS that they can no longer get Humbrol enamels into the country --- I was told what is on the shelf is all that you can get.

That may only last until the Brexit business has rumbled to a conclusion though.

I believe that Hornby aren't shipping anything outside the UK until after January, they don't know what Brexit means in terms of tariffs so they have basically stopped dead until after.

According to their website they will not be accepting orders from outside the UK between 14/12/20 and 4/1/21 due to potential delivery issues due to Brexit.

Interestingly they mention orders, but I assume that if they take an order on 5th Jan it will be shipped in the next day or two as they will know what the regs' are by then.

[PR19_Kit]

......as they will know what the regs' are by then.

Wanna bet? 

At the rate Boris is going they won't even have WRITTEN any new regs by then. 

[NARSES2]

Kit if we don't come to an agreement then we will be trading on WTO terms with those countries we haven't agreed specific ones with.

So companies will know the regs', they may not like them, but they will know one way or the other.

[PR19_Kit]

It wouldn't surprise me if Boris didn't 'miraculously' pull off an agreement with the EU.

Wholly to make him appear as the 'saviour of the day' and thus to try and avoid getting totally walloped in the next General Election.

[NARSES2]

It wouldn't surprise me if Boris didn't 'miraculously' pull off an agreement with the EU.

I wouldn't be surprised at all Kit. I've been involved in some very low level EU discussions and decision making (often as a bag carrier  ) and in my experience they always leave it to the very last moment. The interesting thing will be if we do come to an agreement then there won't be enough time to get it past the 27 individual states as they all have to agree it. So what happens then ? A provisional agreement is put in place ? That could cause even more "fun".

Oh well such is life 

[Rick Lowe]

There's a reason it's called 'The Great Game'...

[NARSES2]

There's a reason it's called 'The Great Game'...

Ah right, I thought that had ended around the start of the Great War, for GB anyway, but come to think of it Boris could be having some more delusions ?