Smooth finish with craft-type acrylics?

[Oceaneer99]

Does anyone have experience with eliminating "puddling marks" when using craft-type acrylic paint?  I'm not getting traditional brush strokes (as long as I don't go over regions -- the acrylic dries fast), but rather the paint just doesn't flow as well as I'd like, and leaves high spots along where I brush too thick.

I have tried a number of inexpensive "craft paints" lately, and settled on Delta Ceramcoat as being the best of the inexpensive ones.  I have found that thinning it with water helps to avoid thicker areas. 

On my Hy-Bird, since I was painting the edges of the colored region by hand, I first outlined the area I wanted to make purple.  This caused raised areas which I sanded down using a 320 grit sanding sponge AFTER the paint dried (I also tried BEFORE by mistake, and just took the gummy paint off).  I thinned the paint a bit more and went over the areas that were too thin.  Here is the result:



You can get to the larger image here:

http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-574

It's not quite as smooth as I'd like, so I may try sanding it gently to get it flat again.

I don't have this problem with Testors Model Master Acryl II or any other "model acrylic" paints; they seem to be a bit thinner and flow better.  Maybe I'm not thinning the paint sufficiently, or maybe I should be adding some other solvent.  At one point I tried something other than water (household ammonia, dish soap, or alcohol, I don't remember which) and the paint instantly solidified to a jelly-like mass.  It might be time for more experimenting.

Because of the flow problems, I haven't been using craft paint acrylic for the overall colors in my models.  Canopy frames, canopies, and details such as wheels have been okay to do with this type of paint.  The paint itself is fairly inexpensive (the Delta paint is the costliest of the brands I see at the local craft stores) and available in a huge rainbow of colors.  I've gotten fairly good at mixing custom colors and keep tiny bottles of my custom mixes, along with a log book of paint samples and formulas so that I can reproduce them.

Perhaps because it was so small, the craft paint gray I used on the PT-10 came out fine.  I did thin that paint with water more than I usually do.

Garet

[Oceaneer99]

I found this tutorial on acrylic paint additives:

http://www.reapermini.com/TheCraft/15

[R.F.Bennett]

You need to make your last three or four coats almost like a wash. Sand with fine paper and cover it with four or five coats of almost transparent paint. Let dry between coats just long enough that the application of the next layer doesn't lift the first. Don't add alcohol it will make it dry too fast. Thin it until it's almost like 2% milk. Use a nice, flat, sable artists brush about a quarter inch wide. Don't expect to cover completely until the fourth or fifth coat. Stop buying paint at the craft store! 

[Oceaneer99]

Stop buying paint at the craft store! 

I know, I know.  I'm penny wise, and pound....

I did already buy the red and white paint for my PRU Spitfire, and that is "real" model acrylic.  The Hy-Bird was the first time I'd tried to paint a substantial part of a model with craft paint.  One of the pages I linked to in another post mentioned buying pints of primary colors at the hardware store (plus black, white, etc.), and others have said that household paint was better than the craft paint:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161218

I also need to get my airbrush set up again, but that is a whole other issue!

Garet

[Balsabasher]

If you want the best white acrylic,then try a small bottle of Warhammer skull white,it brushes on beautifully to a smooth finish,I know the problem that you are talking about,also try placing the bottle etc into warm water ( ie a small candle holder that has sufficent area around it to accomodate the paint ) it makes a big difference on application.
The problem with some of the acrylics is that the polyvinyl suspension beads are not finely ground enough,when the carrier agent is mixed with the white it has poor coverage,this is a characteristic of some acrylic white paints.
Balsabasher.

[teddon61]

There are two products that I use to get even acrylic finishes, one is Flo Medium by Jo Sonja's, the other is an extender for acrylic paint made by Plaid Enterprises.
They both work under most circumstances, but are not a substitute for proper water thinning and mixing of the paints as they come from their tubes or bottles.
Ted Billings