AK Worn Effects

[Grendels]

I'd stay away from Model Master. They have poor adhesion, don't always brush well, and some of the color matches are off.

This has been my experience as well. When I first got back into model building a few years back, I went with Model Master Acrylics. I found quite a few problems with adhesion. It worked great for chipping on my primer, but at the time I was not going for chipping.

On the next model I built, I was going for a heavy masking job, and when I pulled up the tape, the MM acrylics just pulled up in a jagged edge and required a lot of work to fix. I stopped using them after that paint job and started up with Tamiya. As others have mentioned, don't even try to brush paint with them. I have done it, but it is pretty difficult.

Tamiya paints do not do this. They pull up with a very clean edge.

I have numerous Vallejo paints and I have not used them yet, so I cannot comment on them.

 

[ScaleModelMadman]

You dont need to use distilled water warm tap water will do the job.

I'd still recommended using distilled water, one persons fresh clean well water may not have adverse effects when they use it at home, but someone across the globe who may be living in a bustling city may have things like chlorine in their city supplied water, which can adversely effect acrylic paint.

 

[letsgobrowns82]

Thank you all for the excellent advice. I think next time I place an order I am going to pick up a few colors of Tamiya and Vallejo and give them a try. I am going to slowly start replacing my enamels with one of those. I never thought I would switch to acrylics but it seems like everybody uses them and there much more options out there.

 

[spud]

that's a fair and valid point ken but i live in a city and am not using a fresh water well. but i know our water is actually pretty good.

 

[ScaleModelMadman]

...and I live in the woods and have wonderful, sparkling clean, well water and still recommend using bottled water because I have no way of knowing what's coming out of someone else tap.

 

[spud]

hehe. well i do see yer point of it because i never new normal water would mess up he paint,

 

[hooterville75]

...and I live in the woods and have wonderful, sparkling clean, well water and still recommend using bottled water because I have no way of knowing what's coming out of someone else tap.

Haha, Hey Ken I have one of those water purifier thingermajingers that are filtered with the ultra violet light, does that make it any better or safer hahaha. Its so funny you guys are discussing this as while I was Black Friday shopping yesterday, I was in Michaels, my daughter developed a severe bloody nose. I ran next door to the Giant and bought a jug of water and a roll of paper towells as this Michaels didnt have a bathroom. I ran upon Distilled water and regular water so modeling came to mind as Ive read about using distilled water for different things lol. Funny thought of yesterday but thought Id bring it up. (By the way I ended up buying the distilled water because of hearing about it in modeling posts haha).

 

[Dusky]

The main issue with tap water is that it contains dissolved salts. Distilled water has gone through a process of distillation to separate out the H2O and leave behind impurities like the salts. However, distillation isn't perfect, so if you're really paranoid you can buy deionized water, which is water that has gone through a process of deionization removing the salt ions and leaving behind nearly pure H2O.

 

[letsgobrowns82]

Hey any of you guys out there use a lot of lifecolor. Dusky you mentioned them so I started looking into them. They seem to have some nice sets.

 

[Black Sheep 1]

Distilled water has gone through a process of distillation to separate out the H2O and leave behind impurities like the salts.

That's why it's called distilled water.

However, distillation isn't perfect, so if you're really paranoid you can buy deionized water, which is water that has gone through a process of deionization removing the salt ions and leaving behind nearly pure H2O.

and that's why it's called deionized water.

Distillation is the process in which water is boiled and the steam is then condensed into a clean container.
Deionization is more complex (and expensive). This is a chemical process that involves the use of ion exchange resins (hence the expensive part).

But none of this stuff is really relevant here.
MY advice to anyone is to experiment with plain water in your area.
Personally, I just stick to the manufacturers products that are specifically designed to work with their products.
But that's just me.

 

[Dusky]

Personally, I just stick to the manufacturers products that are specifically designed to work with their products.
But that's just me.

Ditto.

 

[TRM]

Hey any of you guys out there use a lot of lifecolor. Dusky you mentioned them so I started looking into them. They seem to have some nice sets.

I don't have a ton Aaron, but for what I do...they are nice to work with!! You can AB and hand paint with then. Hand painting may require a couple coat, but they are smooth!!!

As for the water...............Distilled water...super market a bug...quid whatever...not to much for a gallon. ;D Need it cheaper.....boil your own tap water and you should be fine...more than fine.

 

[ScaleModelMadman]

MY advice to anyone is to experiment with plain water in your area.

100% Agreed, feel free to see if your tap water works and save a buck or two.

But people should test it on something first, and not do it on the prize model they just spent a ton of time and money on and then freak out when the paint goes all chalky and frosty and blame it on the paint in a ranting post on an internet forum. lol

Personally, I just stick to the manufacturers products that are specifically designed to work with their products.
But that's just me.

Me too, well 98.2% I do.

But I do occasionally need to use water, especially when I am thinning Tamiya paint for hairspray chipping. I want the paint to come up rather easily, so thinning with their lacquer thinner isn't my best option as it holds tight to the surface, thinning it with water makes it far easier to chip.

As for the water...............Distilled water...super market a bug...quid whatever...not to much for a gallon.

Exactly,

it's not like we're talking about $40.00 here. I buy a gallon of Poland Springs distilled water at the supermarket for a buck and change and it lasts me years, I even use it for decals as I don't have a tap at my bench.


*

As for Lifecolor, I use it all the time, it's my preferred paint and offers me the best all around performance. Like anything though, there are those who can't stand it and struggle with it.

 

[Dusky]

Ken, how do you get Lifecolor to brush paint? I always end up with a really inconsistent finish as if I didn't mix the paint well enough.

 

[ScaleModelMadman]

To me, it's like brushing Model Air from Vallejo, it just takes a few coats as it's fairly thin out of the bottle.

 

[letsgobrowns82]

Thanks Ken, I am going to give lifecolor a shot. They've got a great selection of paint and the sets that they sell seem to be a good starting point to slowly transfer into the acrylic world.