Well after reading Karl’s comment @Karl187 I decided to shoot it again with AK straight . . . yikes, even with the pressure cranked up it was just spitting the paint out so I added about 15% thinner and although this cut down the gloss it frosted on the hatch edges and handles and so on.
Well okay . . went back and pin washed and tried to get some streaking down the sides, did okay, my Smart phone isn’t great for detail photos but it looks some better . .
The Future floor polish was essentially a self levelling acrylic lacquer that was designed to be resilient enough to be used on floors. It could be used the same way as Tamiya acrylic laquer and flattened with Tamiyas flat base. A bottle of Future was for all means and purposes a Family Pack of Tamiya clear gloss lacquer.
Airbrushing it diluted with more air (higher pressure) from a greater distance resulted in a satin (semi-gloss) surface.
I think I got one of those bad ones too. However, when I used it , it lifted the paint in a snake skin like way. The paint had been down for over a week before the dullcoat was added.
Cajun, that gloss looks a little thick in the pics. If you did a heavy coat, that may be your problem. You need to spray very light coats with ample dying time between them with clear flat. Heavier one shot or several wet passes in the same session just go gloss or satin.
Yeah Peter it definitely went on heavy, one reason I shy away from rattle cans. I didn’t really expect to get good results but others have shown it can work.
I may be expecting too much, I want an absolute flat finish and it’s something that, for me, hasn’t been consistent regardless what brand I use which tells me I’m the problem. I won’t give up though, “failure is not an option”. I appreciate everyone’s input but I think it’s a matter of finding the precise thining ratio . . . Model Master came out perfect on an M106 mortar track but left a sheen on an M42 Duster, Floquil went down pure flat on an M151 qtr ton but sheened on an M37B and gummed up in the Paasche paint cup, the AK, 60/40mix left a gloss on the Commando’s first shot, then re-sprayed, thinned slightly, went on satiny and frosted and also created tiny little white fibers telling me the atomized carrier is evaporating mid-air allowing the particulates to bind while suspended, that’s my layman’s hypothesis at least. Then again . . I may be too close when spraying, maybe there is supossed to be a degree of evaporation to allow the non-reflective particulate to crystalize before impacting the painted surface, I’m noticeing I am close to the subject when spraying, probably why the Rustoleum went down so heavy, intresting, talking it out is helping me understand some things about my process. Haven’t figured out the Floquil gumming up though.
Well, I’ve started on a LARC V so the new adventure is learning the “canning” technique, I may play around with the clear flat meanwhile.
Sorry I got so long winded there, I was mostly just thinking out loud, you’ll have that.
When I started to run out of my trusty Model Master flat, I ended up buying just about every flat known to man. I did not test any of the hardware or craft rattle cans. I created test cards from some politician’s yard sign and went to town. I thinned each with the manufacturers recommended thinner. I found that the secret to success was shaking the hell out of the varnish, thinning, and applying in very thin coats. Out of my tests I was only happy with my old favorite Model Master and the Alclad II. Both are lacquers. I assumed that the Testor’s Dullcote was the same as the Model Master - wrong.
None of the acrylics yielded the dead flat that I want. Then I hit the jackpot and found 6 bottles of Model Master clear flat at a local hobby shop. I bought them all and committed them to my last-time-buy box. I should be good for a couple of years before I feel the pain again.
OK ~ not trying to start any arguments with anyone here - just telling you what works and works well. I don’t intend to argue with anyone over this so don’t even start! (Agin ~ that remark was not directed at you but at the folks who are going to get all up in arms - sometimes around here talk’n paint and weathering is as bad as discussing religion.)
Also this technique was recently approved by a long time PROFESSIONAL Air Brush Artist & Illustrator AND by my Dad who paints REAL cars, so I am fairly confident here.
First of all NEVER use “Home Depot” type cans of spray paint on your models as these are structured to cover in one coat and intended to dump a LOT of paint in order to quickly cover rusty lawn furniture, mailboxes and wooden fences. The internal can pressure is higher than the smaller model spray can paints and the nozzles do not atomize the paint to nearly as small a droplet size as in the hobby paint cans.
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So first of all - Tamiya Matte Clear rattle can (TS-80) is absolutely the best Matte Clear in the hobby industry and produces the flattest finish - bar none! The can pressure is exactly right and seems to stay consistently regulated right up to almost the end of the can. Also the nozzle is finely manufactured to deliver an extremely fine mist spray that delivers a finely distributed paint pass. This will also cut down on the runs and sags that often happen when laying paint on too thick.
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There are two aspects of matte paint that work together to create an extremely flat paint surface: FIRST: is the actual chemically based matte carrier in the clear paint. SECOND: is physical - you must stand back a bit (18"-30") from your model and spray the matte coat on extremely “dry” so that the clear matte paint falls almost dry onto the model surface. This creates a microscopically rough “tooth” to the surface that breaks up and scatters the light that may be reflected off that surface making the painted surface appear somewhat darker and even more flat.
Agin ~ when you went with that coat of Krylon Matte clear you got the first paint feature mentioned above. A fairly flat, matte clear paint. But I can see in your early photos you got NONE of the second paint feature. The clear paint went on heavy, covered well and flowed out to create an almost mirror like surface. Any surface that possesses even a small degree of optical flatness WILL reflect light and not look nearly as dark or flat as a rough “toothed” surface will.
Speaking as a long time Professional Photographer I can take a flat black surface and if the surface is smooth (optically smooth.) I can light it in such a way as to make it look white regardless of its’ original dark color.
You just do not want a smooth paint surface if you are trying to create a non-reflective (flat) affect.
Example photos to follow:
p.s. If you should actually WANT that parade ready, Cold War era, US semi-gloss then DO use the heavy matte spray and intentionally lay it on smooth and heavy. It will then look like the crew just wiped the vehicle down with a light coating of oil to get it ready for review.
