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 Rank: Amateur level 2  Groups: Registered
Joined: 21/09/2012 Posts: 42 Points: 129 Location: shropshire
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The only building I have done in the past was Airfix planes which tended to come with paints. Have read build diaries of several ships, all of which seem to be painted with acrylic's. My local hardware shop only has enamel paints in, my question is, what is the difference between the two, and can clear varnish be used over enamel without any sort of problem to the paint. Completed: Endeavour Longboat.Collecting: Yamato
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 Rank: Master      Groups: Registered
Joined: 05/09/2012 Posts: 1,400 Points: 4,690 Location: Beaminster, Dorset
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Hi, Acrylics are water based, and are easier to use, that is easy to thin, clean brushes, dry quickly, no fumes etc. But do not adhere well to very smooth surfaces, so a primer must be used and they are not hard-wearing. Enamels give a hard coat and can be applied without a primer, but take up to 24 hours to dry and give off fumes. Acrylics allow for lots of creative techniques such as Dry brushing, glazing, washes etc. Also the little tins of enamel that have sat on a shelf for years and separated, are a real pain to remix. I still use enamels for small fiddly bits that are difficult to prime, but after years of Humbrol enamels I am pretty much converted to Acrylics now. You can pretty much paint anything water based, such as varnish, over Enamel once it has fully dried. You can get all these paints online, ebay etc., and often cheaper even with postage.
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Hi sJ Like you I also started my modelling career with airfix kits and enamel paints (most of us probably did!) But like most of the modellers on this forum I also changed over to acrylics for most of my needs today. Court was exactly right about the benefits of the acrylic, much easier to prepare (a good shake in the bottle is usually enough), no fumes and quicker drying time too. I have been using the Citidel Miniatures paints for many years, available in a huge range of colours from any Games Workshop outlet if you have one in your vicinity. I began the painting of my HMS Victory using Citidel to paint the cannons and inner bulwarks (yellow) but after searching the web for building materials for her up-grading I came across the excellent Cornwall Model Boats site which not only supplied many of the materials I required but also hold stocks of the brilliant Admiralty Paints range. These are acrylics and are specially designed for painting model ships of the Nelsonian era, in fact they are so specific they are even available in sets for specific ships ie the Victory herself etc. Some of the lighter colours (in my case the yellow ochre, require two to three coats to cover a darker base, others like the blacks and french blue will cover most surfaces in one. As court said, once fully dry you should be able to paint any varnish over these paints, be careful of any varnish containing cellulose though, I can't remember which paint it doesn't react too kindly with but I've got a feeling it might be enamels - if anybody else knows different please correct me! Whatever paints you go for, just enjoy the painting and post some photos for us!  First wooden ship: The Grimsby 12 Gun 'Frigate' by Constructo Second: Bounty DelPrado Part Works Third: HMS Victory DelPrado Part Works 1/100 scale Diorama of the Battle of the Brandywine from the American Revolutionary War Diorama of the Battle of New Falkland (unfinished sci-fi), Great War Centenary Diorama of the Messines Ridge Assault Index for the Victory diary is on page 1
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,051 Points: -13,308
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Hello sJD77,
Ditto what the others have said about the Acrylic paints, they are better than enamels in many ways though in my opinion, the only area where they lose out to enamels is in the covering power. All paints consist of a pigment, which usually comes in powdered form, a binder to bind the pigment together and a medium to carry the pigment (oil, water, etc) so that it can be spread on a surface using a brush or airbrush of some kind. Enamels are oil based, as you can tell when you open that little tin that has been sitting on the shelf for years, where the tin is half full of oil with all the coloured pigment sitting at the bottom like mud. Oil being thicker than water means that it can carry a pigment in a way that water can't. By that I mean a thicker layer that usually (if not heavily thinned), stays where it is put until it dries. However, it takes longer for the carrier to dry, because of its' inherent thickness, which is a negative when considering which type of paint is best.
Acrylics being water based, or 'Aqueous' as some manufacturers like to call them nowadays (still means the same thing!!) means that the pigment doesn't have the same support from the carrier - which is a kind of synthetic acrylic resin to bind the pigment plus water - because water is thinner than oil and therefore the paint is less opaque, and runs more easily. Which means it doesn't cover as well as enamels for a given brushstroke and since it dries quickly it can also leave some unsightly brushstrokes if that is the tool that you use to apply it. Acrylics will always require more coats than enamels to get the same 'depth' of colour simply because it has a much less viscous carrier than enamels, ergo less pigment which means it is more transparent. It is like the difference between a nice, rich and 'buttery' oil painting and a thin and pale watercolour painting!!
I think enamels are fast becoming 'the old way' now and acrylics is the way forward for most modellers and indeed the paint manufacturers, so if you are just starting out and spending money on paints then maybe it is better to go with the flow, adopt the 'modern' practice straight away and use acrylics for the main or should I say, larger areas and just use enamels for smaller detail painting jobs??
If you do intend to make acrylics your mainstay paint type then I would suggest getting an airbrush if you can afford it (even a cheap one will do just to get started) since it gives a better application when using acrylics than a brush ever can and there are NO brushmarks, even with a thin coat, which thus shows more detail!!
I hope that isn't too lengthy an explanation for you and that it offers some help?
Kev
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 Rank: Vice-Master Groups: Registered
Joined: 05/03/2015 Posts: 561 Points: 1,713 Location: South Carolina
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Personally I think the use of both can be justified. But I also have to throw into the mix the use of Oil Based Paints (like those used on canvas) and Pastels (which are not necessarily a paint but a chaulk). I can also make an argument for Printer Ink Refill Kits in your painting collection. And here's my take on the above.
As previously stated, Enamels are an oil based paint and Acrylics are a water based paint. But you can also use them in unison to create some truly awesome effects. For example, if you want your car to look like its rusted and worn, try this method...
First lay down a base metal/silver coat of enamel paint and allow it to dry completely. Then take a little water and salt and pepper the areas you want to look rusted and let that dry. Then finally using an airbrush, paint a top layer of acrylics over that and allow it to dry. When its set, take your finger (or a dry cloth) and wipe away the salt. What you will achieve is a very natural and realistic looking chipping or rusted effect that is quite convincing to scale.
As for Oil Based paints, they take the longest to dry (days or weeks depending on the brand) and can be thinned down using linseed oil to a very thin almost transparent consistency. But when they are dry they provide the longest lasting and most durable finish.
Pastels on the other hand are wonderful for tinting just about any other liquid (paint, water, oil, etc). By scraping off a bit of the pastel into a fine powder, you can add it to a bit of water and create a natural detail enhancer, that when dabbed onto the surface of your model will flow into all the cracks and crevices of your model making them stand out. And since it's water, you can just allow it to dry and wipe off any unused or undesirable spot and leave behind the look you desire.
As for Printer Ink Refills... you get 4 colors... Black, Cyan (blue), Red, and Yellow. I find that by mixing those together in a medium (I like a clear floor wax like Future) I can achieve a truly transparent tint for clear plastic pieces. I used Red and Cyan to tint the clear plastic of a police car's bar lights.
In any event there is no clear winner here. Each has their strengths and weaknesses but my best advice to you would be to experiment with all of them to get a feel for what you can do with them. Take a chance and try something new. You might be surprised what you can come up with when you just play around with something.
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Rank: Master   Groups: Registered
Joined: 21/04/2011 Posts: 1,043 Points: 3,158 Location: Buckinghamshire
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Hi guys,
I am fairly new to the modelling hobby , having only built a couple of cars and currently, the Bluenose 576 by Billings Boats.
I am using acrylic paints as recommended for the build and I note your mention of an airbrush for the larger areas. I seem to
remember (vaguely in the back of my mind) someone mentioning an airbrush which is operated by the sprayer using his mouth to blow into a
cylinder to create the air pressure. All rather than motor driven. I know it sounds a bit crazy, but does such a thing exist?
My next question (if the answer is "yes") is....can you still get these bits of kit and where from?
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I think I remember something similar from years ago. It was only intended as an 'artistic' implement however and was designed to produce 'spatter' effects rather than a smooth paint coverage. No human lung can produce sufficient air pressure to operate a 'real' airbrush, you'd need either a compressor or air can for this - mind you, compressors have come down in price a heck of a lot since my youth!  Robin First wooden ship: The Grimsby 12 Gun 'Frigate' by Constructo Second: Bounty DelPrado Part Works Third: HMS Victory DelPrado Part Works 1/100 scale Diorama of the Battle of the Brandywine from the American Revolutionary War Diorama of the Battle of New Falkland (unfinished sci-fi), Great War Centenary Diorama of the Messines Ridge Assault Index for the Victory diary is on page 1
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 Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Registered
Joined: 17/12/2013 Posts: 3,982 Points: 11,974 Location: NY, USA
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goddo wrote:Hi guys,
I am fairly new to the modelling hobby , having only built a couple of cars and currently, the Bluenose 576 by Billings Boats.
I am using acrylic paints as recommended for the build and I note your mention of an airbrush for the larger areas. I seem to
remember (vaguely in the back of my mind) someone mentioning an airbrush which is operated by the sprayer using his mouth to blow into a
cylinder to create the air pressure. All rather than motor driven. I know it sounds a bit crazy, but does such a thing exist?
My next question (if the answer is "yes") is....can you still get these bits of kit and where from? I dont use an air compressor.I use a Co2 cylinder to power my airbrush.You can rent them from a welding supply shop.They are small tanks (about 18 inches high) and are used for making carbonated beverages. The benefits of the Co2 are it is a hydrophobic gas so you dont get any moisture in the air which can play havoc with airbrushing.it is also silent because there is no noisy compressor.it is also cheap.a bottle has lasted me almost 4 years and is only $50 to refill. The negatives are you have a pressurized tank in your house and you need to buy a regulator for the tank which is a bit pricey $130. Carl
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Rank: Super-Elite  Groups: Registered
Joined: 31/05/2010 Posts: 5,679 Points: 17,011 Location: Wiltshire
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Robin has already mentioned the device in the ealier post but if you wanted some more detail amazon have these https://www.amazon.co.uk...BCreative/dp/B003UN5O3M
https://www.amazon.co.uk...ID=0KQH2V02WF818HE6ERFB
They come under the heading of Blow Painting Happy Modelling
BUILDING: Hachette Spitfire Mk 1A, Constructo Mayflower
SUBSCRIPTION COMPLETE (Awaiting building): USS Constitution, Sovereign of the Seas, 1:200 Bismarck (Hachette)
COMPLETED: Porsche 911, E-Type Jaguar, Lam Countach
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Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,051 Points: -13,308
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Most good quality compressors have a moisture trap, a gentle hum and the main benefit of no oncost for refill.
There are regulations about the storage and use of industrial compressed air bottles within a home environment, CO2 use must be in well ventilated area as small concentrations as little as 15%, can cause unconsciousness in less than a minute. You also need adequate means to secure the cylinder which should be sufficient to hold the cylinder in place, yet not cause damage to the cylinder and it be in a continuously cool place.
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