Painting disaster - help needed.

[Guest]

Hi, Folks. I've been working on an Airfix 1/48 Stuka for a few weeks, and I'd got as far as finishing the basic paintjob, splinter camo and light blue underside. I bought a rattlecan enamel lacquer from Wilko and sprayed a very small test area at the tip of the wing with it. Everything seemed fine, so I sprayed a coat of lacquer over the whole thing.

The paintwork has crackled. Basically the job is knackered. What do I do, apart from throwing it in the bin?

Cheers, Bob.

[Guest]

Such is the problem often encountered with acrylics, which will either react upwards as in your case or downwards, even against themselves. I've had it happen with a third coat of plastikote to the new formula. All you can do is strip it with whatever you prefer and start again, but use a clear cote that is fully compatible with your base paint. I've found that Vallejo clear goes over rattle can paint well and of course it will go over Vallejo base paints perfectly. It is also non-reactive with decals.

Attractive rattle cans in odd retailers are too unknown a substance to risk on a fancy paint job.

I once had Halfords paint get crinkled to hell under a coat of Johnsons Kleer, decals et al. Over a year later it is stickier than ever!

There is a chance that the Wilko lacquer is actually cellulose based which will crackle anything other than cellulose. Did it smell of pear drop sweets?

Martin

[Guest]

It sounds like you need to strip the paint. I have never used lacquer based paints my self but I hear that break fluid works wonders(some modeler refer to it as the purple pond). The models that I have stripped were painted with acrylics and enamels, I used isopropyl alcohol in a plastic back, and it did dissolve the Tamiya and Gunze primers as well as the paint, if these primers are actually lacquer based it might be worth a try.

/Daniel

[Guest]

Bob cannot help with your present predicament.

But future go for Vallejo. They have now a new formula Varnish which is better even than a very good old formula.

From my point of view I stick to Vallejo from start to finish primer paint varnish. Except for an odd bum batch of gloss varnish not had any problems. The way it is marketed & the way you dispense it it is real value for money. Vallejo also have the widest range of paints & also colours of any manufacturer.

Laurie

[Guest]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I feel pretty annoyed with myself about it. I only wanted to varnish it because I read that decals don't go well onto matt enamels. I actually have a bottle of Humbrol clearcote satin which I ought to have used instead, with the airbrush. I'll ask around the neighbours to see if they've got some leftover brake fluid and have a go with a box of cotton buds. That is, once I've got over the desire to jump up and down on the job! :neutral:

[Ian M]

I believe oven cleaner works as well, you might not have a car, but I bet you have an oven...'ang on a minute, I have an oven but do we have any oven cleaner.......Ops.

Used it all.

lol

Ian M

[Guest]

Yes oven cleaner works well - takes off all the paint but does not harm the plastic .

Aidan

[Guest]

Oven Cleaner? Really? That's good news. I'm a lab tech, so I have access to pure Sodium Hydroxide. I think I'll wait till I get back to work and give that a go. Thanks!

[Guest]

I believe oven cleaner works as well, you might not have a car, but I bet you have an oven...'ang on a minute, I have an oven but do we have any oven cleaner.......Ops.Used it all.

lol

Ian M

I have a car but I don't service it at home, so no bottles of brake fluid in the shed, unfortunately!