Plastic nose cones have taken days!
Balsa and Kraft tubes can "breathe" where the plastic cant, I guess.
I still use the questionable Rusto 2X. It's cheap and easy to find. The gloss white seems to have some occasional problems.
I've found if the can has sat idle for a while or just came off a store shelf, the color pigments can settle. Your initial sprays can come out rough, like cottage cheese.
Always shake the can longer than you think you should.
NEVER make those first spray passes on the model.
Spray off the model until you are sure that settled pigment is clear and out of the feed tube in the can.
If you are spraying out the rough stuff, the "hiss" sounds different. Listen for the spraying sound to change before going near your model.
Spray a small bit, stop and check what is coming out before proceeding to spray the entire model.
EDIT: Check out Buzz Nau's tip below in the Comments about "Keep the paint subject above the horizon so I'm painting a little "up" at it.
I've seen the same problem with Ace Premium gloss white. In addition to the extra shaking I also keep the paint subject above the horizon so I'm painting a little "up" at it. This seems to help as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Buzz,
DeleteI'll have to try that - "Keep the paint subject above the horizon so I'm painting a little "up" at it."
I had a can recently which started out OK, but after a moment it came out like Silly String.
ReplyDeleteHi Daniel,
DeleteIt's maddening! Krylon is unpredictable, sometimes not even compatible with a second Krylon color. Valdspar never wants to dry. Walmart cheap stuff is transluscent requiring too many coats. Tester's and Duplicolor are good but twice the price.
The Rusto 2X still works (most of the time) is easily available in lots of colors, gives opaque coverage and a good gloss.
Considering what else is out there, the Rusto 2X still wins overall, even with the occasional cottage cheese spray.
Thanks for the above-the-horizon suggestion, Buzz.
ReplyDeleteI've always had poor results with Krylon and have been avoiding their products for years; decades even.
But Rustoleum has become troublesome too - I've not tried their 2x product yet. But even the Stop-Rust line has been giving me fits this week. I have two Sprints (a standard size and an upscale scratch) that both need wet sanding due to the paint failing to "gloss up." One of them has some blemishes that need work too, my fault - should have gone another primer coat.
And speaking of primer I've been searching high and low for the White Sandable Primer I'm so used to. The 2x says it's wet or dry sandable so I have a can of that to try out.
It's frustrating to get half way done spraying a coat of paint only to have the nozzle clog up. I have several from empty cans that I keep in tin can of spirits. Just switch when it happens but usually whatever I'm painting now has a splotchy area and will have to be sanded down. I do shake that cans a lot, and find that it helps to shake the can upside down, right side up, and swirl.
Hi Tim,
DeleteAbout ten years ago I got back into rocketry and tried Krylon, my old go-to paint in the 1970s. It wasn't the same by any stretch.
I don't have any experience with the Stop-Rust line of paint. The 2X Rusto does gloss up well but not as much in humid weather.
I get the best results when I do two light coats, sanding between coats. Then a final heavier coat. Wet, but not enough to start a drip.
The best primer out there is the Duplicolor grey Primer/Filler available at auto supply stores.
Rusto 2X nozzles will sometimes clog up when you get halfway through the can. I wrote Rustoleum and they sent me a dozen new nozzles. I switch out for a new one when needed.
Thanks for the Duplicolor tip - in fact I use that stuff on my other hobby; garden tractors.
Delete