AK Interactive Acrylic and Hairspray Chipping Question.

[ajlafleche]

I'm about to paint my Marine D9R with AK Interactive Acrylic paint. I've prepped the underbody, sponsons, blade and arms with appropriately worn colors and sealed them with a couple layers of Dullcote lacquer. My next step will be a layer of hairspray.



My question: Is there a limit on how long the AK Acrylic can stay on before it gets moistened and chipped back? 


I don't usually do a lot of weathering, but since this is an earth mover, it seems the right thing to do.

[TRM]

Hi Al,

I have to go yes for starter on this one. When using the hairspray method the paint is easier to remove while the paint is still fresh...not cured. The longer the paint stays on, as you know, the harder the bond becomes. It is not impossible to chip the next day it will be increasingly more difficult. The D9 is a big model and it has the potential to have a large surface area chipped away. If possible and depending on the time you have to invest in the chipping, I might suggest painting this in stages if at all possible. This would allow a more comfortable working time when chipping.

With that said though, the next day or even possibly into a subsequent day you can still attack the paint with a little help form the weathering gods...cut the medium, water in this case, with alcohol or even AK's thinner 50/50 to start with. Because you fortunately used a Dulcote for the sealing, the the alcohol will not eat through the protective barrier. I say 50/50 to start to keep things in prospective...too much and the solvents will break down the paint too easily and either change the appearance of the finish or remove more than you wish. However, the longer you go out from the initial application of paint the more cured the paint will be requiring the upping of the solvent proportions to your removal agent!

Hope some of this helps a little.

[ajlafleche]

That's about what I thought, time wise. The Scotch and water, oh, sorry,  alcohol and water mix I hadn't thought of. Makes perfect sense. I also have some AK thinner, but the alcohol is cheaper. 

[doogsatx]

I can't speak for the AK paints, but I recently did some chipping work on my Corsair, and was able to do my chipping work the next day with no real problems. This was with Tamiya paint, though.

From what I understand, it's not so much about the paint curing as it is about it remaining absorbent/porous. The water has to be able to get down to the chipping medium to dissolve it. After that, it really shouldn't matter what kind of paint is on top.

Tamiya paints stay VERY absorbent even after they're cured, but I now some other acrylics have different properties and become somewhat hydrophobic - like some of the polyurethane Vallejo options. Though I rarely airbrush anything but Gunze and Tamiya, so I'm not the one to really answer that.

[TRM]

I do agree with you Matt, that Tamiya does chip well and can also be altered further out past where other paints cure harder and less porous. Tamiya does not always meet the same color range as other brands on the market and there is the solvent factor associated with it but the paint does go down nicely and the effects achieved with them are very consistent and excellent.

I think with when shifting from solvent based products to true acrylics require a shifting of not only application of the paints but use of the techniques that are used. The same chipped finishes achieved with Tamiya can be done with acrylics like AK, AMMO and of course Vallejo by just changing habits we all have from using the solvent based products.

I feel a lot of the problems do come from inconsistencies with the application of the hairspray...too thin and too thick drastically change the process in the end game. Making sure the coats are evenly applied is a great start.

[Gordon Ferguson]

Bit of a cheek adding to this thread with my limited experience but have to confirm those last comments ...... Thickness of chipping fluid/ hairspray is IMHO critical , it is very easy to to apply too thick a coat especially with Hairspray straight from the aerosol can. Definitely worth decanting and spraying a number of light coats with the AB.

Also for the Tamiya paints the thinner you use alters their properties considerably , using their laquer thinner gives the hardest finish, ie most difficult to chip , the standard X20a thinner can be chipped .... But I have found this for a limited period and chips are large. Thinning with water gives by far the longest work time and chip sizes can be much smaller

[doogsatx]

I will say this is one area where I've found a significant performance difference between hairspray and the AK chipping fluids - hairspray is much harder to control from an application standpoint, and I, at least, have problems putting it down well with an airbrush. Worn Effects and Heavy Chipping go down better, though I do get some beading putting them over Alclad. But I've found that a hairdryer makes them lay down nice and flat.

[johnt]

Hi ajlafleche, You could mess around with a test piece first to see how you go. Just a scrap of plastic would do, painted and dullcote like your model. Good luck mate!

Cheers
JT

[deafpanzer]

You know how slow I am... I was still able to remove some paint a week later. Of course it was little harder but it still can be done. LOL