What Kind Of Paint Is Best For Hand Painting?

[MrTonesNZ]

Hi, What is the best paint for hand painting? It would best be Oil based right? Because clear lacquer is generally oil based.
Am I right? I'm not sure.....

[joegagan]

sign painter's enamel or industrial enamel. both oil based. in the Us, we have rustoleum brand oil enamel at our home center stores. not sure about calif tho.

  lacquer is generally not considered very good for handpainting because it has a flash dry time, brush strokes and gunking are a problem unless retarders are added.

[markeebee]

I only ever did a couple by hand. I got decent results using those little pots of enamel that are used on model aircraft. They're about a pound each, so it doesn't break the bank to get a bunch of colours. Humbrol is a brand name in the UK, I'm sure there's an equivalent in the States.

[Joe Hart]

Testors is a model paint brand in the US.
-Joe Hart

[MrTonesNZ]

I only ever did a couple by hand. I got decent results using those little pots of enamel that are used on model aircraft. They're about a pound each, so it doesn't break the bank to get a bunch of colours. Humbrol is a brand name in the UK, I'm sure there's an equivalent in the States.

Did you use some kind of clear coat to protect it?

[kungpow79]

I have this set and it works pretty good.  You'll probably need several fine brushes.  I bake after each layer and I've clear coated over this with clear spray enamel without problems.  I suck at art.

[tyronethebig]

I like to use Testors enamel for hand painting. I couldn't get consistent results spraying clear coat after tho.

I got some Envior-tex to finish my boxes and I will never use spray clear coat again. I can mix about a shot glass worth of Envior-tex to cover a stompbox and the type of paint used underneath never cracks or gets messed up.

[davent]

I use waterbased acrylic paints by Golden and Createx, no noxious fumes whatsoever.

dave

[markeebee]

I only ever did a couple by hand. I got decent results using those little pots of enamel that are used on model aircraft. They're about a pound each, so it doesn't break the bank to get a bunch of colours. Humbrol is a brand name in the UK, I'm sure there's an equivalent in the States.

Did you use some kind of clear coat to protect it?

I used a water based quick-dry floor varnish over the top and it worked fine. Not sure if it's really necessary to clearcoat though; isn't clearcoat just paint without pigmentation?

[joegagan]

i come from the old school sign painters method. some guys used clearcoat in certain situations, but normally not.

for my skillet or alum enclosure based paintjobs i would rough up the surface with a dremel to give the paint good tooth. never a clear coat. if the enamel flows nicely, it gets a nice gloss on its own. i used a combo of sign painters one shot or rustoleum oil enamel.

[MrTonesNZ]

I only ever did a couple by hand. I got decent results using those little pots of enamel that are used on model aircraft. They're about a pound each, so it doesn't break the bank to get a bunch of colours. Humbrol is a brand name in the UK, I'm sure there's an equivalent in the States.

Did you use some kind of clear coat to protect it?

I used a water based quick-dry floor varnish over the top and it worked fine. Not sure if it's really necessary to clearcoat though; isn't clearcoat just paint without pigmentation?

Yea, I just know, mixing oil based with water based often goes awfully wrong. Learnt that the hard way at school

[MrTonesNZ]

I have this set and it works pretty good.  You'll probably need several fine brushes.  I bake after each layer and I've clear coated over this with clear spray enamel without problems.  I suck at art.

What do you use for baking? Would a toaster oven do?

[Paul Marossy]

For my very first pedal, I used Testors spray enamel. Great finish, but it took FOREVER to cure. 

[Earthscum]

Ever since I tried it, I've been digging on Dr. Martin's stuff... it all started with their ink because I was sick of the crappy job that Speedball does on milling pigment, so I tried a jar of black. I haven't used any other ink since. It flows well, and has a nice consistent pigment.

Here's what I like to use: Dr. Ph. Martin's Metal Craft Paint. It's water based, for starters, and it doesn't take a month of sundays to dry. Actually, I've found in tedious projects that I need to treat it like normal acrylic paints and assume that it's gonna skin over on the brush in 10 minutes, so I just keep my brushes in water. Once they are dry, it's pretty much like an automotive paint. You can sand, wet sand, the whole nine-yards.

I've also used my paint for hand drawn etched boards. It holds up really well to even hot etches, and just wipes off with a bit of lacquer thinner. I don't even mess with sharpies any more except to get a preliminary trace laid out.

WATER BASED! Remember that... it's an awesome thing. Once it's cured, it takes lacquer thinner to remove. It's tough!