_GOTOBOTTOM
AFV Painting & Weathering
Answers to questions about the right paint scheme or tips for the right effect.
Hosted by Darren Baker, Matthew Toms
Thinning of Mr. Surfacer 500
bremach
Visit this Community
Upper Austria, Austria
Joined: September 01, 2010
KitMaker: 15 posts
Armorama: 15 posts
Posted: Sunday, December 12, 2010 - 10:00 PM UTC
Dear folks,

I have got a bottle of Surfacer 500, but no thinner, because I first only wants to use it like a putty.
Now, as I am looking for a primer, because my Lifecolour Primer has created total stress to me (small nuggets, drop building on surface), I would like to use the Surfacer as primer.
To get the original thinner is a mess, so is there any alternative to thinn the Surfacer 500 for airbrushing ?

I have tryed Tamiya laquer thinner for acrylics, but this does not works. The surfacer is not mixing with the Tamyia (or do I something wrong ?)

Thanks in advance,
Erich
Spiderfrommars
Visit this Community
Milano, Italy
Joined: July 13, 2010
KitMaker: 3,845 posts
Armorama: 3,543 posts
Posted: Sunday, December 12, 2010 - 10:26 PM UTC

Quoted Text


I have tryed Tamiya laquer thinner for acrylics, but this does not works. The surfacer is not mixing with the Tamyia (or do I something wrong ?)


You have to use the Tamiya LACQUER thinner, not the acrylics one.Mr surfacer is not an acrylic putty
Use this

not this


You can use also the gunze lacquer thinner


Hope I help you

cheers
bremach
Visit this Community
Upper Austria, Austria
Joined: September 01, 2010
KitMaker: 15 posts
Armorama: 15 posts
Posted: Sunday, December 12, 2010 - 10:54 PM UTC
Mauro,
Thanks for your quick reply.
Till today I have not known the difference of the Tamiya types. Here in Germany and Austria I only see the acrylic thinner.
So is the laquer thinner based on Enamel ones ?

Note: It was hard for me to catch the Mr. Surfacer, I bought it at the modellismo statico AMB in Brescia, but has not even bought the adequate thinner and now, no modelshop in my area has it in their range

Erich
AussieReg
Staff MemberAssociate Editor
AUTOMODELER
#007
Visit this Community
Victoria, Australia
Joined: June 09, 2009
KitMaker: 8,156 posts
Armorama: 194 posts
Posted: Sunday, December 12, 2010 - 11:19 PM UTC
Erich, you can use commercial Lacquer Thinner from your local paint supply or hardware store to thin Mr Surfacer. It is the type that furniture manufacturers use for thinning Lacquer based stains for timber.

Cheers, D
Spiderfrommars
Visit this Community
Milano, Italy
Joined: July 13, 2010
KitMaker: 3,845 posts
Armorama: 3,543 posts
Posted: Sunday, December 12, 2010 - 11:27 PM UTC

Quoted Text


So is the laquer thinner based on Enamel ones ?


Yes it is In alternative you can try also a Nitrocellulose thinner (Nitroverdünnung), Acetone or Isopropyl alcohol 90% (Aka rubbing alcool. I don't know if in Österreich, the rubbing alcool it's easy to find. Here in Italy is almost impossible ).
But be very careful. They are toxic substances and they can damage the plastic, so use gloves and mask, work in a ventilate room and before using on your model, make a trial on another old model.


Quoted Text

Note: It was hard for me to catch the Mr. Surfacer, I bought it at the modellismo statico AMB in Brescia, but has not even bought the adequate thinner and now, no modelshop in my area has it in their range


I understand what you mean In Italian modeller shops is very difficult to find all the best products.
Can you take a tamiya spray surfacer?

The "FINE" one is very useful as primer.

Otherwise, someone who i know, a guy who is very skilled at modelling kits, don't use primer; he just sprays two thin coats of common tamyia acrylic gray on the models and he told me that it works well as primer base.
I think ill try it soon

Cheers
bremach
Visit this Community
Upper Austria, Austria
Joined: September 01, 2010
KitMaker: 15 posts
Armorama: 15 posts
Posted: Sunday, December 12, 2010 - 11:54 PM UTC
Thanks all for help, because I got heavily disappointed this weekend
Now I know in which (thinner) direction I have to look for.

@Mauro: Normally I use the Tamiya surface primer spray. But I am actually start painting the scratchbuild interior (engine and crew area) of a AB41, and so I need a airbrush to cover the complex (and even partly hidden) interiour parts with not too much colour, as the spray can would do.

By the way: I was 1st trying to use the Lifecolour Primer as basic, on which I wants to spray later the Italian interiour colours "Rosso mimio" and "bianco avorio". The model was cleaned of grease etc.
I use Lifecolout thinner, even different air pressure, but I always produces (colour?) drops on the surface and even some small (paint) parts can be seen.
Any idea whats going wrong ?

Spiderfrommars
Visit this Community
Milano, Italy
Joined: July 13, 2010
KitMaker: 3,845 posts
Armorama: 3,543 posts
Posted: Monday, December 13, 2010 - 12:10 AM UTC

Quoted Text


I use Lifecolout thinner, even different air pressure, but I always produces (colour?) drops on the surface and even some small (paint) parts can be seen.
Any idea whats going wrong ?


Was it the first time that you use it?
To be honest I've never used it, but i heard that a lot of people think that it doesn't work well.
I don't know. Pheraps the product which you used was too old

bremach
Visit this Community
Upper Austria, Austria
Joined: September 01, 2010
KitMaker: 15 posts
Armorama: 15 posts
Posted: Monday, December 13, 2010 - 01:19 AM UTC
It was the 1st time using the Lifecolour primer, yes.
It could be that the paint is too old and creating this problems.
I will now try to filter it and make a test spray again.



Spiderfrommars
Visit this Community
Milano, Italy
Joined: July 13, 2010
KitMaker: 3,845 posts
Armorama: 3,543 posts
Posted: Monday, December 13, 2010 - 01:30 AM UTC
Reading some modeller forum on line I see that many modellers who are using lifecolor primer, have problems to find the right ratio beetween dilution and air pressure

So let's try. Problably you have just to find it

cheers
vonHengest
Visit this Community
Texas, United States
Joined: June 29, 2010
KitMaker: 5,854 posts
Armorama: 4,817 posts
Posted: Monday, December 13, 2010 - 05:28 AM UTC
It is my understanding that LifeColor paints should already be thinned for use in an airbrush. Have you tried a test run with the paint straight from the pot?
bremach
Visit this Community
Upper Austria, Austria
Joined: September 01, 2010
KitMaker: 15 posts
Armorama: 15 posts
Posted: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 - 09:35 PM UTC
Hi all,

Discovered yesterday evening, that REVELL Aqua Clean is thinning the Mr. Surfacer 500.

Thanks for your inputs,

Erich
Spiderfrommars
Visit this Community
Milano, Italy
Joined: July 13, 2010
KitMaker: 3,845 posts
Armorama: 3,543 posts
Posted: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 - 09:54 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi all,

Discovered yesterday evening, that REVELL Aqua Clean is thinning the Mr. Surfacer 500.

Thanks for your inputs,

Erich


Well thanks to you, that's good to know. Tamiya lacquer thinner is often hard to find, so now we have an alternative product
cheers
outback
Visit this Community
Queensland, Australia
Joined: September 09, 2004
KitMaker: 247 posts
Armorama: 127 posts
Posted: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 - 10:11 PM UTC
Hi.

Mr Hobby Thinner 110 (for acrylic paints) also works. I have used this numerous times with no problems. It also works a treat when using Mr Surfacer as a gap filler and damp que tip with 110 on it.

Cheers
Shane
Phil_H
Visit this Community
New South Wales, Australia
Joined: November 10, 2005
KitMaker: 546 posts
Armorama: 442 posts
Posted: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 - 11:23 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi.

Mr Hobby Thinner 110 (for acrylic paints) also works. I have used this numerous times with no problems. It also works a treat when using Mr Surfacer as a gap filler and damp que tip with 110 on it.

Cheers
Shane


Hi Shane,

Do you mean Mr Color thinner? If so, this is a lacquer thinner formulation intended for use with Gunze Mr Color paints and Mr Surfacer. The 110 is a bit of a red herring as it's simply the size of the bottle (110ml). It also comes in 50, 250 and 400 ml sizes. Mr Color thinner has a solid blue background with "Mr Color Thinner" in yellow on the label.

Gunze also makes a "Mr Hobby" brand "Hobby Color Thinner" for their aqueous acrylic line - I don't believe I've seen this product for sale here in Oz. As far as I know, this one isn't compatible with Mr Surfacer. "Hobby Color thinner" has a blue and green label with "Hobby Color" in blue and "Thinner" in white.
outback
Visit this Community
Queensland, Australia
Joined: September 09, 2004
KitMaker: 247 posts
Armorama: 127 posts
Posted: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 - 06:41 PM UTC
This is the one.



All I can say is it works for me. I got it from my local Toyworld.

Cheers
Spiderfrommars
Visit this Community
Milano, Italy
Joined: July 13, 2010
KitMaker: 3,845 posts
Armorama: 3,543 posts
Posted: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 - 07:05 PM UTC
I don't know, maybe i'm wrong but as I understood:

Enamel and Mr surface thinner



Aqueous and acrylics thinner




I used the first one to thin mr sufaces and it worked. It had the same nasty odour of Tamiya lacquer thinner (I suppose that both have the same chemical compound and that they are acetone derivates... )

I stopped to buying it because it was hard to find and it was not cheap.

But anyway probably both are useful to thin mr surface, because the first one is a lacquer thinner and the second one is Isopropyl Alcohol

High grade Isopropyl Alcohol can dilute the Gunze putty
 _GOTOTOP