After reading Tank Art I figured I would give this hair spray thing a shot. I used TRESemme and an old jar of Tamiya acrylic. Painted the tank like I always do and the paint cracked up like I put some sort of crackle coat on it. Figured the 10+ year old paint might be the issue I stripped the paint and got a new bottle of paint from the LHS. More hair spray and yet again more crackle look. I thinned with water as per Mr Rinaldi's directions. Everything I have seen about this says the type of hair spray does not matter yet here I am..

I believe AK make an equivalent to the hairspray not sure what they call it, but I do look at it when I go to the hobby shop. What are you thinning the paint that you spray over the hairspray. I suspect it's thinned with water and maybe if it it's reacting to the hairspray under neat . Please elaborate. Another thing is try another's brand of acrylic paint and see what happens .

Typically with this result you describe you have applied too much HS in too thick of an application AND the paint went down too wet causing an immediate reaction. There are subtle elements at work, hold the airbrush another inch or so further away, spraying thinner coats of each step is needed to make the right adjustment to help remedy this issue. Maybe lower the psi on the compressor a touch as well, but basically you'll need to adjust your application processes and especially the quantities. You might have over-thinned the paint too. Spray very thin layers of paint that dry fast, this will avoid the issue. I'd say 3-4 thin translucent coats is pretty normal. Once you get a safe dry layer down, it becomes much easier to build up the opacity.

When applying the HS, move it quickly and steady, about arms length away from the model. Hold the model in one hand stretched out, then, as with any aerosol, spray before you hit the model, move along the surface smartly and end it after. DO NOT stop and start the HS on the model itself, it will pool rapidly and the quantity will be amiss causing issues. Same when AB the chipping fluids. Control is your best friend.

While I'm thrilled to read that you did a test first...you are not out of the woods yet. I am about to the point where I am going to add the disclaimer that you will NOT get it the 1st time, maybe not even by the 5th. It requires practice (ie. A LOT) to achieve the right results, the same with the chipping fluids. The process is identical and applying the right quantities is the secret to success. Once you gain the experience to see what is what, it will work great for you. Trust me, it's not the HS.

Recollect anything that was perfect the first time... keep trying, it will happen. Do it 20 more times and see how the results are.

Best,

Mike
http://www.rinaldistudiopress.com
http://www.facebook.com/RinaldiStudio

Edmund
I am thinning with water since that was the suggested method of doing this.

Mike
First let me say thanks for the awesome books. I will try shooting the front of the model this afternoon. I do spray a heavier coat when I shoot acrylics so they do not pebble on me so I will back it off and shoot this coat like enamel and see what happens. I did the arms length hair spray so I hope it is just too wet of an application.

Did retry this again and how did it turn out this time ?

Repainted the tank this afternoon using the suggested light coats of paint with less air pressure. Did not get any cracking except where I got greedy on the road wheels but that was my fault. I did end up with some dust/pebbles in the paint but as Mike pointed out.. practice... practice.... practice. I am getting to like that Mike guy, he is damn smart and I hear he paints tanks pretty good as well. THANKS Mike

do you use the hairspray right out of the can or do you decant it ? an airbrush will put less on the surface and you will have better control.

ironically I tried the HS method out tonight and had the same problem! I found that applying less HS resolved the issue. Also, I thinned my paint with Tamiya Acrylic thinner as the water turned my paint lighter colors? I was using distilled water. In any event, I was still able to chip the paint rather easily despite using the thinner.

Also, thanks for the great work Mike!

I use the hair spray straight from the can. I will try to get some chipping done on the tank tonight and post some pics. I will have to try it with the Tamiya thinner since I like the way the paint sprays a lot better thinned that way.

That was the reason why you were putting too much hairspray on the model. It was too thick . Decant it and airbrush it on .

That's great to hear, and once you get comfortable with the process you will make big strides.

I should remind that I tend to only thin the Tamiya paints with water when I know I am going to do a lot of chipping, such as with a whitewash. For less chipping such as a normal combat vehicle might typically receive I do thin with the acrylic thinner. When thinning with water, it takes some practice to get the right ratio and then the air pressure and distance are critical to prevent issues. However, the chipping will be worth the slightly extra effort to ensure success.

Edmund - the aerosol puts out a pre-set pressure and quantity that is repeatable time and time again, and once you find the right zone of distance and how fast you spray, it is very easy to control. I can also visually see the HS laying onto the model better too, with the AB I find it harder to gauge the quantity applied. The description I give above works well and gives consistent results once you get the feel for it. I usually only decant and use the AB when I am spraying small individual parts like spare road wheels and stowage I want to chip. For the model as a whole, I prefer the aerosol cans for these reasons, plus the fact I'm not adding an AB step (and the subsequent cleaning step) into the process.

Best,

Mike
http://www.rinaldistudiopress.com
http://www.facebook.com/RinaldiStudio

Maybe it's me I tend to put too much if out of a can , I can not gauge how much goes on , I tend to overdo .

After some issues in life that kept me away from the bench I pulled out this tank today. Well lets say there will be no pics of progress. The paint cracked just as bad as the first time when fully cured. I did not see any cracks on it when I shot the paint but once dry there they were. Time for more simple green and a strip job. We will see where this goes after I get the paint off.