Painting and Finishing

The following are painting and weathering suggestions that might be helpful:

PAINTING—-

TYPES OF PAINTS— We will refer to Americana acrylics as “AMER”. (acrylic or water based).

METHOD OF PAINTING—-We use Dupli-Color spray cans for larger surfaces and brush for acrylic paints when painting smaller surfaces.

WEATHERING—

# WASH—We use the wash process often. We think of the process as “layering of weathered surfaces”. It is also the process that ties the final model together. It blends colors together that create a realism that is necessary for an authentic looking model. A wash is a small amount of pigment, (paint, ink, etc.) mixed with a larger amount of thinner. Examples:

Americana paint and water
India ink and denatured alcohol

These mixtures are literally applied to the painted surfaces with a paintbrush or cotton swab. Do Not agitate the surface just lay it on and let it dry. Excess amounts can be removed with a cotton swab.

In the case of ink, we found that 1 ounce of alcohol to 30-35 drops of India ink is a good starting point. On the other wash mixtures, it is entirely up to you, however, we strongly recommend light pigment mixtures. You can always make it darker, but it is difficult to make it lighter.

#CHALKS—(usually done after paint & wash process) Take desired chalk and rub onto a piece of sandpaper. Use a paintbrush (dry brush) to transfer the pigment from the sandpaper to the desired surface. MODERATION is the key word here.

#DULL COAT—Final step in the finishing process is to apply Testor’s dull coat spray. This aids in blending and sealing the finished surfaces.

#Dry Brush—This is a process we use frequently to add a little color influence over another color. Take a paintbrush and dip it into your paint source as you normally would. Before applying the paint to a surface, dry the brush on a piece of paper or paper towel and remove most of the paint. Take the remaining amount and lightly apply it to the desired surface. Repeat this process until the desired effect is found.

The following are specific paints that we use regularly and where we have purchased them.

 

Dupli Color        Spray cans

FP102                 red filler primer              fisher

FP101                 grey filler primer             fisher

DAP1699            gray primer sealer

DA1605               flat black                          napa mass

DA1672               flat white                         napa mass

DAP1689            white primer

DAP 1694           red primer

DAP1690            green                                fisher

DA1603              semi gloss black              fisher

DA1620              royal blue enam              auto zone

DA1630              leaf green                        fisher

DA1684              chrome aluminum          fisher

DA1687              Chrome yellow                fisher

DA1656              Brown                              napa mass

DA1689              ft blk                                 napa mass

DE1606               ford dark blue

 

Krylawn

 

1026786             12 oz CX satin leather Br              lowes

2953486             12 oz fus fusion satin kh              lowes

2953502             12 oz fus metallic satin                lowes

1026704             12 oz fus matte river roc             lowes

 

Acrylic liquid  paints  brush on (colors great for making washes)

 

Delta Ceramcoat

Flesh tan 02035

Red iron oxide 02020

Americana

Flesh tan DA078

Khaki tan DA173

Driftwood DA171

Cadium yellow DA010

Neutral Gray OA93

Dove gray DA69

White DA01

Antique white DA56

Terra Cotta DA62

Sable brown DA61

Greenmist DA177

Jade green DA57

Antique teal DA158

Williamsburg Blue DA40

 

If you have built, or are building any of our boats or structures, we would love to add them to our website’s “Modelers Gallery”.

Please email us, as an attachment, your photos and related text to:

sales@seaportmodelworks.com

If you are able, please size them to a maximum of 1025 pixels

(width or length) if not, we will be happy to size them for you.