Nail Polish for detail work?

Thinking things like engine pods on Estes interceptor, maybe nose cone tips, antennae.
Seems like an infinite number of colors, comes with its own brush, doesn't dry out.
I guess some are lacquers, some are acrylics. Does it matter as long as your underlying paint coat passes the sniff test?

Any special needs for masking?

I've used it a few times but never paid attention to the composition. On small parts I've put it over primer. The only other time was to touch up the original paint job on a rocket to fix scrapes and dings. I couldn't remember the paint I had used and was having no luck matching it when I stumbled on the perfect nail polish...in our bathroom cabinet

I have thought about trying nail polish for accent colors since it comes it some really cool colors and metalflakes. All nail polish is lacquer. Some is acrylic lacquer and some is nitrocellulose lacquer. I think either should work okay as long as you apply it over a lacquer primer/base coat.

It's lacquer so be careful, it will lift enamel. The solvents are so hot it's softens the under layer then as it dries you get massive orange peel.

I used nail polish a lot on rockets when I was in high school. Worked great. As mentioned above, it is hot, so undercoat appropriately.
Back in the day I was ignorant and spent big $ using Testor's spray enamel. I know that nail polish was compatible back then, but I don't know if the formulas may have changed.....

I still look at nail polish in bargain bins to see if there is a color I want. Full price can get expensive.

remembering the crazy prices an old girlfriend spent on nail polish, that could get pretty expensive.
createx makes some pretty nice airbrush paints with quite a palette of colors.
better price,imo.
https://www.createxcolors.com/

MClark said:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?135919-Nail-polish

Click to expand...

I did a search and saw that, but I was looking for a bit more info