Why is it so hard to paint rockets with a brush?

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BABAR

Builds Rockets for NASA
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Just wondering if anyone has ever had any real good results with this?

For rockets say under 18 inches long, seems like this would be so much easier and certainly more efficient with paint than spray.

People paint walls and furniture without brush strokes showing, why is it so hard with rockets?

People put Future finish over the paint, and that seems to level out well without brush strokes.

Anybody?
 
Spraying is quicker, easier, and leaves a smooth consistent finish with no drama.

You would never brush paint a wall and rarely furniture. New homes are sprayed, old homes you use a roller and furniture is almost always sprayed too.
 
Our trim and doors were all painted with a brush, as well as the polyurethane clear coat on our cabinets. The guy that did it is a master and it does look very good, but in the right light you can make out some brush strokes in the paint (oil based).
 
I'm sure you could get an excellent finish if you got the proper paint, sanded and primed the surface well, thinned the paint just right, used high quality brushes AND knew how to paint. Too many people overwork paint. Brush it on and let it level itself. Use minimum brush strokes. Paint in long strokes to minimize overlap.

Or just get a rattle can and be done in 10% of the time.
 
. . . Or just get a rattle can and be done in 10% of the time.

+1
Even for small rockets I'm pretty sure I could paint faster with a rattle can than a brush. And definitely do a better job.
 
First let me say most folks answering this post have NO Idea what they are typing about.

I am a Very Old Sign Painter. As such I've been using all kinds of brushes to paint all kinds of surfaces for decades without showing brush strokes unless intended to have them show (as in fine art Oils). Most anyone can learn how to use proper brushes and Paints that can not be found different from using spray or airbrushed paint finishes.

The main trick is to thin the paint being used to have the proper "Drag" from the loaded brush and using the proper hair type for the paint type being applied. Most Enamels, Polyurethane's and other oil based paints will need Grey Squirrel, or brown squirrel hair brushes. Most Water based paints will use Red Sable or fine sable hair brushes.

I have many PMC models that are completely brush painted that cannot be distinguished from spray painted finishes. There is a learning curve and it takes time to perfect each technique to be proficient with each type of paint and brush. But I turely believe ANYONE can learn to brush paint with some practice.

If you guys are really interested in learning how to use Brushes and Brushwork I wrote a 7 page Tech-Tip on the subject which has recently been updated with current information and techniques. go to www.narhams.org in the left hand menu go to Library section go to Tech-Tips and download Tech-Tip-005 Brushes and Brushwork.
If the instructions are followed with some practice you will be able to produce brush painted surfaces that show 0% brushmarks.

A couple all hand painted examples.

170_F104-G-StarFighter-PMC_32nd.jpg

186a-sm_F100-C-SuperSabre 65th PMC_06-21-96.jpg

188-sm_F8-E Crusader-PMC 72nd_06-30-01.jpg

287a3-sm_F16XL 2-pic144thPMC complete_10-16-03.jpg

410a_MM F-22A Raptor 144th PMC(Trumpeter-01317)_03-29-15.JPG

044_Exocet ASM-39_25.1838 peanut Scale_02-18-90.jpg

048_D-Region Tomahawk 5.4979 Scale_02-18-90.jpg

078a_Whoosh (Finish Test)_10-12-90.jpg
 
I find that with small to medium LPR rockets, I get good results with spray paint.

Once the rocket gets beyond a certain size, the quality of my paint jobs goes down. Instead of most of the rocket being inside the cone or fan of paint, a lot of it is getting overspray. So there is a bit more texture with my 2.6-3 inch rockets.

Thankfully, I don't mind as much with my larger rockets. I find flaws on small birds are much more noticeable, because they represent a larger percentage of the whole. With a large rocket, a small flaw is pretty small.
 
First let me say most folks answering this post have NO Idea what they are typing about.

I am a Very Old Sign Painter. As such I've been using all kinds of brushes to paint all kinds of surfaces for decades without showing brush strokes unless intended to have them show (as in fine art Oils). Most anyone can learn how to use proper brushes and Paints that can not be found different from using spray or airbrushed paint finishes.

The main trick is to thin the paint being used to have the proper "Drag" from the loaded brush and using the proper hair type for the paint type being applied. Most Enamels, Polyurethane's and other oil based paints will need Grey Squirrel, or brown squirrel hair brushes. Most Water based paints will use Red Sable or fine sable hair brushes.

I have many PMC models that are completely brush painted that cannot be distinguished from spray painted finishes. There is a learning curve and it takes time to perfect each technique to be proficient with each type of paint and brush. But I turely believe ANYONE can learn to brush paint with some practice.

If you guys are really interested in learning how to use Brushes and Brushwork I wrote a 7 page Tech-Tip on the subject which has recently been updated with current information and techniques. go to www.narhams.org in the left hand menu go to Library section go to Tech-Tips and download Tech-Tip-005 Brushes and Brushwork.
If the instructions are followed with some practice you will be able to produce brush painted surfaces that show 0% brushmarks.

A couple all hand painted examples.
Nice birds.

Downloaded the file.
Thanks John!
Tom
 
Ditto to John's comment, it can be done, but takes practice!

An airbrush is the next item to discuss, as many have used them (with varying levels of success). Again, practice, the equipment, the paint, the viscosity of said paint, etc... all come into play to get quality results.

Now, rattle cans do have their ups & downs. And being a long time Krylon user, I no longer buy Krylon..
 
Once the rocket gets beyond a certain size, the quality of my paint jobs goes down. Instead of most of the rocket being inside the cone or fan of paint, a lot of it is getting overspray.
Lately I'm having this problem even on smaller rockets. It's driving me crazy.

Regarding brush-painting, I tend to have an interesting time even doing small touch-up areas with a brush. I can't even imagine how crazy I'd go trying to get a clean job on a whole rocket. I tip my cap to those (e.g. Micromeister) who have the patience and technique to do it.
 
The right brush with the right paint. Exactly. (I've been planning to try it)

A lot of newbies scrimp on brushes. Buy good brushes, keep them clean, they last for years.
Japanese lettering brushes (Haiki?) are cheap and leave very little brushmarks.

I've been meaning to ask:
Assuming several heavy coats of clearcoat, would (water soluble) acrylic paint work? (I have LOTs of that)

EDIT: Oh what about Paint Pens?
They're right there next to the rattle cans, and I have pretty good ink skillz. Anyone use them?
 
Ditto to John's comment, it can be done, but takes practice!

An airbrush is the next item to discuss, as many have used them (with varying levels of success). Again, practice, the equipment, the paint, the viscosity of said paint, etc... all come into play to get quality results.

Now, rattle cans do have their ups & downs. And being a long time Krylon user, I no longer buy Krylon..


Are you saying you use an airbrush?

One is quickly climbing up my wishlist.
 
That doesn’t prevent sun damage to the fiberglass. Depending on the resin used when the fiberglass was made, the sun may totally destroy the integrity of thin fiberglass tubes in just a couple of years.

I'll lose them sooner than that! :rolleyes:
 
I have, and do have one (Airbrush - Badger Eclipse currently, had an Iwata years ago, Paache too..). I also have a 10 gallon air tank & very reliable regulator (a must!) and a slew of paints. But sadly, all of this is at the back of my bench, with a layer of dust.. They are good for small projects, fine lines, artwork, etc. A 4" rocket would take hours!! (The cup / jar only holds an ounce or two..) Done many a T-shirt, a few plastic models, and one or two small rockets..

The set up, tuning, paint mixing, applying, clean up, getting the tank filled, etc.. For me, quick & easy with rattle cans (And I was / am pretty good at fades, layering, masking etc.. with a rattle can). Although, the recent trials & troubles with Krylon has me seriously looking for: 1) a more reliable rattle can line (Rustoleum and/or Duplicolor) and 2) looking at a detail / touch up gun (HVLP type)..



I should pull it out, and get geared with it again..
 
Are you saying you use an airbrush?

One is quickly climbing up my wishlist.

If one were moving from 0 to competence then I would have to agree with those in the rattle can camp.

I regularly use HVLP guns, an air-brush and rattle cans, and I have years of modeling using a brush as well as being a commercial painter in my younger years. For your size rockets I would go up from there to an air-brush. This does not discount the need for painting some detail by hand or using an HVLP gun to cover a lot more ground in a short period, but I would use a rattle can first in your case.

The results speak for themselves as far as credibility, you have some people responding here that have produced some consistent incredible results.
 
paint pens are good for detail & outlines. I find if you try to colour with them (lay down a large area) you get streaks / lines like mad! The paint pen nib will lift dried / drying paint.. And, they always clog or dole out toooo much paint! Buy one, to outline your flames, then toss it..
 
This spring I was trying to get a few of my winter builds painted and ready for NSL, but the weather here in the northeast was absolute garbage week after week. When I did try to paint the humidity gave me fits, and I also had a few bouts with crackling and runs. I was running out of days to get them painted and to be honest I was sick to my stomach watching the nose cone to my MDRM crackle for the third time. I finally gave up and decided to just do some of the painting by hand. In this picture, the MDRM nose cone was done by brush, as were the fins on the Estes PSII Nike Smoke. I painted my entire FlisKits ACME Spitfire by hand using little bottles of Testors enamels. My children (with a little help from their parents) painted their ASP Stubby kits by hand with acrylics, and my wife did the same with her Quinstar. Are thy perfect? No. Are there some brush strokes? Sure, but if you ask me they look pretty good. And you know what? I kinda found it relaxing. I sat at my kitchen table, put on some music, and just painted. No pollen blowing into my paint, no bugs landing on my paint, no crackling, no runs, no overspray. I think I'll be doing some more hand painting in the future.

CIMG7976.jpg
 
This spring I was trying to get a few of my winter builds painted and ready for NSL, but the weather here in the northeast was absolute garbage week after week. When I did try to paint the humidity gave me fits, and I also had a few bouts with crackling and runs. I was running out of days to get them painted and to be honest I was sick to my stomach watching the nose cone to my MDRM crackle for the third time. I finally gave up and decided to just do some of the painting by hand. In this picture, the MDRM nose cone was done by brush, as were the fins on the Estes PSII Nike Smoke. I painted my entire FlisKits ACME Spitfire by hand using little bottles of Testors enamels. My children (with a little help from their parents) painted their ASP Stubby kits by hand with acrylics, and my wife did the same with her Quinstar. Are thy perfect? No. Are there some brush strokes? Sure, but if you ask me they look pretty good. And you know what? I kinda found it relaxing. I sat at my kitchen table, put on some music, and just painted. No pollen blowing into my paint, no bugs landing on my paint, no crackling, no runs, no overspray. I think I'll be doing some more hand painting in the future.

View attachment 346208

Wow, those look great.

Anybody got good recommendations for a brush on primer? John (oops, need to specify—- der MicroMeister) I believe you have posted about high build spray on primer for hiding tube spirals, anything equivalent for brush application?
 
Last edited:
Wow, those look great.

Anybody got good recommendations for a brush on primer? John (oops, need to specify—- der MicroMeister) I believe you have posted about high build spray on primer for hiding tube spirals, anything equivalent for brush application?

I’m not John, but Kilz works well, not the latex based.
 
Wow, those look great.

Anybody got good recommendations for a brush on primer? John (oops, need to specify—- der MicroMeister) I believe you have posted about high build spray on primer for hiding tube spirals, anything equivalent for brush application?

(I'm not MiroMeister but...) No matter what way I paint I usually try to match brands when priming and painting. That being said I've had to mix brands a few times here and there. I found that Rustoleum 2x white rattle can primer goes on pretty easy and you can paint quite a few other brands over it by brush without issue.

I've never tried to brush on primer, though I to would be interested in some recommendations.
 
I am a Very Old Sign Painter. As such I've been using all kinds of brushes to paint all kinds of surfaces for decades without showing brush strokes unless intended to have them show (as in fine art Oils). Most anyone can learn how to use proper brushes and Paints that can not be found different from using spray or airbrushed paint finishes... A couple all hand painted examples.

Impressive display of models. Thanks for taking the time to explain this and providing the link to your tech tip article.. https://www.narhams.org/library/tech/005-Brushes.pdf
 
Micro,
Great write but I do have a couple questions for a brush painter.
1. Using Testors enamels, how long do you wait before brushing on repeat coats to prevent lifting of the first coat?
2. How do you brush paint large areas with white? Once again Testors.
3. Masking, how do you prevent paint build up on the mask line?
4. Do you prime your plastic models before brush painting?
 
I've been on a group project that painted a rocket with brushes. You don't get a great result, but if it's a big rocket and a drab color that doesn't matter as much.

boosterpainting4.jpg


moonrace2001.org/n1_rocket.shtml
 
As far as brush on primer: Hello? CWF!

Also has anyone mentioned sanding? Sanding 'tween coats helps a lot. Just like it does in primer and spray paint.
 
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