Must I Use Spray Paint?

Hello everyone! I just found this forum and am delighted. This is a far cry from the days when I was a little kid and there was no Internet.

I've gotten back in to rockets after about a 10 year hiatus. Basically, I built one or two Estes kits and they crashed and broke. But I'm giving it another shot.

One of my chief pet peeves with rockets is painting. I hate painting because I can never seem to do it right. Masking everything off is a huge pain and I rarely succeed in doing it right, no matter how carefully I go about it. Also, I dislike spray paint because it tends to get all over the place and it's quite expensive. I can't recycle the cans either, and I dislike simply tossing out hunks of metal.

I'd much prefer to brush on my paint but everywhere I've looked doesn't mention that. It seems to be spray paint or nothing.

Is it adviseable to use a small paintbrush to paint my rockets? If so, should I use acrylic or enamel paints (I'll probably use Testors, as my hobby shop carries it)? Should I sand between coats? And, the million dollar question, will it add tons of weight to my rocket and/or look crappier than spray paint?

Thanks for reading this!

You can if you want. Painting is entirely up to you - paint it how you want. Spray paint can give the best overall coverage and smoothest coat with very little additional weight, but unless you use paint an inch thick, any paint will work fine and have little impact on the flight.

though I doubt that you could get as smooth a coat as you could with spray paint, you could brush paint on. What about airbrushing? slightly more control, and less "waste." ?

I think the only reason you would have to sand in between coats, would be to eliminate any high spots in your previous coat.

BTW, Welcome to the forum!

(painting is one of my favorite parts of rocket building, but that's me... )

Welcome to the forum and welcome back into rocketry!

No, you don't have to use spray paint. My daughter paints her own using acrylic craft paints (Apple Barrel or similar). We get them at Michaels or Walmart, often on sale for $.50 a bottle.

You can get a fairly decent paint job by just giving it at least 2 to 3 coats, letting each coat dry in between.

Don't try to cover everthing with the first coat. A thin coating is fine.

The second coat will likely be almost uniform in color and a third should result in an acceptable color. I find that the metallic colors seem to cover the best for me.

You will not get as good a finish as spray paint but you can get a decent finish.

The Triskelion in this picture was brush painted with Metallic Blue, Metallic Gold, and Metallic Red.

Part of the reason I dislike spray painting is simply because I suck at it. I always end up messing up the masking and creating a poor paint job.

But I also prefer painting via brush because I am "closer" to the model that way. My favorite part of rocket building is probably sanding the fins. It's literally hands on and I like that. Also, I have horrible hand eye coordination and using a fine brush is good practice for me to (hopefully) improve that.

What about primer, though? I went to Testor's web site and I searched for "primer." Nothing except their acrylic "Model Master" stuff came up, which surprised me. Is primer simply not necessary with brush paints?

I've tried painting without primer and it always turns out much better with primer (though I've only used spray paint so far) and the primer fills in the spirals on the tube.

I've used some metallic enamel paints and they just don't look right.... it's like they're *too* shiny. Plus enamel smells and is harder to clean up.

I'd love to airbrush but I don't have enough money for even a rudimentary kit. I just graduated from college and don't have a job yet (but I'm looking!). And even then I have other expenses such as my cat.

I have so many other rocketry questions but perhaps I should start seperate threads (assuming that's ok).

Thanks everyone!

Once the launch button is pressed, no one will be able to tell whether you spray painted, or brush painted your models. What ever makes you happy is what I would do. You can get fairly good results brush painting, and then wipe on a clear coat of Future, which is self leveling, and would look pretty good. My only problem with brush painting, is, it takes more paint to cover less area than with sprays.

Use a large SOFT brush or foam brush and several light coats!

Brush painting is all in the technique and a little practice. It's possible to bursh paint that can't be distinguished for sparyed applications unless you what to leave a brush stroke or two to Prove it's been brushed

The best spray painting tip I can give you is use Krylon Interior-Exterior aerosol. If you haven't tried this brand it is well worth it. You might turn into a good spray painter in just one application. It is one of the more forgiving brands of paint and typically gives an excellent finish. Comes in 52 colors you can get it for about $3.00 a can at Walmart.

https://www.krylon.com/main/product...elid=9&productid=1745&content=product_details

Check out my spray painting article on page 3 of the July/August 1999 edition of NIRA's Leading Edge at:

https://www.nira-rocketry.org/Document/JulAug99.pdf

Bruce S. Levison, NAR #69055

I hate painting , too, but I've discovered that using the right primer, sanding well, gives even the cheapest paint a fighting chance. I've been using the .99 spray paint from walmart and am really getting phenomenal results.

How about a mix, just paint your base colors, then use stick on colors and hand painting for detail. I even have a full set of PAINT MARKERS that work great, painted my first Tumbleweed completely with them.

Welcome. Remember, the hobby is about getting better at things over time, but do what is going to be fun for you in the long run.

I use Krylon, since it's what my local Fred Meyer shop carries. I admit, it's good paint.

My main problem is that my ham hands can't mask things off very well. If I have to mask off the fins (or God help me, half of a fin) I almost always end up screwing things up and getting the body paint on the fin or vice versa. With a brush I can control it better.

For brush paints, I prefer using acrylic since it's less smelly and washes up with water. I *think* Krylon is acrylic spray paint. If so, I wonder if I can use the spray can for primer (faster and more uniform) and paint the actual color myself. Paints aren't always compatible though. I once used enamel spray paint on a nose cone. It dried and everything was fine. Then I made the mistake of using Krylon Crystal Clear coat on it. The paint cracked and crazed.

Krylon paints are acrylic lacquer. Just remember "Enamel over lacquer, not lacquer over enamel".

But I hae this bottle of Testor's "Glosscote Lacquer" and on the back it says you can use it over: "wood, lacquer, *enamel*, plastic, metal, or varnished surfaces."

just make sure it's completely cured, sniff the rocket if you smell >any< chemical odor it's not ready, to gloss cote

Also be sure to use light coats, but not too light or the clearcoat will come out dull.

Thread subject: "Must I use spray paint?"

Short answer: "No"

I've not tried this yet myself but it will be a must on my next paint job...5 colors (white, black yellow, green, and purple). Right after masking, spray a light coat of whatever the under lying color is. Say if you have a white rocket with a colored stripe, mask off everything except for the stripe area and then apply a light coat of white in that area. It is supposed to act as a sealant of sort to cut down on bleeding. After that dries, then paint your stripe.

I've tried similar, I've used clear coat as the mask "sealer" and it works fairly well. A good tape (autobody/pinstriping, or electrical) still yields better results as far as bleeding is concerned though. However, if bleeding through isn't your problem, Orporg, if it's the art of masking itself, this is a moot point.

.

Rock it has given good advise...use good tape. I get my tape, 3M brand, orange inside label, low adhesion blue tape at our local ICI Dulux paint store, however, it only comes in one inch widths. I run a bondo applicator over the tape and concentrate on the edge that will receive paint and especially any tape junction such as a place the tape makes a 90 degree turn. I pull the tape straight back over itself leaving the paint edge very crisp. I do not wait, I pull the tape immediately after I finish painting. If you wait too long the edge becomes somewhat rubbery and will want to string when you pull the tape and leave your edge jagged.

A good paint job comes from being able to see the paint as you apply it. I set up a light at the right hand of my work that shines along the part I am painting. You can readily see if the paint is going on evenly and you can see it "wet" up. There is a fine line between too little and too much. As Rock it says it takes practice. If I'm painting a bodytube I run a dowel through the tube and use foam rubber cut into discs an inch larger than the tube interior to hold the dowel. I set up two sawhorses that allow me to roll the dowel back and forth and the tube is easily seen in the light.

So far I have used many different rattle can paints. Ace Hardware paint has the best gloss I've found, IMO, and the nozzle lays down the paint nicely. Takes longer than Krylon to dry but I feel the results are worth a little more time. I've never been happy with clear coat results. I wait until the paint is completely cured then give the rocket a coat of Turtle Wax. Turtle Wax is also good for getting those smudges and scratches off after you have launched a rocket several times.

Thanks for the advice. Maybe I'll give that a try. You're right though, I suck at the art of masking. I also always seem to spray too much on and get paint runs/blobs.

It's especially hard not to create runs with the clear coat (Krylon Crystal Clear) because I can't really see anything as I spray it on. Only afterwards do I notice that I put too much clear coat on.

I have noticed that brushed on enamel shows the brushing. There's just no two ways about it. But unless its up close, it doesn't make a lot of difference. The advantage of the enamel is that it's inherently shiny. Of course, if you're going for flat colors that doesn't help much......

What I really need is to find someone (or several someone's who will simply show me how it's done. And maybe borrow some of their tools/equipment.

But my local club, as far as I can tell, is more interested in high power than regular old low power rocketry.

You MUST use spray paint


unless you don't want to

Spray paint has a whole world of its own problems. If you buy cheap spray paint it often sputters out of the can and leaves blobs in your finish. Spray paint can be maddeningly incompatible with other paints, creating those 'craze' lines that zigzag through your beautiful finish. And when the overspray gets all over the wife's patio furniture, you can REALLY get in trouble.

Like Rokitflite said, you can get great results with a brush if you apply thin coats. I think the secret process is to THIN the paint (so when you brush across the edges of already-painted parts, the paint 'blends' back together smoothly) and to RESIST going back with your brush with that 'last' stroke to touch up a spot. Let the coat dry completely before sanding or touching up. Rich colors are just going to take multiple coats. There is no fast way to do it, craftsmanship takes time.

I think you are going to find, however, that you need to mask whether you brush or spray. Lots of good advice here on TRF already posted on that subject.

Ordinary scotch tape works well for masking, too. Ordinary masking tape is a terrible choice.

First prime/sand/prime everything until smooth. Clean with a damp rag to remove dust. Apply scotch tape along edge, pressing the edge firmly. Now take paper/plastic bags and ordinary masking tape and mask off the rest, with the masking tape overlapping the scotch tape about 75%.

Spray several light coats 20 minutes apart. However, if you have hidden a finished color under the mask, spray a coat of that color first, to seal the edge, and let it dry completely. Then spray multiple light coats of your intended color.

Remove the tape while the paint is wet. If this is impractical, wait until the paint is completely dry (1-2 days).

Touch up cautiously at the end with a small brush and spray into a paper cup.

G

Originally posted by Orporg

My main problem is that my ham hands can't mask things off very well. If I have to mask off the fins (or God help me, half of a fin) I almost always end up screwing things up and getting the body paint on the fin or vice versa. With a brush I can control it better.

Click to expand...

Are you suggesting brushing as a way of eliminating the need to mask? I can see how that will work if you want the entire fin to be a different color than the BT, but if you want a crisp line on a two-color fin, you'll still need to mask, an in my experience, brush painting is more demanding of a masking job than is spray painting, because the paint goes on heavier and is 1) more likely to bleed under the masking, and 2) more likely to create a ridge at the masking line.

As others have suggested, use a good masking tape, and practice, practice, practice. Practice on something you don't care about. Practice with using different widths of tape (narrow for the demarcation line, wider for area coverage). Practice with using tape and masking paper together. A lot of success depends on figuring out which color to paint first: color coverage versus ease of masking. Sometimes you get lucky and they coincide!

If you are going to brush, I wouldn't use the expensive model paints unless that is the only way to get the color you want. Craft stores have paint that is cheaper, in a variety of types (including acrylics, which are the most popular) and colors.
-Jim

Have you tried masking with the liquid masking products? Sorry I don't have any brand names, but it comes in a plastic bottle and is a light blue color. Put it on with a brush and peel it off after the paint is on.

Keeping runs out is a bit tricky, but the "tack coat" method seems to work pretty well with most rattle can paints. You put on a very light coat of paint, wait a few minutes for that to get good and tacky, then go back with a "wet" coat. You can still get a run but it's a lot harder!

Liquid masking? I've never heard of it, but it sounds interesting.

I used some enamel (metallic green and metallic copper respectively) paints on nosecones. With a brush. And I've to to admit, you can see the brush marks. I mean REALLY see them. Perhaps I should have put more coats of paint over it (I can't find my paint now so I can't re-paint). So maybe brushing isn't so great.

But I was thinking of times when I had to paint fins a different color than the body (especially when I have to paint the fin different colors on each side) for brush painting.

.

Another great masking materal it parafilm-M, also used on complex and compound curved surfaces like aircraft canopies and wing/tail/fin transitions. this material DOES have a learning curve but it's no more difficult to use then any of the liquid masks. Doesn't require overnite drying and is a little easier (for me anyway to see while x-acto trimming.

Okay, I've just tried some masking with plastic wrap and scotch tape. I don't think it worked very well.

So you can describe in a little more detail what parafilm and the liquid masking stuff is? Can you just brush on the masking liquid?

I'm trying to paint my Alpha and from what I can see on the picture from the package, one side of each fin is supposed to be painted blue while the other side gets a different color. I've found it difficult to mask only one side of a fin.

Originally posted by Orporg
Okay, I've just tried some masking with plastic wrap and scotch tape. I don't think it worked very well.

So you can describe in a little more detail what parafilm and the liquid masking stuff is? Can you just brush on the masking liquid?

I'm trying to paint my Alpha and from what I can see on the picture from the package, one side of each fin is supposed to be painted blue while the other side gets a different color. I've found it difficult to mask only one side of a fin.

Click to expand...

Parafilm M is a thin, stretchy film that feels like parafin wax (it isn't really - some kind of plastic). You can stretch it very thin and apply it. It isn't really sticky but clings kind of like cellophane wrap. It was originally made for the laboratory market (that's where I got mine) but soon modellers found it as a masking tool. I know you can mail order it from some suppliers, and a well stocked hobby shop may have it or might be able to get it in.

The secret to masking one side of a fin is newspaper (or any kind of paper, but newsprint is free!) Apply the masking tape (whatever type of tape you use - I'm using the general term here) to the fin edge and put the newspaper on the other side. You can use the newspaper to mask off any large area. Just tape it into place and use the tape as your masked edge.

In answer to your original question - I have brush painted several models, and my paint of choice is the Tamiya Colors acrylic paints. They clean up with water and flow on smoother than any other paint I have ever used. They are thinner than the standard (Apple Barrel, etc) acrylics but still cover well. A couple of coats and they work perfectly. The are also designed to cover plastic, which a lot of acrylics won't really stick to. The secret there, of course, is to clean the surface you are painting. Wash any plastic parts (nose cones, fin cans, etc) with dishwashing soap (I use a grease cutter like Dawn) and an old toothbrush. This gets rid of any surface oils and lets the paint adhere better. (The surface oils get there from both the manufacturing process and from your grubby little fingers! )

Of course, I will still mask even brush painted models - it's the only way to ensure a straight line. One last trick here - after the paint has FULLY dried (give it a full day or more in humid weather), score along the edge of the tape with a hobby knife. This will keep the tape from pulling up some of the paint that has been put on after the tape was applied.

Hope this helps.

Greg