Acrylic Paint Help

[Scode68]

So my first attempt at using acrylic paint in my opinion has turned into a learning experience on the Estes Patriot. Started with craft paint that was thinned with water but I didn’t like the way it shot. So I bought some createx airbrush paint and shot it straight from the bottle.
Things I’ve learned,
1. Acrylics are thin and don’t cover like enamels.
2. I have to spray multiple light coats (hit with hair dryer in between) to cover something.
3. Lost count of coats I applied but I used the whole bottle trying to cover the areas where I sanded through the one color of primer, so. I will now use the lightest color primer I can find and make sure the rocket is totally one color.
I will be using one or two more colors so I will take care of the areas that look light.
Does the acrylic eventually stop having a slight tack to it? Is it not cured and should I wait longer (has sat outside in the sun two days, 55*-60*)? Should I shoot it with future before I mask and paint the other (darker) colors?

 

[FatBoy]

I guess this is one of those cases where the old saying "Your Mileage May Vary" applies. The rockets below were all done with Createx.

What if you tried a coat of Opaque White over your primer before you add color? That should give the entire rocket an even base to cover with color.

I may be wrong here, but I don't think acrylics "cure" - they just "dry". Either way, the slight tack will go away. I have had some that seem to take a few days for the tack to completely go away and other times I don't even notice any tack at all. Maybe it all has something to do with the relative humidity in the air.

The Big Bertha, Deuces Wild and Space Shuttle below were masked within hours of painting the previous color. I have had the best results with low tack masking tape (my favorite brand is called "The Edge") pealed off very slowly at a 180 degree angle.

Createx sets with heat, so using the hair dryer should be good for the paint, but I have also had times where too much heat has caused air blisters to pop up, so be careful of that. I am not sure if heat setting between coats of the same color is vital. It seems to me that you would want the coats of the same color to mix together.

I wouldn't put Future over it before you mask and add other colors - I think that would just all get too thick, and I am not sure if paint would even adhere to Future. Just make sure the final rocket is heat set before you add Future.

 

[Scode68]

I used a gray sanding primer and should have given the rocket a coat of the white. After spraying for a while it dawned on me that the florescent green must be a transparent color. The other colors will be opaque for sure but I haven't narrowed them down yet or the way I want to lay it out.

When I say tack, it's kind of stuck to something after sitting for a while.

I've always used enamels and love them but figured I would give the acrylic a try. Figured that in some parts you can't get lacquer any more (even for cars) and enamel could be next.

 

[FatBoy]

Yikes - I have never had it tacky enough to stick to things.

 

[Scode68]

It just gets stuck with no lifting of the paint. It could sit for an hour and nothing but half a day and it will be stuck.

 

[FatBoy]

What if you held it up to dry by sticking a dowel up into the motor mount? That works for me.

So what other colors are you going to add to it?

 

[Scode68]

Had to stick it on a dowel.

Was thinking purple and maybe a blue.