Rattle cans, a preference? A hatred?

[dr wogz]

So, rattle type spray paint....

the good? the bad? the ugly?

Krylon? (Industrial?!)
Rust-o-leum?
Valspar?
Duplicolour?
Testors?
Liquitex
Sabotaz?
Kilz?

Custom matched PPG from the local auto parts store?

Long time coming, but I'm about to jump off the 'Krylon' barge.. I can get Sabotaz locally, and have used quite a bit of it. Sadly, it's only available in flat, so no decals.. A friend swears by Duplicolor, but the price! And, I can also get the Liquitex brand, but the cans are also $$$!

And, there's the "get a detail gun" approach which I'm also considering..

https://ca.complex.com/style/2012/06/the-15-best-spray-paint-brands-available-in-america/
https://www.bestcovery.com/best-spray-paint

 

[Banzai88]

I've been using Plutonium and Montana Gold rattle cans. Plutonium is quite expensive, but the Montana goes on sale at the art supply store for about $6/can. EASY to use! They're pigment heavy acrylic lacquer, meant primarily for the graffiti crowd, and has interchangeable caps for different paint and different conditions.

Other than that, I use Krylon if I want an enamel quick and dirty paint job.

Since getting a budget HVLP set up, I've also fallen in love with Duplicolor and lacquer from Restoration Shop. There's TONS of information on the Harbor Freight HVLP gun and how to get a good paint job with one. I have several, and they're easy to use and you do not need all sorts of car paint booth support or plumbing to do it. TCP global has good budget guns, too.

 

[tim cubbedge]

I gave up on Krylon, nozzle issues. Rustoleum 2X is pretty good, lot of colors & pretty cheap at Wally World.
Just started using Duplicolor. Yes twice the price but so far I like the results better than Rustoleum 2X.

 

[75Grandville]

I use Rustoleum, and the only things I consistently have problems with is the white (glossy). It tends to glob and spit. Persists across cans, time, etc. Otherwise good selection of colors, and plenty of availability at a certain orange big-box store.

I'd put my painting abilities at "20 footer" so take that into account.

Am hoping to try Kustom Kans on my current project - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XH4LR5G/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[modeltrains]

Krylon? (Industrial?!)
Rust-o-leum?
Valspar?
Duplicolour?
Testors?
Liquitex
Sabotaz?
Kilz?

Out of those I've used Krylon, Rust-o-leum, Duplicolor, Testors, Kilz. And the not mentioned $1 or so Walmart labeled enamel cans.
Most of the time any of them do fine. Except when I follow the directions to invert and spray till no paint comes out of nozzle - clog is guaranteed except on the rarest occasion, so I stopped following that direction and the problem went away.

The Kilz sage green I used had an interesting smell, unlike any other paint I'd experienced the eau de spray of.

Over at the Large Scale Central model railroad forum there is occasionally much discussion, and dissin' and cussin', about how different brands do not play well together when spraying a coat over another and sometimes even the same can of paint doesn't play well with itself when adding another coat after the first cures.
That last has happened to me; forget which brand but someone's gloss yellow left the first coat pitted and cratered when a second coat was sprayed when the weather allowed almost a month after the first.

I have found that pretty much anything will work okay over Duplicolor grey high build filler-primer auto primer ... and ... believe it or not ... over that cheap $1 Walmart flat white or flat grey enamel which I sometimes use as a primer.
I also don't know why it doesn't seem to build up high for me, goes on fairly sparingly, actually.

Another brand I've used is this from the miniatures gaming genre. And while it definitely would count toward the pricey category it is quality stuff, I have no regrets paying the price. Which at the moment I forget and am too lazy to Google but it might be as much as $8.

 

[James Duffy]

So, rattle type spray paint....

the good? the bad? the ugly?

Reasonably reliable, and cheap: Rustoleum

Spray Paint of the Gods, but expensive: Tamiya

James

 

[Peartree]

I use brands from Walmart to Krylon to whatever is on sale. In general rattle cans are just easier and faster to use than dragging out all the airbrush stuff and then cleaning it up. On the other hand, the airbrush does a pretty nice job. So I guess my answer is... it depends.

 

[ActingLikeAKid]

Duplicolor is good stuff, and you pay for it. I've found it's much cheaper (and there's always a coupon) at your local auto parts store than Amazon.
Pros: Nozzle sprays in a fan shape, so you adjust it for if you're doing vertical or horizontal passes. Goes on wonderfully, lasts well.
Cons: Since it's a lacquer, your surface prep has to be perfect or every little imperfection will stare back at you. It's pricey.

Rustoleum "Professional" enamel...
https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/professional/high-performance-enamel-spray
Pros: Goes on REALLY well and smooth. Dries quickly (don't believe the "15 minutes" on the can. You can touch it after 15 minutes, lightly. But "handling" or "taping" or "anything more than a light caress" ... wait 24 hours. Cures fast and hard, available at walmart. Cheap.
Cons: WEAR A RESPIRATOR. I mean, obviously you should wear one with any paint, especially if you're doing it indoors. But this paint product produces particulates prodigiously. (sorry, alliteration, I had to). Even a dust mask will help; probably because this formulation dries fast, you get a lot of spray that dries in the air and turns into a superfine dust and gets on EVERYTHING.

 

[mikec]

I use Rustoleum, and the only things I consistently have problems with is the white (glossy). It tends to glob and spit.

+1. I don't know what the deal with Rusto 2x gloss white is. When it works right it's fine, but it doesn't work a lot of the time. I've had much better luck with their semi-gloss white.

 

[modeltrains]

paint product produces particulates prodigiously. (sorry, alliteration, I had to).

There's one in every crowd :smile:
But is there a crowd for every one?

Referring to Tamiya; quality and thin, yes. The times I've used it it seemed to produce quite a cloud of overspray to where it seemed only 1/4 of the paint was going on the model.
Been a few years, maybe either the paint or I have changed in the meantime.

 

[Maxitout]

I use the Kilz indoor as a primer. It covers well, but ya gotta spray fast, or it will run. Then, I cover it with the Rustoleum colr of choice. My paint jobs usually look OK from about 20 feet.

Phil L.

 

[fyrwrxz]

Rattle cans- any type any size and all colours. The desert is a harsh mistress and after a couple of flights-you can't tell you buffed it down with 1000 grit and sprayed clear with a wax job. Save my airbrush for precision scale stuff. Stuff that doesn't fly. YMMV. I know mine does......

 

[terryg]

Rustoleum Metallic:

https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/stops-rust/metallic/

Applies easily and is fairly run resistant. After sanding and clear coating you can get a finish that you can almost fall into.

 

[qquake2k]

I've had the best overall results with Rusto 2X. Duplicolor is nice, but too translucent for me. It took an entire can to paint a 5.5" nose cone. Rusto would have been much less than one can.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showt...uild-5-Finger-Death-Punch&p=575199#post575199

 

[o1d_dude]

Rustoleum Metallic:

https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/stops-rust/metallic/

Applies easily and is fairly run resistant. After sanding and clear coating you can get a finish that you can almost fall into.

I'm with you on the Rusto Metallic. Always do my fin cans with the "Black Night". Gotta love metallic black.

 

[mpitfield]

I've been using Plutonium and Montana Gold rattle cans. Plutonium is quite expensive, but the Montana goes on sale at the art supply store for about $6/can. EASY to use! They're pigment heavy acrylic lacquer, meant primarily for the graffiti crowd, and has interchangeable caps for different paint and different conditions.

Other than that, I use Krylon if I want an enamel quick and dirty paint job.

Since getting a budget HVLP set up, I've also fallen in love with Duplicolor and lacquer from Restoration Shop. There's TONS of information on the Harbor Freight HVLP gun and how to get a good paint job with one. I have several, and they're easy to use and you do not need all sorts of car paint booth support or plumbing to do it. TCP global has good budget guns, too.

Wow this pretty much is a duplication of the road I have gone down, except I have not used or even heard of Montana Gold.

I had a strange experience with Plutonium this winter. I finished a rocket using Plutonium white, pink and black followed with several coats of clear, it really turned out great. I set the rocket aside and looked at it a month or so later and there are cracks in the clear, but they are not the usual cracks that you would expect. They look more like the type damage you would expect if someone scratched your finish. Up to know I have not addressed the issue and will likely sand down the clear and start again, but not until I get a few flights on the rocket.

I really like Krylon camo paints and just ordered some of their matte clear so we will see if it is as nice as the camo ultra dry finish.

I would completely agree that generally the top coat is the most challenging, and for me I have had the best long term success using the dupli-color paint shop system on my HVLP. However now that I have access to a professional paint booth, and the owner of the auto-body shop has offered to help me acquire better quality paints through his suppliers, I may expand my automotive paints.

Regarding the HVLP setup I would say this. You need to match your gun with your compressor and if you have a cheap compressor then you will likely never get optimal results, and you may just get frustrated. I have done everything I can, except upgrade my compressor in my shop to get good results, then this winter I used a professional paint booth, but with my guns, my paint, just their airline, and wow what a difference.

 

[Trident]

So, rattle type spray paint....

the good? the bad? the ugly?

Krylon? (Industrial?!)
Rust-o-leum?
Valspar?
Duplicolour?
Testors?
Liquitex
Sabotaz?
Kilz?

Custom matched PPG from the local auto parts store?

Long time coming, but I'm about to jump off the 'Krylon' barge.. I can get Sabotaz locally, and have used quite a bit of it. Sadly, it's only available in flat, so no decals.. A friend swears by Duplicolor, but the price! And, I can also get the Liquitex brand, but the cans are also $$$!

And, there's the "get a detail gun" approach which I'm also considering..

https://ca.complex.com/style/2012/06/the-15-best-spray-paint-brands-available-in-america/
https://www.bestcovery.com/best-spray-paint

You can use flats with decals! Clearcoat with Krylon UV-Resistant Acrylic Gloss Clear. Apply decals. Topcoat with Matte version of this Krylon Clear.
Here is example:


Regarding paints, I have the best results with small cans of Testors or Model Masters. For big cans, I like a Rustoleum 2X, and Duplicolor. Hate Krylon.

 

[Banzai88]

Wow this pretty much is a duplication of the road I have gone down, except I have not used or even heard of Montana Gold.

I had a strange experience with Plutonium this winter. I finished a rocket using Plutonium white, pink and black followed with several coats of clear, it really turned out great. I set the rocket aside and looked at it a month or so later and there are cracks in the clear, but they are not the usual cracks that you would expect. They look more like the type damage you would expect if someone scratched your finish. Up to know I have not addressed the issue and will likely sand down the clear and start again, but not until I get a few flights on the rocket.

I really like Krylon camo paints and just ordered some of their matte clear so we will see if it is as nice as the camo ultra dry finish.

I would completely agree that generally the top coat is the most challenging, and for me I have had the best long term success using the dupli-color paint shop system on my HVLP. However now that I have access to a professional paint booth, and the owner of the auto-body shop has offered to help me acquire better quality paints through his suppliers, I may expand my automotive paints.

Regarding the HVLP setup I would say this. You need to match your gun with your compressor and if you have a cheap compressor then you will likely never get optimal results, and you may just get frustrated. I have done everything I can, except upgrade my compressor in my shop to get good results, then this winter I used a professional paint booth, but with my guns, my paint, just their airline, and wow what a difference.

Montana Gold is like Plutonium, only cheaper and in more colors and easier to use. I suspect that the issue with the cracks is shrinkage cracks. Happens sometimes with those paints when the coat is a little thicker than optimal.

I agree on the HVLP setup, nothing will ever replace a pro setup, but even a decent cheap set up properly matched will exceed the level of a rattle can by orders of magnitude, but that thread has already been dead horsed.

 

[modeltrains]

... already been dead horsed.

And then my still sometimes slightly dyslexic mind wonders what 'head dorsed' would be.
Yeah, I know, totally off on a left field tangent. :eyeroll:

 

[iqsy59]

I'm not sure where to start...



I guess I would state emphatically that good paint does not a good painter make. I am proof!

I can say that for me, other than Testors which is my favorite but too expensive for larger rockets, Belton Molotow Premium are far and away the easiest cans for me to use and produce the best results. Not saying much.



The fins are Testors Metalizer Aluminum because Metalizer is awesome. The rest is Molotow.

I have struggled with the Montana Gold...maybe because the low pressure cans require skill beyond my limits. Montana Black is the high pressure equivalent and I have had good results. Gold and Black are both flat finish. You can also find pretty good deals on MTN Hardcore2 to bring the cost closer to Rustolium. It is a high pressure gloss line and comes in 109 colors for those times that the colors at the home improvement store don't match the colors in your mind's eye.

They are a couple of additional options to consider, anyway.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[Woody's Workshop]

I hate spray cans. But I use to do custom auto painting.
But I don't have a choice right now.
Someday...I will have a compressor again and buy pints of auto paint.
My preference was PPG or Dupont. Not sure what's available anymore.
Everything is going BC/CC and water born. Guns are expensive.
If I can get the activated BC/CC, I'll use that. Or Enamel.
Lacquers these days are junk IMHO. After they EPA made them take the chromates out of it, it was never the same.

 

[Banzai88]

I'm not sure where to start...

View attachment 320325

...., Belton Molotow Premium are far and away the easiest cans for me to use and produce the best results.

I have struggled with the Montana Gold...maybe because the low pressure cans require skill beyond my limits. Montana Black is the high pressure equivalent and I have had good results. Gold and Black are both flat finish. You can also find pretty good deals on MTN Hardcore2 to bring the cost closer to Rustolium. It is a high pressure gloss line and comes in 109 colors for those times that the colors at the home improvement store don't match the colors in your mind's eye.

They are a couple of additional options to consider, anyway.

Cheers,
Michael

Plutonium and Montana Gold are both low pressure, and you have to be a LOT closer to the surface than most people are comfortable with to produce a good surface, but if you get it figured out....man, it's smooth and even and covers in 1 coat.

Thanks for the lead on other brands, looks like they're all pretty similar....tagger/graffiti paint!

 

[iqsy59]

Oh...and now I see that Pep Boys has a 25% off coupon currently valid on Dupli-Color. Time to restock on Filler Primer and Adhesion Promoter!!!

Cheers,
Michael

 

[Nathan]

I've had the best overall results with Rusto 2X. Duplicolor is nice, but too translucent for me. It took an entire can to paint a 5.5" nose cone. Rusto would have been much less than one can.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showt...uild-5-Finger-Death-Punch&p=575199#post575199

Yes some of the Duplicolor colors are very translucent. You need a perfect primer coat otherwise you may see flaws through the color. I once sprayed Duplicolor red enamel on a rocket that had some small pencil marks and they were still clearly visible through the red paint even after several coats. Their metallic colors don't have that problem.