Saving On Paint--Mixing and Pitfalls

Ah, the famous "oops" shelf...

It is certainly viable. Forget about the 2 oz bottles of Micromark. Instead, go to Walmart and get the $1 bottles of hobby acrylic.  Latex and acrylic are both water-based, so there is no issue mixing them.

You may find this shocking, but I have even occasionally used small amounts of oil paints to get the colors exactly right. The world did not end.

You can use most anything with color in it for scenery and objects in the background however when painting precision scale models house paint and common arts & crafts paint will obscure fine detail. The pigment in fine model paint is ground MUCH finer than common paint and will cover with a much thinner coat. Of course you need to apply the good stuff with an airbrush to do this costly paint justice, though since it goes on so thin you use less of it. The transition from running toy trains to building a scale model railroad can be rather costly. Lucky we each get to determine our own comfort zone for cost vs realism and what makes us happy.          j

Don Merz 070317 posted:

I keep seeing "bargains" (should be in triple quotes....) on latex house paints in the home improvement stores that for whatever reason the customer didn't want. If I get a gallon of white and then find other colors to mix in to get colors that I want, what is the risk? I am thinking of using the final mix to paint everything from carved scenery foam to Korber plastic kits. 

The thing is that when you start adding up the cost of those 2 oz. bottles at Micromark or an art supply store, I can see me ending up with a big expense, much of it on stuff I might never use. Is the latex house paint option just a mistake? Or is it a viable choice?

Don

 

I like the "Ooops" flat latex paints for scenery work.  I have bought several gallon cans (and smaller) over the years of various flat, earthy colors.  And, they're always half the price or less than a gallon of white.

For general structure painting, I generally spray-bomb them with a light gray  or red oxide rattle can primer.  Then use cheap acrylic craft store paints to paint with.  I've even air-brushed with these paints.  If air brushing though, you need to strain the paints through a screen and thin them a little to get proper flow through the air brush.

You can mix any of these paints to achieve the color you want.

I use the paint “ rejects “ or customer returns for scenery.  I have not tried it on buildings. I make a trip to the paint department every time I visit the store ( Menards, actually ) and have gotten all sorts of colors,  and for $ 1 per quart I don't have too much to lose.

There is no risk. Nick

JohnActon posted:

You can use most anything with color in it for scenery and objects in the background however when painting precision scale models house paint and common arts & crafts paint will obscure fine detail. The pigment in fine model paint is ground MUCH finer than common paint and will cover with a much thinner coat. Of course you need to apply the good stuff with an airbrush to do this costly paint justice, though since it goes on so thin you use less of it. The transition from running toy trains to building a scale model railroad can be rather costly. Lucky we each get to determine our own comfort zone for cost vs realism and what makes us happy.          j

I beg to differ with you , if you go on youtube and this for anyone reading this , guys paint award winning car models with the Walmart 89 cent craft paints in any color you can imagine , Hobby Lobby has a better selection . The paint is self leveling , I have done models with a fine sponge and stippled the paint on and as it is drying lightly stipple (less pressure ) using a clean piece of sponge . Find an old piece of memory foam . If using an airbrush you thin it with windshield washer fluid ($3) a gallon (AUTO ZONE) , air brush from Harbor Freight $24  , compressor $60 , best thing about this paint in an airbrush , in cleaning up just have a bottle of straight windshield washer fluid and spray it thru your air brush till the paint color is gone , that's it . Hundreds of shades to create faded cars to exact match , take a car with you to match . For gloss coat for decal application use " PLEDGE " floor care finish (WALMART $3.94 )  formerly know as future floor acrylic , again windshield washer cleaning of airbrush . You can even lay the car on it's side and use a soft brush and brush it on , if the car is dead level , once applied and you don't go back over it this also self levels . It even can be lightly sanded after decal application if needed , best part no need to clear coat the areas not getting decals unless you see a change in color of paint .

YOUTUBE SEARCH  painting models with cheap craft paint ,  save yourself a bunch of money  , no need to wait on shipping or pay for shipping plus like $8 for a one ounce bottle . With the hobby acrylic  , even if you mix colors and get it off , dump it , and start again . This the best paint for models and once you use the PLEDGE , hard as nails . 

Dollar store 91% isopropyl alcohol , large bottle $2.50 , take a half gallon plastic milk jug put 4 bottles in and dip your car , Atlas cars the paint comes right off after about 30 minutes no harm to plastic , 

So under $100 bucks ( air brush , compressor , paints ) you can be up and running having fun , learning a skill and you can paint anything this way .

I have serious spine issues and don't do much anymore , hope this helps people , it will take some time to perfect your skills , but thats part of the fun of being a real modeler not buying every last thing out of a box (BORING)

The cheap air brushes are dual action and if they clog after awhile toss them , sometimes they are on sale for like $16 . Take the needle out and carefully polish it on the point and it will work even better .

Hobby Lobby only has about 500 colors , buy a big bottle of white for $3 in case the shade is slightly off .

craft paint job no airbrush

I'm a HUGE fan of Latex Ooooops paint.  I always look for the small jars on every visit to the Box stores.  At 50 cents a jar, it's worth buying a color I may only use once.  I mix colors routinely and many times will also water them down to create runny paint for my mountains.

Some examples of my Oooops Painted items.

Have Fun!

Ron

So after some few weeks have passed, I am having good luck with the Ooops paints. As some have pointed out, the cost is so low that mistakes can be thrown away without regret. Also it's fun seeing what you can come up with and it almost guarantees that I don;t get in a rut making everything look the same. I also found that some of the paint thinners designed for acrylics and latex paints are useful in the sense that they d a better job of mixing with the paint than water does. So I like this approach. This saves money--not a lot, but some. It's easy and a fun part of the hobby. I like it. I think you will too. Go for it.

Don

Lowes and HD will mix any color on their paint charts or made for you by matching with their color scanner for and exact match for about $3 for the Ooops size jars of maybe 4 ounces.  I had them match make a medium gray semi gloss for repainting a silver 32 inch tube TV years ago for $3.

I have been checking Ooops paint that HD and Lowes for years when they first were free.

Charlie