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Hi Damian - nice work - that is a really candy finish!
Thanks Nick, I'm pretty pleased with the result. I am thinking about giving it a polish to remove the graininess, which is very slight, and then applying some Carnuba wax to give it a deep shine. I have seen a few car guys using this with nice results.
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If you don't mind, I've got a couple questions about the paint you used - (Alclad)(I use acrylics):
I don't mind at all, asking questions and following build logs here on Kitmaker is how I have learned most of my skills!
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How bad does the paint smell when you spray it? That is, does it leave a big "toxic cloud"? Do you use any sort of mask for breathing? I've heard from the guy at my local hobby shop that this paint is pretty dangerous - but, many people seem to use it, and the results are great! - as you aircraft builders seem to demonstrate with such ease!
Alclad is lacquer based and does have a stronge smell than acrylics. Like you, I use mainly acrylics (Tamiya and Gunze), and have never actually airbrushed enamels at all! I always work in a well ventilated area if I am airbrushing Alclad, generally with an exhaust fan. If I am only doing a small area I am naughty and don't bother with the mask, but in this case I was airbrushing almost continuously for almost 40 minutes and with a higher air pressure than normal so I also wore a painters cartridge respirator with a solvent filter rather than a particulate one.
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Next, what do you use to clean your airbrush after use? Does this paint clog, or permanently stain the paint cup etc?
I run a small amount of general purpose lacquer thinner (cheap stuff from the local hardware store) through the airbrush immediately after each session, and use the same stuff on a cotton bud to quickly wipe out the cup or the bottle. The metallics in Alclad are extremely fine and I have never had any instance of clogging or staining.
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Sorry about the rookie questions! The model is looking good!
Please don't apologise mate, I really appreciate the feedback and only hope I can help you out and answer a few of your queries. There are plenty of more experienced folk than me hereabouts who might chime in with some more information as well.
Cheers, D