Which paint do you use and why ... Enamel or Acrylic ?

[Peter-1238489]

I am returning to the hobby after a 45 year break and wow have things changed !

My question is what are the pros and cons of enamel vs acrylic paints?

Acrylic didn't exist when I last picked up a paint brush , come to think of it nor did airbrushes !

any and all advise is greatfully received

Peter

[Chewbacca1707821739]

Hi Peter,

For years I was an avid enamel paint user and turned my nose up at acrylic paints. However about 3 years ago I made the swap and haven't looked back! I still use a few enamels for some small detail work, but everything else is acrylic, it is simply so easy to use. I think its only Humbrol and Revell that produce enamels now, whereas everybody else, including them do Acrylics. I use an airbrush for most of my stuff and mainly use Vallejo Air Acrylics, they have a massive range and its pre mixed for airbrush work, but can be brushed as well.

Anyway, enjoy your return to modelling, you'll find the models have got a lot better as well!

Anymore info you need on glues, fillers etc, just ask.

Regards

Chewy

[Ratch]

I was an enamel user, them SWMBO decided she didn't like the smell so I switched to acrylics - though I still use Alclad lacquers for some NMF colours.

[Kenneth ONeill]

It depends. I mean I only use enamels or spirit acrylics for gloss and metallic finishes, but prefer water acrylics for silk and matt.

To expand :

Gloss enamel I find dries harder and glossier than water based acrylic.

Enamel and spirit acrylic offer a much larger range of better looking metallics than water acrylics.

Water acrylic matts are faster drying and more reliably matt than enamel matt, and don't tend to lift the way spirit enamels sometimes do when you try to recoat.

Speaking of, I still use hairy sticks rather than miniature sprayguns, which may account for some of why odour is a non-issue for me.

[peebeep]

I think its only Humbrol and Revell that produce enamels now, whereas everybody else, including them do Acrylics.

 

 

Off the top of my head I can think of Tamiya enamels (not generally available in the UK), Model Master and Alclad, there may be others.

 

 

Personally I favour lacquer based acrylic for airbrushing. I still have loads of Humbrol and Revell enamel tinlets and being a skinflint I don't like to throw them away, so I try and use them for paint jobs where I'm bristle brushing rather than airbrush. The same applies to all the little pots that come with starter and gift sets, contrary to perceived wisdom they are usually perfectly usable, especially if thinned with a drop of Klear, or whatever Klear type substitute that might be to hand.

[Peter-1238489]

Hi Peter,

For years I was an avid enamel paint user and turned my nose up at acrylic paints. However about 3 years ago I made the swap and haven't looked back! I still use a few enamels for some small detail work, but everything else is acrylic, it is simply so easy to use. I think its only Humbrol and Revell that produce enamels now, whereas everybody else, including them do Acrylics. I use an airbrush for most of my stuff and mainly use Vallejo Air Acrylics, they have a massive range and its pre mixed for airbrush work, but can be brushed as well.

Anyway, enjoy your return to modelling, you'll find the models have got a lot better as well!

Anymore info you need on glues, fillers etc, just ask.

Regards

Chewy

Thanks for the reply Chewy, that was really helpful

I wondered if there was a downside to acrylics but it seems not !

 

 

There are so many suppliers of paints fillers etc it’s a bit bewildering.

Im lucky to have a ‘local’ model shop which I’ll be checking out soon, might have to leave my credit card in the car grinning

 

 

thanks again

 

 

Peter

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ratch]

i use a wide variety of brands:

AK interactive

ALCLAD2 LACQUERS

Ammo Mig

Mig Productions

Andrea Color 

Citadel / Games Workshop

DALER ˂˃ ROWNEY Graduate Acrylic

HATAKA

Humbrol Acrylics

Humbrol Enamels

LIFECOLOR

Liquitex

Pébéo Studio ACRYLICS

REEVES Oil Colours

Revell Aqua acrylics

TAMIYA

Vallejo MODEL COLOR

Vallejo MODEL AIR

Vallejo Acrylic METAL COLOR Airbrush Colors

Vallejo Panzer Aces

Winsor & Newton oils & acrylics

[Peter-1238489]

i use a wide variety of brands:

AK interactive

ALCLAD2 LACQUERS

Ammo Mig

Mig Productions

Andrea Color 

Citadel / Games Workshop

DALER ˂˃ ROWNEY Graduate Acrylic

HATAKA

Humbrol Acrylics

Humbrol Enamels

LIFECOLOR

Liquitex

Pébéo Studio ACRYLICS

REEVES Oil Colours

Revell Aqua acrylics

TAMIYA

Vallejo MODEL COLOR

Vallejo MODEL AIR

Vallejo Acrylic METAL COLOR Airbrush Colors

Vallejo Panzer Aces

Winsor & Newton oils & acrylics

 

 

 

 

Thanks Ratch

I never realised there were so many brands ...... looks like I'll be doing some more internet research !!

 

 

Peter

[Ratch]

As time goes by you'll see someone recommend a paint or colour and may want to try it, that's how collections expand. Keep an open mind. If you're not happy with a particular colour be prepared to try a different brand that may lead to new techniques, it's how to develop skills and find out what suits you.

[Peter-1238489]

It depends. I mean I only use enamels or spirit acrylics for gloss and metallic finishes, but prefer water acrylics for silk and matt.

To expand :

Gloss enamel I find dries harder and glossier than water based acrylic.

Enamel and spirit acrylic offer a much larger range of better looking metallics than water acrylics.

Water acrylic matts are faster drying and more reliably matt than enamel matt, and don't tend to lift the way spirit enamels sometimes do when you try to recoat.

Speaking of, I still use hairy sticks rather than miniature sprayguns, which may account for some of why odour is a non-issue for me.

 

 

Hi Kenneth,

Thanks for the comparison of the paint types really useful.

I think I will have to give them all a try and see which I'm happiest with

 

 

Regards

 

 

Peter

 

 

[Kenneth ONeill]

Not a problem Peter. It's a complex subject, made worse by brush or spray and by modelling lacquers (which are more or less spray only).

[Ratch]

Whether a paint is gloss or matt is a bit irrelevant to me because I apply a gloss varnish before applying decals, then the required matt, satin or gloss finish after.

[PaulDM]

Enamel is old school now. (I too painted in this back in the day)

Especially the 'old" Humbrol paints which were withdrawn due to a chemical content becoming banned by the EU.

Thank of it this way. No more cleaning of the brushes in white spirit and finding them hard and useless... so off to the model shop next day to buy a new brush...

Today with Acrylic - just clean with water.

Admittedly the paint is not as "strong" as enamel, but that is also true of car paint these days which has moved from a solvent based to water based paint.

Just apply more coats and seal with Varnish...

[peebeep]

Today with Acrylic - just clean with water.

Admittedly the paint is not as "strong" as enamel, but that is also true of car paint these days which has moved from a solvent based to water based paint.

 

 

Except when your acrylic media is spirit or lacquer based. There still seems to be an automatic assumption that by definition acrylic paints are aqueous, this is not so.

[PaulDM]

Today with Acrylic - just clean with water.

Admittedly the paint is not as "strong" as enamel, but that is also true of car paint these days which has moved from a solvent based to water based paint.

Except when your acrylic media is spirit or lacquer based. There still seems to be an automatic assumption that by definition acrylic paints are aqueous, this is not so.

 

 

Sorry. No.

chemical definition of Acrylic.

41% water, 32% polymer binder, and 6.5% pigments plus additives

so soluble in water.

the “plastic component” which “sets” the paint compared to “watercolour” accounts for the 32% polymer.

if the paint goes beyond that composition it’s not “Acrylic”

[PaulDM]

Today with Acrylic - just clean with water.

Admittedly the paint is not as "strong" as enamel, but that is also true of car paint these days which has moved from a solvent based to water based paint.

Except when your acrylic media is spirit or lacquer based. There still seems to be an automatic assumption that by definition acrylic paints are aqueous, this is not so.

 

 

Can you give me the Humbrol number of the “spirit or lacquer based” ACRLIC and I will adjust my thinning techniques.

[peebeep]

AFAIK Humbrol acrylics are aqueous, although it's possible to thin them with fluids other than water. I've used Klear for thinning in order to improve their adhesion. There's a number of paint ranges (not Humbrol) that are identified as acrylic, but not aqueous, for instance Tamiya, Mr Hobby. They are spirit based but miscible with water. Then there's lacquers, but these are not miscible with water. I'm not discussing the chemistry because I'm not a chemist and I don't intend to do any copying and pasting from elsewhere.