Normally when acrylics is mentioned, we tend to think it's water based - but no, you can have Lacquer acrylic, Enamel acrylic, etc. They are still not very durable. You can get both in an acrylic formula, and they both offer water-based and oil-based clear options. But they're also pretty delicate, may not tend to stick as well, and may have more issues airbrushing them. Nor are the finishing standards or production goals identical from facility to facility or shop to shop. I don't recall having a choice, as a kid, when it came to model paints like we do now. it can be clear or pigmented. It’s recommended for hand painting (slower drying allows for additional time for the paint to self level and hide brush strokes). Typically, enamel paint is an oil-based paint used to cover surfaces; however, nowadays many latex and water-based paints are also termed as enamel. People use water, alcohol, flow-aid, retarder, and voodoo magic when mixing acrylics for airbrushing. My approach is to paint with acrylics and top coat with either clear acrylic or clear lacquer. The usual process of washing the plastic in mild soap, and avoid skin contact as oils will transfer to the model surface. What is a good process of paint type layer order that you normaly use?Do you start with a Base of Enamel, then put Enamel/Acrylic over that? Different types of model paint are compatible to an extent however must be applied in certain orders of application, and importantly, if this order of application is incorrect or the wrong paints layered then you … My dad used to paint cars with acrylic lacquer. I'm getting there, gotta get some kind of magnesium paint on the wheel spokes and I can put it together ( 1949 Ford I'm sort of duplicating from a build I did nearly 60 years ago). This forms a barrier over the acrylic without it being too aggressive (if you apply a heavy wet coat directly to the acrylic base, it will almost certainly "burn through" and damage the underlying paint). Which by the way are the silk DRAW decals. Further (relating to the "general" guide above), even when used with regular acrylic thinner, Tamiya's acrylics can be overpainted with "normal" enamels with no apparent ill effects. That sucker shines and I haven't polished it. They contain solvent agents that evaporate once the surface is dry and cause a chemical reaction with the surface that makes the surface hard. Another distinction is that clear enamel is a topcoat. Enamels brought more 1st place awards to my house. To clean up, you need to use enamel thinner or mineral turpentine. Clear enamel is like lacquer, in that you can apply it on wood or metal. a coating that is clear, as in without pigment. If you have questions, this is the place to ask. I would be leery of lacquer over fresh enamel, I've seen that go bonkers in 1/1. So many options now ... - thanks! I use acrylics for pretty much all my major painting and exclusive airbrush acrylics. ... Tamiya and I'm presuming Mr Super Clear is a synthetic lacquer, not a 'true' lacquer, still 'hot' but not quite as much as real lacquer. Growing up in San Francisco in the 60's, all I remember having was Testors and Patra. Using a lacquer gloss coat allows detail washes to flow easily and be wiped away. I spray lacquer clear coats over acrylics carefully (at a distance) on initial passes because it can lift the acrylic and blow it over other colors. I mainly used humbrol acrylic sprays for the painting of my aircraft kits with enamal tins for the finer details. Using a lacquer gloss coat … The most widely used of these products is called CAB-acrylic lacquer, made with cellulose acetate butyrate and acrylic resins. It more depends what you're doing with it, like weathering over acrylic I use oil wash or stains. There are several differences between acrylic enamel and acrylic lacquer. (I'm sure to have a boatload of other questions coming up soon, so bear with me!). Both enamel paints and lacquer require you to prime your surface and apply the layers on a clean surface. The problem with the linked chart is that 'acrylics' is a bit too generalized. But i use lacquer clear coats with no issues. Dad was a hack car painter, but he swore by lacquer. I did the engine with craft paint, then a light oil wash just added some depth, not so much for dirt. That is why you see the top layer of the object separately from the layer of lacquer. The advantage of acrylic lacquer is its exceptionally fast drying time. Disadvantages These paints all have some disadvantages. I put multi layers of acrylic down all the time. These paints were less toxic than the oil-based paints and (arguably) easier to clean up because many can be washed up with water (before the paint dries). Acrylic lacquer auto paints can be costlier than acrylic enamels. So, according to this chart, I should mostly never base coat with an Acrylic since you should't put anything but Acrylic over it? Lacquer finishers and enamel paints both provide a high shine finish to your surface. Get it as soon as Mon, Feb 15. The ravages of time and use of a piece of furniture can be limited by a durable top or finish coat. Cheryl Munson has been writing since 1990, with experience as a writer and creative director in the advertising industry. I know this is an old post, but it has a lot of good information. Note: Though many acrylic paints can be cleaned up with water, the term Acrylic refers to the chemical composition of the base. Though ostensiblly water/alcohol based, they can be thinned with some types of lacquer thinners. There are some acrylics which use a water/alcohol blend as a solvent (notably Tamiya, Gunze Aqueous and ModelMaster) and some which use a lacquer-thinner-like solvent (Gunze MrColor).