I have come to the realization that the Rustoleum rattlecan enamels are not worth the effort.

The first time I tried them, the cans spat chunks on my otherwise nicely done Stormcaster.

Today I tried them again in different colors to spray a Der BIG Red Max, a Cherokee D, and a Goblin. Guess what? All three cans spat chunks. I'm now SO looking forward to sanding out the blobs on three birds and then trying to overspray the flaws with the same crappy rattlecans.

Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me FOUR TIMES...well, I've got no one to blame but myself.

From this point forward, I will be decorating all of my rockets in various combinations of red, white and black as those are the only colors I can still buy in lacquer.

GRrrr...

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Kit (aka Cranky Kong)

I'm just a roadie for the banned...

Weird, I have never experienced that with Rustoleum I have only gotten 'blobs' when using an ancient can of Testors once.. What 'variety' of Rustoleum did you use? The 'Painter Touch' line is awesome stuff IMHO, I haven't tried the new 2X line yet(supposedly you can get twice the coverage versus the regular variety)..

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Jon
SAM #0396
BAR 02/07
NAR 86940
KF4GUL
Aim high, fly straight!

I've had that happen with Rustoleum gloss white, but have had good results with other Rustoleum colors.

But I'm generally not happy with all rattle can paint. I'd really like to get into air brushing. I just haven't gotten around to buying one yet. Learning to use one will be a whole seperate matter.

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I plan ahead that way I don't have to do anything right now.

Oh by the way, I'm not here just for the "olde" rocket discussions.

Well I can agree about the chunky Rustoleum. I happen to like the paint for many of its qualities (especially its lack of sensitivity to humidity), but for the chunk problem. I can't say there's a good solution other than warming and shaking the cans really well before use, and then spraying out a bunch to (hopefully) clear the can of the chunks before applying paint to the item in hand.

Airbrushes are an alternative, but like anything, without careful preparation the results may not necessarily be better. As a rule, I like to use my airbrush for smaller models, and I always strain the paint and insert a wire mesh filter in the paint bottle before spraying; otherwise you get chunks, just smaller ones. And don't forget that airbrushed paint sprays in a much thinner coat (which is a good thing from a weight point of view), and therefore is not as forgiving as a coat sprayed from a rattlecan. It means the attention to surface preparation is a little more critical.

In short, I've not found a foolproof painting method (at least not for this fool); they all seem to have their pros and cons. What separates a great finish from a mediocre one is meticulous surface preparation followed by a patient, practiced, and consistent method, rattlecans and airbrushes notwithstanding.

Photo on the left is with the trusty rattlecan; the one on the right is with the trusty airbrush.

Attached Thumbnails

   

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John
YORF #003
SAM #004

Great points across the board John.

You aren't the first person that I've heard say that an air brush isn't the be all end all of painting perfection.

Looking at the two pictures you inserted I can honestly say that both paint jobs look flawless, proving your point that preparation, patience and experience go a long way towards making the end product look great.

And thanks for the tip of warming the paint before using it. I haven't tried that yet, but I will give it a shot on my next project.

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I plan ahead that way I don't have to do anything right now.

Oh by the way, I'm not here just for the "olde" rocket discussions.

I like the qualities of enamel paint as well. It goes on thick and smooth. It flows nicely and tightens up even more as it dries. The choice of colors is quite large, too. Recoat within an hour or 24 hours is okay by me. I've done both.

I just looked at my birds today and found the globs to be less noticeable today now that the paint has hardened. Also, there is only one glob on each of the rockets and not in a terribly obvious location.

What I try to do is shake the crap out of the can before and during the spraying operation. I also try to remember to start my spray passes well off the subject to allow the globs to miss the bird. Cleaning/wiping the nozzle every couple of passes would probably help, too.

Keep reminding myself these are flying rockets, not display models. Between hard landings and hangar rash, there will flaws/scratches/dings/etc. before very long.

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Kit (aka Cranky Kong)

I'm just a roadie for the banned...

I have one can of house-brand yellow paint from a local store that globs... I'll have to try some extra shaking next time I use it.

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NAR # 115523
Once upon a better day... SAM #0076
My site: http://rocketry.gonnerman.org

I do think there is a lot to be said for warming cans of spray paint. I store my paints in my basement shop, and in the summer, it seems almost cold. I tend to fill the utility sink with warm water, and let the can warm up for maybe 30 minutes. The worst problems I've had are with little Testors cans throwing globs, but I have had issues with Rustoleum, but only enamels. I've had excellent results with their lacquers -- as long as you like white, red, and black!

I have experimented with shooting blue from a little can of Testors lacquer over the Rustoleum lacquer (the white base coat), with no problems. I've not tried Model Masters lacquer over Rustoleum, but assume it would be fine, also.

I'm really partial to lacquers, and buy the Testors or Model Masters small cans using the 40% off coupons at Hobby Lobby. This makes their high price a little more palatable.

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Lee Reep
NAR 55948

Projects: Semroc Saturn 1B, Ken Foss Designs Mini Satellite Interceptor
In the Paint Shop: Nothing! Too cold!
Launch-Ready: Farside-X, Maxi Honest John, Super Scamp

Finally got around to transferring the pictures from the camera.

Here's an example of the type of blobs I'm seeing from the Rustoleum enamels...


#1 Center of the tube, right at the end of the reflection.
#2 Center of the tube, at the very end of the tube.

It turned out pretty nice otherwise.

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Kit (aka Cranky Kong)

I'm just a roadie for the banned...

I tried the Rustoleum "2X Coverage" paint from Home Depot for the first time recently. I'm pretty impressed by it. At first it looks like it's shooting out globs, but they get covered and smooth out well. And it definitely takes less coats to produce a good finish.

-- Roger