Tamiya X-12 Gold Leaf

[Honda]

I got a bottle of this because I read on a forum that it was a nice looking gold. However, I have some questions:

 

1. The bottle says that it's acrylic paint, but then it also says it's flammable and to use in a well ventilated area.

 

2. It also says that you can clean up with water

 

Now, the last time I checked water based products aren't flammable unless you're talking about breaking down the sub-atomic bonds between hydrogen and oxygen...which I'm not intending to do.

 

So what's the deal with this paint?

 

a. Water based or not?

b. Any tricks to it?

c. Should this be reserved for airbrushing vs. manual brushing?

 

The reason I ask is that I am about to embark upon painting my Custodes and I don't need the hassle of funky paint.

 

Thanx in advance!

 

Cheers,

[Lorenzen]

ive used it before (have a pot of it sitting on my desk atm in fact) its generally best through an airbrush but in general it is a pretty decent paint.. far less hassle than say... vallejo's liquid gold paint.. :cuss

 

(it will need to be shaken before use pretty much everytime tho)

[IdOfEntity]

The paint is water-soluble, so saying it's water based is...close enough. The Acrylic Resin that gets diluted is PMMA, or Poly(methyl methacrylate) which has an ignition point of 460 degrees farenheit. If water is extracted or evaporated from the PMMA it will harden into a material similar to plexiglass and can ignite. Hence, do not keep it near a hotplate or stovetop.

 

The only remarkable thing about the bottle you got is that they took the time to correctly identify it's properties. You can cut it with water. Manual Brushing appears to be an acceptable method and I'm sure there are airbrushers out there that have thinned it properly and used it to their satisfaction.

 

You can learn this, and other facts, at your local Library of Congress. :-P

[Honda]

Very good and thanx for the replies.

 

I think I'll reserve this for my vehicles which will be airbrushed. I was also testing out some Reaper Antique Gold and I'm not very impressed with the results, so I think I'll end up using GW's Shining Gold. I've worked with it before and have an idea of how it will behave.

 

Cheers,

[Gurth]

1. The bottle says that it's acrylic paint, but then it also says it's flammable and to use in a well ventilated area.

That's because acrylic paints are usually alcohol-based rather than water-based. As for using in a well-ventilated area, this is simply a common precaution for any paint, and if you've smelled Tamiya paints you should understand why they specifically mention it on the bottle ;) (That said, I don't smell these paints anymore unless I hold an open bottle right under my nose and inhale … )

 

2. It also says that you can clean up with water

Since water and alcohol mix, you can thin the paint with water. Tamiya thinner is isopropanol with some additives, and thins the paints better than water, especially for airbrushing. Water is fine for minor thinning when brush-painting, but for spraying the actual thinner works better — however, isopropanol is also a major constituent of windscreen wiper fluid, and for the price of 250 ml of Tamiya thinner you can buy a couple of litres of windscreen wiper fluid, so the latter is usually the smarter choice :)

 

Now, the last time I checked water based products aren't flammable unless you're talking about breaking down the sub-atomic bonds between hydrogen and oxygen...which I'm not intending to do.

Um … I get the impression you don't know as much about chemistry as you think you do ;)

 

c. Should this be reserved for airbrushing vs. manual brushing?

Either works, but Tamiya paints typically don't cover well if brushed over larger areas. Airbrushing them works fine, but brushing them often requires more than one coat.

[Honda]

Since water and alcohol mix, you can thin the paint with water. Tamiya thinner is isopropanol with some additives, and thins the paints better than water, especially for airbrushing. Water is fine for minor thinning when brush-painting, but for spraying the actual thinner works better — however, isopropanol is also a major constituent of windscreen wiper fluid, and for the price of 250 ml of Tamiya thinner you can buy a couple of litres of windscreen wiper fluid, so the latter is usually the smarter choice

 

Ok, I've used rubbing alchohol to clean my airbrush with water based paints, is that what you are referrring to? I will look up isopropanol, as that is ringing a bell.

 

Now, the last time I checked water based products aren't flammable unless you're talking about breaking down the sub-atomic bonds between hydrogen and oxygen...which I'm not intending to do

 

Um … I get the impression you don't know as much about chemistry as you think you do

 

Well, for the record I carried a solid "D" through three quarters of Chemistry, so I am not attempting to be Mr. Science by any means. What I was referring to is when someone mistakenly tries to put out a fire that is burning quite hot, for example a magnesium flare, the temperature at which magnesium burns is hot enough to break down H2O into it's constituent components and in fact, only fuels the fire.

 

Hence my smart alec comment...since I was pretty sure I would not be fiddling with the big Mg. :unsure:

 

Thanx for the tips!

 

Cheers,

[Solid Zaku]

'Rubbing' Alcohol is Isopropyl Alcohol. Different from window cleaner. Using Windex as a thinner's a pretty common go-to in the airbrushing community, however I'm (more than likely pointlessly) paranoid about the blue coloring, so I look for a knockoff brand that uses the same ingredients but is clear in. Be careful about using metallic paints in an airbrush. Although tiny, the metallic bits can clog an airbrush faster than their regular counterparts. Almost any 'acrylic' paint can be thinned to airbrushing consistency, but always be wary. Experimentation is your friend, but having a bottle of thinner and your cleaning materials on hand actually remembers your birthday, if you catch my drift.

[Gurth]

Ok, I've used rubbing alchohol to clean my airbrush with water based paints, is that what you are referrring to? I will look up isopropanol, as that is ringing a bell.

In the USA, it's more commonly known as isopropyl alcohol, IIRC. No idea if that's also known as "rubbing alcohol" though.

 

I'm (more than likely pointlessly) paranoid about the blue coloring

I can't say I've experienced any trouble with it, but I wouldn't use it when thinning white paint, myself.

[Hanska]

Rubbing alcohol, isopropyl and isopropanol are the same stuff.

Has anyone tried thinning GW/vallejo paints with it? Just got a bottle of it from work and thought would it work better than vallejo acrylic thinner?

[IdOfEntity]

Rubbing alcohol, isopropyl and isopropanol are the same stuff.

Has anyone tried thinning GW/vallejo paints with it? Just got a bottle of it from work and thought would it work better than vallejo acrylic thinner?

 

 

For the purpose of manual brushing I don't think there's much of a point as clean water with a trace of dish soap in it does fine. For airbrushing...Well now that's an interesting question. I'll see if I can dig up some info from some of the Airbrush pro's on CMoN.

[Thirdfox]

I used this exact same paint on a chaplain and a dreadnought. On the chaplain, i thinned the paint with some distilled water and a few drops of IPA. On the dreadnought, I used some of their X20A acrylic thinner. Works really well with a brush but I dunno how good it is with an airbrush as i don't own one.

[madscuzzy]

Iso can be used to thin the paints, but they can also be used to strip the paint. Depending on the paints themselves, the iso can actually seperate the pigments and make the paint unusable. Doesnt happen for all, but only for some. Need to test before use.