RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

I have a compressor and airbrush, but sometimes it's a real pain to set it up just for a few camouflage stripes (assembly..cleaning etc.). In fact, I like rattle cans. Properly warmed and shaken (not stirred), they can produce an excellent series of coats on the tank. The problem is- and I've been using Tamiya pricey rattle cans lately- rattle cans have an invariable nozzle. Doing narrow stripes for camo., is just not practical as that requires a fine nozzle...or careful masking.
After some though I'd considered spraying though a straw attached to the nozzle, but the paint tends to accumulate and clog quickly. Here, though, I may have found a viable alternative. It's a website devoted to a range of replacement nozzles for
a variety of applications..from graffiti (should you feel like 'tagging' your tanks ) to calligraphy. Anyway, it's worth a look I think..
http://artprimo.com/catalog/art_primo_caps-101

Good afternoon, Doc,
Saved that one as a favorite! I use a lot of rattle can paints including ( some years ago ) the commercial types you mix up and get self pressurized.
regards,
Painless

PainlessWolf wrote:Good afternoon, Doc,
Saved that one as a favorite! I use a lot of rattle can paints including ( some years ago ) the commercial types you mix up and get self pressurized.
regards,
Painless

Many thanks, Painless. It's always comforting to know that when one ventures out onto a thin branch, there's somebody underneath with a safety net That's support indeed.

Roy Hi, I bought a plastic bag of all different rattle can Nozzles off of E-Bay some years ago, Cheap and very useful and of course reusable,
It is easy to forget which one is which so a separate plastic bag with a word identifier for each nozzle saves the day.
I stopped buying Tamiya Rattle cans and Acrylic thinners when I realised that similar products at a far cheaper price were out there.
We have a Maplins in the Local high street, No Not the Holiday Camp , Which sells Acrylic thinners by the litre for the same price that Tamiya charges for 250Ml.
"AK Interactive" Make a very good Metal Burnishing Liquid which stains Metal tracks easily and relatively cheaply.
And Simoniz make a large(500Ml) Metal Etch Primer Rattle Can which is ideal for Metal Hulls and Metal Turrets again very reasonably priced.
Any Motor accessory shop will sell you a 500Ml rattle can of Red Oxide Primer for about £5 and Humbrol's 150Ml rattle can Sea Grey ? Don't Ask (27) is exactly the right match for my Russian campaign German armour and their Desert yellow (93) is a very nice match for the Tunisian campaign Armour,
Both of these make a good top coat that will then take an Airbrush finish to top it off,
I have been using some Chalk Based paints recently with good results the only downside being the restricted choice of colours,
The Matte Earthy Greens and Browns look very good especially on Allied Armour.
I usually use a brush with the Chalk Paints but there are Spray cans out there but not easy to find,
Cassart (www.cassart.co.uk) is where I go for real Paint, Acrylic Matte Black and Matte White in big Plastic bottles which are much better value that the alternative "Tinlets", Very good service and highly recommended.
Shaun.

jarndice wrote:Roy Hi, I bought a plastic bag of all different rattle can Nozzles off of E-Bay some years ago, Cheap and very useful and of course reusable,
It is easy to forget which one is which so a separate plastic bag with a word identifier for each nozzle saves the day.
I stopped buying Tamiya Rattle cans and Acrylic thinners when I realised that similar products at a far cheaper price were out there.
We have a Maplins in the Local high street, No Not the Holiday Camp , Which sells Acrylic thinners by the litre for the same price that Tamiya charges for 250Ml.
"AK Interactive" Make a very good Metal Burnishing Liquid which stains Metal tracks easily and relatively cheaply.
And Simoniz make a large(500Ml) Metal Etch Primer Rattle Can which is ideal for Metal Hulls and Metal Turrets again very reasonably priced.
Any Motor accessory shop will sell you a 500Ml rattle can of Red Oxide Primer for about £5 and Humbrol's 150Ml rattle can Sea Grey ? Don't Ask (27) is exactly the right match for my Russian campaign German armour and their Desert yellow (93) is a very nice match for the Tunisian campaign Armour,
Both of these make a good top coat that will then take an Airbrush finish to top it off,
I have been using some Chalk Based paints recently with good results the only downside being the restricted choice of colours,
The Matte Earthy Greens and Browns look very good especially on Allied Armour.
I usually use a brush with the Chalk Paints but there are Spray cans out there but not easy to find,
Cassart (http://www.cassart.co.uk) is where I go for real Paint, Acrylic Matte Black and Matte White in big Plastic bottles which are much better value that the alternative "Tinlets", Very good service and highly recommended.
Shaun.

Thanks, Shaun, for the fulsome and detailed response. I would pop into Halfords, or similar motor accessory shop, were in not for the fact that all such outlets are situated in Inverness ( "the Capital of the Highlands"), and Inverness is 76 miles from my remote coastal location. Bliss in many ways, but distance does increase my reliance on Royal Mail and couriers for so many things. These days, getting someone to ship a product containing aerosols, or any kind of gas, to the Highlands
seems to provoke some sort of Health and Safety (or Anti-Terrorist) frenzy. I can't get propane for my (plumbing) blow torch now. Even Tamiya rattle cans have to be delivered by a fully kitted out Bomb Disposal Unit.
Anyway, Much as I approve of experimentation (given the means and the access), I'm wary of trying paints on expensive models unless they have a tried and tested reputation with the likes of Tamiya. No one wants to see his £680 Tamiya Pz IV
melting overnight after a coat of some new acrylic You can lead the way with paint-recees your finely tuned specimens, and let us know which work, and which...well, cause infinite regret