There are some very good posts in this thread with practical points on painting.
I have one question: Which brand of paint gives the most glossy and shiny finish ?
Thanks, Raymond.
Future Floor Polish. Known as Johnson's Kleer, if I'm not mistaken, outside the US, though I think they've changed the name here, too, and it's something like "Kleer, with Future". It's a clear acrylic liquid, designed to impart a glossy and hard-wearing surface to linoleum and vinyl floors. Hobbyists have been using it for years, because it basically does the same thing as many of the gloss coats available on the hobby supply market, but it's much cheaper per volume and since it's acrylic and not enamel- or petroleum-based, it doesn't require harsh solvents. If you brush it on, you can wash the brush in water, or isopropyl.
It can be hand-brushed or airbrushed, or you can even dip pieces in it, like aircraft modelers do with clear parts (it seals the surface of a clear plastic canopy, filling in the microscopic scratches on the surface, and makes it look clearer). It can be tinted with water-based acrylic colors, or even food coloring. I find that it imparts a depth to the colors that I apply, making them richer.
As for commercially available gloss paints, in my experience, Testor's enamels in the in the little square bottles work the best. Tamiya's gloss colors are good, but they're formulated for airbrushing, and tend to get thick after a while. The best used to be Pactra, who made water-based enamels, that were just excellent. But Testor's bought them out, and eventually discontinued the Pacta line. My stash of those paints is gradually running out.
Model Master gloss enamels and water-based acrylics are also pretty good, they brush well.
Hope that helps, prosit!
Brad
