Wethering and paint technique for Foam and ultracote

[Bobmic]

Hi Guys,

I am considering to add some weathering for a couple of Warbirds one is foam and the other has a shiny Ultracoat cover.
1. For the foam one was only thinking to add some panel lines and maybe darken the white paint a bit in a few places.
a. Which paint to use and how to apply (can I use the dollar store paint tubes or do I need anything else.
b. What's the best way to apply - I don't want sharp edges on the lines, I was reading that some where grinding pastel chalk but not sure how to apply it to get a straight line faded on both sides.
c. I do not have an airbrush but have a compressor - is it worth getting one? if yes, which one and what paint can I use with it. (was reading about airbrushes from ebay etc. but there are way too many types beside the single and double action...

2. For the Ultracoat: Rob you sprayed a dull clear coat over your Zero. I read some where using Testors Dullcote and Krylon Clear Satin, will I be able to shrink the Ultracoat later on if needed?
How can I add panel lines, chips etc... what paint and how?

If possible I am looking for a reasonably easy and fast solution as I will not have 50 hours to spend on this exercise.

Appreciate the help as I really don't know anything about paint.
Bobby

[piker]

Bobby,

I'm still learning about these sorts of details myself.  I've done a fair amount of painting, but no wethering detailing yet, so I will be paying attention to the replies.

To answer your question about the Zero clear coat.  I simply used Krylon Satin clearcoat (spray can) from Canadian Tire.  The evening before the Kingston Electric Fun Fly, while at the cottage, I sprayed the plane in the garage.  Simple, and it made a huge difference to the look of the plane.  The surface is rather rough now, but I guess that doesn't matter.  If the plane has a tendancy to get dirty, it'll just look more authentic   

I haven't had to reshrink the covering yet, but i have reshrunk Monokote that had been painted with Krylon paints, and much to my surprise, it was able to be done, with my covering iron, with no problems at all.  I thought the paint would peel with the application of heat, but it didn't.  I assume the same would apply with the clearcoat, but if you're really concerned, I would do a test.  In worst case, if the clearcoat does get effected by the heat, it can easily be stripped with Acetone and reapplied after reshrinking.

I've had an airbrush for years that I've generally found it to be useless for painting RC airplanes.  The one I have is a cheap one and, although it works well, it's not intended for large coverage.  It's intended for painting small, plastic, models.  Recently, I bought a larger spray gun intended for work like car painting, etc (although the one I got is on the smaller side of that discipline), and although I haven't used it yet, my quick test shows that it's quite capable of delivering the paint as I like it... more like a spray can but with the freedom of paint/colour choice.  You can read more about this in my SE5a thread. 

The airbrush WOULD be ideal for work like, blending colour transitions, exhaust stains, gun port burns, dirt splatter from the wheels, painting details like dummy engines, guns, etc.  I'm looking forward to doing that sort of detail on my SE5a once I get the overall paint coverage on (forward fuselage only).

Robert

[wollins]

Speaking of "clears" ... I can't find the attached anywhere ... I've tried Home Depot and Canadian Tire ... always the satin and gloss ... never the flat/matte!  Anyone know where these can be found?

Colin

[piker]

I used Satin.  I've never seen a Flat.

[Bobmic]

Thank you Robert,

There is a nice thread about this here:)
http://wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65038

[Papa]

Hi Colin, try Walmart, they have a good selection of Krylon Paints.

Jack.