Spray Can Technique

[mikiek]

First off, I'm new to this whole modeling gig so I have had to do a lot of experimenting. Regarding painting on wood, or more accurately priming. I have tried hand painting (Valejo Poly), airbrushing (Valejo Poly unthinned) and spray cans (Krylon).

 

Obviously the airbrush did the best job, but priming is a mass coverage process. For convenience, the spray can wins out, but I am getting too much primer on the wood. Even with quick bursts from 10"-12" away I can see the overage.

 

I'm hoping you guys can provide a few pointers on spray can technique. Or should I go back to the airbrush?

[jbshan]

10 - 12 inches is correct, the paint wants to be almost dry when it hits, but start the stream off the object on one side, move across the object and stop the stream once you are off the other side.  Make your passes close enough so the paint gets full coverage from pass to pass.  In the amount of paint per pass, you have a sine wave, thin at the edges and thicker in the middle.  The next pass must be offset enough so its thin matches up to the thick of the previous and you get 100% overall.  My old professor called this the peanut butter effect.

 

[mikiek]

That makes sense. I'm trying to prime the bulwark planks right now so the target is about 1 1/2" tall and about 14" wide. So maybe one low pass and one high pass would be enough.

 

I really thought the quick sprays would do it, but I'll give the pass idea a try.

[overdale]

Watch how a body shop sprays a car. There must be plenty of video clips on google showing a car being sprayed. The stop-start technique is the same, just on a smaller scale.

 

Dan.