Brush sizes for driver painting?

[JimBear]

When you are working on let's say, a driver for your great new car, what sort and what size of brushes you generally use? I've been too long out of using that sort of stuff (think Warhammer miniatures (and Dwarfs nonetheless), but something like in the range 0, 00 and 000? Or even smaller?

[Willy iine]

Not sure if my info is of any value, but I paint Willy and Billy's faces, along with all the other driver faces using Tamiya's fine tip brush.. it's one of the 3 that is included in their BASIC (cheap one as giving me super nice brushes is worthless ) brush set.

PART NUMBER:  TAM87067

I also have a worn out fine tip (no longer that fine) brush from that same set that I use for most of my enamel brush painting..  The super fine stuff I use a tooth pick.. like ordinary junk toothpick sold at supermarkets.. 

Here's Collin.

More pictures available on instagram if interested..  #pretend_RC_shop 

Hope some of this info is useful.. 

[bRIBEGuy]

I use a mix of brush sizes, and as @Willy iine suggested, the Tamiya HF Standard set is good value.  It has a #2, #0, and "Ultra Fine" (whatever that is).  I also use a cheap 5/0 and 10/0 for small (read: eye) details.

[skom25]

Remember that practice and good paint is more important that tools. If you know how to so this, even basic brush will be fine. If you do not, expensive brush will almost not change anything, but can hide some "mistakes".

Mentioned Tamiya kit is surprisingly good for the price. Maybe not the best, but better than many other brushes.

However, personally I did not like it, mainly because of shape.

In terms of size. Maybe I am wrong, but 0, 00, 000 is not and standard, so you can expect different sizes from different companies.

If you do not have paints yet, I really do NOT recommend Tamiya Acrylic paints. They are great for airbrush but are totally useless using brush. If you try them, you will probably say that they are fine. Unfortunately, only to the moment when you try brush dedicated. Tamiya Acrylics are not acrylics and medium ( IPA) is very agressive. If you paint one layer and then try to go with second, first layer will dissolve a bit. Waiting even 24h between layers, does not change almost anything.

[alvinlwh]

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[skom25]

4 hours ago, alvinlwh said:

Strange, you are probably the first I had heard to say that. Most modellers (in person or forums) said they are good for brushing and not so good for airbrush and personally I find that to be true. I generally avoid airbrushing Tamiya acrylics, there are better paint out there for the airbrush. On the other hand, they are great for hand brushing, especially if thinned with water, not X-20A or IPA.

2 part paint to 1 part water, 5:00 mark.

 

Sorry, I cannot agree. There are many, many Topics where people have the same experience as mine.

Have you ever tried e.g. Vallejo? It is like night and day difference.

[alvinlwh]

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[skom25]

I agree. Vallejo are like latex, almost without surface grip.

[JimBear]

Thanks everyone for your contributions!

@skom25 "Remember that practice and good paint is more important that tools."

Well, indeed, sir! I guess you can imagine the discussions of the pros and cons of Kolinsky brushes and what the best brush for inking is or if that hammer is a better hammer than some other hammer ...

@Willy iine The humble toothpick ... back in the days we got rid of all the hairs but one single on our brushes to get the finest point possible.

I am not sure yet what paint to use - maybe I'll just get a few XFs to compare to the W&N I have at home. But what about primer? I've always primed stuff before, so I guess I am going to do that here too.

[JimBear]

On 11/25/2023 at 2:40 AM, alvinlwh said:

Strange, you are probably the first I had heard to say that. Most modellers (in person or forums) said they are good for brushing and not so good for airbrush and personally I find that to be true. I generally avoid airbrushing Tamiya acrylics, there are better paint out there for the airbrush. On the other hand, they are great for hand brushing, especially if thinned with water, not X-20A or IPA.

2 part paint to 1 part water, 5:00 mark.

Thanks for the tips - the video required serious effort to keep the music and the painting stuff in focus at the same time.

[Willy iine]

1 hour ago, JimBear said:

 

@Willy iine The humble toothpick ... back in the days we got rid of all the hairs but one single on our brushes to get the finest point possible.

I am not sure yet what paint to use - maybe I'll just get a few XFs to compare to the W&N I have at home. But what about primer? I've always primed stuff before, so I guess I am going to do that here too.

Yeah, I mean you can use whatever you'd like, but for me a lightly tapped tip toothpick can retain enough paint to apply a perfect circle for the reflection dots and pupils.   I'm too lazy to make a simple task complicated and no interest buying expensive brushes as I will never know how to use it properly anyway.  

I just use Testor's enamel paint.. they're available everywhere in the USA, even at your local arts and craft stores... and I think I've even seen it at supermarket toy section.  haha.    I have primary colors and mix my colors while I paint.

When I have adhesion issues I use Tamiya primer in both gray and white cans.  I also have brush-on primer.

[JimBear]

So brushes bought (87067) and ... well, on to the primer.

Would the 87096 White brush-on primer be of any use? Otherwise I am thinking of buying a spray can, the 87044 (white, fine primer).

[alvinlwh]

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[JimBear]

Thanks @alvinlwh! Good to know.

I can't get my head around this with the XF paints, apparently they are supposed to be thinned with thinner, but in the video above it is clearly shown (if that really is XF paint and not something else) it being mixed with water. I'll just have to try it out and see what's what. Crazy, but true.

 

[alvinlwh]

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[JimBear]

I got the paints the other day, did a quick test - and well, I'd better practice a lot more because that looked rather, uhm ... unsatisfactory. The brush-on primer (took the wrong colour, grey) probably needs a rougher surface. Is 600 grit too much for roughening?

And the "light blue" (XF-23) ... Hah. I may have an odd sense of colour, but blue? - not so much. Might have to see if there is an X (gloss) variant and mix that with white to get closer to what I need.

[alvinlwh]

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[alvinlwh]

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[JimBear]

@alvinlwh - all the stuff one had no idea existed - like a light blue that is actually grey.

Thank you for the explanation - I am going to continue rummaging around, lift a few stones and try and see what i can find ...

As for the 600, I meant 600 grit sandpaper and that the paint needs a roughened-up surface to adhere better. In the meantime, I did a test with the 600 paper - a step in the right direction.

[alvinlwh]

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