Tamiya paints

thudfan

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Jun 30, 2012
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I have Tamiya X21-Flat Base, XF22-Clear, and XF86-Flat Base. What is the application/use for each? Is the XF22 used as a gloss coat for decals and weathering?
 
Correct: Tamiya X- and XF-series paints are acrylics, and X is gloss (or semi-gloss) while XF is flat/matt.

Though that's not what the question is about :)

Let's start with the simple ones: X-22 Clear (not XF-22, that's a medium grey) is simply gloss varnish. Use it to protect the paintwork underneath, or to make that glossy if it should be, but isn't. XF-86 is Flat Clear, not Flat Base — same idea as X-22, but use it to make the underlying paintwork matt (flat, if you prefer) when it's glossy.

The important one here is that X-21 Flat Base is not a paint and not a varnish! You would not be the first to think it's matt varnish, try to use it as such, and end up with a model with a powdery white sheen all over it. Instead, it's intended as an additive to Tamiya gloss paint, to make it semi-gloss or matt — the more you add, the matter the paint will become. I don't recall the recommended ratios, but I do know it's nowhere near 1:1. You can easily experiment with it to find a good ratio, though: take, say, five brushfuls of gloss paint and mix one brushful of Flat Base into it (giving you a 5:1 ratio), then paint a test swatch with it. Do the same with 4:1, 3:1, etc. and see which results you get.
 
I have Tamiya X21-Flat Base, XF22-Clear, and XF86-Flat Base. What is the application/use for each? Is the XF22 used as a gloss coat for decals and weathering?
Tamiya paint code is X-xx is gloss and XF-xx is flat. The XF-22 is a flat RLM Grey (I think you meant X-22 which is a gloss clear), X-21 is an additive agent that turns gloss paint into a flat, and the XF-86 is matte clear.

I use Tamiya paint almost exclusively. (Key word is "almost").
 
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