Question about the hairspray chipping technique!!!

[MrNatural]

Ok. So. I am attempting the hairspray paint chipping technique for the first time!!! I know...what took so long?? Right??? oh well....my question is this, so, say I lay down my initial color that I want to show through the chipping, example being reddish brown rust color, then on top of that I airbrush a coat of hairspray. So, then i have to airbrush a two tone camo scheme over that. The real question is do I need to apply hairspray in between color coats or will the initial coat be enough?? I guess what im asking is does the hairspray technique work with multiple layers of paint?? Ugh! this question is really hard to type out!!! understand if I have confused everyone on the forum. Just searching for the light..

 

[spud]

lol,once you lay down your base color seal it with future/Klear once that is dry put down at least 2 coats of hair spray, if you want heavy chiping ild go to about 4 mabe 5. once dry put down your top coatafter that has air dried get sowm warm tap water and start working the paint with old brushes,

As for salt i dont think its needed but put this one after your hairspray has dried wet the areas you want it on put the salt on let it dry fully (over night) then yout color. but tbh i dont think its needed. again always test on Scrap.

hope this helps some bit MrN.

here is Rob (Scrathnod) doing a quick sbs on it
Quick rusting video-non edited

 

[adampolo13]

Hey MrNatural, I want to stress what spud said about the future and more than one coat of hairspray. I just did the chipping method for the first time and didn't put down enough hairspray/chipping fluid. It made the chipping very very difficult and in a few places I actually scrapped through the future and base coat. :-[ I would seriously recomend getting a peice of scrap and practicing first.

 

[MrNatural]

ahhhh thanks guys I was completely unaware that I needed to seal the rust coat. definitely going to practice this on scrap first!!

 

[ScaleModelMadman]

More important than anything, is the paint you use for the chip layer. Nothing chips as small and fine as Tamiya paints, you will have a much harder time getting the desired results with other brands.

Vallejo just comes up in big chips and/or sheets of paint, it has too strong a bond with itself to break down as easily as Tamiya. Modelflex and Lifecolor paints are almost as good as Tamiya in a pinch but will not give you the same transparency and delicateness of the chips.

Your sealer coat doesn't have to be future, in fact I've used either Vallejo satin or Modelflex satin for my sealer coats, I save future for stubborn decals and cockpit glass on planes. Just be mindful that any acrylic sealer can be attacked if you are overly aggressive, the only way to be 100% completely safe from accidentally going too far is by using an enamel or lacquer based sealer. The Tamiya paint comes off so easy, those aren't necessarily needed though, as long as you are fairly gentle.

Also, the thickness of your paint layer makes a huge difference, if you lay it on thick it wont chip as easily. A lighter coat will come off much easier, so experiment with how thick you apply your topcoat.

 

[spud]

Good point there Ken, whe im doing a white wash i always use Tamiya it just makes it so much more easy to do with a whole lot less effort

 

[MrNatural]

More important than anything, is the paint you use for the chip layer. Nothing chips as small and fine as Tamiya paints, you will have a much harder time getting the desired results with other brands.

Vallejo just comes up in big chips and/or sheets of paint, it has too strong a bond with itself to break down as easily as Tamiya. Modelflex and Lifecolor paints are almost as good as Tamiya in a pinch but will not give you the same transparency and delicateness of the chips.

Your sealer coat doesn't have to be future, in fact I've used either Vallejo satin or Modelflex satin for my sealer coats, I save future for stubborn decals and cockpit glass on planes. Just be mindful that any acrylic sealer can be attacked if you are overly aggressive, the only way to be 100% completely safe from accidentally going too far is by using an enamel or lacquer based sealer. The Tamiya paint comes off so easy, those aren't necessarily needed though, as long as you are fairly gentle.

Also, the thickness of your paint layer makes a huge difference, if you lay it on thick it wont chip as easily. A lighter coat will come off much easier, so experiment with how thick you apply your topcoat.

Thanks Ken! Good to know that Tamiya is the best paint for this job considering they are pretty much all I use for airbrushing. Also good to know that its ok to use a lacquer based sealer as im much more comfortable using Testors' lacquer clears. Dont have a lot of experience airbrushing future, none the less, i'm still going to practice on some scrap.

Another quick question. What should I use to clean the hairspray out of my airbrush??

 

[ScaleModelMadman]

Thanks Ken! Good to know that Tamiya is the best paint for this job considering they are pretty much all I use for airbrushing. Also good to know that its ok to use a lacquer based sealer as im much more comfortable using Testors' lacquer clears. Dont have a lot of experience airbrushing future, none the less, i'm still going to practice on some scrap.

Another quick question. What should I use to clean the hairspray out of my airbrush??

Tamiya is the best for chipping for sure and if it's all you use, then the sealer coat is that much more important for you, as the base coat needs to be protected.

The hairspray should be easy to clean out of the airbrush since it breaks down with water, I would clean it the same way you clean up after any acrylic product use.