KenC Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Can someone with experience of this paint please confirm the brush clearing liquid required . I have read the tine with a magnifier ( and asked the Labrador ) but cant see anything or on the sellers page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrman Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 White Spirit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenC Posted March 14, 2023 Author Share Posted March 14, 2023 (edited) I did think it was likely , however in todays water based decorating and car spraying world, I did wonder . Thanks for your reply. Edited March 14, 2023 by KenC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Christy Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 (edited) Not come across this before. I always relied on Solarlac/Clearkote, which was the only paint I found that really worked. With the demise of Solarlac, a good substitute is interesting. Is this stuff any good? -- Pete Edited March 14, 2023 by Peter Christy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Gorham_ Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 It's the old Flair Spectrum paint rebadged IIRC. That's an enamel base hence the use of white spirit to clean. Not as fuel resistant as Solarlac in my experience. YMMV but I bet it doesn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrman Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 I've had very mixed results with it. The same paint from the same tin has proved very unreliable in its "fuel resistant " qualities. Even the colour seems to have different results. Yellow and blue seem reasonable but red is useless. The substrate also has an effect. Plastic and GRF OK but Solartex not so good, even after cleaning all surfaces with IPA. The best ever fuel resistant paint was, IMO, the long gone Powermax Polykote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Engine Doctor Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 (edited) I have just tried some "Chroma" fuel proof paint . I don't know if it's another lncarnation of the Flair Spectrum paints . The gloss I used spreads and covers very well and give a good finish. The matt paint however is a strange consistency akin to yogurt ! Needs two thin coats as it's coverage is patchy . Also looks totally the wrong colour ( olive drab) until some hours later . Thins OK with white spirit cleans off with white spirit or cellulose. Whether its fuel proof or just resistant remains to be seen. Full fuel resistance takes a week or so . Solarlac and clearcote are sadly missed . I often use two pack auto paint for a fuel proof application but it's good to have a simple to apply one pack paint that's properly fuel proof and not as toxic as the two pack . Apparently Clearcoat and Solarlac are still available but for collection only ! 400 mile round trip is a trip too far for a hobby. As Jrman say Powermax Polykote was excellent . Like a lot of other paints a victim of our governments obsession of protecting us from ourselves. Edited March 14, 2023 by Engine Doctor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrman Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Polykote was, I understand ,based on a resin called PU15 manufactured by a company called Furniglas. A large price increase and high minimum order value of the base resin was I believe, the main reason for the demise of Polykote. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Christy Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Thanks for the info! I used Flair Spectrum paint once, many moons ago, and swore to never touch it again! Its a real shame no-one has picked up on Solarlac and Clearkote. They were the only single pack paints I trusted... -- Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Collinson Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Still can't fathom why nobody has either. I remain convinced it is/was a product primarily intended for an industrial/other application, as in the scheme of things we modellers are scarcely significant in market volume terms. Half hoped the Bristows might pick up on it. BTC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 I use the guild/spectrum paints as they are easy to use and easy to clean up. they are also not horrendous when it comes to price. However, the matt colours are not in the least bit fuel proof and can barely be called fuel resistant. The gloss seems much better, but that is hardly a surprise as gloss is always going to be better. In any event fuel proofing them has always been a pain in the backside and i had some success with the mick reeves mr epoxy but it was a nightmare to use and i had to be so careful not to eat the base coat. Its also unavailable now. I have done some experiments using 2k clear over the top of these enamels and i didnt have any problem with the paint being eaten. The next time i finish something, likely my TF Spitfire, i will try using enamels and then hitting it with 2k matt clear on the top. If this works as well as my test pieces suggests then that will be my go to combination in the future. As for solarlac, i had nightmare problems spraying it but that was partly due to my airbrush not being man enough for the job. I did hear that offers were made to buy solarfilm as a company and continue to produce all of the products, but its owners chose to scuttle the ship instead. Not sure if its true, but that is what i was told by someone who alleged they had inside information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 I asked if I could buy the Clearcoat formula a couple of years ago but was told no! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel R Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Funny one the solarfilm paints. Not much around in terms of competition. Odd that they would choose not to sell the formula. The films, well, the cheaper competition had them there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 25 minutes ago, Nigel R said: The films, well, the cheaper competition had them there Did they though? While we will probably wander off topic with this i cant help but think that they would have been fine had they sold direct. They could then trim the price while making more profit as they cut the profit of their distributor out of the deal. Certainly solartex was good value vs oratex even back then. It just seems strange that you would let your business die rather than sell it on and see it prosper. Even if the new owner runs it into the ground its not different to shutting up shop yourself so... Kinda strange to my mind anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Hilton Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 1 hour ago, Ron Gray said: I asked if I could buy the Clearcoat formula a couple of years ago but was told no! By the smell of clearcoat and solar lac they are similar to hammerite smooth unfortunately axa don’t do a clear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban8 Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 (edited) 38 minutes ago, Jon - Laser Engines said: Did they though? While we will probably wander off topic with this i cant help but think that they would have been fine had they sold direct. They could then trim the price while making more profit as they cut the profit of their distributor out of the deal. Certainly solartex was good value vs oratex even back then. It just seems strange that you would let your business die rather than sell it on and see it prosper. Even if the new owner runs it into the ground its not different to shutting up shop yourself so... Kinda strange to my mind anyway. Their website dated as 2023 claims to have a complete range of products available. They appear to be open for callers on just Mondays. Very odd.....dead, but won't lie-down? Companies house still shows them in business. Edited March 14, 2023 by Cuban8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenC Posted March 14, 2023 Author Share Posted March 14, 2023 1 hour ago, Jon - Laser Engines said: Did they though? While we will probably wander off topic with this i cant help but think that they would have been fine had they sold direct. They could then trim the price while making more profit as they cut the profit of their distributor out of the deal. Certainly solartex was good value vs oratex even back then. It just seems strange that you would let your business die rather than sell it on and see it prosper. Even if the new owner runs it into the ground its not different to shutting up shop yourself so... Kinda strange to my mind anyway. Jon , and a right pain in the butt for us returners that are trying to revive decades old airframes that were covered in Solartex . If anyone knows of a small quantity of the deep red I would be most interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lee Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Cuban8 said: Their website dated as 2023 claims to have a complete range of products available. They appear to be open for callers on just Mondays. Very odd.....dead, but won't lie-down? Companies house still shows them in business. 'Solarfilm Sales Limited' is still in existence, run part time by Andrew Hardman, selling off the remaining stock of products left from the manufacturing business of 'Solarfilm Limited' which has been closed. Andrew is the son of the late Derek Hardman who was the man behind Solarfilm and who sadly died in 2015. I've had a few purchases from Andrew over the last 2/3 years and all were promptly dispatched on the Monday after placing. Edited March 14, 2023 by John Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenC Posted March 14, 2023 Author Share Posted March 14, 2023 1 hour ago, Cuban8 said: Their website dated as 2023 claims to have a complete range of products available. They appear to be open for callers on just Mondays. Very odd.....dead, but won't lie-down? Companies house still shows them in business. Not if you want 2m of solartex in dark red ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Yea they are selling off 2nds and old stock. I did buy some solarfilm, which was fine. But they have solarlac paint but refuse to send it in the post and the range is seriously reduced in scale. Open but you cant really buy anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted March 15, 2023 Share Posted March 15, 2023 I got a courier (can’t remember who) to collect from them, Andrew left the parcel in reception. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel R Posted March 15, 2023 Share Posted March 15, 2023 15 hours ago, Jon - Laser Engines said: Did they though? While we will probably wander off topic with this i cant help but think that they would have been fine had they sold direct. They could then trim the price while making more profit as they cut the profit of their distributor out of the deal. Certainly solartex was good value vs oratex even back then. On reflection you're right about Solartex, that was worth it. I would have been amazed if going direct meant they could go from the retail price (at the time, excuse my failing memory) around £15 for a 1.8m roll (£8/m ?) to anywhere close to the price of say Hobbyking film, which was selling at £12 for 5m, around 1/3 of the cost. Obviously pricing is a bit different now on the chinese manufactured films, for various reasons, more like £5/m. Maybe they could have competed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted March 15, 2023 Share Posted March 15, 2023 (edited) 26 minutes ago, Nigel R said: On reflection you're right about Solartex, that was worth it. I would have been amazed if going direct meant they could go from the retail price (at the time, excuse my failing memory) around £15 for a 1.8m roll (£8/m ?) to anywhere close to the price of say Hobbyking film, which was selling at £12 for 5m, around 1/3 of the cost. Obviously pricing is a bit different now on the chinese manufactured films, for various reasons, more like £5/m. Maybe they could have competed. In the case of solartex specifically it would have been competitive as it was very good and there was no cheap alternative. The films however... original solarfilm does still work well, and i am very pleased with results on my ugly mustang, but it lacked a few 'modern' features like not leaving its paint behind when stripped or repositioned slightly. Their solarspan range was good, and i used some many moons ago with excellent results. It was easier to use than the HK films and i found it left a really nice finish. If we consider they made it these products, sold at a profit to ripmax, who sold it at a profit to shops, who sold it at a profit to us, i cant help but think that selling it direct to customers would have made it more price competitive and more profitable. Also if i had a choice between a product made in the uk on a couple of days delivery vs a chinese product on the slow boat for a month i know which i would pick, even if the chinese one was cheaper. Of course there are limits. I had some models to cover a number of years ago and when faced with a nearly £300 bill for oracover and only about £40 for HK film i went the cheap route as the difference was just ridiculous. Anyway its water under the bridge now i guess. Ron, which service did you use to collect the paints? Edited March 15, 2023 by Jon - Laser Engines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted March 15, 2023 Share Posted March 15, 2023 16 minutes ago, Jon - Laser Engines said: Ron, which service did you use to collect the paints? TBH Jon, I don't remember! I probably did it through my business as I was always using couriers for delivering and collecting stuff, so my guess would be that it was one of UPS, DHL or TNT as they were the ones I used most often. I do remember having to check on their policies regarding 'dangerous goods' but also seem to remember that I had some solvent based paints delivered (2K stuff and cellulose thinners) round the same time and used the same couriers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lee Posted March 15, 2023 Share Posted March 15, 2023 The closure of the Solarfilm manufacturing plant was discussed at some length at the time (2018) in this thread: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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