Warbirds Paints - practical experience?

[Nigel Heather]

22 minutes ago, Alan Gorham_ said:

This paint is nowhere comparable to Tamiya acrylic. It's definitely not a solvent based acrylic. If you haven't actually used it or seen it then I'm afraid you are just guessing at its properties. I've used it for over 20 years in its original formulation and so am offering real world feedback. 

 

One thing I did forget to say is that when I paint electric models or gliders with WBC then I don't add the few drops of crosslinker that the original formula had. There is a misconception that the crosslinker was a catalyst, but it isn't, it just helps the paint to become more fuel resistant. 

No I haven’t used it, just going by the photo above with the warning notice and the chemical content.

 

I was just using Tamiya acrylics as an example because many think they are water-based (they are not) - but the mistake is very understandable because Tamiya paints do not smell much and you can get away with thinning them with water.

[Kevin Fairgrieve]

I have used the paint many times for many years. I still have a stash of the original formula which required the covalent bonder.

 

These may help someone out.

 

The Pup was painted by brush using Warbirds paint.

[Ron Gray]

Thanks for posting that Kev, I too have some of the paint and some little capsules to go with it which I assume must be the Covalent bonder (I bought a few tins off the Classifieds some time ago)?

[Kevin Fairgrieve]

Just now, Ron Gray said:

Thanks for posting that Kev, I too have some of the paint and some little capsules to go with it which I assume must be the Covalent bonder (I bought a few tins off the Classifieds some time ago)?

Yes the little capsules are the bonder. Only a few drops required. The paint does need a really good mix as it is a very heavy pigment content.

[andrew exton]

4 hours ago, Alan Gorham_ said:

 

 

One thing I did forget to say is that when I paint electric models or gliders with WBC then I don't add the few drops of crosslinker that the original formula had. There is a misconception that the crosslinker was a catalyst, but it isn't, it just helps the paint to become more fuel resistant. 

i didn't realize that i always put the crosslinker in , wish id known 

i struggled with yellow  but my airbrush set up was poor had to thin it bit too much probably nice paint though 

109 i did in these paint

 

andy

[Alan Gorham_]

Really the crosslinker use isn't critical. It's hardly a hassle to put a few drops in, nor to leave them out if you don't need fuel resistance. In any case the later formulas didn't use a crosslinker at all.

 

It's interesting how many people have reported issues with having to thin the paint to get through an airbrush. As I've said, I always put it through a spraygun which has a much bigger nozzle. Phil Clark used to include an info sheet with every tin that recommend a spraygun or an HVLP gun due to the high pigment nature of the paint. Is this a classic case of rtfm? 

[Alan Gorham_]

4 hours ago, Nigel Heather said:

No I haven’t used it, just going by the photo above with the warning notice and the chemical content.

 

I was just using Tamiya acrylics as an example because many think they are water-based (they are not) - but the mistake is very understandable because Tamiya paints do not smell much and you can get away with thinning them with water.

You must have a funny sense of smell as Tamiya acrylics smell very strongly of spirit to me. Good paints, but very different in characteristics to those under discussion here 

[Ron Gray]

11 hours ago, Alan Gorham_ said:

There is a misconception that the crosslinker was a catalyst, but it isn't, it just helps the paint to become more fuel resistant. 

That does appear to be at odds with the manufacturer’s instructions and that of Phil Clark?

Edited June 3, 2023 by Ron Gray

[leccyflyer]

I've checked the invoice and my Warbird Colors paints were purchased in 2014, directly from Fighter Aces, there's no catalyst or covalent bonders involved, so I assume that these are the newer formulation.

[Walts]

I used this paint exclusively when Fighter Aces first started stocking it, and I was sad to hear Phil had stopped supplying it. Reading through this thread,  If I could just add my own experience in regard to some of the points raised. For large areas I always sprayed using an airbrush. The paint obviously needs thinning for this and this is indeed done with water. I always added the cross linker when spraying, but I also used this paint to paint insignia which was generally done by brush. I didn't bother with the cross linker for this, just brushed it straight from the tin. However I personally disagree with the notion that this paint is ideal for brushing. I found it a nightmare to brush.  Very translucent and streaky, requiring lots of brushed coats to obtain a solid colour no matter how well stired it was. However, spraying seemed to always produce a very even solid colour, baring the yellow as mentioned earlier in the thread. I found spraying to be a bit of a tricky process. This may have been totally down to my cheapish air brush. I did however develop a system that worked for me.  This paint dries very very quickly in the air brush, so I had a bowl of water under the bench I was spraying on, and when ever the paint started to clogg the air brush, I would spray it through in the bowl of water. This process was required several times whilst applying each coat. Sometimes the front end of the air brush would become so clogged it needed stripping down and cleaning properly before I could continue. It was a bit of a pain, but I loved the finish produced by this paint so much I was happy to keep using it once I had developed a system that worked for my particular setup. Regarding the warning on the tin. I always wore a mask when I had the filters available, but on occasion used a tea towl tied around my face, which was woefully inadequate. Trust me! although this stuff may not give off much smell, you certainly don't want to be breathing it in. It ends up leaving quite a thick sticky substance up your nose, that much I can tell you. I still have a stock of this paint,  and will continue to use it until it runs out.  As I say, I do love the amazing finish you can obtain with it, and the colours are absolutely spot on!

Edited June 20, 2023 by Walts

[Walts]

[Alan Gorham_]

On 03/06/2023 at 19:10, Ron Gray said:

That does appear to be at odds with the manufacturer’s instructions and that of Phil Clark?

Yes indeed you are correct. The only reason I started to leave out the crosslinker was that several very well respected scale modellers on the now defunct RCMF forum showed that good results were possible without the crosslinker. Some of my models painted in WBC are now approaching 15 years old and there has been no deterioration of the paint finish. YMMV. I am perfectly happy to not use it. 

[leccyflyer]

Lovely finish on those models Walts  and thanks for the tips about spraying. I'll be embarking on that in the next few weeks, but had postponed it due to it being too hot in the outbuilding that I'd set aside for spraying then got stuck into doing some other modelling. I'll report back once I've started - first job is the primer.