NELSON Hobby Paint

                 Additional Instructions

                                 Revised 6/7/04

As I gain and my customers gain experience with Nelson Hobby Paint, I try and pass on comments to various customers' questions or application problems. This memo is somewhat of an ongoing source of additional information on the use of Nelson Hobby paint. The comments enclosed are not necessarily in an order of importance, but when some comment is in bold print, that comment is important.

I don't think you can provide an excess of instructions, tips, etc.. We welcome user comments or suggestions and if appropriate they will be added to this set of instructions and tips.

Jerry Nelson

Comments on Crosslinker:

If there is paint left over that has crosslinker added it can be put in a new sealed container and reused within a few days.. Do not pour the left over paint/crosslinker mix into a fresh bottle of paint. If the left over paint is used for a second time, then add a new portion of crosslinker as if it was a new batch of paint. You cannot do this a third time. If the paint with the crosslinker is poured back into paint that has had crosslinker previously added, then within a month or two, the paint will solidify and be unusable. Do not mix several batches of paint and crosslinker combinations into one bottle.

After the paint has had the crosslinker added, the paint must be applied within three hours. If several hours has passed, and the paint still has not been applied, the cross linker will disapate. This will cause the paint not to properlly cure. Solvents shuch as acetone, MEK, alcohol, and many cleaning agents to soften and even remove the paint. Additional Crosslinker can be reapplied to the paint that has been mixed a few hours earlier.

Recommened to mix only enough paint and Crosslinker for what you plan to apply within a hour or so.

APPLY PAINT IN SEVERAL COATS:
This paint is intended to be applied in a series of light coats either sprayed of brushed on. Do not expect to cover parts with two coats of paint. If our paint is put on too heavy it will run, much like lacquer and dope. Depending on the color, 5-6 coats will be sufficient. Suggest sanding with 320 paper after the 3rd coat.

COMMENTS ON SERVERAL LIGHT COATS PROCESS:
Some users expressed concern about the time it takes to paint 5-6 coats when there are many parts to be painted, such as a complex scale model. One must give some consideration to the total time of painting several parts. With an epoxy or commercial polyurethane paint, one can usually paint a part with 2 to 3 coats. These types of paints can take several hours to cure before you can apply the second or third coats. With our paint, one can usually apply the second coat in less than 10 minutes. Total time to paint with 5-6 thin coats will usually be significantly less than putting on 2-3 coats of epoxy or commercial polyurethane paint. A series of light coats will ultimately result in a lighter weight paint job. It is difficult to know how much paint has been applied on a thick wet coat. One more comment is in order. After working for hundreds of hours on your scale project, what difference does it matter if it takes a few hours longer to apply 5-6 coats of paint instead of 2-3.

COMMENTS ON SAFETY WITH COMMERICAL PAINTS;
The use of many if not most commercial and many hobby polyurethane and epoxy paints can be very dangerous. One popular hobby type spray can paint has a warning in very small print that says; MAY CAUSE PERMENANT BRAIN DAMAGE. The majority of commercial polyurethane and epoxy paints say for industrial use only. This type of label is very misleading. There is usually no information to the seriousness of the effect of these paints on your skin and in your lungs. The commercial type paints usually require full body protection and an outside air source. Not just a face mask, but the equivalent of a space suit. A simple facemask will not work. Cyanide gas is in the fumes in many of the commercial polyurethane paints. This gas can kill you. Even repeated contact with the commercial polyurethane paints can cause death. Our NELSON Hobby may have some disadvantages in coverage ability (needs 5-6 coats instead of 2-3), but it will not be dangerous to use.

STRAINING AND MIXING PAINT:
It is very important to properly strain the paint. Use a fine paper paint strainer. Very important that the strainer be a fine type. Most common is a medium strainer. The medium type doesn't’t do the job as well. Several users have used panty hose for straining the paint with good results. The paint must be mixed prior to use. The pigments will settle in time. I use a bent piece of 1/8" dia piano wire attached to an electric drill motor to stir the paint. There are small commercial paint mixer devices available. These are attached to drill motors. If mixing is to be done by hand, use a large screwdriver and stir as necessary.

SANDING PAINT:
Do not use finer sandpaper than 320 prior to painting. If 400-600 sandpaper is used, the surface will only be polished and the paint will not adhere properly to the primer or previous paint layers. This is also important with painting over ABS plastic or fiberglass that has not been primed.

USE OF LACQUER PRIMER:
Typical lacquer primer cannot be used. Adhesion of System Three paint to lacquer primer is marginal. We do not recommend the use of lacquer primer with System Three paint. The reason there is a problem with the lacquer primer is because there is a wax additive in the lacquer primer. This additive is used to make the primer sand better. Lacquer primer is intended to have a paint applied to it that will actually melt into the surface of the primer. Our paint and many others will not melt into the primer. The bond will be damaged due to the wax in the primer. Also lacquer primer actually takes several months to cure. If you can smell it, then it is still curing. The gas that is generated can cause a bond failure with the paint. Paints applied over lacquer have to allow the gas to escape through the paint. Our paint completely seals and doesn't allow this gas to escape.

THINNING PAINT:
I have found that the amount of water added to the paint for spray painting is somewhat critical. What works great for me is to use 2 full caps (the cap that is on the paint bottle) of water mixed with 4 ounces, by volume, of paint. Spray gun is set at 30 PSI. There are some differences in the amount of water thinning with different colors. This is caused by the thickness of the paint pigments. For example, black pigment is very thin and actually causes the paint to be thinner than most colors. Black paint will use less thinner than white, which is a thicker paint.

SPRAYING PAINT:
The first coat of paint will come out smooth but uneven. This is due to the capillary action of the water in the paint. The second coat of paint will look fine. The reflection of light onto the wet paint as you are spraying is important. You want to put just enough paint on the surface to make it wet, or shinny and reflective. If the reflection of the light is correct, you can see when the paint is dull or shinny when it is still wet. If not enough paint is put on, it will dry dull and somewhat rough. If too much paint is applied it will run easily on vertical surfaces. The technique, with proper lightning, is to apply just enough paint for it to be shinny, while still wet, and not run. Over spray can be removed using the MEK process. Use the MEK soon as you remove the masking tape. As you would do with epoxy or enamel paint, do not put on a tack coat followed immediately with a heavy wet coat. For those who have painted with lacquer, just apply the paint like you would with lacquer. Lacquer is applied with a series of light coats. Takes several coats (5-6) to build up a proper finish.

APPLYING ADDITIONAL COATS OF PAINT AFTER 4-6 HOURS:
If the second coat or new color of paint is applied after the prior coat has dried more than 4 to 6 hours or so, it is recommended that the surface be lightly sanded with 320 sandpaper. This is especially so when you mask off the original color in preparation to applying trim colors. After you do the masking, go over the entire surface to be painted with 320 sandpaper. Sand dry. Do the best you can with the sanding next to the masking tape. Careful about sanding open fabric areas that are next to the structure (over the wing ribs).

MASKING FABRIC:
When using masking tape for applying colored trim colors, make certain that you apply either clear or paint of the same color to the base paint, along the masked trim line. Use either your spray gun or foam rubber brush to apply the paint over the masking tape. One must also press very firmly, with your fingernails, the masking tape to the surface. If you don't prepaint the masking tape edge, there will be a high probability of the paint running under the masking tape leaving an irregular paint edge. This is due to the weave or coarseness of the fabric. The masking tape cannot contour to the irregular surface of the fabric. By applying paint (clear or base color) to the area of the masking tape providing the paint edge desired, the applied paint will be allowed to run under the masking tape. When the trim color is applied, it will follow the defined edge of the masking tape that you want. If the surface will be eventually painted with a clear coat, then use our gloss or flat clear to fill the edge of the masking tape. If the model's surface finish will not be coated with clear, then use the base color to fill the edge of the masking tape.

RUBBING OUT THE PAINT:
After the paint is dried and you are finished painting, you can sand the paint with 400 sandpaper. This will remove any sharp edges left over from masking. Sanding will also take care of any dust particles that could have collected on the finish. The paint will now be flat or dull in appearance. Now apply some MEK, Menthol Ethyl Ketone, to a soft rag and proceed to rub out the finish. This will bring almost all of the gloss back. Be careful of the areas where two different colors join. The rubbing will cause one color to be blended into the other. This happens with regular rubbing compound too. Then go over the surface with Mequiar's Mirror Glaze aircraft Cleaner and Polish. This will bring up a very nice gloss finish. If clear is to be applied over the colored paint, then only sand the paint with 320 wet and dry sandpaper using water.

CLEANING UP SPRAY GUN:
Keep a bucket of water nearby. After spraying, remove the paint container and cover it. Then immerse the spray gun into the water. Press the trigger and run water through the gun with the gun still under water. Then place a finger over the nozzle and operate the trigger. This will force water back through the gun and out the pick up tube. If this isn't done, the paint has a tendency to build up inside the passageway of the spray gun.

USE OF AMMONIA CLEANING SOLVENTS (Windex):
There appears to be a reaction of ammonia cleaning solvents (Windex) on fresh paint. Before using these types of products, let the paint dry for 3-4 days. Then it will be OK. This problem came up when someone put Mylar markings over a freshly painted cowl. Windex was applied over the cowl, so the Mylar markings could be positioned properly. The Windex softened the paint causing problems. Our testing of Windex over cured paint shows no effects. Before using ammonia products over fresh paint, make tests first to see if the Windex attacks the paint.

THINNING SYSTEM THREE EPOXY PRIMER:
I have had users of the System Three Primer have had better results applying the Primer when it is thinned only with alcohol instead of water only or 50-50 water/alcohol. If the primer activator (small bottle) has appeared to solidify, settle out, or become thick, place the activator in a small zip lock plastic bag and heat in a microwave oven for three to four times at a duration of 20 seconds. The activator should go back into a crystal clear, watery, solution. Do not use alcohol for thinning the paint. System Three paint is polyurethane and the System Three primer is an epoxy. The paint and primer are two different materials.

PAINTING PLASTIC COWLS AND WHEEL PANTS:
Styrene plastic parts can be painted directly with System Three paint. Lightly sand the parts with 320 sandpaper and paint or spray the paint on. System Three primer is recommended for use on plastic. Some ABS type plastic parts can have a problem with the System Three paint sticking properly. My definition of the quality of the paint sticking is to place Duct Tape on the part and remove the Duct Tape. The paint should not come off with the tape. System Three primer is recommended for use on ABS plastic prior to painting with our paint. Anyway, I found the System Three paint can be 100% attached to ABS parts with a primer by spraying a light coat of #3M Spray Mount Artist's Adhesive (No. 6065) onto the plastic part. Lightly sand the ABS plastic part with 320 sandpaper first. Let the spray adhesive dry for 30 minutes or so. Then apply the System Three paint for a perfect bond to the ABS plastic. 3M77 spray contact cement did not work. Use only the 3M Spray Mount adhesive. It is available at Office Depot and similar stores.

PAINTING PLASTIC COVERING FILM MATERIALS.
We have done some satisfactory experiments painting various covering films using our paint. In almost all cases painting covering films are marginal at best. The bond of the paint to the film is marginal at best. Our paint is no different in this regard. However, if the #3M Spray Mount Artist's Adhesive (No. 6065) is sprayed over the covering film, an excellent paint bond will occur. At this time, we don't know the long-term effects of the spray adhesive bond to the covering film and our paint. However, the results so far look good.

USE OF KRYLON AND RUSTOLIUM PRIMER:
System Three will not bond well to any of the Krylon or most Rustolium products. Rustolium automotive primer has been used by many with good results. Same problem can occur with other hardware store spray can primers. Experiment first when using any spray can primer.

PREPARING FIBERGLASS PARTS FOR PAINTING:
We have had no problems with the paint adhering properly prepared fiberglass parts. The System 3 (NELSON Hobby) paint is originally developed for painting full size fiberglass boats. We can easily demonstrate the paint bond by placing duct tape over the painted part and removing the duct tape without the paint coming off. Fiberglass parts have to be prepared for priming or painting. First off, the fiberglass object must be cleaned with soap and water to remove the parting agents. Then the part should be cleaned with a solvent such as MEK, lacquer thinner or similar solvent. To remove any oils, wax, or other materials, De-Waxers should be used and are available from auto paint stores. Then the part should be sanded with 220 sandpaper. Then cleaned with a dry rag. Some people have an excessive amount of natural oil on the surface of their skin. For these people rubber gloves should be used which isn't a bad idea for use by everybody. For most plastics our paint will bound just fine. Sand the parts with 320 sandpaper and then paint. We have had a problem with some ABS type plastics. Solution to the problem is to sand the part with 320 sand paper, then apply one thin coat of 3M Spray Mount Artist's Adhesive #62-4662-4827-5, available at Office Depot and similar office/art supply stores, onto the ABS plastic part. Let it dry for 30 minutes. Then apply the paint by brush or spray. The bond is fine, even duct tape will not remove the paint.

FIBERGLASS PARTS WITH PRIMER (GEL COAT) ALREADY ON PARTS.
Some fiberglass parts are supplied with a gel coat. There is no problem with gel coats. Prepare the part as mentioned previously. However, there can be problems with what appears to be a gel coat, but in reality, the part is prepainted with lacquer primer. Gel coats are not normally used any more due to the excessive weight of the gel coat. Our instructions clearly state that we cannot use our paint over lacquer type products. Before considering our paint on a fiberglass part that appears to be ready for painting, suggest you contact the manufacture to see what kind of primer in on the part. A good way to see if lacquer primer has been used is to put some acetone or MEK on the finish and rub it with a soft rag.

PAINTING IN LOW HUMIDITY CONDITIONS.
There can be a problem using our paint in humidity conditions less than 40%. Usually in the desert areas. The paint will not be glossy and can also be somewhat rough in finish. Problem when the humidity is very low, the water in the paint will evaporate quickly not allowing the paint to flow out evenly and cause a non-gloss/ dull finish. Solution to the problem is to paint during the day when the humidity is higher. If painting indoors, use a humidifier to raise the humidity level.

FOAM BRUSH APPLICATIONS.
An inexpensive foam brush works great. When brushing, only move the brush in one direction. I have found that it is easier to eliminate most of the brush streaks if the brush application is in only in one direction. The amount of thinner (water) that is used when painting fabric depends somewhat on how fine the weave is of the fabric. Using our very fine weave Nelson LiteFAB fabric, you can thin the paint 40-50 percent. When the paint is applied with this high amount of thinner, the finish will be somewhat flat. Perfect for the WWI aircraft, but with modern aircraft you will need to brush on a coat or two of gloss clear. The gloss clear can be thinned 40-50 percent and still will provide a high gloss finish. When using our regular Nelson Fabric, the first coats are put on full strength, however you spread the paint with the foam brush as far as you can spread the paint. These first two coats are a primer coat for the fabric. The additional coats of paint are usually thinned about 15 percent. When the paint is only thinned about 15 percent, there will be a nice gloss produced on the final finish coats.

FOAM RUBBER BRUSH TECHNIQUES:
The amount of water (thinner) for brushing, that is added to the System Three paint is critical. Use just enough water to let the paint go on properly. Too much water will allow the paint to cure to quickly and won't let the paint flow out smoothly. You may have to add water to the paint that you are applying to the object. Water will evaporate somewhat quickly and will have to be replenished from time to time. There will be brush streaks showing if you look close. These cannot be avoided. However, if the object is sanded with 320 sandpaper after three or four brushed coats of paint, and then painted with the gloss or flat clear, the brush streaks are minimal. You don't easily see the brush streaks in the clear

REMOVING MASKING TAPE.
The recommended 3M Fine Line masking tape or other similar masking tape, should be removed about 30 minutes after the paint has been applied. This is assuming 65 degrees or more temperature where the paint has been drying. Waiting too long can leave a rough edge to the masked paint line. Any flash, the paint covering the masking tape, can be removed with your fingernail.

REMOVING OVERSPRAY.
No matter how hard you try, there can be overspray that can go through the paper overspray covering (typically newspaper) that you apply around the edges of the masking tape. Within three hours after the paint has dried, any overspray can be removed with the use of lacquer thinner or MEK. Use a soft rag and gently rub out the overspray. The fully dried base paint will not be effected by the lacquer thinner or MEK.

APPLYING MASKING TAPE.
Scotch Fine Line masking tape (has a green color to it) is recommended. When applying the tape, it is very important that with your fingernail, you press the painted edge very firmly against the surface. If this is not done, there can be a chance of the paint running under the masking tape. If paint does run under the tape, one can usually scrape away the unwanted paint with a razor blade.

FISH EYE.
When paint is applied and after about one minute or two, there are a series of paint rings formed all over the newly painted surface. In the paint industry, this condition is called fish eye. It is caused by two improper situations. The surface is too smooth and or the surface is contaminated with something. The surface to be painted must not be sanded with sandpaper no finer than 320. Recommend sanding the final sanding process with dry sandpaper. Sanding dry will provide a better bond for the paint because the microscopic scratches in the paint have sharp edge. The surface to be cleaned must be done carefully. Soapy water can be used to do the basic cleaning, but clear water must be used to remove the soap film. Going over the final finished surface with alcohol is a good idea. This will also remove any fingerprints. Some people have quite a bit of oil on the surface of their fingers. This oil can cause paint bond problems.

BRUSHING ON GLOSS CLEAR COAT.
If a gloss clear coat is applied with a brush, then we recommend a minimum of two thin coats of gloss clear. One coat usually is enough if the gloss clear is sprayed on, but when brushing, then use two coats.

PIN HOLES IN SIG MFG. KOVERALL.
When applying Nelson paint (and other paints as well) over SIG Koverall pinholes can occur in the painted surface. This is caused by a defect in the manufacturing in the fabric. To stop this from occurring, it is important to brush on the first two coats of paint. An additional coat is also recommended. Stits, Ceconite, Razorback, and our Nelson RC fabric are all full-scale aircraft quality fabrics and when these products are painted, there should be no pinholes in the paint.

SPRAY GUN NOZZLE SIZES.
There are many types of high-pressure spray guns produced. Most all of the better quality spray guns have nozzles with different size orifices. A 1.0 size is quite common and is usually supplied as standard. Several users of spray equipment have found that the next size larger nozzle, a 1.2 size, works better when using our paint. The 1.2 size is commonly used with Butyrate Dope. If you are having problems with applying our paint, we suggest that you obtain the next larger size nozzle. Several modelers have had excellent results using spray guns with an overhead gravity feed paint cup. If the spray gun seems go clog up even after straining with a fine filer, this indicates that the spray gun nozzle is too small.

DRYING TIME FOR NELSON HOBBY EPOXY PRIMER.
There have been a few reports of our NELSON Hobby Paint cracking or crazing when applied over our NELSON Hobby Epoxy primer. The primer not being fully cured causes this problem. Curing problem is normally caused by letting the primer cure (dry) with to low a temperature. The temperature must be over 65 degrees. The best way to determine if the primer is fully cured is to see if the primer sands easily. When sanding with 220 or 320 sandpaper, the primer should easily be sanded causing a powder to be produced when sanding. If the primer isn't easily sanded, then it isn't cured. Our primer is an epoxy. Most epoxies are mixed from two components, a part A and B. When part B is added to part A chemical reaction occurs and the two parts cause the liquid to solidify. Once the two parts are mixed the epoxy cannot be saved for later use. Point here is only mix enough epoxy to do the job. Any left over epoxy will have to be thrown away.

AIRBRUSH USE AND HOBBY TYPE COMPRESSORS.
Had one customer with problems spraying with a very high quality airbrush. My recommended pressure of 30-35 pounds didn't work very well. Finish was rough and no gloss. He raised the pressure to 50 pounds. Results were excellent. Flowed out fine and with a high gloss. If there are problems spraying with an airbrush, suggest you experiment with higher pressures. Use the largest nozzle available. Our paint should not be used with low cost hobby type spray system. The compressor usually will not supply sufficient pressure and volume of air to properly atomize our paint. One can be certain that if a tabletop compressor that has a small motor with a pulley driving a piston type compressor, it will not provide satisfactory results.

THINNING FOR SPRAYING WITH HVLP AND STANDARD SPRAY SYSTEMS.
When using HVLP equipment, our paint must be thinned more than what you would expect with a regular type spray system. Depending on the type of HVLP system, thinning up to 40% may be required. When spraying the paint, if it is sort of spitting out (not being atomized) of the gun, then more thinner (water) is necessary. This can occur with normal spray equipment if there isn't enough pressure, volume of air, or not enough thinner. If the spray gun's nozzle is to small for either type of spray system, then the spitting problem can also occur.

CLEAN UP AFTER REMOVING MASKING TAPE.
There are some masking tapes that will leave some of its adhesive after pulling the tape off the painted surface. Make certain there is no left over adhesive on the painted surface prior to painting over that surface. The adhesive material will show up and look awful. One must remove any left over adhesive with a suitable solvent. Try MEK or lacquer thinner. One will have to experiment to find the best solvent. With the use of Scotch Fine Line tape, I have never had any problem with left over adhesive.

MIXING EPOXY PRIMER.
The epoxy primer must be mechanically mixed. Doing it by hand with something like a long screwdriver is ok, but better yet use a 1/4" electric drill motor with a 1/8" dia wire bent over on the end. Mix thoroughly. There is a lot of pigment in the primer and it will settle during storage. Cannot mix by only shaking the bottle.

SAND SURFACE AFTER MASKING.
After the base color has been applied and you have masked off the area for trim colors, sand the area to be painted with the trim colors with 320 sandpaper. This will assure the proper bond for the trim color paint. Typically it is always best to lightly sand the painted surface after it has dried more than 4-5 hours. Normally one would apply trim in the next painting session. That would indicate that the paint has probably dried or cured over a period of more than 12 hours (overnight). When this occurs we have always recommended sanding with 320 sandpaper prior to applying additional paint.

STREAKS OF COLORS IN PAINT.
There have been a few instances of streaks of color in the paint that becomes noticeable after the paint has been applied. What causes this is a partical of pigment that has built up and dried in our mixing equipment nozzle. We try and clean the pigment nozzles each application, but a piece of dried pigment may fall into the container of paint that we are mixing. The dried pigment may not mix into the paint. The result will be streaks of the dried pigment that has partially dissolved during the painting process. If this occurs, straining the paint (which is required anyway) will usually separate the dried pigment from the paint. If the straining doesn't take care of the problem, then notify us and we will send replacement paint.

DO YOU LEAVE OUT CROSSLINKER UNTIL YOU PUT ON A GLOSS OR FLAT CLEAR?
If Crosslinker is used, (we recommend using it in most applications), it should be used in the colors as well as the gloss or flat clear. The addition of Crosslinker will provide additional fuel proof and toughness to the paint that didn't use Crosslinker. However, you can get satisfactory results if only the Crosslinker is used only in the gloss or flat clear.

FINISH IS DULL AND SOMEWHAT ROUGH TO THE TOUCH.
When paint is sprayed on and the finish is somewhat dull and or rough to the touch, then not enough paint was applied. Reasons for this problem can be not enough thinner, paint wasn't’t strained with a fine strainer or panty hose, too small an orifice in the spray gun, clogged orifice in spray gun, trigger on the gun not fully deployed, not enough pressure, not enough volume of air coming from the air compressor, or simply spraying too fast and not providing sufficient time for the paint to be deposited on the object. Spattering of paint from the spray gun is not enough pressure.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT ON THINNING PAINT:
Use only water to thin NELSON Hobby paint. Do not use alcohol, Windex, or any other type of thinner. ONLY USE WATER. Do not confuse this paint with Latex House paint. This is Polyurethane paint, not latex type paint.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT ON LOW HUMIDITY PAINTING CONDITIONS:
When humidity is about 20% or less, there can be problems applying NELSON Hobby paint. In many parts of the country the humidity is much higher in the morning. Suggest that if painting were done in the morning, before the temperature goes up. When painting in a facility with a concrete floor, you may consider weting the floor with water or use a water misting system that is used for watering flowers. Certainly don’t want to wet the floor in your workshop that is on the main floor of the house. Many modelers have had excellent results with brushing on the paint. By brushing one eliminates the problem of over spray thus one can easily paint inside the house if there is a humidifier installed in the air-conditioning system.

USING A ROLLER TO APPLY PAINT ON FABRIC:
Suggestion from D. Calaway. “I experimented with several techniques and I found the following to give excellent results. Thin the paint as you apply the first 2 coats with a foam brush and work it into the fabric for the proper adhesion. Then go to Wal-Mart and get the 3” foam roller that is located in the paint department. Apply additional coats of paint with a brush and while the paint is still wet, take the roller, and roll out the brush marks. It evens out the paint and leaves the surface shinny without brush marks. The rollers cost $2.00 and 3 replacement roller cost an additional $2.”

DON’T USE A TAC RAG:
Don’t use a Tac Rag for cleaning and removing dust particles from sanding of a primer and especially in cleaning of the fabric. Tac Rags can easily leave a wax type residue on the surface and especially on fabric. The paint will not bond over the Tac Rag residue. Best results for cleaning dust particles 85 is the use of a clean soft rag (old T-shirt). Prior to painting polyester cloth fabrics (Nelson LiteFAB and ColorFAB fabrics and Stitts or Koverall type polyester glue on fabrics) clean the fabric after it has been applied and shrunk with acetone or MEK. Use a soft clean rag with the acetone or MEK. MEK works the best since it doesn't’t evaporate as fast.

ULTRAGRIP ACRILIC WATER BASE PRIMER:
Customer reported that he tried painting our paint over Ultragrip Acrylic Water Base Primer with excellent results. Distributed by a California based paint company, Dunn Edwards. Part number is WS715-1 (white). Water is thinner. Dries in 1 –2 hours. Sands good. Excellent adhesion with our paint.
There may be other such primers available by other manufactures, but tests must be made first to see if adhesion of our paint to the primer is ok.

USING NELSON HOBBY GLOSS OR FLAT CLEAR OVER LATEX PAINT:
We have several customers having good luck using our gloss or flat clear over latex paint for the purpose of fuel proofing the latex. Suggest a light sanding of the latex with 320 sandpaper. Sand the latex dry without using water. We have not done any testing using our clear over latex as to the final results. Suggest that one experiment first to assure of a proper bond of our clear over the latex.

COMMENTS ON SPRAY GUNS:
There are many copies of USA made spray guns that come from China. In particular, I am referring only too regular spray guns, not air brush units. Some of these spray guns will work fine and others don’t work very well at all. The internal manufacturing of the spray gun nozzle assembly is very critical, especially with high quality or high solid content paints like ours. Many of the imported spray guns are very poorly made and that is why they are so cheap. An USA or European manufactured spray gun will be a much higher quality product and unfortunately more expensive. Imported HVLP type and regular spray guns that are not produced for a major USA spray gun supplier, such as Binks, DeVilbus, Axis, (not low cost tool importers) are subject to poor performance. In summary, if a spray gun costs less than $100, be aware of potential problems. As they say, “let the buyer be aware”.

Probably the most common, regular type spray guns, used by long time modelers are the automotive detail or touch up guns. In particular the Binks Model 15 detail gun. This unit is smaller than a regular gun and uses a 1/2-pint cup. This type of spray gun is used for small paint jobs on cars. It has a typical spray control nozzle just like a standard size gun. A trigger is on top of the unit, somewhat like an airbrush trigger. Unit costs about $150. Takes a regular type air compressor of 1 1/2 horsepower (110v) or more. Bigger compressor is better. You can get this type of gun a most automotive paint supply shops. A typical spray system water trap is not required when using our paint with spray equipment.

MATCHING COLORED FABRICS:
Some of the colored fabrics and in particular some of the fabric colors are slightly transparent. It is difficult to match these colors. A way to help this problem is to mix clear with our paint about 1-1 or 2/3 paint-1/3 clear. Paint the object to be painted white. Then apply the mixture of paint and clear over the white. The net result is a somewhat transparent color some what like the colored fabric.

STORAGE OF PAINT AT OVER 100 DEGREES:
We had a customer who found that our paint didn't’t work well at all. Didn't flow on properly and was also very difficult to spray or brush on. Problem was that he left the bottled paint in his van for a couple of weeks in the middle of summer. The interior of the van was well over 100 degrees. The paint was exposed to a couple of weeks of 100 degree plus temperatures causing it to partially cure or dry. Needless to say, the paint could not be used.