Hi,

I have a question in relation to hairspraying. I want to try the hairspray technique but might not get enough time to spray the second colour on top of the hairspray and then attack it with a brush to end up with the chipped/scuffed effect. Can the chipping/scuffing be done days afterwards or does it need to be done as soon as the second colour is dried?

Thanks

Toby

The hairspray itself can be left for days (at least) but in my experience the paint applied over it (the chipping colour) must be attacked fairly soon. I use Tamiya acrylics and have found that if I allow the paint to cure, it becomes much more difficult to "break through" it to the hairspray. Adding a retarder to the acrylic certainly helps, but I still find it necessary to start chipping within 15 or 20 minutes.
Also, I think that the sooner you start, the easier it is to vary the size of the chips, as you can use the curing of the acrylic to you advantage.
I have tried chipping cured Tamiya with Windex (ammonia), but with little success.
So, in consideration of all this, after the whole model is hair sprayed, I apply the paint coat to only one area at a time - do the chipping, then more on to another area.
Remember too that you can achieve different size chips by varying the thickness of the hair spray coat - a thin gives finer chips. That's why I decant my hair spray and apply it with an airbrush, for better control. And you must have complete coverage with the hair spray layer, otherwise the colour layer will never come off.
Good luck - practice on a paint mule first.

Hi Toby,

If I understand the question correctly, you want to spray the HS and then paint the top coat at a later date? I'd say no, wait til you can do both at one sitting.

Normally you work the chips for a considerable period of time afterwards, but if you leave the HS exposed it will likely evaporate or not have nearly the same effect. The top coat will keep this from happening, thus giving you that extra time window. I just finished chipping a model over a period of a week after spraying the top color and didn't notice too much resistance to the process.

As Tom says, give it a practice shot first to see what you're dealing with before attempting on your project.

Best,

Mike

_________________________

"Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?."