I'm in the process of building one of Mike Glass's Hell Raiser Ultimate 3D bipes. This plane is rapidly becoming the latest "must have" at the club flying field. It's not that I don't like flames, but I didn't want to have a carbon copy of everyone elses plane so I ordered an undecorated one and I'm now in the process of painting it.

The Hell Raiser is a Depron foam plane which limits the kinds of paints you use on it without melting the foam. I've been using the Testors and Tamiya foam-safe paints but I don't care for the way they spray (large droplets). My neighbor is a real artsy-crafty type and she suggested the Design Master paint from Michael's Arts & Crafts so I decided to give it a try.

The paint goes on nicely and doesn't seem to attack the Depron as long as I apply light coats. It dries quickly and the colors are quite vivid. It doesn't smell like paint, though! It smells more like perfume or air freshener but after all, the target market is artsy-crafty people.

To make a long story short, my Hell Raiser will be hard to miss. It will be the red, white, and blue one with the fresh floral scent flying in a cloud of bees.



Pete

LOL! You might need a Bee Saver for the prop!

mike

Thanks !. You can use it to paint fabric and kitemakers use it on ripstop nylon too.

Company website www.dmcolor.com

Would that stuff be safe on Slow Stick "meat tray" foam as well? Looking to re-do mine in Black/Gold.

Dawg

Originally Posted by DesertDawg

Would that stuff be safe on Slow Stick "meat tray" foam as well? Looking to re-do mine in Black/Gold.

The SS is wing and tail feathers are made from Depron so the paint would be safe as long as you apply light coats. The colors you have in mind aren't safe, though, especially in Yuma Arizona.

They formed your SS wing by placing a flat piece of Depron in a mold and applying heat. A black Depron wing in the Arizona sun won't keep it's shape for long.

Pete

Well, I just bought some Design Master platinum premium #232 and test sprayed it on some styrofoam, bad news it's not foam safe, ate a hole in it. Testors is the only paint I've tested that comes close to being foam safe.

Tamiya acrylics are available at the LHS and can be thinned with rubbing alcohol. No worries about melting foam and the finish looks great.

Originally Posted by Esso Bee

Well, I just bought some Design Master platinum premium #232 and test sprayed it on some styrofoam, bad news it's not foam safe, ate a hole in it. Testors is the only paint I've tested that comes close to being foam safe.

I just experienced the same thing. Apparently the Design Master Premium is a different product entirely from the Design Master Floral Paint. I'm currently in the process of painting my 4th foam plane (1 Depron, 3 Styrofoam) with the floral paint and they're all gorgeous. No foam damage whatsoever.

I wished it smelled like paint, though.

Pete

I have found typically droplets are often caused by several factors:
1- the tip of the needle is slightly bent and the media is clumping on the 'hook'.
2- there is too much media being put into the airstream, or, too little air
3- if using CO2 or pre-canned air, the gas is coming out too cold, from expansion, and causes the paint to clump.
4- impurities in the media or the air like dust, dirt or some of the coloring agent is not completely dissolved.
5- the media being sprayed is too thick.

Valuable information, but the Design Master paint being discussed in this thread comes in a rattle-can.

I have an airbrush and would use it more, but the only compressor I currently own runs on diesel and it upsets the neighbors when I run it.

Pete

PGR, get yourself a 5 gallon air take. You can fill it at the gas station if you can't run your compressor. You need a filter trap and regulator with it. I use mine to paint my plastic models. No noise but depending on how much you are using it, it won't last that long before needing refilling.

ZZ