posted
I read of many that say they switched from lettering with 1 shot to water based products. I've read about some of the brushes they buy to do this. Some use latex, others acrylics. So far, my trials at this have been frustrating. I have not found the combo to pull a decent stroke without re working it repeatedly. I have not found a brush that will hold a shape for long. What are the tips you've discovered to make this experience work?
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6897 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
Rick, I use Mack brushes for water base paints. I use Ronan aqua cote bulletin paint or Nova color. When I first tried water based paint years ago my initial thought was this is never going to work. Now I'm used to it. I have found that with practice it can work fine. It does not handle in the brush the same way as oil base and it does not cover as well. The brush does not hold a chisel edge quite the same. I compensate for it by changing my techniques some. It is not for everything. Not for vehicles, etc. Although I have heard some do. I was forced to change when the oil based paints started making me sick, so I had a good reason to get used to it.
-------------------- Chuck Peterson Designs San Diego, CA Posts: 1094 | From: San Diego, CA USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6897 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
The majority of my work is dimensional HDU painted with 100% water based paints.
I switched to water based paints years ago. As I don't do vehicles, I never felt the need to use oil based for anything but steel brackets and such.
I don't do a lot of lettering, but I do paint a lot of borders and stripes, and a decent amount of secondary copy into my signs and it works very well.
I use Mack Water Based Brushes, Kafka Striping brushes and whatever quills that have a decent snap to them, with the softer the better. I paint with Ben Moore products. Most colors spread nicely out of the can, and others you have to add a little water to get it to flow nicely.
Most colors are great as one coat, some colors don't cover as well as others, but I don't mind a second coat here and there.
Great for wall murals also.
The longevity of these water based paints is excellent, and I don't miss the fumes and thinner, just some soap and water.
posted
Hi Rick. I too found the transition to acrylic water-based paints somewhat frustrating. What did help, was remembering an old trick from my days doing showcards. Back then, I used to add a few drops of glycerine to the showcard colour to make it flow off the brush better ( I was using red sable brushes ). What I found was a product called Flotrol, which is compatable with acrylic paints. It is to acrylics like what Edge or Penetrol was to 1-Shot. It gives better flow off the brush and helps to prevent or minimize brush strokes. Just like oil-based paints, some acrylic paints are more transparent than others, and require double, and even triple coating. Reds and yellows fall into this category, so I've adjusted by using those colours in panels and avoid using them in smaller copy. As to brushes, I'm finding the synthetic sable ones perform closest to what I was used to working with.
Hope this helps you out.
-------------------- Ken Henry Henry & Henry Signs London, Ontario Canada (519) 439-1881 e-mail: kjmlhenry@rogers.com
Why do I get all those on-line offers to sell me Viagara, when the only thing hardening is my arteries ? Posts: 2695 | From: London,Ontario, Canada | Registered: Feb 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Use a good brush, Kolinsky, keep it wet, dont let it dry, never let paint reach the ferrule. Use 100 % acrylic. I keep a glass of water, I start by wetting the brush, then dipping it in paint, rinse out in water every 5th or 10th minute depending on temperatur. It is easy to get good coverage and sharp lines.
Rinse well with water afterwards before storing brush hairs up to dry.
I clean out acrylic with lukewarm water, remove water using a lint free cloth like linen, give them a good kiss to make them straight and pointy, then store them point up in a glass or jar for temporary storage. For longer storage I roll corrugated fiberboard and put it in a cardboard or metal sylinder box that comes with whiskey bottles. I then put brushes stuck in there between the fiberboard layers and put the lid on.
For oil, much the same. I start by wiping off paint with paper, just dragging the brush through the paper. Then I put table oil(Colza, mais or oliven) onto the brush, use fingers to massage it to ensure all hairs are oily and all paint residue is mixed with the table oil, then I put a dishwasher detergent ("soap" for hand washing dishes) on the oily hairs and massage both oil and detergent well into it for a little while. This will rinse out any oil paint. Take oil/soap mix off with some paper. If necessary, repeat. After this I rinse out oil/soap with lukewarm water and treat the brushes the same way as I do after painting with acrylic. A good Kolinsky will grow better by the years.
I shifted to acrylic because the pigments dont fade as they do in modern oil paints. Then there also are the advantages of short drying time and no thinner fumes either.
posted
I am similar to Bob Kaschak. I have the Mack water based quills, although I currently can't find them on the Mack website. I would call them as I'm sure they have simply changed the label. I found then to pull nice solid edged lines. The right paint might also be a factor. I use Porter Acri-Shield 100% Acrylic Latex paint and it works great with the quills right out of the can. Porter Acri-Shield (by PPG) is the paint Gary Anderson had relabeled as Rhino paint for a while. Good stuff.
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic