# What are "acrylic enamels"?



## BobbysMonsterModels (Mar 8, 2014)

I stumbled upon a couple free bottles of these. Not exactly sure what they are. I've used enamels, I've used acrylics, but I've never heard of acrylic enamels. Can someone fill me in??? Their properties, and how they function differently?


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## Jodet (May 25, 2008)

Who is the vendor? Gunze?


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Acrylic just refers to the base/polymer of the paint. Tamiya and Gunze "acrylics" would be acrylic enamels. They are usually solvent based. You can thin those paints with alcohol or their alcohol based thinner, or lacquer thinner. True water based paints would be like poster paints and craft paints.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Here's definition #3 at the online Dictionary of the word "enamel":

any of various varnishes, paints, coatings, etc., drying to a hard, glossy finish. 

For some reason, many hobbyists refer to "enamels" when they mean "oil-based paints."  It would save a lot of confusion if everybody would use the proper nomenclature.

Good Lord, you people are turning me into another Sheldon Cooper.


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## BobbysMonsterModels (Mar 8, 2014)

Mark McGovern said:


> For some reason, many hobbyists refer to "enamels" when they mean "oil-based paints.


Therein the confusion lies, since acrylics are water-based. So are these paints a mix of oil and water-based paints?
:freak:


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Butbutbut oil and water don't mix! :freak:


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

BobbysMonsterModels said:


> Therein the confusion lies, since acrylics are water-based. So are these paints a mix of oil and water-based paints?
> :freak:


Like I said, Acrylic does not mean water based. It means acrylic polymer based. And those can be water or solvent soluble. 

Acrylic enamels like Tamiya and Gunze Aqueous Hobby Color paints use a solvent based thinner. Water based acrylics like Plaid and Apple Barrel craft paints or Poly Scale paints are water based and are thinned with water. Vallejos are water based too. Vallejo does have a separate alcohol based series, the Super range of paints.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

BobbysMonsterModels said:


> So are these paints a mix of oil and water-based paints?


No, as the aptly-named Mr. Payne said, oil and water don't mix.  The word "enamel" refers to _any_ hard, glossy coating, which means that the solvent in the paint is immaterial. With "enamels" we're _only_ referencing a paint that dries to a hard, gloss finish, with no concern about whether the paint itself is water- or oil-based.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

...Cats living with dogs...


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

Back when Testors first came out with Model Master acrylic paints they were indeed labeled as acrylic enamel until 
Testors decided to redo the formula for them.


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

I had a sample of the Testors acrylic enamels (in the old glass bottles, too!) It was simply fantastic paint, drying to a hard, shiny finish just like their regular enamel paints, but easy water washup. It's not the same as their Acryl paint, at least not the ones I've used. I don't think this product was ever widely sold; I still have a few bottles.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

irishtrek said:


> Back when Testors first came out with Model Master acrylic paints they were indeed labeled as acrylic enamel until
> Testors decided to redo the formula for them.


There ya go - an enamel can be an oil- _or_ a water-based paint. As for Testors having to reformulate its acrylic paints, I don't wanna open up that can of worms...


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The original Testors stuff was released in the 90s and had grey and blue labels on the jar. The color range mimicked some of the shades in the Model Master and Model Master II enamel range. I used it ONCE on the then new Tamiya Steyr command car with good results. Supposedly though it had a lot of problems with poor shelf life, and application and drying issues and it was very quickly taken off the market. I think only one shop in my area ponied up for the rack of paint to start with before it got yanked.


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## TAY666 (Jan 8, 2000)

Mark McGovern said:


> The word "enamel" refers to _any_ hard, glossy coating, which means that the solvent in the paint is immaterial.


So.
What about flat enamels?

The label says enamel, but they are flat.
But for it to be an enamel, it must dry to a hard glossy coating.
So are they enamels, or aren't they?


And does this mean that lacquers are actually enamel?
They dry to a hard glossy coating. (unless you are using Dullcote)


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## TAY666 (Jan 8, 2000)

Mark McGovern said:


> For some reason, many hobbyists refer to "enamels" when they mean "oil-based paints."  It would save a lot of confusion if everybody would use the proper nomenclature.




But then everyone would confuse them with artist oils.
Which are a completely different animal.


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## BobbysMonsterModels (Mar 8, 2014)

TAY666 said:


> So. What about flat enamels?


LOL, you took the words right out of my mouth. The subject is a bit confusing, as I always thought the main difference between enamels and acrylics was that:
a.) enamels require paint thinner to clean your brush
b.) acrylics require water to clean your brush
So when I see "acrylic enamel", I am confused as to how to clean the brush.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

TAY666 said:


> So.
> What about flat enamels?


TAY,

Going by the dictionary definition I posted earlier (that is confirmed in the Merriam-Webster paperback edition I have here on my desk), "enamel" means ONLY a hard, glossy finish, with no reference to the material that produced it. Both sources also list the outer coating of teeth, which is also an enamel; nobody would confuse that with a paint, right?

So the point I'm making is, you can achieve an enamel with any type of paint, whether oil-based (including artists' oils), water-based, or lacquer-based. The manufacturer's slack use of the term is what's so misleading. If we're going to accept that an enamel is a hard, glossy finish, then there can be no such thing as a "flat enamel"; it's a non sequitur.



BobbysMonsterModels said:


> ...So when I see "acrylic enamel", I am confused as to how to clean the brush.


Why? It's an acrylic paint that produces a hard, glossy finish - so it thins and cleans up with water.


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## Frank2056 (Mar 23, 2007)

djnick66 said:


> Supposedly though it had a lot of problems with poor shelf life, and application and drying issues and it was very quickly taken off the market.


I found one of the bottles - Gloss Blue Acrylic Enamel # 921521004

It's been opened, but it's still good; a few good shakes and it has started to mix. 

I know that Testors first attempt at acrylics (before the current Acryl brand) was a disaster, with very poor shelf life and other issues. 

If this paint had the same formulation, I've been pretty lucky. I found a model part that had been painted with the gloss black back in the 90s and the paint adhesion is fantastic.

Testors also had some acrylic paints in bags that were ready to attach to an airbrush. Those worked fairly well, but I don't think they ever made it to market.


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

The newer Testors acrylics are thin enough to run through an airbrush, but every time the do a batch for say dark ghost grey the color is off from the previous batch and the FS colors don't always match up with the MM enamel paints. They never had such problems with their first line of acrylics.


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## jimkirk (May 27, 2010)

Acrylic Enamel and be either water based or solvent based.
Acrylic is based on plastic. 
Enamel is sort of a sales slogan more than a technical term.
I know my Grandfather used to spray Acrylic Enamel on cars and it was not water based.
Today there is a wide variety of automotive water based paints,even water based Lacquer.
I think the hobby paint industry doesn't make an oil based Acrylic Enamel so their Acrylics are all the water based type.
Enamel paints are glossy and have additives to make them either flat or semi gloss.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Tamiya and Gunze acrylics would be considered acrylic enamels. They are solvent based acrylics. I thin mine with lacquer thinner. Life Color paints are probably similar.


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