Welsh fen man

One problem that was not mentioned is the area you are using, once carefully cleaned, try hanging some damp newspaper around your painting area, hang it up on strings like christmas cards, this will attract dust particles and cause them to stick to the paper not your paintwork.

Also try using Tac rags, both on your paint surface and the surrounding area.

Get them from car paint specialists, or Ebay, expensive from Halfords

Mark

I think that it's probably worth buying new tins of paint when finishing a hull; if you're anything like me it doesn't happen that frequently! I find a couple of tinlets go a long way on a boat hull, although it doesn't pay to think about how much per litre Humbrol costs.

I have tried other types of paint. Plasticote offer a tempting range of colours, but I find it a nightmare to apply nicely. Blackfriars do some nice enamels but I always tend to come back to Humbrol. if the matt colours are used then it is worth finishing with satin or gloss polyurethane varnish.

Ian

Had a similar problem, but as the paint needed thinning for spraying I filtered it after thinning through a piece of my wife's old tights.

many thanks for the replies. since starting this exercise,and having had a number of conversations, the one result has been that there has been bits in the paint.
Regretably, there is no way of discovering how old the pain is, but it seems a common fault with humbrol paints
I am now in the process of finding other paints, and will in time begin spray. Haven't ever tried it before, so it should be interesting.

I find trying to do any painting in the area where wood has been worked on is fatal. I always paint in a different room if I'm brushing (the kitchen table) and do it in the evening and leave quietly-and go to bed!

Thinning the paint helps (consistency of single cream)- full strength Humbrol shows nibs and dust badly. I apply the paint with a 1/2'' flat brush and lay it off with a larger brush sold for finishing varnish. I have a pipette dropper for adding thinners and mix in foil cake cases- washed thoroughly of course.

Latterly I have gone over to Halford's sprays as it's so much easier once all the masking is done- but there's nothing like a well applied enamel finish, especially on the sort of vintage model you are talking about.

Good luck...Ian

Humbrol enamel attract dust very easily. This includes the can in which you keep the paint. Make sure you have thoroughly mixed the pot then strain through a fine lint free mesh to remove any dust etc. You need to use good quality paint brushes well washed before use as you have indicated
As mentioned in an earlier post your painting area need to be spotless and well protected from dust etc for the hour or so the enamel requires to dry.
Results can be very good but the effort and attention to cleaning is considerable.
I prefer to use Acrylic spray paints followed by a clear sealant for any large jobs (hulls / superstructure etc) and have just repainted the hull on a friends Sea Commander using this method.
For smaller fittings I do use enamel as it works well in a spray gun and I can protect the work in the spray cabinet.
Good luck with the Sea Commander restoration. Some pics showing your progress in a build blog would be helpful to other members 😀

When my boats get dusty I either wash them with warm water in a garden pressure spray or use the over bath shower. Then let them dry somewhere warm. Note:- mine are radio controlled and so are water resistant.

Not knowing what your workshop and painting area looks like, I'd say you need to throughly vac the area. Then wipe everything down with damp rags and vac once again.