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Author Topic: Anyone Experimented with Alcohol?  (Read 1217 times)

Offline Unlucky General

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Anyone Experimented with Alcohol?
« on: July 31, 2021, 10:28:23 PM »
Okay, jokes aside ...

In recent times I've been terrain and base building, having adopted several tips from expert terrain builders on YouTube. One of those tips is spray-soaking with isopropyl alcohol prior to spraying with diluted PVA to seal in my ground texturing - amongst other things.

An idea struck me this morning and I was wondering if anyone had already experimented with the idea of mixing the osopropyl alcohol with the diluted PVA solution as a flow aid and all-in-one tension breaker?

OR, do you absolutely need to prep the surface prior to the PVA application? - which to-date is what I do.

Offline tom q vaxy

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Re: Anyone Experimented with Alcohol?
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2021, 11:04:13 PM »
i've cut 90% isopropyl alcohol 50/ 50 with water for many things including washing parts prior to paint & assembly.

for breaking surface tension, it would most certainly work, but model railroaders since Moses wore short pants have used a couple of drops of dishwashing detergent mixed with water and either misted on with a spritz spray pump bottle or eye droppered on to encourage subsequent application (while still wet) of a white glue & water mix to hold track ballast.

Offline Blackwolf

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Re: Anyone Experimented with Alcohol?
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2021, 12:21:00 AM »
Flow improver should do the same trick rather than using alcohol. I bought a huge container from Bunnings called Flotrol ,you should be able to buy it in Canberra.
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Offline FierceKitty

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Re: Anyone Experimented with Alcohol?
« Reply #3 on: August 01, 2021, 01:22:14 AM »
I use rubbing alcohol with wood glue and a drop of soap to attach and seal flock. The rapid evaporation reduces warping, and finishes the job faster.
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Offline Codsticker

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Re: Anyone Experimented with Alcohol?
« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2021, 05:07:52 AM »
I think you get better penetration (hurhurhur) if you spray the isopropyl alcohol on first as it draws the thinned glue in. Mixing the alcohol in with the glue may not get into the material to the same degree ( mixing the glue with flow aid/flotrol/other similar products may behave differently).

Offline SotF

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Re: Anyone Experimented with Alcohol?
« Reply #5 on: August 01, 2021, 05:12:35 AM »
With some acryllic paints, if you get a patina color, you can get a very good effect by thinning it with alcohol to a much thinner consistency than you normally would with paint and messily putting it on over a base layer of bronze/copper. That was brought up by Adam with the Tabletop Minions youtube channel a long while ago when he was doing the 40K statues and ruins terrain thing that's now discontinued.

I've used it for several things, most recently for an "alicorn" toy painted as a large statue terrain piece.

Offline 2010sunburst

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Re: Anyone Experimented with Alcohol?
« Reply #6 on: August 01, 2021, 06:32:47 AM »
Personally, I would ditch the IPA as unnecessary.  Just add a drop or two of dish soap to a fifty percent solution of PVA and water and you will get all the penetration you need.  On smaller areas and bases I wouldn’t even spray, just buy a pack of disposable pipettes (cheap as chips, don’t get them from paint manufacturers, just EBay or Amazon) and drop the solution on in a controlled fashion.

Offline Unlucky General

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Re: Anyone Experimented with Alcohol?
« Reply #7 on: August 01, 2021, 09:23:01 PM »
Thanks for everyone's suggestions and advice. Some generally good ideas - looks like it's time to experiment to which system I like the best.

Offline Diablo Jon

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Re: Anyone Experimented with Alcohol?
« Reply #8 on: August 03, 2021, 07:14:07 AM »
I started using the alcohol and water mix on foam flock on my terrain boards recently. I haven't mixed it in with the PVA though I just have two spray bottles one with 50/50 alcohol and water and one with water down PVA. I figured if it works why fix it?

 

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