Hi Walter, and perspective Lusterkote users,
For those who have a spray set up that sounds like a great idea. It would be hard to beat the results from a good airbrush artist! :-)
For those of us that do not use a spray set up, (or for those of us who are too lazy to learn how to use an airbrush! ;-) we can still get very good results with the Lustercote cans. But, it takes a little extra care to get it to work well.
I just painted the wheel pants on my 37% Extra 300L with this paint. They are in three colors, and they turned out better than I hoped for. I have used this paint, from the can, for the past 10 years. The following info. has been posted on many forums over the years. I will just try to hit the highlights:
1. The cans/paint MUST be heated. I just put them in a container of very hot tap water for a while, changing the hot water a few times to keep the paint warm.
2. Shake till your arm falls off. Then use the other arm! ;-)
3. Use steel wool to rough up the MonoKote surface and take the shine off of the area to be painted, inside the masking tape.
4. If you are painting bare wood, or silkspan, use the Lusterkote brand primer. THIS IS CRITICAL. If you are a paint expert, I am sure there are other primers that will work. But if you are not an expert, please stick with their brand. It works. Allmost all the problems some have had with this paint has to do with using improper primer. And/or not using the other tips copied here.
5. Go to the LusterKote web site for excellent instructions:
http://www.monokote.com/lustrekote/lustrekote.html6. The color match to MonoKote is very good.
7. Please DO NOT try to use all the paint. Plan on stopping at about 1/4 full. Past this, you run the risk of the spray splattering, and spitting. Now if your going for a psychedelic effect, then use it all! ;-)
8. Like most paints, a few light coats are better than one heavy one.
9. Be patient. You can do it faster, but I try to wait at least 48 hours before I mask the paint for any trim.
10. For nitro, wait at least several+ days before using. Less for gas, or just a few hours for Electric. ;-)
Again, these are hints from many people over the past decade. If a "paint challenged" person like me can get great results, then these hints may be worth trying. .... Good Luck :-)
A little tip that works very well. The Lustercoat does not spray well out of the can. It is way too thick for trim. So spray it into a bottle ,thin it well with Acetone and spray it with an
airbrush. Try it you will like it. Walter Hicks.