Not being able to afford the Automotive Paints for anything but the clear, I am unfortunately relegated to rattle can.  Having learned the hard way what not to do on my last ship I am more confidant that I can do a good job.  What has me asking for comments here is that I only found a match for the colors I picked using Krylon for one and Rustoleum for the other.  My base will/is nitrate dope.  It will be followed by Rustoleum white filler/primer almost 100% sanded off.  A thin coat of white primer and two base coats of white.  All Rustoleum to this point.  The color will be Rustoleum and Krylon and the clear will be a good 2k.

My plan "B" is to go all dope up to the base coat.

Plan "C" would be to go dope all the way to the clear if I could get the colors.

What I am mostly asking is - will this work.

 Ken

Plan C with tinted clear is light and absolutely vivid.

Read Pete Peterson's article on tinted clear finishes. 
https://pampacl.org/stuntnewsdownload.php?file=/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/SN_Magazine_Jan_Feb_2009.pdf

Rustoleum colors typically cover quite well. Unless the plane is to be primarily white when finished you can save a fair amount of weight by skipping this step and going right to color Keep in mind that white almost NEVER covers well with anything and using Rustoleum compounds the issue simply because it's heavy paint.
 
 My hunch is that the Rustoleum filler/primer you're describing is quite heavy too, and probably not the easiest thing to sand. If you want to use a filler/primer try the NAPA #DC540 grey primer, it's great stuff, sands very easily and is cheap. In general though, it's practically impossible to achieve a light (weight) finish using off the shelf rattle cans.

Thanks - I am going to take your advice and skip the full base coat and use the NAPA primer.  If money were no object I would have the colors mixed and buy a decent spray gun but alas Money IS an object!  I will test on some scraps.  I am guessing that the 2k clear will go over either Rustoleum or Krylon.

Ken

Just a note on the DC540, shake it well and while spraying it is pretty thin ("watery" in a sense) so find yourself a happy spray distance to avoid running. Another term used for this technique is spraying "dry". I'm not knocking the product at all, only offering a tip in using it. Once you develop that "feel" it dries super fast and works very well.

First time for this stuff.  I sprayed it on a tip and a covered elevator.  Sanding is as good as it gets but the coverage is strange.  I was hoping to get an even gray color to avoid a base coat.  It is really thin and I shook the cr** out of it.  Does it get better after some more comes out?  I was going to use the Rustoleum white but the last time I used that it took 3 days before I could get a no clog sanding.  The DC540 was there in about an hour.  I may have to bank on not using a base coat.  Pretty sure I can get full color coverage with one light coat and pile on the clear before sanding.  I have areas CF black, Glass brown and Polyspan white all getting the same color. 

Probably will fill the low spots with clear dope before the primer.

Thanks for the tip though, this is a really good primer/filler.

Ken

The DC540 is really thin no matter how much you shake it, that's one reason I offered the previous tips on using it. Also, your not using it as a "base" color, your simply prepping/filling the surface for your final color work. Now, I'm struggling a bit with your use of terms here. By "base coat" are you talking about what will be the final overall primary color of the model (before adding trim colors) or an overall coat before applying what will be that overall primary color? Either way, you don't really have to worry about how "even" in color the grey primer comes out, just focus on sanding/prepping it to your satisfaction and then start spraying your final colors. And when you get to the final clear stage don't waste all of your previous weight saving efforts by "piling it on", you just need one nice even full coverage coat, then walk away.

It may be old school but what I meant by "Base Color" is an undercoat of a consistent color that keeps the construction from showing through.  Most of my planes in the past were white or red which take a gazillion coats to cover dark or light spots.  I used silver or light gray.  I have tested the Rustoleum colors I plan to use and they cover just fine with one thin coat so I probably should skip the "base".

Ken

Ken,

 You might want to re-read my last reply, I've edited and "fine tuned" it a bit. 

"Probably will fill the low spots with clear dope before the primer. (all you'll accomplish there is adding more weight)"

What do you use to fill the low spots?  I am not talking about big things, just the little places that are still shiny when you have sanded as much as you dare.  Dope is certainly lighter than the primer.

Ken

What do you use to fill the low spots?  I am not talking about big things, just the little places that are still shiny when you have sanded as much as you dare.  Dope is certainly lighter than the primer.

Ken

They use an auto body spot putty. Fred in Brazil uses a two part auto putty because of shrinkage. Others probably do also.

My ARGO 2 paint build shows the use of this product. Not the 2 part, I'm not that fussy.

https://stunthanger.com/smf/cfc-graphics/argo-ii-almost-ready-for-paint/

This link may take you there. And it my not? 

I don't have anything to that point at the moment so I will try and explain.  After you have enough clear on your covering you start to sand with at least 400.  It starts shiny and as you sand it it gets dull.  Dips will stay shiny so you keep sanding until you can't go any thinner.  The remaining shiny spots and the dings and grain that comes through are the "Low Spots" I am talking about.  Normally you would do another coat of clear and sand again maybe with 600 thin time.  If you just brush on some clear over these spots and sand them you get to the smooth sealed base you want sooner and it is much lighter then using filler or putty.

All of this jaz may not be necessary with the newer finishes.  I have heard that the newer clear coats hide these things.

Ken

"Newer clear coats?"

I've used auto clears on my models as far back as the early 80's and I promoted auto clear coat, 2 part, for at least 9 years or so in this forum. I was informed by another modeler that this product is available in aerosol cans as far back as 2012. A good thing actually. I first used it on my 007 Flite Streak. Plenty of finishing information on this model and many of my others.

So, why are these clears "new?" I also see auto clear coats used by many CL modelers years ago also.

There's a Posted link above that goes to an excellent article on finishing. Auto paint products are mentioned. I no longer use these systems because I don't want to open cans, mix paint, spray equipment, then the clean-up.

Here's the link again. Great reading and thank you for Posting it.

"Read Pete Peterson's article on tinted clear finishes."
https://pampacl.org/stuntnewsdownload.php?file=/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/SN_Magazine_Jan_Feb_2009.pdf

Now, after a lifetime of using auto products, I'm a "can" guy! 

Sure, clears will hide "some" issues, but why not just fix the issues?

Body putty, thin and just skimmed weighs just about nothing. In fact, I put plenty on the ARGO 2's wing between the wood bays and it added next to nothing. I may have Posted the added weight? Most gets sanded off anyway.

I would suggest you talk to someone on the phone about finishing. You can ask questions and get immediate answers.

All my models, aerosol cans, except the clear coat. Yes, there's stuff you have to know using aerosol cans also.

   There are spray can lacquers in color on the market. A better chance of compatibility with dope that Rustoleum or Krylon. You can proceed pretty much like normal. When it comes to your base coat and such, search out thethreads on "doping the dope" where you tint the clear you are doing your build ups with, with the same color you want tour base coat to be. You will have to do all of that in butyrate . You would be surprised at how well the successive coats  of dope that you will be putting on any way, cover things up by the time you are finish sanding. Then all it takes is a light coat of the solid color to finish up. Works well with light colors like white and yellow. Just add a splash of the color to your clear, just enough to tint it. Plan your scheme to have enough other colors and patterns and you cover up a lot of the base coat anyway, so no need to lay on a lot of that. Finish off with clear dope and if you are really worried about fuel proofing, just  spray the nose area, wing leading edges and wing roots with a light dusting or two. You didn't say if it was electric or not, and if so, you won't need a two part clear, and you save all that weight. It would be a finish system very close to what you remember. You just have to do a little more leg work on tracking down the colors in lacquer that you need, but auto parts stores seem to be carrying more of this kind of stuff, and auto paint supply stores certainly carry what you need.
     And to answer the original question, the forum has been filled for years with stories of tales of woe about the results of mixing brands and types of rattle can paint. The only way I use it is following the late Allen Brickhaus' finishing method thet is used primarily on the fuselage and the flying surfaces are covered with iron on coverings, but he would paint trim on the wings with the fuselage colors and then clear everything with a light coats of automotive clear at the end. not a front row type of deal but does get some decent results and doesn't take long. It has been detailed here on the forums also and has been described in several of his published construction articles.
  Good luck with it,
   Dan McEntee

 So DC540 can be topcoated with butyrate dope?

 Yep, no problem.

Ken,
Don't know what you finally did your finish with but I wanted to mention an option for cheaply spraying dope (or other sprayable paints). I have used the Preval spray bottle from Home Depot (about $5.25). This system allows you to thin paint, add retarder and store unused paint in 4oz glass jars. It is like rattle can with the option to adjust the paint mix. Once done clean the jar and toss the propellent power head (a replacement power head is sold at HD for $3.97). I like using Butyrate bottom to top. I thin 60/40 for the 5 base clear, then fill with Brodak silver (50/50) let dry a few days and sand off as much as you can with wet 600. Any low spots will show (as you did with the Aero Gloss) shiny, spray on another coat and repeat until you are satisfied with the flatness. I then like to do a coat of clear (50/50) to seal the silver then put on a block coat of Dania Cream (40/60) (if dark colors could skip the block coat if the silver is uniform). Put on color, I like Brodak dopes as it has higher pigment content and covers in a coat or two. Then top coat with death paint (2K Max in rattle can). Light and bullet proof.

Now others like primer and it works and some like auto base coat / clear coat all works but dope and DP top coat still works if you have some time and can work outside.

Best,    DennisT