TESTORS PAINTS

RPM's Consumer Products: 2628 Pearl Road
                         P.O. Box 777
                         Medina, Ohio 44258

(From their web site)
Consumers, primarily in North America, are served by: the company's do-it
yourself home improvement coatings and related products, including: Rust
Oleum and Stops-Rust rust-preventative coatings and decorative coatings
marketed under the brands of Painter's Touch, American Accents and others;
the Zinsser family of primer-sealers, including B-I-N, Bulls Eye 1-2-3,
Perma-White Mildew Proof Paint and Cover-Stain; Zinsser's wallcovering
preparation and removal products, including DIF, Shieldz and PaperTiger;
Bondex and Plastic Wood patch and repair products; Wolman deck coatings,
sealants and brighteners; Thibaut wallcoverings; Bondo and Marson auto
repair compounds and Mar-Hyde auto body paints and specialty products for
the automotive aftermarket; Varathane, Watco, Mohawk , Guardian and Chemical
Coatings woodworking and wood finishing products; the Testors and Floquil
brands of model kits, coatings and accessories for the hobbyist market;
Pettit, Woolsey and Z-Spar marine coatings; and DAP caulks and sealants.

              Testors Corporation makes the following paints:


    

  • ACRYL   

  • AZTEK®   

  • FLOQUIL®   

  • MODEL MASTER   

  • PACTRA®   

  • POLLY SCALE®   

  • TESTORS®   

  • VISIONS 





For more information on these Paints go to  TESTORS PAINTS 


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TYPES of PAINTS


There seems to be a bit of confusion concerning various model paints.
 
  I will attempt to shed some light on this matter.
 
1. Floquil Railroad Colors is a Xylol and Petroleum based paint, produced
by Floquil-Polly S Corp in Amsterdam, NY., an RPM Co.  Can be thinned with
Dio-Sol or mineral spirits.  This paint is flammable and requires a barrier
coat to be safe on plastic models.  Breathing protection with a chemical
cartridge mask is a must when using this paint.  Airbrush cleanup is best
done with lacquer thinner run thru several times.  Best cleanup is to
disassemble airbrush and clean manually.
 
2. Polly S waterbase railroad colors is a water base paint produced by
Floquil-Polly S Corp in Amsterdam, NY., an RPM CO.  This paint is
non-flammable  but is subject to freezing.  Can be thinned with Polly S
airbrush thinner. Breathing protection with a paper mask should be used
with this paint.  Can be applied directly to plastic models.  Airbrush
cleanup can be done with Polly S thinner run thru sweveral times.  Best way
is to disassemble and clean manually.
 
3. PollyScale model railroad colors is a water based paint produced by
Floquil-Polly S Corp in Amsterdam, NY., an RPM Co.  Can be thinned with
distilled water.  This paint is non-flammable but subject to freezing.
Breathing protection with a paper mask should be used with this paint.  Can
be applied directly to plastic models.  Airbrush cleanup can be done with
water.  Some use windshield washer fliud for cleanup, run thru gun several
times.  Best cleanup is to disassemble gun and clean manually.
 
  The latest bottles I have purchased have a label on the carton(dealer
pack) which say Testor item number....and made in Canada.  The label on the
bottle say Floquil Polly S corp, Weston, Ontario, an RPM Co.
 
  All these paints share one common trait, when opened, shelf life is
severly shortened.  Polly S has a tendency to emulsify after being exposed
to air.  Best thing is to discard unused partial bottles of this stuff.
PollyScale also tends to get small lumps after being exposed to air.  Will
remain liquid for some time, but is best used with a hair brush and not in
the airbrush.
 
  All the above is fact from bottle labels and personal experience from
using this stuff for more than 25 years.  Let me re-emphasize that all
airbrushing should be done in a well ventilated room and personal breathing
protection should be used.  Paper masks are available at your local auto
supply store and some home centers.
 
I don't know the fate of the old Floquil, petroleum based paint or Polly S
but PollyScale is alive and well although in short supply, but getting better.
 
hosam

Floquil has been plastic compatible for quite some years now... don't
remember exactly when, but I'd say 7-8 years ago ALL Floquil became plastic
compatible, and this was about 5 years after they introduced the
short-lived "Rev 1" formula which was their first attempt.  Floquil is
plastic compatible straight from the bottle, or thinned with their new
formula airbrush thinner, or Rev 1 thinner which still works if you have a
can of it laying around.  Diosol is of course *NOT* plastic compatible, and
the paint will not be if you thin with it.

Andy Harman

 
  Thanks, guess I went back too far to the original Floquil.  There is a
Floquil Railroad paint which has the Xylol removed but is still petroleum
based.  The Xylol was the culprit as far as damage to plastics.  The newer
formula is "safe on most plastics" to quote from the label.  Still
flammable and is a vapor hazard requiring a chemical cartridge to protect
the person doing the airbrushing.  This also requires a drying time of
overnight between coating.  This is the type currently on the market.
  I shouldn't have missed this paint, but since the advent of water based
acrylics , I no longer use this type paint.


© S.A. McCall