# Will Floquil (oil based) stick to styrene better than Polly Scale (acrylic)?



## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

I'm facing some touch up work on my small hotel (the original, not Peter Bunce's version) and was wondering if I could use Floquil for some touchup work? I normally use Polly Scale acrylic or a craft paints such as Delta Ceramcoat, but I learned the hard way that if the styrene material is not clean (washed off with soap and water or cleaned with Polly Scale Prep, which seems to be some alcohol based solution) the paint won't stick and will look just awful, running down the styrene in streaks and such. And after it dries ya gotta clean it all off and start over. So, my question is can I fudge and use something that is impervious to oil fingerprants and things, and just dab away?


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

my general experience is, if you use oil over acrylic you'll get even more lifting..... and wrinkling

Gently wash the thing - even if you just dab the bald spots with an alcohol pad - and touch up with acrylics.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Know also that the Floquil is not UV stable, and will fade fairly quickly. I don't know if the Poly-Scale stuff is any better to be honest; outdoors I use only UV-stable latex house paint or spray paints. 

Later, 

K


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

I get best results from Apple Barrel flat acrylics. Usually I apply them over a very light coat of white primer, but I have used them without primer too.


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks, guys. I guess I'll dab away with the Polly Scale Prep cleaner, since it's only the ends of the porch planks that need touching up. The rafter tails, which Ray says should be white and not the base color (Wabash Gray), might be more of a problem since they are afixed to the underside of the roof, which is already clad with Precision Plastic shingles and painted a really nice brownish-black. In short, I hate to dunk the whole assembly into a sinkful of soapy water only to see the roof colors wash off or get compromised in some way. 

On the other hand, the one time I got lazy, didn't clean some styrene sheet, and tried spraying over the smudges, I got the most awful-looking, runny mess you could ever imagine. The second I saw it I tried to wipe it off with a rag, but those dang acrylics had already started to set and I had to clean all the dried paint off with acetone, a chore in itself. 

Kevin, no need to worry about UV fading: this building or any others I've almost built (like the unassembled Orbisonia Firehouse, nudge-nudge, wink-wink) will spend very little time outdoors. Actually, at the rate I'm going and because of my wife's relucatance to let me embark on yet another project I probably won't finish, there may not be an outdoor layout.


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## jake3404 (Dec 3, 2010)

I've used Floquil on a couple locomotives and then sprayed with a clear matte UV overcoat. Do you think that will fade?


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