Aerosols – Many Types Of Paint Available
Almost any finish you could want is now available in aerosol cans. There are alkyds, polyurethanes and lacquers, and all three come in clear plus a wide variety of colors, and in flat as well as high-gloss finish. There are sanding sealers, metal primers, high-heat paints for stoves and barbecues, even granite-like speckle-finish paints. Chances are, if you want it, you can find it.
Aerosol buying tips: As noted above, aerosols come in three basic types: alkyds, urethanes and lacquers. Which is best? As a rule, alkyds (such as Rust-Oleum) and urethanes (such as Varathane) tend to be tougher and more durable. They’re your best choice for high-wear applications or outdoor use.
Lacquers (such as Krylon) dry much faster and thus are more convenient. But as a rule, lacquers are somewhat more brittle and less durable than alkyds and urethanes. Use them mainly for interior work, or outdoors on metal (but not wood).
Aerosol accessories: Stock, off-the-shelf aerosols are OK for small- to medium-sized jobs, but on anything much bigger than a kitchen table or a file cabinet, they can be slow and hard on your trigger finger. One way to solve these problems is with an accessory that is, essentially, a gun and trigger. It has interchangeable nozzles and snaps onto most common spray cans. It offers three advantages over the stock can:
It’s more comfortable to hold and use.
It puts out a wide, fan-shaped spray pattern that covers large surfaces more quickly than the typical round spray pattern of the stock nozzle.
Its interchangeable nozzles give you a choice of light, medium or heavy spray patterns, (although in my experience, even the light nozzle puts out more paint than a stock nozzle).
One warning: The nozzles that create a fan-shaped spray pattern have an inherently delicate orifice that can be easily damaged. In fact, a couple of the samples I tried were slightly deformed right out of the pack and, as a result, put out a lopsided, uneven spray pattern.
A good aerosol tool for fine work is an air brush. An air brush is really just a tiny, very precise spray gun. A real top-grade artist’s air brush may cost close to $120. You can power it with a special aerosol can (connected via hose) or, by buying the right adapters, you use anything from a small compressor to the air pressure in your car’s spare tire.
An air brush will only work with water-thin finishes. But it can produce an exceptionally fine finish. My son has one for painting models, and I use one for doing shaded finishes on furniture or guitars.
You can buy an air brush at any decent art store. If you do, there are three major points to remember:
Use thin finishes.
Clean the air brush thoroughly after every use.
Clean it again.
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