Testors Dull Cote is about as flat as you can get. Floquil Flat is more of a semi-satin. It is not a dull flat. I actually like it and use it as a finish coat on my passenger cars for the slight gloss effect it gives. Real railroads don't dull coat - everything comes out of the shop in high gloss. Take a close look as a train passes by. You'll see a couple newly painted cars that have a gloss coat. If you use alcohol on an engine that is dull coated it will turn a little gray. Some guys like the effect.
I have also only used testors dullcote in a spray can and always found it to be excellent, my only problem is it can be hard to find here in Australia and I have almost run out so i'll have to start looking for more. Has anybody used Microscale flat etc? If so is it as flat as dullcote?
Paul: I also use Testor's Dullcote in the can and like the results. I also used Floquil Flat and it gives the slight gloss finish. It all depends on how you want the car/engine to look after it's finished. Stay cool and run steam....
I'm sitting in a van in a parking lot of a Burger King eating lunch while reading posts from all corners of the planet earth on my laptop about Dullcote. Isnt that just amazing? I have much better luck with Dullcote in the can compared to the bottle also.
There is one other potential cause for the effect you're seeing with the Dull Cote. The term is "blushing", and its a problem inherent in lacquers. Lacquers are very sensitive to humidity, and the higher the humidity (and temperature), the more likely they are to "blush", which, as the term implies, is a coloration change. Skilled (and well equipped) finishers spraying lacquer on large objects will use various additives to control the finish, some of which are used to address blushing. I believe retarders, a technology shared with Micro Trains, is the correct additive for blushing. However, as we aren't spraying quarts and/or gallons of lacquer, the additives aren't going to be especially useful (how do you add 5% to a airbrush cup?), not to mention the logistical challenges of adding them to a spray can... So, the upshot is, don't spray in the sauna, wet or dry. BTW, I tried some DullCote a few days ago, and had a problem I haven't seen mentioned yet. The spray can's blast was so strong it was tossing my little MDC Overton shells around like popcorn. Suggestions on addressing the dilemna?
I refuse to spray anything that is mineral based indoors. Spraying outdoors is problematic for me. I use Testors Dullcote in a bottle and a brush. The shot below may appear to have a shine on top which might be the 1000 watts of halogen lighting up the area. Two coats brushed looks pretty flat to me.
I have found the type of plastic makes a big difference as well as the manufacturer of dull coat. Here's one HO car done in a craft center's dull coat 'matte varnish' and it looks pretty uniform. Thanks, Mark
