Comart additives and storage

Couple questions:
Comart 1000 is their clear base? Any other additives used for flow improvement or other stuff?

If I mix up some to get the colors I want will it keep ok for a while in glass mixing bottles?

One more, do the trans or opaque mix differently for making colors, and can you intermix them? So far I only have primary colors in both.

Comart is design by Iwata for the .18 set up. I have not had to reduce it ever .. sometimes I have wished I could thicken it up some .

With Com-art paints, I generally use just water to reduce for spraying. I have tried a few home made flow enhancers using water, glycerin, alcohol, and some store bought retarders, but found no practical advantage to using any of them. The paint works pretty good with just water for reduction. As with many brands of paint, some of the colors are a bit more difficult to spray than others, and may be more prone to tip dry than others - you find these by trial and error. You can mix all of the colors without issue, or I should say I never ran into one - I have the majority of the available colors, and grays. You can keep them in a glass mixing jar for extended periods of time. Drying will mostly depend on how much air vs. paint is in the jar. With a cap on, the paint will last quite a while, though...

Slight thread jack, hey @DaveG how does the com-art compare with the golden high flow? Is there much difference in them?

markjthomson said:

Slight thread jack, hey @DaveG how does the com-art compare with the golden high flow? Is there much difference in them?

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I started using Com-Art back in the mid 80's or so - It has always been a very consistent product. For the most part, it works quite well, with minimal fuss. Some of the reasons it is not my primary paint of choice - I tend to experience more tip dry with it, than Golden Hi Flo. The colors also tend to be duller, and not as vibrant in the Com-Art. I can get away with thinning and adding different mediums to Golden than with the Com-Art... I can also manipulate the Golden once it is on the surface with more consistent results.

For someone just starting out, it is probably a good choice - because it (Com-Art) is so easy to use right from the bottle - it tends to be priced attractively, too. In something like and Eclipse, you could spray it all day long, and never have an issue.

Cool thanks for that. I've pretty much used golden for everything and was wondering about the com-art. I won't get it especially now, sounds like there isn't any real advantage for me. Will save my pennies for some E'tac and CI.

markjthomson said:

Cool thanks for that. I've pretty much used golden for everything and was wondering about the com-art. I won't get it especially now, sounds like there isn't any real advantage for me. Will save my pennies for some E'tac and CI.

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COm-Art would be a step down from the Golden, at least in my eyes. I've not used E'tac, but want to. It is not so readily available here. I do know where to get it, but the cost is prohibitive compared to other options. I Have been using the Illustration colors for less than a year, and am still learning with them, but do find I am using them more and more. I like the Golden.

I hadn't used it in a while since I started out. I've been messing with Createx wicked on lures. I tried it tonight in my Sotar cause I want to try spraying some fur in prep for a portrait of my cat. I found insanely more easy to spray than the wicked as everyone says "straight out of the bottle". The colors mixed well, to. I spayed on some cheap plastic paper and it scratched really easy. When I get finished, can water based urethane be put over it as a topcoat or is something better?

I've used Com-art for about 2 years before I switched to E'tac. I loved the stuff. It went on anything. I used a drop of 1000 transparent base in every cup. It just helped with flow. On really hot days I used a mixture of distilled water and acrylic retarder to reduce. Just this weekend I packed mine away as it was just gathering dust. I looked like all bottles were still usable.

I have com art bottles 3 years old still useable.
Like Herb at times I wish it was a touch thicker. They are very clean and high quality colors.
I still use com art..
I also use high flow. Which has better coverage. Both have advantages.